Chen Hao had just taken a bite of rice when he heard Nana's voice coming from the direction of the monitoring station.

"The landslide prediction window has been shortened to thirty-six hours."

He hadn't even finished swallowing the rice in his mouth when he suddenly stopped. A grain of rice was stuck in his throat. He swallowed hard, then turned and walked towards the light screen.

Susan also put down her chopsticks and quickly walked over. Carl, who was packing his backpack, paused and looked up at the screen.

The reddened area was larger than before, and its edges had begun to spread towards the mining area. Nana brought up the data stream, and a string of numbers scrolled rapidly.

"The rain clouds arrived over the mining area six hours later," she said. "The soil moisture content continued to rise, and the structural stability decreased by 41 percent."

"That means it will collapse by tomorrow afternoon at the latest." Chen Hao stared at the map. "We don't even have twelve hours left."

Susan frowned: "The solar array, the drill bit, the two recycling machines... they're all over there. If they're buried, we'll have to drill new wells and rewire, and we won't be able to work for at least two months."

Carl said in a low voice, "The initial exploration took a full eight days."

"I know." Chen Hao raised his hand and ran a hand through his hair. "But now is not the time to feel sorry for him, it is time to think about what to do."

“I’ll go take a look,” Susan suddenly said. “We don’t need to go into the core area. Just walk around the perimeter, take a few photos, and note the location of the equipment.”

“No way.” Chen Hao immediately shook his head. “Do you think this is a stroll? The terrain over there is already loose; if you step on it, the whole area might slip.”

"I'll be careful," she said, her tone becoming more urgent. "It's better than doing nothing. If we wait until everything collapses before we start looking, we won't even find a single part."

“Even Karl faced risks yesterday, and you still want to go?” Chen Hao raised his voice. “We’ve just stabilized the base, and now you want to rush out?”

“I’m not being reckless,” Susan said, staring at him. “I’m aware of the consequences. If you won’t let me go, then come up with another way. Otherwise, we can only watch the resource point go to waste.”

The air suddenly became still.

Chen Hao didn't speak, tapping his fingers twice on his thigh before stopping. He knew she was right. But agreeing to send someone on a risk was even more impossible.

Carl stood to the side, still holding the recorder in his hand. He glanced at Susan, then at Chen Hao, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Nana's vents were slightly red, and the fan was running at a low speed. Her finger swiped across the screen, bringing up another set of data.

“The current signal strength is 37 percent,” she said. “That’s below the remote control threshold.”

"So the drones can't be used either?" Susan asked.

“The standard models cannot operate stably,” Nana replied. “But the B-type reconnaissance drone is equipped with an independent relay module, which can temporarily enhance signal coverage.”

"There's such a thing?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up.

"One unit in stock, fully charged, camera and vibration sensor modules are functioning normally." Nana pulled up the equipment parameters, "Flight radius of 20 kilometers, four-hour flight time, can take off and land outside high-risk areas."

“Then it’s usable.” Chen Hao rubbed his hands together. “Let’s fly it over first and see what the situation is. Once we can clearly see the location of the equipment, we can decide on our next step.”

Susan pursed her lips, her brows furrowed: "What if the signal drops? Or what if the wind is too strong and the plane gets blown into a ravine?"

“There are definitely risks,” Chen Hao nodded. “But it’s much safer than having people walk there. It would take you six hours to go there and back, and you’d have to carry all the equipment. If it collapses along the way, there won’t be enough time for a rescue. If the drone is lost, it’s lost. We can always find another way.”

“But it can’t move things,” Susan said.

“It’s not about moving things now,” Chen Hao said, looking at her. “We need to know if the things are still there, how much is buried, and whether it can be repaired. Only with this information can we make a decision.”

Susan was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding: "Okay. Let's see the footage first."

"Then it's settled." Chen Hao turned to Nana. "Prepare the takeoff procedures, the sooner the better."

"Calibrating the flight path." Nana's fingers moved quickly. "Target coordinates locked. Avoid the main landslide area and fly along the edge of the western ridge. Expected to enter the airspace above the mining area in fifteen minutes."

"Give me the remote control." Chen Hao held out his hand.

“I’ll adjust it.” Carl suddenly stepped forward. “I’m familiar with the interface; I’ve tested it three times before.”

Chen Hao glanced at him and withdrew his hand: "Okay, you're in charge of controlling it. If there's any abnormality, return to base immediately. Don't try to film an extra segment."

"Understood." Karl sat down at the control panel and turned on the power switch. A connection prompt appeared on the screen, and the progress bar slowly advanced.

Susan moved to the other side and checked the drone's memory card. "The write speed is normal, and the capacity is sufficient," she said. "Remember to enable real-time data transfer."

“Dual-channel transmission has been enabled,” Nana added. “The ground station is simultaneously receiving image data.”

Chen Hao stood behind the two with his arms crossed, watching the small red dot on the screen slowly move.

"What wind force can this plane withstand?" he asked.

"The design wind resistance level is level six," Nana said. "Currently, the measured wind speed in the mining area is level four, with intermittent gusts reaching the upper limit of level five."

"It's fairly reliable," Chen Hao nodded. "As long as we don't encounter any sudden turbulence."

“It cannot be completely ruled out,” Nana said, “but the flight path has avoided areas of turbulent airflow.”

"Couldn't you just say 'no problem'?" Chen Hao sighed.

"I am stating the facts."

"I know you mean well," he rolled his eyes, "but can't you offer some comfort right now?"

“What you need is accurate information,” she said, “not false optimism.”

"So I deserve to be nervous?" he muttered.

Susan glanced at him: "When you were objecting to me going earlier, why didn't you say you were nervous?"

“That’s different.” Chen Hao glared. “You’re a human being; you get tired, you fall, and you slip. If this plane crashes, at most it’ll just emit some smoke.”

“But the images it transmits may determine what we do next.” Susan looked at the screen. “If the equipment is completely destroyed, we will have to replan the mining route.”

"Then let's start over," Chen Hao shrugged. "It's not like it's the first time we've started from scratch anyway."

“But time waits for no one,” Karl interjected. “The active period of the ore vein is only three weeks left. If we miss this opportunity, we won’t see the next energy peak for another six months.”

"That's why I had Fei make this trip." Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder. "Don't try to do everything at once; get the things in front of you done first."

The connection progress on the control panel jumped to 100%.

"Type B drone initiates self-test," Nana announced. "Power system normal, navigation module normal, camera initialization complete."

"Is it ready for takeoff?" Chen Hao asked.

"Wait for final confirmation." Nana looked at him.

Chen Hao glanced around. Susan stood to one side, arms crossed, her expression tense. Carl's finger hovered above the launch button, his breathing slow. Nana stood in front of the monitoring station, the screen constantly updating meteorological data.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand in a downward pressing gesture.

"Let it fly."

Carl pressed the button.

The small red dot on the screen trembled slightly, then began to move. The altitude reading slowly increased from zero: ten meters, thirty meters, fifty meters…

"We've reached cruising altitude," Nana said. "The course is stable, and the wind speed is within a manageable range."

Chen Hao stared at the red light and slowly approached the danger zone on the map.

"The first observation point is just two kilometers ahead," he said.

"The camera feed is about to be connected." Nana adjusted the signal channel.

The screen flickered, and a black-and-white image appeared. It was the outline of the mountain in night vision mode, a mix of gray and white, like an old photograph.

The sound of the wind came through the microphone, whistling loudly.

“There are traces of falling rocks on the left side,” Carl pointed to a corner of the screen. “It happened about half an hour ago.”

"This shows that the ground is indeed loosening," Susan said.

"Keep your distance," Chen Hao said. "Don't get too close."

The drone continued its journey, crossing a shallow ditch and entering the edge of the mining area.

Suddenly, the screen jerked.

"We've encountered air turbulence," Nana warned. "We recommend reducing your flight speed."

Carl immediately reduced the thrust. The altitude reading fluctuated slightly before stabilizing.

"Keep moving forward." Chen Hao stared at the screen. "After another 500 meters, we should be able to see the location of the first recycling machine."

The footage slowly pans in. Rocks, loose soil, and collapsed scaffolding flash by.

Then, a metallic reflective spot appeared in the image.

“That is—” Susan leaned forward.

“Solar panel bracket,” Nana confirmed. “It’s 23 degrees off-angle, has scratches on the surface, but no breakage was found.”

"Thankfully, it wasn't completely destroyed." Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief.

The drone continued to approach.

More equipment came into view. One recovery machine lay overturned on its side, while another remained standing, though its front pipes were visibly deformed. A crack had appeared in the drilling platform's base, and the material bags piled nearby were half-buried by mud and rocks.

“The second recycling machine can still be repaired,” Carl said, “as long as the core module isn’t damaged.”

“The problem is how to get it back,” Susan said softly.

“Mark the locations first,” Chen Hao said. “Save all these images. In case we really have to send people in, we’ll know where we can step and where we can’t touch.”

"It's automatically marking coordinates," Nana said. "It records geographic information every five seconds."

The camera continued to move.

Suddenly, the outline of the mountain ahead changed subtly. A crack appeared on the edge of a giant rock, and small pebbles began to roll down.

"Watch out!" Chen Hao shouted, "It's about to collapse!"

Carl quickly pulled the control stick up. The drone surged upwards.

The moment it left its original spot, the rock snapped with a roar, carrying a large amount of debris down the hillside and crashing into the path it had just flown along.

Dust rose up, obscuring the lens.

The screen was completely gray.

A few seconds later, the signal was restored.

The drone is now circling in safe airspace, and the image is clear again.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Almost." Karl's palms were sweaty.

"If we go another ten meters, we won't be able to come back." Chen Hao wiped his face.

Susan stared at the spot where the landslide had just occurred: "Only a few minutes have passed, and the ground is already so unstable."

“So it’s not appropriate for any of you to go.” Chen Hao looked at her. “It’s not a matter of courage, it’s that there’s simply no chance to react.”

Susan didn't speak, she just nodded.

Nana pulled up the complete flight path chart: "First round of detection complete, data backed up. Should we initiate the second orbit to expand the search area?"

Chen Hao looked at Karl: "How much longer can we fly?"

“The battery is down to 68%, enough for one more loop,” Carl said. “I can change the angle and shoot the back area.”

“Go,” Chen Hao said. “Take pictures of everything you can. What we lack now is not courage, but information.”

Carl pushed the joystick again.

The drone changed direction and flew deeper into the mining area.

The small red dot on the screen moved slowly.

Chen Hao stood behind the control panel, his hands resting on the edge of the table, his eyes fixed on the screen.

The wind is still blowing.