The moment the bow of the ship disappeared into the shadow of the rift valley, the indicator light on the control panel flickered.

Nana's fingers slid across the panel, her voice a beat faster than usual: "The frequency has changed again, the pulse interval has shortened to 1.7 seconds, which is in line with the vibration rhythm of our thrusters."

"Is it learning from us?" Chen Hao pulled the joystick back a little, and the engine hum decreased.

“It’s not learning,” Nana said, staring at the data stream. “It’s synchronization. Its launch mode has been adjusted to match our power output characteristics.”

Susan sat up straight, her hand on the emergency switch: "Doesn't that mean they've got their eyes on you?"

Carl squatted beside the inspection port, the detector in his hand emitting a low-frequency beep: "Nine percent of the starboard hull is deformed. It won't hold for much longer. We're walking on a thin sheet of ice with cracks underneath."

“I know.” Chen Hao didn’t release the control stick. “But we came here to find something, and there’s a moving signal ahead. We can’t just turn around and run, can we?”

“This isn’t running, it’s rational,” Susan said. “Who told you the resources are definitely at the signal source? Maybe that thing is an alarm that will broadcast across the entire star system as soon as we get close.”

“It could also be an automated mining machine,” Chen Hao grinned. “What if it’s full of high-purity iron-nickel alloy? We could dismantle it and use the parts to repair the ship.”

"You think this is like picking up trash on the street?" Susan rolled her eyes.

"We were just scavenging anyway," Chen Hao shrugged. "We didn't bring any mining equipment, no shield enhancement modules, and even our spare fuel was cobbled together from old parts. Right now, all we have is a robot that can do math and my handsome face. What else can we do but gamble?"

Nana suddenly raised her hand: "The signal has strengthened for the third time, and the waveform shows segmented coding characteristics."

"What do you mean?" Karl looked up.

“Similar to a sequence of commands.” She pulled up the waveform. “The first two segments are probe responses, and the third segment looks like… authorization verification.”

"Verification?" Chen Hao tilted his head. "It wants to check our ID cards?"

“To be more precise,” Nana said, looking at the screen, “it’s trying to establish a communication protocol. If I’m not mistaken, it will send a standard response code next, and if we don’t respond, it might trigger a defense mechanism.”

"So it's alive?" Susan frowned.

“It’s not alive,” Nana corrected. “It’s an automated system with complete pre-set logic and the ability to adapt to different environments. According to the knowledge base records, this type of device is usually used for autonomous management in high-risk mining areas.”

“That’s the miners’ foreman.” Chen Hao laughed. “Alright, brother, we’re here to work too, don’t make a scene.”

He reached for the communication panel: "Should I reply? Like, 'Hello, we are a legitimate exploration team' or something?"

"I advise against it," Nana stopped him. "These kinds of systems might interpret unauthenticated signals as intrusions. Responding rashly could result in being locked out."

"What should we do then?" Carl asked. "We can't just stay here. The debris flow outside hasn't cleared yet. If another wave comes, we'll be stuck at the entrance and become sandwiches."

Chen Hao stared into the dark depths of the rift valley ahead. The searchlight could only illuminate the rock wall a few dozen meters away, its surface covered with metallic stripes.

“Go in slowly,” he said. “Don’t turn on the main lights, turn off half the engine to weaken the power signal. See how it reacts.”

"The risk is extremely high," Nana warned. "Once we enter the effective range, we will lose our evacuation speed."

"Let's bet that it doesn't want to destroy the entire mining area." Chen Hao reduced the thrust to the lowest setting. "If it really explodes, everyone will be wiped out, and it won't be able to play either."

He pushed the control stick, and the boat glided slowly forward, moving close to the left rock wall as if afraid of waking something.

In the external view, the rock texture gradually becomes clear. The reflective stripes are arranged in a regular pattern, like some kind of mechanical structure embedded in the rock strata.

“These are not natural mineral veins,” Nana whispered. “They are man-made energy conduits used to transmit mining data or power internal equipment.”

"So there really are robots working here?" Chen Hao chuckled. "And they work in 24-hour shifts?"

“We cannot confirm the operational status at the moment,” Nana continued her analysis, “but the signal remains stable, indicating that at least part of the system is still running.”

Susan stared intently at the monitor screen: "The rock wall on the left is only eight meters away. If we go any further, we'll have to crawl through the gap."

“I know.” Chen Hao steadied the joystick with both hands. “This place is even narrower than my storage room at home.”

“At least your storage room won’t collapse,” Susan said through gritted teeth.

"Even if it collapses, I'm not afraid," Chen Hao chuckled. "We didn't have much stuff to begin with anyway."

The ship moved forward another twenty meters, and suddenly, the signal indicator on the control panel turned from yellow to green.

“It has accepted our low-power mode.” Nana’s tone changed slightly. “The pulse frequency has started to match our speed, like… a guidance signal.”

"Lead the way?" Chen Hao raised an eyebrow. "This guy's pretty enthusiastic."

“We can’t rule out the possibility of luring them in,” Nana immediately added. “Many abandoned mining areas set up false signal traps to lure scavengers in before triggering a blockade.”

"Got it." Chen Hao nodded. "Don't touch any buttons once you're inside, and don't open any treasure chests, right?"

"So you're scared now?" Susan sneered.

"I've always been afraid," Chen Hao honestly admitted. "But I'm even more afraid of going back empty-handed, with you guys stuffing leftovers into my mouth every day."

Karl suddenly spoke up: "The temperature of the left wing heat sink has risen, and the blockage caused by the impact seems to have eased."

"That's good." Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "At least I don't have to use a vacuum cleaner to clean up the rocks while sailing the boat."

They advanced another fifty meters, and the rift widened slightly. The metallic stripes on the rock walls on both sides became denser, and occasionally they could see circular interfaces, like equipment hatches.

“There’s a fork in the road ahead,” Nana said, pointing to the radar. “Two branches, at angles of 37 and 52 degrees respectively, both have detected faint residual energy.”

"Which way?" Carl asked.

"Nobody's leaving," Chen Hao shook his head. "Let's stop for a bit."

He shut down the main thrusters, leaving only the attitude control nozzles on to maintain balance. The ship rocked slightly and came to a stop in the center of the passageway.

"What are you doing?" Susan frowned.

"Listen." Chen Hao perked up his ears.

The cabin quieted down. Apart from the background noise of the equipment running, there were no other unusual sounds.

A few seconds later, Nana said softly, "I received a new signal band. This time it's dual-frequency alternation with a fixed interval."

"What does it mean when translated?" Chen Hao asked.

“It’s not a language,” she said. “It’s a path marker. Like… a navigation beacon.”

"So it's really showing us the way?" Carl asked incredulously.

“Or they’re leading us into a trap.” Susan’s face remained tense.

"Whether it's a trap or not," Chen Hao restarted the engine, "I have to give it a try."

He chose to turn slowly at a 37-degree angle into the side channel, the bow of the boat gradually disappearing into the darkness.

They had driven less than 100 meters when Nana suddenly spoke up: "We have detected a metal mass ahead. It is extremely dense and is preliminarily identified as a block of iron-nickel alloy."

"Minerals?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up.

“Not only that.” She pulled up the scan image. “There are also small amounts of cobalt and platinum group elements, with a purity far exceeding that of natural sediments. It’s very likely a pile of refined waste.”

"We've struck it rich!" Chen Hao rubbed his hands together. "Even scraps of food can be exchanged for half a year's worth of rations."

"Don't get too excited yet," Susan cautioned. "We haven't got it yet."

"I'll get it soon." Chen Hao sped up. "All we need to do is find the exit."

The passage gradually ascends, and the slope becomes steeper. More and more metallic stripes appear on the rock face, and you can even see the remains of a broken robotic arm hanging in the crevices.

“This used to be a work area,” Nana said. “Judging from the layout of these supports, it should be a maintenance passage for the automated mining unit.”

"What about the tools?" Chen Hao looked around. "Shouldn't we have kept a couple of screwdrivers and wrenches?"

"You expect the robot to leave you a memento before it retires?" Susan rolled her eyes.

"What if they have martial ethics?" Chen Hao chuckled.

The boat traveled another two hundred meters, and suddenly the view opened up ahead.

A circular cavern appeared in the field of vision, about two hundred meters in diameter. The ground was piled with black metal blocks, and in the center stood a columnar device half-buried in the rock strata, its surface covered with interfaces and indicator lights.

The most striking feature is the ring of lights at the top, which flash green light in a fixed rhythm.

“That is…” Karl was stunned.

"Welcome." Chen Hao imitated the announcement voice. "Resources are provided free of charge in this mining area. Please handle them yourself, and you will be responsible for any consequences."

“The signal source is in that host,” Nana confirmed. “It just sent a complete data packet containing… a diagram of the mining area.”

"It wants us to see this?" Susan couldn't believe it.

“Maybe.” Chen Hao stared at the 3D map unfolding on the screen, “but it only lit up one route, from here to the southeast corner exit, marked with security level A throughout.”

"What a coincidence," Susan sneered. "Just one perfect escape route?"

"Nothing in this world is perfect," Chen Hao said, stretching his shoulders. "There's only what's just enough."

He pushed the joystick, preparing to drive onto the marked route.

Just then, Nana suddenly spoke up: "Wait."

"how?"

Her gaze locked onto the ring light on top of the main unit: "The flashing rhythm has changed. It's no longer a fixed cycle, but... it's mimicking our breathing rhythm."

The four of them fell silent at the same time.

The green light on the control panel went on and off repeatedly.

Its breathing was perfectly synchronized with that of the four people inside the cabin.