My palm is pressed against the ground, and the vibration continues. Three short vibrations, two long vibrations, a pause, then repeat.

Chen Hao didn't move or speak, but simply raised his wrist and glanced at the timer. The red light reflected on his face, and the numbers jumped rapidly.

“There are four minutes and twelve seconds left,” he said. “We have ninety seconds before the next pulse.”

Susan squatted down beside him, her fingers fiddling with the zipper of the protective bag. She didn't ask how he knew, nor did she question the accuracy of the timing. In times like these, believing was easier than not believing.

Karl leaned against the rock wall, one hand supporting his forehead. His vision was blurred, not from fear, but from the heat. Even breathing felt like swallowing iron filings in this place.

Nana stood still, the indicator light on her right arm flashing yellow twice. The system interface was half black, with only basic navigation and communication still usable. She brought up the traversal model in the knowledge base, deleted all redundant parameters, and kept only the three variables: time, angle, and stride.

“Once the next safety window opens, we must cross the last thirty meters in one go,” she said. “That barrier only weakens when the pulse recedes; if we miss it, we have to wait for the next wave.”

“The problem is,” Carl’s voice was hoarse, “we can barely stand up now, how can you expect us to run thirty meters?”

“No need to run.” Chen Hao looked up. “Just walk. But we need to scout the location.”

What locations are we scouting?

"Its rhythm."

He pressed his palm back to the ground, closed his eyes, and listened for a few seconds. "Three short and two long, this is the pattern. It's not an attack signal, nor is it random fluctuation. It's cyclical, like a heartbeat."

Susan frowned: "You mean... we have to keep rhythm with it?"

“Yes.” Chen Hao opened his eyes. “It’s like dancing. When it vibrates, we stop; when it stops, we move. Don’t resist, just follow along.”

No one laughed. It sounds absurd, but in this godforsaken place, the more outrageous the method, the more likely you are to survive.

Nana nodded: "The energy field does indeed have periodic suppression. If we force a movement, it will trigger local resonance, causing delays or even imbalances in our movements. But if we synchronize with its rhythm, the interference can be minimized."

“That’s how it will be.” Susan tightened her backpack strap. “Who will lead the way?”

"Me." Chen Hao stood up, patting the dust off his pants. "Anyway, I'm the fattest, so I'm less likely to get hurt if I fall."

Carl snorted: "You're just lazy and have developed a fat-based, fall-resistant physique."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Nana modified the detector into a guide rod, and a small green light appeared at the front end. It wasn't very bright, but it was enough to serve as a reference point in this environment.

"I will use myself as the origin of the coordinate system to maintain a stable direction," she said. "You all follow the instructions closely."

“Chain method.” Chen Hao pointed to the order of the line. “Susan grabs Nana’s arm, Carl grabs Susan’s shoulder strap, and I’ll hold Carl’s bag. Whoever lets go has to crawl across on their own.”

The four people stood in a row, pressed against the wall.

The ground continued to shake, the rhythm unchanged.

Chen Hao stared at the timer, holding his breath.

The time has reached 4 minutes and 12 seconds.

The moment the last pulse ended, it was as if the air was sucked out for a moment, and the buzzing suddenly disappeared.

"Go!" he growled.

The first step was taken, and everyone stepped forward at the same time.

"One step, then stop." Nana's voice was calm and clear.

They stopped.

The tremors came, three short and two long.

After it passed, Nana gave the order: "Two steps, fifteen degrees to the left, go."

Their footsteps were barely audible, almost skimming the ground. The rock face was a dark red, and the heat distorted their vision, but they stopped looking around and focused only on the green light ahead.

Carl slipped and nearly fell to his knees. Susan grabbed his shoulder strap and pulled him back.

"Thanks," he said, panting.

"Stop talking nonsense and keep up."

When the third round of instructions came down, Nana's right arm suddenly twitched, the green light flashed twice, and almost went out.

"The system is overloaded." She quickly adjusted, "The remaining computing power can only last for ten minutes."

"That's enough." Chen Hao gritted his teeth. "We'll reach the barrier in another twenty meters."

The insulated box had its outer shell removed, leaving only the core crystal inside a specially protected bag, which Susan held to her chest. It was now slightly warm, as if something inside was pulsating.

"Is it awake?" Carl glanced at it.

"He's not awake yet," Chen Hao said. "He's just a little excited."

You call this 'a little'?

Before he could finish speaking, the ground suddenly trembled.

This time it's not the same rhythm as before.

Almost there. Things are in chaos.

"The pulse is ahead of schedule!" Susan shouted.

"A seventy-eight-second cycle," Nana quickly determined. "The next one will come in thirty seconds."

"Not enough!" Karl exclaimed anxiously. "We need at least forty seconds to get past the barrier!"

"Then speed it up." Chen Hao stared ahead. "Abandon synchronization and charge straight ahead."

"The risk is too great!"

"Which second isn't dangerous right now? Waiting to die is even more dangerous."

Nana paused for two seconds, then shut down the non-core modules. The yellow light on her right arm continued to flash, but she poured her last bit of computing power into the navigation system to recalibrate the angle.

"Direction unchanged, distance 19 meters. Estimated crossing time 37 seconds."

"Then let's finish this in thirty-seven seconds." Chen Hao turned around. "Everyone, prepare to sprint."

They didn't speak, they just held each other tightly.

The green light came on again.

"Walk!"

This time, instead of taking small steps, they lowered their bodies and pushed forward with all their might.

A wave of heat hit them, and the stones beneath their feet began to float. A wrench slid out of Karl's toolbox, only halfway up in the air before being sucked into a crack in the side wall and snapping into place.

"Gloves!" Karl suddenly shouted.

An invisible force pulled at the edge of his right glove, almost ripping his hand off. Susan swiftly cut the restraints with a slash, freeing him.

"Thanks," he said again.

"Remember to trim your nails next time," Susan said without turning her head.

Ten meters to go.

The green light became unstable, and Nana's arms became noticeably stiff and her movements slowed down.

"Hold on," Chen Hao whispered.

"Yes," she uttered a single word.

Five meters.

The air became thick and sticky, and every step felt like pulling your legs out of mud.

Three meters.

The buzzing sound rose again from behind, getting closer and closer.

"Three, two, one—" Chen Hao roared the countdown, "Lower your body, charge!"

The four of them practically pounced on him.

Just as the last person crossed the invisible line, a loud explosion occurred behind them.

A dark red light curtain rose from the ground, cutting the passage in half.

They tumbled to the ground, rolling several times before stopping.

The buzzing behind me disappeared.

The air stopped distorting, and the floating tools fell to the ground.

quiet.

It's like the lake has frozen over again after a storm.

Chen Hao lay on the ground, panting like a dried-out fish.

He slowly turned over and looked up at the reddish rock formations above him.

"Is it over?" he asked.

No one answered.

Susan leaned against the rock wall, clutching her protective bag, her hands still trembling.

Carl sat on the ground, his left hand gripping his right arm tightly, where there was a scorch mark and the skin was curled up.

Nana knelt on one knee, a yellow light flashing incessantly on her right arm, and the system notification sounded intermittently: "Low power consumption...standby...maintaining...basic functions..."

Chen Hao propped himself up and sat up, looking around.

Ahead lay an even narrower passage, its bottom unseen. The light on the rock face was dimmer than outside, but more even, like the slow breathing of some creature.

He took out a timer.

The screen is cracked, but it still works.

Time displayed: 00:00:58.

It was just two seconds away from zero.

He stared at the number and suddenly smiled.

"We actually made it in alive."

Susan looked down at the protective bag in her arms. The crystal was still glowing, but the frequency had changed; it was no longer flickering randomly, but rather a steady alternation of light and shadow, as if responding to something.

“It’s communicating,” she said.

"With whom?" Karl looked up.

"I don't know," she shook her head, "but it's definitely not us."

Nana slowly stood up straight, the green light of the guide stick was faint but not extinguished.

“There’s a structural change ahead,” she said. “It’s not a natural rock formation.”

Chen Hao squinted and looked into the depths of the passage.

There seems to be an outline there.

Round. Huge. Smooth surface, unlike stone.

“It looks like a door,” he said.

“Or a cage,” Susan whispered.

Carl tried to stand up, but his legs gave way and he sat back down. He cursed and punched his knee hard.

"Whatever it is, we have to go see it." Chen Hao patted his pants. "We're already here, and there's no going back now."

He took two steps forward and looked back at the three of them.

"To join or not to join?"

Susan hugged the bag tightly and stood up.

Carl leaned on the tool bag handle and slowly stood up.

Nana stood still, the light on her right arm flickering, but she still raised the guide stick.

The green light points to the end of the passage.

Chen Hao turned around and took his third step.

The floor tiles at the bottom of the passage suddenly vibrated slightly.

A piece of gravel broke off from the wall, hit the ground, and split in two.

A sliver of blue light seeped out from the crack.