The propulsion module's alarm lights flashed like broken neon signs, their red glow flickering across Chen Hao's face. He crouched on the metal floor, a welding torch clutched in his hand, his elbow rubbing against the cold outer casing of the tubing.

"Try again." Carl's voice came from above. He was lying on the edge of the thruster casing, his fingers stuck in the data interface. "The voltage is stable, but the output is still cut off."

Chen Hao wiped the sweat from his brow and exhaled. The air was a bit stuffy, carrying the smell of burning metal. He brought the welding torch close to the broken guide channel and pulled the trigger. Sparks popped and splattered onto his gloves.

"Did it work?" he asked.

“No.” Carl shook his head. “It’s connected, but it failed the stress test. This thing can’t last more than three minutes of main push.”

"Then let it hold for two and a half minutes." Chen Hao released the welding torch and shook his numb wrist. "It's better than it breaking down."

Susan's voice came through the communicator: "The shaking is still going on outside, the asteroid belt hasn't calmed down. You'd better hurry."

“We don’t want to spend the New Year here either,” Chen Hao muttered, reaching for the insulating tape in his toolbox. “Nana, could you turn up the power a bit? We need to use it sparingly.”

Nana's voice rang out calmly: "Power to the living quarters has been shut off, and the lighting system has been reduced to the minimum. If it is reduced further, the cockpit sensors will not function properly."

"Alright, that's settled then." Chen Hao tore off a piece of tape and wrapped it around the weld joint. "Temporary reinforcement, don't expect it to be very strong."

Carl sighed: "This kind of repair is like patching a leaky tire. As long as it can move, that's fine, don't expect it to fly very far."

"We're not here for tourism." Chen Hao stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. "Shall we try starting it?"

Carl nodded and pressed the test button on his handheld terminal.

A deep hum came from deep within the propulsion compartment, like an old refrigerator finally being powered on. The needles on the instrument panel trembled slightly before slowly climbing into the green zone.

“There’s a response.” Carl stared at the screen. “Power restored to 60 percent.”

"That's enough." Chen Hao grinned. "I'll be grateful if we can just move it to another spot."

Just as he was about to step into the cockpit, the communication channel suddenly buzzed.

Nana's voice changed: "Warning, three high-speed approaching spaceships detected, course locked to this ship."

Everyone paused for a moment.

"Huh?" Chen Hao stopped in his tracks. "Who?"

“Signal feature analysis in progress.” Nana spoke faster. “The external outline does not match that of a standard merchant ship, weapon modules are exposed, and the propulsion frequency is an unregistered model. The tactical formation is in a triangular encirclement pattern.”

"Wait a minute." Chen Hao frowned. "You mean... pirates?"

“The probability is over 89 percent,” Nana replied. “At a distance of 48,000 kilometers, it is estimated that we will enter the weapon’s firing range in seven minutes and thirty seconds.”

No one spoke in the cockpit.

Susan leaned back in her seat, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest: "Should we ask them if they need a ride?"

“This is no time for jokes.” Karl rushed toward the defense system panel. “The shield can still hold for one short recharge, but the main gun is out of ammunition. We only have two decoy rounds.”

"Then let's use smoke bombs." Chen Hao grabbed the control stick. "Let's get out of here first."

“The propulsion system hasn’t completed its final calibration yet,” Carl cautioned. “If we force it to accelerate, the welds might crack.”

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Chen Hao turned around. "Wait for them to come up and invite us for afternoon tea?"

“We can remain silent,” Susan suggested. “Turn off all signals and hide behind the rock formations. They might not find us.”

“The problem is,” Carl pointed to the radar image, “that we’re currently parked in an open area, with the nearest cover 3.2 kilometers away. Moving will expose the heat source.”

“Let’s take a gamble.” Chen Hao got into the driver’s seat. “Start intermittent propulsion, spraying once per second, like a hiccup. It can move around, but it’s not easy to lock on.”

Nana responded immediately: "Pulse mode is set, once per second, lasting 0.3 seconds."

"Let's do it." Chen Hao gripped the joystick. "Prepare to leave the spot."

Just as he was about to push the control lever, Nana spoke up again: "Attention, the enemy ship is releasing jamming signals, and the navigation link is becoming unstable."

On the screen, the originally clear route markings began to jump and distort.

"Damn it," Chen Hao gritted his teeth, "They won't even let us walk properly."

“I’ll maintain the positioning.” Nana quickly swiped her hands across the virtual interface. “By using the gravitational perturbation of the asteroid to deduce the coordinates, we can maintain the basic heading.”

"You're a true savior," Chen Hao said, gently pushing the cue.

The spaceship shuddered slightly and moved forward a short distance. The temperature alarm on the instrument panel immediately lit up.

“The starboard duct is overheating.” Carl stared at the data. “If this continues, we’ll have to shut down in ten minutes.”

"What can you do in ten minutes?" Susan asked.

“It’s big enough for us to squeeze into that crevice.” Chen Hao looked at the external camera feed. “See? There’s a V-shaped rock crevice up ahead, just wide enough for us to squeeze in.”

"The premise is that the propulsion system doesn't fall apart on the road," Carl added.

"Don't be so pessimistic." Chen Hao adjusted the angle. "We're like a moving tin can right now, but they don't know how rotten it is inside. Just make it look real."

"Psychological warfare?" Susan raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's playing dead." Chen Hao grinned. "Who would chase a wrecked ship that could explode at any moment?"

Nana suddenly spoke up: "There is activity on the enemy ship's communication channel; it is sending a universal hijacking protocol."

"What are you reading?" Chen Hao asked.

“We were told to shut down the engines, open the cargo hold, and wait for boarding inspection,” Nana repeated. “Otherwise, coercive measures will be taken.”

“What are the coercive measures?” Susan asked.

"To put it another way, it means blow us up," Chen Hao shrugged. "Reply to them that we have a bad signal and can't hear you."

"An auto-response has been sent: 'Communication failure, unable to respond,'" Nana said.

"That's fine." Chen Hao smiled. "Let them guess."

The spaceship made another short thrust, slowly moving towards the crevice in the rock. Each tremor made Karl's expression grow even more grim.

“This is the third time,” he said. “The stress level in the weld is rising. If it does this twice more, it will definitely crack.”

“Let’s do it one last time.” Chen Hao stared ahead. “After the next push, slide directly into the crevice and use inertia to get in.”

"Without the power to correct the situation, the risk of hitting the wall is very high," Nana warned.

"I know," Chen Hao took a deep breath, "but it's better than being used as a target."

Susan fastened her seatbelt: "If I die, remember to share the snacks I've saved."

“You won’t die,” Chen Hao said. “This ship is tougher than my life.”

The fourth pulse activated, and the spacecraft jolted violently, propelling itself forward a short distance. In the monitoring footage, the V-shaped crevice drew ever closer.

"Enter in five seconds." Nana counted down, "Four...three..."

Just as it was about to enter, a muffled sound came from the propulsion compartment, like metal being torn apart.

"Damn it!" Carl shouted, "The starboard duct has completely ruptured!"

"Forget about that!" Chen Hao slammed the control lever. "Let's rely on momentum and charge in first!"

The spaceship, trailing a faint plume of flame, veered and plunged into the crevice. Its left wing scraped against the rock face, producing a screeching sound.

The interior lights flickered a few times before settling down.

"We're in." Susan breathed a sigh of relief. "They can't see us anymore."

“For now.” Carl stared at the repair interface. “The propulsion system can only be restarted manually for now, and it needs to cool down for two hours.”

"Two hours?" Chen Hao's eyes widened. "We might not even survive that long."

Nana's voice interrupted him: "Attention, enemy ships have reached the outside of the crevice."

Everyone held their breath.

External cameras showed a black spaceship slowly approaching the entrance to the fissure and stopping a short distance away. Another spaceship circled around to the side, seemingly scanning the terrain.

“They’re looking for us,” Susan whispered.

"Don't make a sound." Chen Hao gestured. "Turn off unnecessary equipment, and even breathe softly."

Only the faint ticking of the instruments remained inside the cabin.

Several minutes passed, and the black ship remained motionless, hovering silently outside.

“Maybe…they gave up?” Susan asked tentatively.

“Impossible.” Karl shook his head. “Pirates don’t come back empty-handed.”

Before the words were finished, a grid-like device suddenly unfolded at the bottom of the black ship, and a pale blue light wave swept across the rock wall.

“They’re using penetrating scanning,” Nana quickly assessed. “It will cover our location in ten seconds.”

"What should we do?" Susan asked Chen Hao.

Chen Hao stared at the screen, then suddenly laughed: "They want to see inside?"

"What are you trying to do?" Karl sensed something was wrong.

"Let's show them something." Chen Hao reached out and pressed the remote detonation button for the propulsion module. "Anyway, that duct can't be repaired, so let's make it end with a commotion."

"You're going to blow up the propulsion pod?" Susan exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s just depressurization.” Chen Hao blinked. “It lets the high-temperature gas escape, creating a secondary heat source. They’ll think we’re escaping, so they’ll chase us in the opposite direction.”

"This trick... will it work?" Karl was skeptical.

"If this doesn't work, then we really have to have their afternoon tea." Chen Hao pressed the button.

The next second, a burst of scorching white gas suddenly spewed out from the tail of the spaceship, like the last roar of a wounded beast.