The creature's wing twitched slightly.
Nana immediately placed her arm across Chen Hao's face, wedging him deep inside the metal tube. She didn't speak, but her eyes flashed blue light rapidly, as if she were frantically refreshing data in the background.
Chen Hao held his breath, feeling the metal wall against his back begin to heat up—not because of the heating plate, but purely because he was scared.
"Is it... awake?" He lowered his voice, not daring to open his lips too wide.
“Not fully conscious yet,” Nana’s voice remained steady, “but neural activity has tripled, and we expect to be able to take off again within two minutes.”
"Two minutes? It would take me a minute just to crawl out!"
"Therefore, we cannot approach it from the front."
She quickly brought up the terrain projection, and a light blue line extended from the back of the pipe, bypassed a pile of rubble, and led towards the dry riverbed.
"This path avoids its main field of vision, and the ground is soft, making it difficult for footsteps to travel."
"That sounds pretty promising, but the problem is there's a hole in the back of this pipe. Can you even crawl through it?"
"Yes. You've lost 2.3 kilograms since your physical exam last month, so theoretically you have a chance of passing."
"Hey, now's not the time to be talking about your weight!"
"Reminder: Emotional excitement increases oxygen consumption. The current oxygen reserve is 78%. It is recommended to control your speaking speed."
Chen Hao rolled his eyes, but still obediently lay down and shuffled towards the end of the pipe. This metal pipe was probably some kind of abandoned energy transmission structure, which had fallen into disrepair over the years, with a crooked gap at the end, just big enough for a person to squeeze through.
He got stuck three times before he could send the backpack out, and on the last time he even tore off half a piece of armor.
"My equipment... is it all ruined like this?"
“61% of the materials are recyclable.” Nana slid out behind him, picked up the piece of armor and stuffed it into her storage compartment. “I’ll put it back together when I have time.”
"When I have time? I just want to lie down right now."
The wind was light outside, and the raptor remained lying in place, its head lowered, its wings twitching occasionally, as if it were having a nightmare. The shadows of the trees in the distance were quiet, with no other movement for the time being.
Nana crouched down, lightly tapped the ground with her fingertips, and activated the electromagnetic interference simulation program. "Preparing to create a false target. In ten seconds, there will be a metallic resonance sound fifty meters ahead."
"Can't you make some other noise? Like, fart or something?"
"It does not possess this physiological function."
"Sigh, I really envy you robots, you never know what embarrassment is."
As the countdown ended, a rusty metal plate suddenly started humming, which lasted for less than three seconds before stopping.
The raptor's ears twitched, and it slowly raised its head, turning towards the source of the sound.
"Let's go." Nana gave him a push.
Chen Hao scrambled out of the gap using both hands and feet, and as soon as his knees touched the ground, he felt his right leg start to twitch again. The screen on his propulsion suit flashed a yellow light, indicating that he had 16.9% energy remaining.
"It's dropped again? Wasn't it just 17.3%?"
"The 0.4% energy consumption for activating the attitude stabilization system is within the normal range."
"Normal my foot! I feel like a robot vacuum cleaner that's about to run out of power and needs to lie down and recharge at any moment."
They moved along the edge of the bushes, stopping every five steps to listen. The raptor turned its head a few times, seemingly interested in the metal plate that had rattled, and dragged itself a few inches toward it.
"It actually believed it?" Chen Hao couldn't help but turn around.
“Predators are naturally alert to unusual sounds,” Nana said, “especially threats from the air.”
"So it thought it was another bird provoking it?"
"It is more likely a misjudgment of a small mechanical device; such creatures usually avoid products of unknown technology."
"Alright, it seems we've succeeded in using high technology to swindle people."
Before he could finish speaking, his right leg suddenly buckled, and Chen Hao almost knelt on the ground. He grabbed a nearby rock for support and caught his breath.
"Your heart rate has increased by 15%, should we stop?" Nana asked.
"No, it's just that my legs are sore." He gritted his teeth and continued forward. "I rolled all the way yesterday, and today I was chased around. My body is about to fall apart."
"It is recommended to strengthen daily physical training."
"Training? I'll be lucky to get back alive, what's the point of training?"
They slowly entered a low-lying area where the ground transitioned from hard soil to fine sand, making it difficult to leave footprints. Nana walked ahead, constantly scanning the area to make sure there were no ambushes or traps.
The energy bar on the propulsion suit slowly decreased: 16.5%, 16.2%, 15.8%...
"How much longer can we hold out?" Chen Hao asked in a low voice.
"At the current speed, it will take 47 minutes to reach the rescue capsule, and the remaining battery power is expected to be about 9.4% upon arrival."
"Nine point four? That's still not enough! Last time you said if it's below 5%, we'd have to do math problems. Are we going to have to listen to you lecture on calculus again this time?"
"If there is no additional energy consumption during the journey, there is no need to calculate the probability of escape."
"So that's all you care about?"
"My design principle is to ensure maximum survivability."
"Have you considered whether someone like me is even worth saving?"
Nana stopped and turned to look at him, the blue light rippled slightly.
"According to database statistics, the survival rate of underachieving students in extreme environments is higher than that of high-achieving students. The reasons include, but are not limited to: strong adaptability, high psychological resilience, and skill in taking shortcuts."
"Wait, who are you calling opportunistic?"
"For example, using a heating plate to roast fruit to confuse the enemy is a non-standard tactical innovation."
"That's called quick thinking, okay?"
"The conclusions are consistent."
Chen Hao snorted, but felt inexplicably more at ease.
They continued on, crossing a scree slope, and finally reached the edge of the riverbed. The terrain here was open and offered good visibility, providing an early warning should they spot their pursuers.
What's the next step?
"Go north along the riverbed, bypassing the west side of the lake, to avoid the water source attracting other predators."
"Got it, we'll avoid crowded places."
Just then, a muffled thud came from behind.
They both turned around at the same time.
The raptor actually stood up, shook its head, and spread its wings to test them. Although it was still a little unsteady, it was already able to jump a short distance.
"It's awake!" Chen Hao's voice suddenly rose.
"Detected." Nana immediately adjusted her route. "Speed up and get into the concealed area."
"Accelerate? Look at my legs!"
"Disable unnecessary modules and unleash all power for movement."
The propulsion suit jolted violently, and his right leg finally regained normal power. Chen Hao staggered two steps, but finally managed to run.
They moved through the riverbed and gullies, and the sound of flapping wings was no longer heard behind them. Ten minutes later, the raptors had completely disappeared from sight.
"Did it...give up?" Chen Hao asked, panting.
"Highly likely. Solitary predators typically do not pursue wounded targets over long distances, especially when the target disappears into complex terrain."
"So I'm now considered an 'injured target'?"
"Judging from your behavior patterns, it believes you are no longer edible."
"Thank you. I'd rather be treated like canned food than like a defective product."
Nana didn't respond, but continued to guide him along the riverbed.
As darkness fell, the lights on the propulsion suit automatically turned on. The energy bar stopped at 15.1%, and the heart rate monitor showed mild dehydration, but the overall condition was under control.
Chen Hao took a sip of the purified lake water he carried with him and felt much better in his throat.
"You think that fruit can really make that thing dizzy?"
"High-temperature treatment alters the chemical structure of the fruit, producing inhibitory substances that react with its nervous system."
"So, I accidentally invented an alien version of sleeping pills?"
"Technically feasible."
"Wow, that's awesome! I can change my name to 'Interstellar Chef God' from now on."
"So far, it has only been successful once, and the sample size is insufficient."
"Can you please stop being so discouraging?"
"I'm just stating the facts."
They crossed a ravine, and the terrain ahead gradually flattened out. The location of the rescue capsule was marked as a green dot in the navigation system, about 1,200 meters away.
How much longer until we arrive?
"At the current speed, it will take thirty-eight minutes."
"Alright, as long as we don't run into anything weird again."
Just then, Nana suddenly raised her hand to signal to stop.
Chen Hao immediately stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong?"
She stared at the ground in front of her, squatted down, and used her fingertips to brush away a layer of loose sand.
Half of the charred seed was visible underneath, with traces of black smoke still visible around the edges.
"This is... the one I threw?"
"It has been confirmed to be the remains of the same variety of fruit," Nana said after scanning. "And the surface has traces of high-temperature carbonization, which match the heating plate."
"So it actually ate what I baked?"
"More than one. Three similar pieces of debris were found nearby."
"Three? Didn't I only throw one away?"
"It is speculated that you performed multiple feeding operations before falling into a coma, resulting in gaps in your memory."
When did I do it?
"It is impossible to trace back to a specific point in time."
Chen Hao scratched his head. "So I also worked part-time making a late-night snack?"
"Perhaps it thinks it tastes good."
"Should we bring a menu next time? And ask them how well-done we want it?"
Nana stood up and looked into the distance.
"We suggest speeding up the process. The temperature will drop to minus 23 degrees Celsius tonight, and your wind chill is already close to the warning line."
"Another warning?"
"It's a reminder."
Chen Hao sighed and stretched his stiff shoulders.
“Let’s go. The first thing I’ll do when we get back is roast all the remaining fruit to figure out if this stuff is really a natural tranquilizer.”
"I support the experimental plan," Nana nodded, "but we need to pay attention to safety precautions during the heating process."
"Don't worry, this time I know to wrap it with cloth."
They set off again, their figures disappearing into the deepening twilight. The footsteps in their propulsion suits were rhythmic and heavy, like an old machine still in operation.
As Chen Hao walked, he touched the few remaining red berries in his backpack.
"You know... if there are no more birds of prey in the future, who will buy this recipe?"
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