Chen Hao was woken up by hunger.

He opened his eyes; his stomach was growling loudly. The cave was a little brighter than the night before, with a few rays of sunlight filtering through the crack in the ceiling, barely visible on the rock walls. Nana sat at the cave entrance, her back straight, her mechanical arm retracted at her side, her head slightly turned, as if scanning the outside. Susan leaned against the other side, still clutching her dagger, her eyes closed, but her breathing was shallow; she wasn't sound asleep.

He moved his arm, which pulled at the wound, making him wince in pain. But he didn't make a sound; he simply sat up slowly and grabbed his backpack to cushion his back.

"Awake?" Susan suddenly asked, her eyes still closed.

How did you know?

"The whole cave rattles when you move." She opened her eyes. "The fat man's movements are like an earthquake."

Nana glanced back at him: "Vitality signs are stable, wound shows no signs of infection, you can continue moving."

"Couldn't you have asked me if I was feeling alright first?" Chen Hao muttered. "I'm injured."

“You just sat up by yourself.” Susan stood up and dusted off her pants. “That means you can move.”

"Isn't this just putting on a brave face?"

"Then don't force yourself." She tossed the water bottle over. "Let's go after you finish drinking."

Chen Hao took the water bottle, unscrewed it, and took a sip. The water was a little cold and had a slightly earthy taste, but it was enough to quench his thirst. After a few sips, he handed it to her: "Nana, do you want some... oh right, you don't need any water."

Nana shook her head: "I can test the water quality."

"I've already drunk it, how could it be poisonous?" Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "If you're really that bored, why don't you look at the map and see how far we are from that resource point you mentioned?"

Nana raised her wrist, and a beam of light swept out, revealing a topographical map in the air. A green line marked a gentle slope route, with a red dot flashing at the end.

“The straight-line distance is 4.8 kilometers,” she said. “The terrain is flat and there are no major obstacles.”

"Four point eight?" Chen Hao sighed. "You're saying this number like it's embarrassing to be a round number."

"The data must be accurate."

"Alright, I can't walk too fast anyway." He stood up, leaning against the rock wall, his legs a little weak. "Speaking of which, does this count as officially resuming work?"

“The mission has not been interrupted.” Susan slung her bag over her shoulder. “It’s just been delayed.”

The three packed up their belongings, stomped out the fire completely, and after confirming that there was no smoke left, they pushed aside the vines and walked out of the cave.

The wind was light outside, and the woods were quiet. Dew glistened on the ground, making it damp underfoot. Chen Hao walked slowly, each step careful, as if afraid of aggravating his wound. Nana walked beside him, one hand lightly supporting him, not actually touching him, but ready to intervene at any moment.

"How much power do you have left?" Chen Hao asked.

"Fifty-seven percent of the energy remains," she said. "It is expected to run for another thirteen hours."

"He'll outlive me." Chen Hao smiled wryly. "If I could last thirteen hours without panting, I'd walk upside down on the spot."

“There’s no need,” Nana said. “Your mobility is already 39 percent below the standard walking value.”

"Here we go again." He rolled his eyes. "Can't you even say something nice to me?"

"Your continued despite your injuries, which demonstrates a high level of willpower," she said. "Evaluation: Pass."

"Wow." Chen Hao grinned. "I almost thought you were going to say 'excellent'."

"The conditions for upgrading are not met at present."

Susan walked ahead, listening to their conversation. Her lips twitched, but she didn't turn around.

After passing through a patch of low bushes, the ground began to slope downwards, and the fog gradually thickened. Visibility dropped to less than ten meters, and the ground beneath their feet became slippery. Chen Hao lost his balance and almost knelt on the ground, but Nana immediately reached out to support his shoulder.

"Thanks." He took a breath.

"Pay attention to shifting your weight forward," she said. "To reduce pressure on your knees."

"I've lost all my balance," Chen Hao muttered. "I'm just hanging on by a thread."

Susan, who was ahead, stopped, squatted down, looked at the ground, and frowned.

“There are paw prints,” she said. “Fresh, facing west.”

"Wolves?" Chen Hao's voice tightened.

“I’m not sure,” she stood up, “but someone or an animal has been passing by recently.”

Nana activated the detection mode, her head emitting a slight buzzing sound, and ripples spreading forward.

“There are no obstacles within 30 meters,” she said. “The acoustic feedback indicates that there is an open valley ahead.”

“Then let’s go,” Susan said. “Stay close to the edge, don’t stay in the middle.”

The three moved along the right side, trying to avoid the muddy central area. The mist clung to them, and their clothes quickly became damp. Chen Hao shivered from the cold, his teeth chattering.

“This godforsaken place…” he gritted his teeth, “is even stuffier than the steamer pot I use to make buns back home.”

"If you say another word, I'll leave you here to rot." Susan said without turning her head.

"I can't even joke?"

"You have trouble even walking now, don't waste your energy talking."

"But it will be even colder if I don't speak."

Nana suddenly raised her hand, and a thin strip of light appeared in her palm, emitting a faint blue glow. "Follow this line," she said. "Don't fall behind."

The ribbon of light stretched across the ground like an unbreakable guiding rope. Chen Hao stared at it, his feet shuffling forward in fits and starts.

After walking for about twenty minutes, the fog suddenly thinned. The outline ahead became clear, and the ground dried. Susan quickened her pace, rushed out of the fog, and shouted back, "We're out!"

Chen Hao looked up, and suddenly everything became clear.

The hillside stretched upwards, covered in lush vegetation, its colors a jumbled mix yet not appearing barren. Green, purple, and yellow leaves mingled together, and a faint, sweet fragrance filled the air. In the distance lay an open field, its bare surface gleaming with a metallic sheen.

“This is…” He was stunned.

“Resource points.” Susan took a deep breath. “If I remember correctly.”

Nana strode forward, her fingers quickly tracing the plant leaves, her eyes gleaming with blue light. "Preliminary identification complete," she said. "Three types of edible vine fruits, with protein content twice that of ordinary crops; bluegrass, rich in vitamins C and B; and purple stem flower roots containing natural clotting components that can be used to stop bleeding."

“I knew this flower would be useful.” Susan squatted down and dug up the roots. “Just dry them and grind them into powder.”

Chen Hao bent down, picked up a stone, and turned over the soil. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Hey!" "Look at this!"

He held a translucent crystal in his hand, which glowed faintly in the sunlight.

Nana took it and looked at it: "Natural fluorescent stone, stable composition, can be used for nighttime lighting."

"It can glow at night?" Chen Hao's eyes widened. "Isn't that even better than a flashlight?"

"It has low energy density and cannot replace the main light source," she said, "but it can be used as a reserve for emergency lighting."

"Who cares what it can do?" Chen Hao laughed. "As long as it's bright, that's all that matters."

He turned and ran up the slope, his movements clumsy but excited. "Is there any more? Is there any more?"

"Don't run around!" Susan yelled. "Do you think this is a vegetable market?"

"I'm contributing to the team!" he shouted as he dug through the dirt. "I'll give one point for each one I find, and I'm going to get full marks today!"

Nana walked to a crevice in the rock, extended her robotic arm, and probed into the crevice to collect a sample. A few minutes later, she retrieved a small piece of dark gray ore. "An iron-manganese alloy vein," she said. "High purity, with smelting potential."

"Can you repair equipment?" Susan asked.

“It’s theoretically feasible,” Nana said, “but further purification and processing are needed.”

"Take it with you." Susan took off her tool bag. "Take as much as you can."

In the following days, the three of them had a clear division of labor. Susan was in charge of digging up medicinal roots and stems, Nana collected mineral samples and classified and labeled them, and Chen Hao wandered all over the mountain, picking out strangely shaped plants and shiny stones to stuff into his bag.

"Are these fruits edible?" he asked, holding up a bunch of dark purple berries.

"No toxicity records found in the database." Nana glanced at it. "I suggest trying a small amount first."

"Then you can wait until I finish eating before you do the analysis." He pretended to stuff his mouth.

"No." Susan looked up. "If you have diarrhea, we'll have to carry you back."

"I'm just being sacrificial!" Chen Hao withdrew his hand. "Never mind, I'll leave it for the lab mice."

By the time the sun was directly overhead, their backpacks were bulging. Chen Hao's bag was the fullest, stuffed with fluorescent stones and oddly shaped plant samples, with even a few glowing stones stuck in the crevices.

"I feel like a mobile general store now." He swayed his bag over his shoulder. "Anyone want to buy glow-in-the-dark stones? Selling them cheap!"

“Nobody wants you.” Susan tightened her purse. “If you pick up any more useless stuff, I’ll just leave you here and go.”

"How can you be so heartless?" he grinned. "I'm your only source of joy."

"Try laughing again?"

He immediately shut up.

Nana stood atop the slope, conducting a final scan of the surrounding area. "Collection mission complete," she said. "All critical resources have been bagged, nothing was missed."

"Can we leave now?" Chen Hao stretched his shoulders. "My injury is about to crack from the weight of this backpack."

“The return route has been planned.” Nana pulled up the map. “We expect to reach the temporary camp in two hours.”

Susan glanced at the sky and nodded: "Let's go, let's get out before dawn."

The three lined up again, with Susan in front, Nana in the middle, and Chen Hao at the back. He walked slowly, but a smile remained on his face.

He had gone downhill for less than fifty meters when he suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Nana turned around.

Chen Hao stared at a stone half-buried in the soil by the roadside, bent down and dug it out. The stone's surface was rough, but the cut surface revealed a metallic sheen.

“This thing…” he examined it from all angles, “doesn’t it look like ordinary iron ore?”

Nana took the stone, ran her fingertips across its surface, and a flash of blue light appeared in her eyes.

Her expression changed.