Chen Hao had been staring at the five points of light outside the porthole for almost half an hour. They hadn't moved, and neither had the spaceship. The entire main control cabin was as quiet as if it had been frozen.

His shoulders ached, the safety rope was digging into his chest, and his breathing became shallow. But he dared not move or speak.

Nana stood in front of the control panel, her fingers lightly resting on the surface, her eyes fixed on the data stream. Her pupils occasionally flashed blue, a sign that the knowledge base was operating at high speed.

Susan leaned against the right-hand passageway entrance, still clutching a wrench. Her arm wound had been bandaged, but she didn't look well. Carl crouched beside the power supply box, his ear pressed against the metal casing, listening for any unusual noises.

"If we keep waiting like this," Chen Hao finally spoke, his voice low, "we'll either get hit by a car or suffocate."

No one responded.

He knew what everyone was thinking. The plan to feign death hadn't even been executed yet, and the storm was brewing. They were stuck in the middle, unable to move forward or backward.

“Have you noticed?” He shifted his position, supporting himself on the other side, “before each storm intensifies, the layer of gray fog outside brightens a little.”

Nana glanced at him.

"You noticed?"

"Nonsense, I've been staring at it for twenty minutes. What else should I be looking at, watching it blink?"

She didn't smile, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

“You’re right,” she said. “When the particle density decreases, the background radiation rises briefly, lasting about seven seconds. During this time, the optical lens can see further away.”

"So that means," Chen Hao sat up straighter, "that if we're going to make a move, it's best to do it now?"

“Theoretically possible.” Nana pulled up the timeline. “The next window is in three minutes.”

“We can’t keep playing dead,” Chen Hao said. “We didn’t move just now because we could still hide. But when the storm comes and the ship starts rocking, we won’t be able to escape. Then they’ll see us shaking and they’ll know we’re alive.”

"So we should move first?" Susan asked.

"Yes. Run as fast as you can before they can react."

Karl looked up: "Where's the power? With this little bit of electricity, it'll need to rest for half a day after just one push."

“I don’t need to keep pushing.” Chen Hao pointed to the joystick. “I’ll just flick it a couple of times, making a zigzag motion to disrupt their locking rhythm. As long as they can’t keep up, they’ll start to doubt whether they’ve made a mistake.”

"Then what?"

“And then we became ghosts,” he said. “A wrecked ship that suddenly vanishes, who would chase after it?”

Nana quickly calculated several paths. Three lines of different colors appeared on the screen.

“The first option is the safest, but it deviates too far from the original route and may enter unknown areas,” she said. “The second option has a moderate risk, using storm eddies to obscure the trajectory, and has a relatively high success rate. The third option is the most dangerous, requiring three consecutive sharp turns, which puts a huge strain on the thrusters and may cause them to fail completely.”

“Then let’s choose the second option,” Chen Hao said. “I’m not in a hurry to die.”

“What you just called ‘getting a head start’ is actually gambling that they won’t attack immediately,” Nana said, looking at him. “Once we’re exposed, we’ll be locked on within ten seconds.”

“Then finish the job in ten seconds,” he said. “You count down for me, and I’ll do it on command.”

Nana nodded. She switched to passive navigation mode, shutting down all active signal sources and leaving only a minimal amount of internal power.

The main control room went completely dark, with only a faint red light shining from the edge of the control console.

"Three minutes to prepare," she said.

Chen Hao placed his hand on the control lever. His palms were slightly sweaty, but he didn't wipe them.

Susan moved to the data terminal, ready to record any changes in course. Carl double-checked the thruster wiring to make sure it wouldn't disconnect mid-flight.

“Thirty seconds,” Nana said.

The gray fog outside began to turn white, as if light was shining through from the depths.

"Ten seconds."

Chen Hao held his breath.

"five."

"Four."

"three."

"two."

"One—Start."

He jerked the control stick, and a faint blue flame shot from the tail of the spaceship. The thrusters emitted a dull hum, like an old machine being dragged out of bed.

The ship jolted and began to slowly drift.

“The direction is correct.” Nana stared at the trajectory. “They haven’t reacted yet.”

“Don’t get too excited,” Carl said. “This is just the beginning.”

Sure enough, in less than five seconds, the five points of light moved.

The one in the center rapidly enlarged, while the other four instantly spread out, forming an encirclement. A high-frequency pulse swept across the space, like radar forcibly locating the target.

"Lock on warning!" Nana raised her voice. "Attack within ten seconds!"

"I know!" Chen Hao jerked the control stick back and simultaneously pressed the side thrust pedal. The spaceship lurched into a turbulent area as if drunk, its trajectory becoming chaotic and erratic.

"The first segment of the Z-shaped zigzag maneuver is complete." Nana quickly updated the data. "The interference is effective; they are recalculating their routes."

"Don't praise me, save your energy for the next paragraph."

The second turn was even more abrupt. The spaceship almost veered sideways, the inertia throwing everyone to one side. Susan nearly slid off her seat, grabbing the armrest to steady herself.

“The temperature on the left side of the casing is rising,” Nana said. “It’s due to friction overload.”

"I can't worry about that now," Chen Hao gritted his teeth. "Let's do it again!"

During the third change of direction, the thrusters emitted a piercing alarm. The energy reading plummeted to six percent.

"The power system is overloaded," Nana warned. "It can only operate at full power one more time."

"Once is enough."

He pushed the control stick all the way down, and the spaceship practically flew out of a storm vortex. In that instant, a dark shadow flashed past the porthole, so close that the surface texture could be seen.

“That was…” Susan’s voice tightened.

"Don't look." Chen Hao let go of her hand. "Looking at it will give you nightmares."

“They’ve scattered.” Nana stared at the surveillance footage. “Their formation has been disrupted, and the tracking has been interrupted. Currently, the four target groups are slowing down, and the central unit has begun to retreat.”

"They withdrew?"

"Temporarily disengage."

Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, panting. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his clothes were mostly soaked.

“Alright,” he said. “We survived.”

No one responded.

He himself thought it sounded unbelievable. They were alive, but who knew how much longer the boat could hold on?

“The storm intensity is decreasing,” Nana continued to report. “The gravitational fluctuations have weakened by about 30%, reducing navigational drag. Visibility has recovered slightly, and the optical lenses can be used intermittently.”

"So, in other words," Chen Hao grinned, "God has finally given us something to eat?"

“I’m just catching my breath.” Carl got up from the ground. “The thruster is half burned, the power box is cracked, and after all that frantic operation, I don’t know where the leak is.”

“I know,” Chen Hao waved his hand, “but at least we can still talk now, instead of lying on the ground waiting for someone to collect our corpses.”

Susan glanced down at her toolbox and said softly, "The oxygen circulation efficiency has dropped; it needs to be fixed."

"I'll fix it tomorrow." Chen Hao closed his eyes. "Today, I just want to lie down."

Nana didn't rest. She restarted the limited detection system, scanning a radius of five million kilometers. No new signals appeared, nor were there any energy fluctuations.

"Is it safe?" Chen Hao asked.

“For now,” she said. “But I recommend maintaining the bare minimum survival mode and shutting down non-essential systems.”

"Turn it off." He waved his hand. "There's nothing else that can be turned off anyway."

The lights went out completely, leaving only the emergency red light faintly illuminating a few corners.

The four people sat in their respective seats, and none of them moved.

The storm outside was still raging, but it wasn't as terrifying as before. The spaceship drifted in space like a discarded can, ignored and ignored.

"What exactly are they?" Chen Hao suddenly asked.

“I don’t know,” Nana said, “but their behavior patterns fit the logic of ancient early warning systems, so they may be automatic defense units left behind by some civilization.”

"So, we've basically trespassed into someone else's backyard?"

"almost."

"I should have brought some gifts."

"for example?"

"Let's chat while we eat sunflower seeds and peanuts."

Susan snorted, which could be considered a laugh.

Carl untied the safety rope, walked to the power box, and touched the outer casing. The crack wasn't big, but it needed to be repaired.

"Don't touch it," Chen Hao said. "We'll talk about it when it's light."

"This is not a question of whether it's dawn or not."

"It's a matter of life and death. If you go to fix it now and there's a leak, we won't even have anyone to carry you."

Karl stopped moving.

“You’re right.” He stepped back into his seat. “I want to eat here for a few more days.”

Nana is still monitoring the data. Her body doesn't need rest, but she knows that humans do.

“How long will the storm last?” Susan asked.

“We expect another twelve hours,” she said. “After that, we’ll enter a period of calm that will last about three days.”

"What can you do in three days?" Chen Hao opened his eyes. "It's not enough to repair the ship, not enough to find resources, and not even enough for a good night's sleep."

“But this is an opportunity,” Nana said. “If we can find an alternative energy source during a period of calm, we might be able to restore some of the functions.”

"For example?"

"For example, using the solar panels of abandoned satellites, or capturing rare minerals from small meteorites."

"It sounds like a dream."

"But didn't you just finish one?"

Chen Hao paused for a moment, then smiled.

"You've got some skills, huh?" he said. "You've learned how to roast people now."

"I learned it from you guys."

The atmosphere inside the cabin relaxed a little.

But nobody really relaxed.

Chen Hao looked out the porthole. The gray fog outside had thinned a bit, and he could see a few stars in the distance.

“We have to survive,” he said. “Not just to see more stars, but so that one day we can go home.”

"Do you still want to go home?" Carl asked.

"Of course. I still have half a box of spicy hot pot in my fridge, it would be a waste not to eat it."

"You're so fat, you won't be able to squeeze into the elevator when you get back."

"Then I'll take the stairs and climb one floor at a time."

Susan whispered, "I want to take a shower."

"I want to too," Chen Hao said, "but right now it's just a thought."

Nana suddenly looked up.

"A weak signal has been detected."

Everyone immediately sat up straight.

Where did it come from?

“Uncertain,” she said. “Very weak, intermittent, like some kind of radio broadcast on repeat.”

"What about the content?"

"Decoding in progress."

She swiped her finger across the panel, and a few lines of text flashed on the screen.

[Warning...Area Blockade...Unauthorized Entry Prohibited...Automatic Removal Activated...Repeat...]

"As expected, it's the security team." Chen Hao smiled wryly. "They had already posted a notice; we just barged in."

"Where is the signal source?" Carl asked.

“About 800,000 kilometers,” Nana said. “The angle between the direction and the current track is seventeen degrees.”

"I'm not going," Chen Hao said directly. "The farther away the better."

“Agreed.” Susan gripped the wrench tightly. “We can’t afford any more trouble.”

Nana closed the decoding interface and re-locked the navigation data.

What's the next step?

"Go to sleep." Chen Hao reclined the chair. "Nobody move, nobody speak. We'll discuss how to survive once the storm has completely passed."

No one objected.

He closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually calmed down.

The others also leaned back in their seats, remaining vigilant but no longer speaking.

The cabin quieted down.

The device only occasionally emits a beeping sound, as if it's counting down the time.

Nana stood still, without sitting down.

Her pupils flickered, a faint blue light flashing uncertainly in the darkness.

She recorded all the parameters of this avoidance and stored them in the bottom layer of the knowledge base.

Maybe it can be used again next time.

Perhaps there won't be a next time.

She didn't know.

But she knew she couldn't stop now.

Her fingers slid across the panel again.

The detection system is still operational.

In the distance, the five points of light disappeared.

But a very faint signal was still slowly moving.

Towards another direction.