Morning light crept in through the cracks in the window, illuminating Chen Hao's face. He blinked, didn't move, but his eyes were open.

Nana stood by the bed as the robotic arm gently retracted the monitoring module. The number on the screen stopped at 37.2, indicating a stable heartbeat. She removed the heatsink, put it in her toolbox, and turned off the alarm system.

"The fever has subsided," she said.

Chen Hao opened his mouth, his voice a little hoarse: "Can I eat now?"

“Okay.” Susan came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of steaming, mushy liquid. “But it’s not meat.”

"Not even soup?" He propped himself up, leaning against the wall, his neck feeling a little weak.

“You said you wanted to eat stir-fried cabbage yesterday.” She placed the bowl on the bedside table. “I’ve made you some herbal porridge with a little salt.”

"So, half of my wishes have come true." He lowered his head and sniffed it. "Is this thing really edible?"

“It’s better than you gnawing on tree bark.” She sat down on a chair nearby, holding a rag in her hand, and began sharpening the tip of a wooden spear.

Nana walked to the corner and turned on the energy panel to check. The number jumped to 65%. The system was functioning normally. She casually adjusted the parameters of the insulation device, and the chill in the room subsided somewhat.

Chen Hao slowly drank two mouthfuls of porridge, choked, and coughed. This time it didn't aggravate his wound, but he still frowned.

"pain?"

"It doesn't hurt, it's just that I feel like I'm coughing my lungs out." He put down his bowl. "You two... didn't sleep all night, did you?"

Susan didn't look up: "You're meddling too much."

“I’m grateful,” he said, “not checking up on you.”

Nana came over and took the empty bowl away: "The medical procedure is over. You need to continue to rest in bed for 48 hours and avoid strenuous activity."

"Another 48 hours?" He rolled his eyes. "I've been lying here for two days already."

"You had a fever of forty degrees Celsius before," Susan sneered. "You're lucky to be alive, and you wanted to go clubbing?"

"I just wanted to sit up for a while." He tried to prop himself up on the edge of the bed, but his legs went weak and he slid back down.

"Wait another half day," Nana said. "Muscle recovery takes time."

The wind outside stopped, and the tin roof ceased its creaking. A bird's call drifted from afar, short and tentative.

Suddenly, Nana turned to look at the monitor screen.

“There are signs of life within 30 meters,” she said.

Susan immediately stood up, holding the wooden spear in her hand, walked to the door, squatted down, and looked out through the crack.

Who is it?

“Unknown.” Nana moved closer to the screen. “Male build, crouching in the old trap area, unarmed.”

Chen Hao tried to get up: "Let me see."

"Don't move." Susan turned around. "You can barely stand, what are you going out for? To get yourself killed?"

“We can’t let Nana go alone,” he said.

“I don’t need to be alone.” Nana was already walking towards the door. “I’m just going to check on things.”

"Wait." Susan pulled a small knife from her belt and handed it over. "If there are any problems, don't waste words, just do it."

Nana took the knife, and the robotic arm slightly adjusted its angle to ensure it could be deployed in defensive mode at any moment. She opened the door, and in a flash, disappeared outside.

The room fell silent.

Chen Hao stared at the ceiling: "Do you think... it could be another survivor?"

“The wilderness is so vast, who knows?” Susan leaned against the door, her hand still gripping the spear. “As long as there are people, there will be trouble.”

“But aren’t we human too?” he asked.

“It’s different,” she said. “We survived. Others came to live, not to help.”

Several minutes passed outside, but there was no sound.

Chen Hao began counting his breaths, one breath for each step. When he reached seventy-three, the door was pushed open.

Nana is back, followed by a man.

The man was frighteningly thin, his clothes were torn in several places, his face had abrasions, and he had a stubble beard. He held his hands in front of his chest, his steps were slow, but his eyes were steady.

“This is Carl,” Nana said. “He hid near the trap zone for ten minutes, saying he was a survivor of the spaceship crash and had been living alone for two weeks.”

Susan didn't move, the tip of her spear slightly raised: "How can you prove it?"

Carl spoke, his voice hoarse but clear: "I don't know how to prove it. I've survived this long because I ate moss and insects for two months. I saw the lights here, so I came. I don't want to fight, and I don't want to steal. I just want... a place to lie down, even if it's just for a day."

Chen Hao stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "What you said is so honest, it doesn't sound like a scammer."

“That doesn’t mean it’s safe.” Susan still didn’t back down. “Nine out of ten people outside initially say they have no ill intentions.”

“I’m telling the truth.” Karl didn’t argue, he just stood there. “If you don’t believe me, you can search me. I have no weapons, no backpack, and even my water bottle is empty.”

Nana walked over and scanned him: "Residual toxins from local plants were detected on his body surface, consistent with long-term wild feeding habits. Low body temperature, malnutrition, and no record of aggressive behavior. The probability of lying is less than 12%."

"You're quite good at calculations," Chen Hao said.

“The data speaks for itself,” Nana said, turning around. “I recommend basic resettlement.”

Susan was silent for a few seconds before finally putting the spear down, but not putting it away: "Let's eat first. We'll talk after we eat."

She turned and went into the kitchen, where she cooked another bowl of porridge. Carl stood there, slowly lowering his hand, his shoulders relaxing a little.

"Thank you," he said, his voice trembling slightly.

The food was ready quickly. Susan brought it out and placed it on a small stool in the corner. Carl sat down, holding the bowl, his hands trembling.

He took a sip, and tears suddenly fell into his eyes.

No one spoke.

He lowered his head and swallowed slowly, as if performing some kind of ritual.

Chen Hao looked at him and suddenly said, "Our base may be poor, but we can still manage to scrape together an extra bite to eat."

Susan stood by the door, whittling another wooden spear: "Don't be in such a hurry to be a good person."

“I’m not trying to be a good guy,” he said. “I just feel…we’ve all survived, so one more wouldn’t make a difference.”

Nana walked over, took out a portable testing device, and said to Karl, "We need to collect basic physiological data for subsequent resource allocation assessment."

Carl nodded: "Go ahead and investigate."

The test was completed quickly. Nana stored the data in the system and said softly, "Preliminary assessment: no risk of infectious diseases. Extremely weak, requires three days of rest."

"Then let's stay here," Chen Hao decided. "The house is big enough anyway."

Susan glanced at him: "You decide?"

“Now it’s my turn to lie down,” he grinned. “The one lying down is the most important.”

She snorted and didn't object.

After finishing the last bite, Carl gently placed the bowl on the ground, put his hands behind his head, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

After a while, he looked up and said, "What can I... do? Sweeping is fine, moving things is fine, just don't kick me out."

"Don't do anything right now," Nana said. "Rest."

"But I can't just eat for free..."

“You’ve already paid the price,” Chen Hao interrupted him. “Being this hungry and still not running shows you really want to live. That’s enough.”

Sunlight gradually spread across the ground outside. The wind picked up again, causing the corrugated iron wall to sway slightly.

Susan walked to the window and looked at the distant ridgeline. Her shadow was long on the ground.

Nana began cleaning up the medical tools she had used the night before. Chen Hao leaned against the bed, tapping his knees slowly with his fingers.

Carl sat in the corner, his hands on his knees, his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.

No one mentions the word "trust" anymore.

But the atmosphere changed.

The original trio was like a closed circle, but now that there's an extra person, the circle has cracked open, and light is shining in.

"Which area were you active in before?" Nana suddenly asked.

Carl opened his eyes: "An abandoned observation station to the east. When the spaceship crashed, I was in the cargo hold, I was thrown out, and I woke up in the woods."

"Is there anything left at the observation station?" Chen Hao asked.

“The power supply failed, and most of the equipment was rendered unusable. But I remember there was a locker that was locked and couldn’t be opened.” He paused, “and there was a label inside that said ‘emergency supplies’.”

Chen Hao and Nana exchanged a glance.

“Once I can walk again,” he said, “we have to go take a look.”

Susan turned her head: "You should focus on getting your leg healed first."

“I know what I'm doing,” he laughed. “I’m not stupid.”

Nana walked to the monitoring console and pulled up the map. A red dotted line stretched eastward from the base, through a dense forest, and pointed to the abandoned site.

“It’s about eight kilometers away,” she said. “The terrain is complex, so at least two people need to go together.”

"Wait for me for three days," Chen Hao said. "I promise I can leave."

“You can’t guarantee that,” Susan said, walking over. “But we can wait for you.”

Carl suddenly stood up: "If... you'd like to take me with you, I can be your guide. I've been walking through that forest for half a month, and I know every path well."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Chen Hao looked at him: "You just finished a meal, and you want to take risks with us?"

“I’m not doing this for anything in return,” Carl said in a low voice. “I just don’t want to search alone anymore. It’s been too long.”

Nana wrote down this sentence and marked it as "the motivation is credible".

Susan stared at him for a few seconds before finally sticking the wooden spear in her hand into the dirt in the corner of the wall.

“Fine,” she said, “but if you dare to try anything funny—”

“I won’t,” Carl said softly but steadily.

Chen Hao smiled: "Great. Our team is finally getting stronger."

Nana updated the system permissions and added a new user named "Karl" with the level of temporary member.

A message pops up on the screen: The team size has been updated to 4 people.

The lights in the room flickered and then came back on.

Carl sat down, placing his hands on his knees, palms up, as if accepting some unseen weight.

Chen Hao leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

The sunlight shone on his face, warm and comforting.