Chen Hao hoisted "Groundhog No. 1" onto his shoulder, winding the power cord neatly around his neck. He didn't speak, his shoes making a soft, smacking sound as he walked back through the mud. Susan followed behind, clutching the broken drill bit in her hand, rubbing the cutting edge with her fingertips; the cracks were still visible.

The lights in the shed were on, casting a dim, yellowish glow on the table. Karl entered and stood against the wall, turning a gear salvaged from a junkyard. Nana stood in the corner, her eye flashing, and began adjusting data.

“That rock just now,” she said, “wasn’t an ordinary rock formation.”

“I know it’s hard.” Chen Hao plopped down, the chair creaking, “But surely it won’t leave even a mark?”

“Highly silicified sandstone,” Nana said. “Its hardness is close to that of granite, and vibratory drills cannot cut into it effectively. Continuing to use the existing equipment will only lead to damage to the core components.”

"So it's ruined?" Susan put the drill bit on the table. "The machine we worked so hard to build has only drilled less than two meters, and now it can't even crack the surface of the rock?"

“Not entirely.” Nana raised her hand and projected some data. “In geological engineering, high-energy lasers are often used to perform local vaporization cutting on this type of rock strata. The principle is to use a focused beam to instantly heat the rock surface to above its melting point, causing it to evaporate or disintegrate directly.”

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

"Wait a minute." Chen Hao looked up. "What did you say? Lasers? We don't even have a decent generator around here, and you're expecting to get lasers?"

“Theoretically feasible.” Nana did not retract the projection. “Mobile laser core sampling devices have been deployed and recorded in this area. The power is moderate, suitable for small-scale operations, and it comes with its own independent energy module.”

"Where can I find it?" Carl asked.

“A portable model was once registered outside the former No. 7 research station, about 100 kilometers away. The last signal was three years ago, and it was in standby and sealed off.”

Chen Hao stared at the projected image for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "You mean, someone actually threw this high-tech gadget into the wilderness?"

“The probability is over 70%,” Nana said. “If the equipment is not severely corroded or disassembled by humans, the success rate of restarting can reach 60%.”

"Sixty?" Chen Hao stood up. "Much better than rolling dice. Let's go find it."

"Are you crazy?" Susan stopped him. "Over a hundred kilometers, we don't know what the situation is along the way, just for a piece of junk that we don't even know if it's still around?"

"What else?" Chen Hao shrugged. "Sit here staring at the rocks in a daze? Wait for them to weather away on their own? We dug the tunnel to save our lives. Now that we're stuck at the entrance, it's like sticking our necks out to be chopped off."

Carl stroked his chin: "I can drive. I can drive a modified off-road vehicle, and I have enough gas to go back and forth."

"Is Nana going?" Susan asked.

“I’ll go,” Nana said. “Operating the device requires authorization, and I can directly connect to the system.”

“Then you stay here.” Susan looked at Chen Hao. “The three of you go, I’ll guard the base. The alarm system has just been installed, and it can’t be left unattended.”

“Okay.” Chen Hao nodded. “If you hear a wall collapsing, remember to record a video before you run.”

They set off before dawn. The car bounced violently, the chassis clattering with each bump. Karl gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes fixed on the sandy ground ahead. Nana sat in the passenger seat, constantly scanning for nearby frequencies on the radio.

Chen Hao huddled in the back seat, dozing off with his backpack in his arms. In his drowsy state, he heard Nana say, "Signal is improving; we're about twelve kilometers from the target location."

He opened his eyes: "Found it?"

"Weak electromagnetic residue was detected, with a feature matching rate of 82%."

The car drove into a cluster of buildings that were half-collapsed. The corrugated iron roofs leaned precariously, and faded markings of numbers like K-7 were painted on the walls. Several wrecked construction vehicles sat in the open space, their tires long since flat.

The three got out of the car and split up to search.

Half an hour later, Chen Hao shouted from a half-collapsed warehouse: "Here! The control panel is still there!"

Carl and Nana rushed over. A silver-gray metal box stood on the shelf, its surface covered in dust, but the outer shell was intact. Next to it was a small control panel, its screen black.

Nana reached out and touched the interface: "Power off, storage chip undamaged. As long as there's still fuel in the tank, it can start."

"Then we're all set?" Chen Hao patted the box. "Let's carry it away."

"No." A voice came from the doorway.

The two turned around and saw three people in worn protective suits standing there. The one in the middle was holding a modified stun gun and pointing it at the ground.

“This is the territory of the remnants of the seventh expedition,” he said. “The stuff belongs to us.”

Chen Hao squinted at the badges on their chests; they did indeed resemble the insignia of the old scientific expedition team.

"You guys can still use this thing?" he asked.

“Of course,” the man sneered, “it’s just not necessary for now.”

"Then why don't you try turning it on?" Chen Hao pointed to the control panel. "If it really worked, you would have been using it to do some work already, instead of sitting here in the ruins."

The other person didn't speak.

“To be honest,” Chen Hao stepped forward, “you guys have no idea how to start it, right? The combination lock, the authentication process, the fuel ratio—you can’t handle any of that. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been sitting here collecting dust for three years.”

The man's expression changed.

“We can cooperate,” Chen Hao said. “Lend us your stones for a few days, and we’ll return them once we’ve finished cutting them. You name your terms.”

"We'll exchange all supplies," the other party said. "Food, water purification modules, batteries—leave them all."

"No way." Chen Hao shook his head. "What do you need so many resources for? There are only three of you. Can you even finish them all? Can you even use them all? Why not get something more practical—technical support? If you encounter any equipment problems in the future, we'll help you fix them. Water purification systems, power lines, take your pick."

"In addition, we will provide two water purification modules each month as a rental fee. We will also provide access to part of the local defense system's operating logic for your reference and learning." Nana added.

The three people exchanged glances.

"Can you really fix it?" the woman who hadn't spoken before asked.

“Nana is a walking encyclopedia,” Chen Hao laughed. “If she says it can be done, then it can’t be bad.”

There was a few minutes of silence.

"Deal," the man with the stun gun finally said. "Sign here, or you'll renege on the deal."

They wrote an agreement on a charred piece of paper, which both parties signed. The other party handed over the keys and two fuel canisters.

"Don't break it," the woman warned. "It takes half a month to repair this thing."

"Don't worry." Chen Hao shouldered the control box. "We'll handle it with the utmost care, even more carefully than if we were carrying a baby."

On the return trip, the car felt even heavier. The laser equipment was secured to the back seat, tied with three layers of rope.

Carl glanced back as he drove: "Can it really cut through that rock?"

“Nana said it’s possible.” Chen Hao leaned back in his chair. “She said the laser temperature can reach over 3,000 degrees Celsius, and the stone can only last for ten seconds at most.”

“Aren’t we moving too fast?” Carl frowned. “We found the equipment smoothly, reached an agreement, and moved it without any problems? Based on past experience, something should have gone wrong by now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the headlights illuminated the road ahead, revealing a crack that ran across the road, wide enough to sink half a tire.

Carl slammed on the brakes, and the car slid a short distance before coming to a stop.

"You were right," Chen Hao said, peering over the edge. "This road wasn't this bad before."

“It might be caused by the recent earthquake.” Nana pulled up a topographic map. “I suggest taking the detour via the small road on the east side, which will take an extra twenty-three minutes.”

"We have no choice but to go around." Carl shifted gears and turned.

The car slowly turned around, driving over the gravel belt. Suddenly, the car jolted violently, and the right rear wheel sank into a hidden pothole, skidding in mid-air.

"Come down and push." ​​Chen Hao opened the door.

The three got out of the car. Karl placed stones under the wheels, while Chen Hao and Nana pushed the back of the car together. After the tires spun several times, they finally climbed out.

After they got back on the road, no one said a word.

The dashboard inside the car flickered; the fuel level was 37 percent.

“Enough to get back,” Carl said.

Nana looked down to check the equipment: "The laser generator is intact, and the fuel seal is normal. We expect to complete the connection test within four hours of arrival."

Chen Hao leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest. Not long after, he was jolted awake again.

He opened his eyes and saw a faint red light flash by in the distance outside the window, like the indicator light of some kind of signal tower.

"What was that just now?" he asked.

“Unidentified light source.” Nana adjusted her perspective. “Too far away to identify the type.”

"Could it be that another team has taken over a new stronghold?" Chen Hao muttered. "I'll have to carry a map with me from now on, otherwise I won't even know if I'm walking into someone's house."

The car continued on its way, dust swirling in front of the headlights.

Susan's voice came through the radio: "Did you receive the return signal? I'm ready here, the tunnel entrance has been cleared."

"Received." Chen Hao pressed the call button. "We're almost there. Are you ready for the high-tech era?"

“If you can cut the stone, you are the saviors.”

"That's an exaggeration," Chen Hao laughed. "We just didn't want to dig the soil with our hands."

As night deepened, the wheels rolled over the last stretch of gravel road.

The lights of the base ahead were faintly visible.

Nana suddenly looked up: "Attention, the equipment self-check has detected an anomaly—the fuel tank pressure is too low, which may affect output stability."

"Is it still usable?" Chen Hao asked.

"Yes, but the cutting speed will decrease, and the single working time will be shortened to fifteen minutes."

"That's enough." Chen Hao looked out the window. "As long as he can move, that's fine."

The car drove into the base gate, and the tires made a muffled thud as they rolled over the threshold.

They unloaded the laser equipment and placed it on a platform in the center of the shed. Nana immediately connected the testing line, and a series of data appeared on the screen.

Carl unscrewed the fuel tank valve and checked the seal of the connection.

Susan came over and asked, "Really? This thing can really cut rocks?"

"I'll know soon." Chen Hao opened the control panel and pressed the start button.

The screen lights up and the green indicator light flashes.

"System initialization in progress," Nana said.

Chen Hao stared at the silver-gray box, his hand resting on the switch.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s see just how amazing modern technology really is.”