Chen Hao stared at the charred bee in his hand, its compound eyes gleaming with a lifeless light in the dim light. He turned it over and over for a few seconds, then suddenly put it in his mouth, chewed it twice, and spat it out.
"It really doesn't taste good," he said.
Nana stood to the side, a bee stinger still stuck in the sensor on her chest, the blue light flashing on and off, as if she were rolling her eyes.
"Were you just trying to say 'Don't eat random things'?" Chen Hao wiped his face. "I know, but I need to make sure I still have a sense of taste."
“You do,” Nana said, “but you lack judgment.”
The two stood in silence for a while. The sweet, fishy smell in the air had faded somewhat, but a slight tremor came from the rock beneath their feet, like someone drumming at the bottom of the mountain.
"It's going to collapse," Nana suddenly said.
"What?"
"The main load-bearing structure of the cave is about to break, and it is expected to collapse completely within seventeen minutes."
"Wait, which cave?"
"The one where you store the wine."
Chen Hao was stunned: "Thirty-two barrels of fruit wine? They're all in there?"
"yes."
"Damn it." He turned and ran back, but tripped over a stone after only a couple of steps and almost fell to the ground. "Couldn't they have waited a couple of days for me to recover before something like this happened?"
"Geological activities do not accept leave requests." Nana followed, the robotic arm emitting a faint calibration sound. "We recommend prioritizing the transfer of supplies."
"How do we move it? Slide down? Roll up?"
"We can build a slide."
"You can also weld iron frames?"
"I can dismantle beehives, modify circuits, and fix men with poor emotional management skills."
Chen Hao turned to look at her and said, "Your吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) is becoming more and more human."
"Learn from excellent examples."
They retraced their steps, crossing the half-submerged rocky platform and avoiding the still-smoking remnants of the flower field. Along the way, Chen Hao picked up a few metal bars, humming a tune wildly off-key as he walked.
"What are you doing?" Nana asked.
"To relieve stress," he said. "When people are nervous, they want to sing."
"Then you're even more nervous now."
Construction of the slide started quickly. Nana disassembled the old honeycomb frame and used a high-temperature electric arc to weld the connection points on-site, her movements as precise as if she were assembling Lego. Chen Hao was responsible for fixing the joints, jumping up and stepping on each section after it was installed to test its sturdiness.
"Will this thing work?" He patted the track. "It looks like something from a junkyard."
"As long as it works, it's fine." Nana adjusted the angle. "It's more reliable than the pottery jar you made last month."
"Don't mention the earthenware pot." He shrank back. "That's considered a work injury."
During the third reinforcement, a piece of gravel fell from above, hitting Chen Hao squarely on his left shoulder. Chen Hao grunted, his hand trembled, and a screw fell into the gap.
"Should we pause?" Nana looked up.
“No need.” He rubbed his shoulder. “This little pain is nothing. I was chased by bees yesterday and almost evolved into a lungless creature, but I didn’t make a sound.”
"You're making a lot of noise."
The chute finally connected the cellar to the exit ramp. The first batch of barrels slid down the track with a clanging sound, like a group of drunkards lining up to escape.
“Speed increased by forty percent.” Nana scanned the data. “At this efficiency, twenty-seven barrels can be transferred.”
What to do with the remaining five buckets?
"give up."
“No way.” Chen Hao shook his head. “That was the best batch I ever brewed. The seventh barrel even participated in… Never mind, it just tastes good.”
"Emotional factors do not affect physical laws."
“Then I’ll let my emotions get the better of me this time.” He rolled up his sleeves. “Let’s do it again.”
Midway through the second trip, the support pillar suddenly broke. The five barrels of wine lost their balance, tumbling and crashing into the rock wall. The shock caused the crack at the top to widen rapidly, and rubble rained down.
"Warning upgraded." Nana's voice turned cold. "The geothermal signal has reached the critical value. The magma breakthrough countdown is eight minutes away."
"There's still time!" Chen Hao rushed in to pull the last row of buckets. "Push two more!"
"It's too late." Nana disconnected the power to the slide. "Evacuate."
"Aren't you leaving?"
"The passage is blocked." She turned around and activated her shield. "I'll get you out first."
"Bullshit!" he yelled, turning to push the stuck barrel. "Let's go together!"
Nana didn't speak again. The mechanical arm suddenly exerted force, throwing him towards the exit. The shield deployed, forming an arc-shaped barrier that forcefully withstood the falling debris. She stayed behind, dragging two stuck wine barrels to clear the way.
Chen Hao fell onto the platform outside the cave, rolling twice before stopping. He scrambled to his feet and rushed back, but as soon as he took a step, his knee suddenly went numb, and he knelt on the ground.
The aftershock of the stun gun was still throbbing in my legs.
Nana emerged from the smoke and dust, her outer shell covered in ash, with a noticeable dent at the joint of her right arm, and her optical eyes flickering.
"You hit me?" he gasped. "And you dare to shock me?"
“Stop irrational behavior,” she said. “If you die, no one will tell me lame jokes.”
A deafening roar erupted behind them as the entire dome collapsed, sealing off the interior with massive boulders. Immediately afterward, a muffled explosion came from the ground, and crimson magma gushed forth from the cracks, instantly engulfing all the wine barrels, the slides, and the fruity aroma that had once been hidden deep within.
A wave of heat hit him. Chen Hao looked up at the cave entrance, which was stained red by lava, opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"At least..." he chuckled dryly, "the wine's gone, but we're still alive?"
“The survival rate is 100%.” Nana stood beside him, molten slag dripping from the outer shell. “The loss rate of supplies is also 100%.”
"Next time we brew wine, let's find a higher place."
"I suggest addressing basic supply issues first."
“You’re right.” He propped himself up on his knees to stand up. “But… could I say a few words of swearing first?”
"Please go ahead."
He shouted at the cave entrance for five minutes until his voice was hoarse. After he finished yelling, he noticed that Nana had been standing there the whole time, without moving.
"Aren't you going to try to persuade me?" he asked.
“It’s no use trying to persuade me,” she said. “You’ll only listen after you’ve yelled at me.”
"The robot is quite adept at understanding human nature."
"The database says: Before a man breaks down, he always has to have an argument first."
The two climbed up the steep slope. Chen Hao's left shoulder was swollen, and he walked with a limp, muttering to himself, "That bucket number seven... it smells really good..."
Nana walked behind, and the robotic arm made a slight noise, as if some gear was stuck.
"Are you broken?" He turned around.
“Minor injury,” she said. “It doesn’t affect my mobility.”
"Then why did you insist on covering the rear just now?"
"Because you will turn back."
What if I don't?
"You will."
He didn't say anything more and continued climbing. The rock steps were slippery, and he missed a step, scraping his hand on the stone and drawing blood.
"Does it hurt?" Nana asked.
“It doesn’t hurt,” he said. “I just feel… pretty unlucky.”
"You've always had bad luck."
"But I haven't died yet."
"So you're still climbing."
The light ahead gradually brightened, and the surface exit was not far away. A breeze blew in, carrying the dry, earthy smell.
Chen Hao stopped and looked back at the entrance that was now blocked by lava.
"I can't keep all my belongings in one place anymore," he said.
“Write this as the first rule of survival.” Nana nodded.
"And the second one?"
"Don't mess with flowers that release poison."
"The third point?"
Don't trust plans that seem likely to succeed.
They stepped out of the cave and stood on a rocky slope. The sunlight was blinding, and Chen Hao squinted, raising his hand to shield his eyes.
"Where to next?" he asked.
“Back to camp,” she said. “To rebuild.”
"Rebuild what?"
"What you can think of, and what you can't."
He sighed and started walking down the slope. Halfway down, his shoe slipped, and he tumbled down the slope, finally getting stuck among a pile of rocks.
Nana walked over and looked down at him.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I also—" He had just started to speak when a loose rock above him wobbled and hit him right next to his head, kicking up a cloud of dust.
He shut his mouth and lay there motionless.
The wind blew through the mountain crevice, lifting the hem of his clothes.
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