The light flickered, and Nana's finger immediately swiped across the tablet. There were no abnormal background processes, and the system wasn't calling any high-risk modules. That flicker just now seemed like an illusion.

But no one relaxed.

Chen Hao stuck the welding rod into the ground and said, "Alright, stop looking, it's almost dawn."

He stood up, dusted off his trousers, and turned to walk into the kitchen. The kettle was still on the table. He turned on the water purifier and waited for the water to slowly drip into the bottom of the kettle. He glanced up at the simple clock on the wall: 5:40.

"Sleep for another ten minutes?" Susan asked, leaning against the door.

"I'm not waiting anymore." Chen Hao picked up the megaphone he'd modified into a loudspeaker, walked to the dormitory door, and pressed the button. "Get up! The sun's already high in the sky! No pay for moving stuff today!"

A muffled groan came from inside the room, followed by the sound of a blanket hitting the floor.

Carl came out wearing a coat, his hair disheveled: "You really got up at 5:40?"

"I'm afraid you guys will oversleep." Chen Hao grinned. "We agreed to start work at six, so I have to lead the way."

Nana was already seated at the control panel, the map projection floating in mid-air. Two red dots were marked in the northwest, and three yellow dots were at the southeast edge of the forest.

“The mineral deposits are in these two places,” she said, pointing to the red dots. “The outer shell of the old compartment is severely corroded, but the internal frame is still intact, making it suitable for dismantling.”

"Where's the food section?" Susan leaned closer.

“High-yield rhizomatous plants have been recorded in Southeast Zone 3, but the seasonal withering period may affect the collection volume. In addition, infrared scanning shows traces of small animal activity nearby, but they have not yet approached human areas.”

“That means we can still harvest them,” Chen Hao said. “I’m going south, and I’ll see if I can catch a couple of rats along the way for a snack.”

“You can’t even beat a mouse,” Carl said, rummaging through his toolbox.

“I can dig traps,” Chen Hao retorted. “I even caught a flying bug last time.”

“Those are mosquitoes,” Susan said.

"That's protein too."

Nana turned off the projector: "I suggest we split into two groups. Karl and I will go to the northwest section to retrieve the energy components, while the two of you will go to the southeast forest area to gather food resources. Keep communication open, and evacuate immediately if you encounter any danger."

“Understood.” Susan slung her canvas bag over her shoulder. “I brought a drying cloth and a resealable bag.”

“I brought a shovel.” Chen Hao waved the folding shovel in his hand. “And this—” He pulled a piece of blackened chocolate from his pocket. “Emergency rations.”

“That’s what was left over from last week,” Carl frowned.

"The expiration date says 'can be stored for a long time'." Chen Hao took a bite, making a crunching sound as he chewed. "See, it's not poisonous, is it?"

At 6:00 AM sharp, the four of them walked out of the base.

The wind was a bit strong, and a thin layer of dust covered the ground. Chen Hao covered his mouth with his sleeve: "This weather feels like a sandstorm is about to break out."

"The air humidity is dropping." Nana looked up at the sky. "A short period of dust is expected within two hours. I suggest we speed things up."

"Then let's run faster!" Chen Hao started walking. "Whoever fills the sack first gets to go home for dinner first!"

Susan followed up: "Don't just focus on being first, remember to pick the clean ones to dig."

To the northwest, Karl crouched in front of the abandoned hatch, shining his flashlight on the broken pipes. "This used to be connected to the main power grid; the battery packs should still be deep inside."

Nana turned on the detector: "There's a weak electric field reaction on the left, which might be residual energy. Go around it and enter from the right."

"Are you sure this wall won't collapse?" Carl patted the rusty metal plate.

“The structural stability is 72%,” Nana said. “It’s below the safety threshold, but the support time is enough for us to complete the recovery.”

"That's enough." Carl pulled out the wrench. "Then let's hurry."

On the other side, Chen Hao was squatting in a clump of withered grass, digging through clods of earth. "This thing looks really pathetic."

Susan brushed aside the fallen leaves on the ground: "Look here, lichen is clinging to the cracks in the rocks. This is called rock moss. It can withstand low temperatures and can be eaten after being cooked."

How does it taste?

"Like a swelled cardboard shell."

“Okay, even cardboard is better than starving.” Chen Hao started shoveling soil. “Let’s dig up more, dry it, grind it into powder, and mix it into rice so no one can tell the difference.”

"You've been fooling yourself like this all along?"

"The food in my university cafeteria was even worse."

The two worked for more than two hours, filling three sacks. Chen Hao carried one sack back, saying, "I'm exhausted. It felt more exhausting than taking an exam."

How many times did you take the test?

I failed three times, but I passed the last time by copying the answers from the girl in front of me.

"So whose are you copying now?"

"I copied nature's ideas," Chen Hao said, panting. "It poses the questions, and I find the answers."

When we returned to base, the sky had already begun to turn yellow. The wind whipped up fine sand, which pattered against the walls.

"Close the door!" Susan shouted.

Chen Hao and she worked together to drag the sack into the warehouse. As soon as they closed the dust curtain, sand started falling down from outside.

"Luckily I made it in time." He slumped to the ground. "Five minutes later and I would have been squatting outside."

Nana and Karl had just returned. They were covered in metal shavings and carrying a sealed box.

"Six sets of batteries, twenty meters of wire, and four voltage regulator modules." Karl put down the box. "None of them are completely intact, but they can be repaired and still work."

"The data entry is complete." Nana wiped the dust off the screen. "The temporary inventory has been updated."

"The food has also been inventoried." Susan lifted the sack. "Two sacks of rock moss, half a sack of dried fruit, and some root vegetables. Roughly estimated, it can last for ninety days of basic consumption."

"Ninety days?" Chen Hao's eyes widened. "That short?"

“This is based on the minimum calorie allocation,” Susan said. “If you eat meat and drink alcohol every day, you’ll be gone in three days.”

"I didn't say I wanted to drink," Chen Hao muttered to himself. "I just wanted to ask if we could have a late-night snack."

“Prioritize dealing with the damp parts.” Nana walked toward the air purifier. “Dust may affect the storage quality, so let’s filter it first.”

"I'll set up the drying rack." Chen Hao got up. "The one we made last time is still behind the warehouse. We can just bring it in."

"You can even put on airs?" Carl raised an eyebrow.

"I was the only student who passed the craft class," Chen Hao said proudly. "Although the teacher said I used too much glue, and the table couldn't even be lifted."

The four people worked until 3 p.m., sorting and storing all the supplies. Food was sealed and put on shelves, battery packs were placed in anti-static cabinets, and wires were bundled and labeled according to specifications.

The console's ledger page has finished refreshing, and the last line displays the statistical results: the energy system expansion is expected to reach 40%.

“Phase one is complete.” Nana closed the terminal.

"What's next?" Chen Hao leaned against the doorframe. "Isn't it time for training? Like... how to use a power drill without poking your hand?"

“You said yesterday that you’d rather lay bricks.” Susan handed him a bottle of water.

"People change." Chen Hao took the water. "I'm more enlightened now."

Carl opened his notebook: "Once the weather stabilizes, we can start modifying the equipment. First, isolate the backup circuit, then connect the voltage regulator."

"I'm responsible for monitoring system behavior," Nana said. "I check the logs once a day to make sure there are no unauthorized operations."

"And what about me?" Chen Hao asked.

“Overall planning,” Susan said. “You’ll arrange who does what.”

"Again?" Chen Hao sighed. "Didn't I tell you, I got heatstroke after arranging this last time?"

"This time there's a hat."

"That's different; the sun will still peek in through your collar."

"So what do you plan to do?"

Chen Hao was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up: "How about this, we'll meet at 5:30 tomorrow morning and do some light morning exercises first. Let's stretch our muscles and assign tasks at the same time."

"5:30?" Carl looked up. "Half an hour earlier than today?"

"The early bird catches the worm," Chen Hao said seriously. "The late bird can only gnaw on tree bark."

"Are you sure you're a bird?" Susan laughed.

"I am the lead goose," Chen Hao said, puffing out his chest. "Although I fly slowly, I never fall behind."

Nana looked at him and suddenly said, "Your shoelaces are untied."

Chen Hao looked down and, sure enough, saw that his left shoelace was dragging on the ground. He bent down to tie it tightly, and just as he straightened up, the light above his head flickered again.

It was very short, just a moment.

He looked up at the light but didn't say anything.

Everyone else stopped what they were doing.

Nana had already opened the tablet and was quickly tapping into the list of background processes.