The wrench fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Susan took a step back, her fingers still chilled from the pipe connector. She didn't speak, but quickly turned on the helmet recorder and transmitted the footage back to the control panel.

Nana immediately brought up the data stream, and a series of temperature curves and operation logs popped up on the screen. Her fingers quickly swiped across the control panel, filtering out the information one by one.

“The cooling unit started automatically five minutes and nineteen seconds ago,” she said. “The command came from the internal control system; there was no manual input record.”

Chen Hao stood up from the driver's seat and walked behind her to look at the screen. "So, no one pressed the button, but it started by itself?"

“Yes.” Nana nodded. “And the operating mode is set to continuous low-temperature output, not a regular cycle.”

Susan's voice came through the earpiece: "This is not normal. The temperature control in the living area never locks one area in place for an extended period of time."

“I know.” Nana had already opened the system’s low-level log. “I’m searching for historical maintenance cases of the same type of spacecraft.”

A few seconds later, a new window popped up: [Firmware Anomaly: Summary of Ghost Command Trigger Events - Applicable Models CX Series].

Chen Hao glanced at the title: "What's a ghost order? It sounds like a ghost story."

"It refers to the residual signals that mistakenly activate devices after the system memory has aged," Nana explained. "This type of problem is more common in shipboard modules that have been in service for more than 15 years. Our ship has been in service for almost 20 years."

"No wonder it keeps acting crazy." Chen Hao scratched his head. "So what do we do now? Let it calm down on its own?"

“No.” Nana shook her head. “It might restart as soon as the power is on. We must disconnect the circuit in section B and force a restart of the main control chip.”

“I’ll go and cut the power,” Susan said, “but first I need to make sure there are no other sensitive devices nearby that are affected.”

"I have isolated the associated nodes." Nana quickly typed a few lines of commands. "You can operate safely now."

Susan bent down to pick up the wrench and approached the pipe again. She removed the outer protective panel, located the wiring connector, and forcefully pulled out the pin. The indicator light on the panel went out instantly.

"The power to the cooling system in Zone B has been cut off," she said.

"Received." Nana simultaneously activated the hot air compensation program, "Start the backup circulating fan to prevent moisture buildup."

The fan hummed, and the air in the passage began to flow.

Carl arrived at the control room door just then, carrying a toolbox. "I heard there's been another problem?"

“It’s the same old problem.” Chen Hao leaned back in his chair. “The ship cooled itself down, and Susan almost froze out there.”

Karl walked in and glanced at the screen. "So the system's gone mad?"

"I guess so," Nana said. "I've already loaded the patch and am preparing to reset the main control chip. Keep an eye on the hardware status for me, and if there's a current fluctuation during the restart, immediately cut off the emergency power."

“Okay.” Carl stood next to her, put on his testing gloves, and said, “Let’s begin.”

Nana pressed the confirmation button, and the system began the restart process. After a three-second countdown, the main control chip briefly went offline before reconnecting.

A bright red "Initialization Complete" message pops up on the screen.

"Did it work?" Chen Hao asked.

"No abnormal commands have been found to be reproduced yet." Nana continued to monitor the background processes, "but I suggest keeping area B powered off until after landing before making a full replacement."

"Agreed." Chen Hao made the decision. "Anyway, it doesn't have many days left to live, so let's not let it cause any more trouble before it dies."

Susan also sent a message: "The exhaust vents have been cleaned, and the sensor readings have returned to normal. The air circulation efficiency has recovered to 98%."

Nana pulled up the CO concentration chart; the curve had stopped rising and started to slowly decline.

“Carbon dioxide levels are falling back,” she said. “They are expected to return to a safe range in twenty minutes.”

"I can finally breathe a sigh of relief." Chen Hao sat back in the driver's seat. "That series of alarms just now made me think I was going to have to rewrite my life plans again."

"Isn't your life plan to just lie around eating potato chips?" Carl casually remarked.

“That’s a legitimate dream.” Chen Hao rolled his eyes. “Besides, potato chips with the starry sky, how romantic.”

Nana ignored their conversation and instead initiated the system-wide final inspection process. Inspection items popped up one by one on the interface, with green checkmarks lighting up one after another.

Power system - through

Energy distribution – through

Communication link - stable

Structural integrity – No abnormalities

All forty-seven indicators met the standards.

"The spacecraft is in a condition that meets landing criteria," she said. "Final orbital calibration can be performed."

Chen Hao stretched and loosened his neck. "Then let's not delay. If we go back early, we can still make it to dinner."

He brought up the navigation interface. Although the 0.07-degree deviation was small, it had to be corrected for the requirement of a precise landing. He and Susan checked the thrust parameters and set the short pulse sequence.

The thrusters vibrated slightly twice, and the spacecraft's attitude was slightly adjusted.

The flight path markers on the main screen are now aligned with the center line.

“The trajectory correction is complete,” Susan said. “The current position is stable.”

"Okay." Chen Hao placed his hands on the control stick. "Now we just slide down."

Nana switched the external camera to a front view.

In the center of the screen, a blue and white planet slowly emerged.

The clouds curled up, the outline of the continent was clearly visible, and the ocean reflected the light of the stars.

No one spoke.

After a few seconds, Carl leaned against the wall and whispered, "So it really is still there."

“I always thought things would change,” Susan said, gripping the edge of her chair. “For example, maybe a few new cities would appear, or a section of the coastline would be submerged.”

"Not that fast." Chen Hao smiled. "The Earth is much more resilient than us."

Nana looked at the screen, her fingers lightly touching the control panel. "Last navigation log update: CX-702 has completed all technical checks. The environment, navigation, and propulsion systems are all in normal condition. Remaining distance to home planet: twelve hours."

"Are you finished?" Chen Hao asked.

"That's all."

“Then let’s skip the report.” He looked up at the planet. “Let’s go home.”

Carl unbuckled his tool belt and casually hung it on a hook by the door. Susan took off her headphones and placed them on a corner of the workbench. Both of them stood there, staring at the screen.

Chen Hao didn't move; his hand remained on the control lever.

Nana suddenly spoke up: "I remember the first day of takeoff, you were half an hour late, saying your alarm clock was broken."

"That's because I didn't set it at all," Chen Hao grinned. "Who wants to get up early in the morning to go and die?"

"You even poured instant noodles into the gaps in the control panel."

"That was an accident!"

"The maintenance records show that you soiled the seat covers a total of seven times."

"Hey, why bring up things from the past?"

“I just wanted to say…” Nana paused for a moment, “This time, we really did come back.”

Chen Hao smiled but didn't say anything.

The planets outside grew larger and larger, filling the entire field of vision.

The mountains on land resemble crumpled sheets of paper, and the rivers meander like thin threads.

Susan suddenly said softly, "I want to take a shower."

“I want to sleep for three whole days,” Carl replied.

"I'm going to the supermarket to buy the biggest bag of spicy strips," Chen Hao clenched his fist. "Then I'll sit on the sofa and eat it all in one go."

Nana looked at them, her lips moving slightly.

“I also want to try the hot soup,” she said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the upper right corner of the control panel flashed.

A yellow alert popped up: [External airflow disturbance monitoring in progress; slight adjustment of the left wing angle recommended]

Chen Hao raised an eyebrow: "Not again?"

Nana has retrieved the data. "It's not a malfunction. It's a normal disturbance entering the upper atmosphere edge, requiring manual compensation of 0.3 degrees angle of attack."

"Leave it to me." Chen Hao put his hand back on the control stick. "This is a small matter; I could handle it with my eyes closed."

He pushed the control lever, and the left wing slowly rose.

The attitude parameters on the screen change accordingly.

Just as the value was about to reach zero, the joystick suddenly jerked.

Chen Hao frowned and steadied himself with force.

But the vibration didn't disappear; instead, it traveled up the handle like some kind of regular pulse.