Chen Hao took the half-pack of carrots out of his backpack and put it into a sealed bag. He squeezed the bag to make sure it wasn't leaking air, then stuffed it into the inner pocket of his winter coat.
"Leave it here, in case it encounters a starving rabbit, it might be another way to survive," he said.
Nana was checking if his zipper was tight. She reached up and tugged at his collar, then patted the area around the shoulder sensor. "Exoskeleton system activated, 40% weight-bearing assisted. Thermal imager calibrated, frequency adapted to snow reflection."
"Does that mean you can see things now?"
"The premise is that the thing has to generate heat."
Chen Hao snorted and stretched his shoulders. The heavy winter coat made him walk like a bound dumpling. He looked down at his snow boots, then looked up at the door.
The wind was still blowing, and snowflakes flew horizontally, rustling against the metal door frame. The base's alarm lights flashed red occasionally, shining on the snow before quickly going out.
“Let’s go,” he said. “If we don’t get out soon, I’m afraid I’ll really become a useless person.”
Nana pushed open the door, and a gust of wind immediately rushed in. The two walked out of the base against the wind, and the door behind them slowly closed, the sound of it locking being carried away by the wind.
They followed the old route north, to the area where the most animal tracks had been detected. The ground was covered in ice, making it very slippery. Chen Hao had to test his balance with each step, like a penguin just learning to walk.
"How come this godforsaken place doesn't even give you a warning about a slope?" he said between breaths. "One second it's flat, the next it's sloping."
“The terrain data has been updated,” Nana said. “There is a frozen lake 300 meters ahead; we recommend taking a detour.”
"Go around? That would take much longer."
"The journey is expected to take 17 minutes longer."
Chen Hao stopped and looked at the vast expanse of white before him. "But this lake looks quite solid."
"The average thickness of the ice on the surface is eleven centimeters, which is below the safe passage standard."
"Eleven centimeters is quite a lot. I used to wear even thinner ones when I was a kid."
"Your weight is now more than twice what it was when you were a child."
"Can't you let me keep some of my childhood fantasies?"
Nana didn't answer; she just stood there waiting for his decision.
Chen Hao stared at the lake for a few seconds, then stepped onto it.
“I’ll walk in the middle, that way I can keep up,” he said. “If you don’t think it’s okay, then move further away, so you don’t fall down together.”
Nana followed two steps behind him, her mechanical legs landing steadily on the ice. Her detection system continued to scan the structure below, the data stream constantly refreshing in the corners of her field of vision.
Halfway there, the ice under my feet suddenly made a crisp sound.
Chen Hao froze.
"Don't move," Nana said.
He then heard several faint cracking sounds, as if someone was breaking tree branches in the distance.
"Is this sound... not good?"
The words had barely left his mouth when his foot suddenly sank. A crack exploded from beside his right foot, rapidly spreading to both sides. He lost his balance and lurched forward, one foot dangling in mid-air.
The cold wind is blowing upwards from below.
He didn't shout or struggle; he just gripped the strap of the tool bag on his back tightly.
Nana rushed forward and grabbed his wrist at the last moment. The mechanical arm suddenly exerted force, dragging him backward. He slid across the ice for a while before stopping, his back slamming into a raised piece of ice.
"Don't look up," Nana said.
"I dare not."
She crouched down and probed the crack with a detection rope. The rope continued downwards, reaching the bottom after thirty meters. She retrieved the rope and analyzed the stress distribution within the ice.
“The load-bearing capacity here is less than 200 kilograms,” she said. “You just stepped on the thinnest spot.”
"So I'm the chosen unlucky one?"
"Probability event".
"Could you please tell me in advance next time?"
"I have already suggested taking a detour."
"...You're a really good robot."
Nana stood up and pointed to the permafrost at the edge of the lake. "Change course. I'll test the stability of each step ahead."
Chen Hao got up and brushed the snow off his clothes. "Alright, I'll do as you say."
They walked along the lake, and with each step Nana would tap the ground with her ice axe to make sure it was stable before gesturing for him to follow. The process was as slow as a snail's pace, but at least no one nearly fell into the abyss again.
After passing through the danger zone, the weather improved slightly. The wind died down and the snow became sparser.
"Where to next?" Chen Hao asked.
“Expand the search area to the abandoned riverbed area.” Nana pulled up the map. “There used to be water sources in this area, which is suitable for animal activity.”
"Hopefully this time it won't be another wasted trip."
They walked east for almost an hour. Chen Hao's fingers began to go numb, and his cheeks stung from the wind. He would occasionally stamp his feet to warm them, muttering things like, "This awful weather," and "I should have brought hand warmers."
Upon reaching the riverbed area, Nana activated a full-band scan. The thermal imager detected an unusual outline beneath a collapsed ice sheet.
“There’s a large object underground,” she said. “It’s at the same temperature as the surrounding ice, but the density is different.”
Chen Hao leaned closer to look at the screen. "Could it be a stone?"
"Its shape is that of a four-legged, upright animal, and its head features are consistent with those of a deer."
"Frozen?"
"The probability is extremely high."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's dig it up and see!"
He picked up his ice pick and began smashing the ice. The first strike was too forceful, making his hand go numb. He adjusted his strength on the second strike and finally managed to create a small crater.
The two took turns working, one chiseling and the other clearing away the ice. As they went deeper, the ice became harder and harder. Chen Hao was panting heavily, sweat beading on his forehead, his breath condensing into a layer of mist inside his mask.
"How come this deer is frozen so perfectly?" he asked as he smashed the glass. "Did it fall asleep standing up, and then the temperature suddenly dropped?"
"They may have encountered a blizzard, been trapped in a low-lying area, lost body heat rapidly, and then been covered and frozen by snowfall."
"That sounds pretty tragic."
"The time of death was approximately three weeks ago."
"Is that meat still edible?"
"As long as it is not rotten, it can be stored for a long time in a frozen state."
After smashing for another ten minutes or so, the ice finally cracked. A complete wild deer was revealed, its limbs curled up, its eyes closed, and its body covered with a transparent layer of ice, like a specimen sealed in crystal.
"Hey!" Chen Hao laughed, "We're rich!"
They used a saw to cut through the ice and divided the deer carcass into easily portable pieces. Nana was responsible for recording the weight and storage conditions, while Chen Hao packed the meat into sealed bags and tied them up.
“That’s about sixty pounds of meat,” he said. “Enough to eat for a month.”
"The actual edible portion is about 45 kilograms," Nana said. "The fat content is low, so it needs to be supplemented with other nutrients."
"You really do need to talk about data even when you're celebrating."
"I'm just stating the facts."
After finishing their hunt, it was already getting dark. They strapped their packs to their backs and used the slope to lighten their load. On the return journey, Chen Hao walked more easily than on the way there; although tired, his steps were steady.
Back at the base entrance, he put down his backpack and leaned against the wall, catching his breath.
"This awful weather," he said, looking at the vast snowfield behind him. "I really need to figure out a way to haul things next time."
Nana entered the confirmation code, the door lock was released, and a slight clicking sound was heard.
The door opened a crack, and a warm breeze rushed out.
She went inside, turned around, and waited for him to follow.
Chen Hao stood outside the door and took one last look at the wind and snow.
A snowflake landed on his eyelashes and melted.
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