Chen Hao squatted down beside the silvery-gray stone, rubbing his fingers against its surface. It was cold and prickly, but felt solid to the touch. He grinned and glanced back at Nana.
"If we could haul these things back in truckloads, wouldn't our base be able to build whatever we want in the future?"
Nana stood beside the sled, the robotic arm unfolding the folding panel and snapping it into the power interface. "Theoretically feasible. Provided that the mining efficiency exceeds the transportation losses."
"Hey, can you stop saying things like that?" Chen Hao stood up and patted the mud off his pants. "Right now, all I can think about are new parts, new equipment, and a new sofa—my old one is worn out and should have been replaced a long time ago."
“The immediate priority is to set up a temporary camp.” Nana didn’t look at him, her optical glasses scanning the surrounding terrain. “We have 28 percent fuel remaining, which is not enough to support our return trip tomorrow. I suggest we stay put and begin initial mining.”
Chen Hao sighed and pulled a thermal blanket from the trunk to wrap himself in. The wet clothes clung to his skin, making him shiver. He said between shivers, "Fine, there's no other choice anyway. Let's get some shelter from the wind first, then figure out how to pry the rocks."
The two moved quickly. Nana set up a portable solar panel, connected it to a light and a communication module. A faint blue light appeared, illuminating a small, dry area. Chen Hao, meanwhile, dragged out his toolbox, took out the hardest chisel and hammer, and squatted back down at the edge of the mine.
He swung the hammer.
With a "clang," sparks flew out, but the stone remained completely still.
He slammed it twice more, his hands trembling until they went numb.
"What kind of hardness is this? It's even more durable than the iron pot in the cafeteria!" He shook his wrist. "I'm afraid the tools we brought won't be enough."
Nana walked over and squatted down to scan the rock surface. "The test results show that it is an iron-aluminum-titanium composite rock layer with an average Mohs hardness of 7.3. The efficiency of conventional hand tools in breaking it is less than 0.5 kilograms per hour."
"So that means I could smash it all day and not get a single brick out?"
"To be precise, you need to work continuously for 37 hours to obtain 10 kilograms of processable raw materials."
Chen Hao threw the chisel on the ground. "Then let's go back to sleep."
"There is another option."
"explain."
"The principle of thermal expansion and contraction is used to break rocks. Heating the surface to over 600 degrees Celsius and then rapidly cooling it can trigger internal cracking."
Chen Hao's eyes lit up. "A musket? We have one!"
He pulled out the flamethrower and checked the fuel canister. "There's still half a canister of gas left, enough to burn for a while."
Nana added, "Pay attention to the operating distance to avoid injury from high-temperature reflection."
"I know, I know, it's not like it's my first time playing with fire."
He turned on the blowtorch, and flames roared out. He aimed it at a corner of the rock and began to heat it. The flames licked the grayish-white rock surface, and after a few seconds, the color darkened, and rock chips began to flake off.
Fifteen minutes later, the entire area was burning red.
"That's about it." Chen Hao turned off the flintlock pistol and picked up the kettle to pour cold water on it.
"laugh--!"
A large amount of white vapor suddenly billowed out, and the ground trembled slightly.
"They've reacted!" Chen Hao took two steps back.
But the next second, a muffled sound came from inside the rock strata.
Immediately afterwards, a burst of high-pressure steam shot out from the crack, sweeping across like a knife.
Before Chen Hao could react, half of his sleeve was ripped off, his arm burned, and he fell backward to the ground.
"Danger!" Nana stepped forward, her mechanical arm deploying an alloy shield that slammed into place in front of them. Steam slammed against the shield, producing a sharp hiss.
Chen Hao sat up, panting, looking at his smoking cuff. "Damn... it was almost cooked."
"I recommend immediately terminating the current operating mode," Nana said in unchanging tone. "The steam pressure is still rising, and there is a risk of a secondary eruption."
Chen Hao rubbed his arm, wincing in pain. "Who would have thought there was a pressure cooker hidden inside this rock?"
He looked up at the continuously billowing white steam and suddenly fell silent.
He stared at it for five seconds, then suddenly stood up.
"Wait... can this steam be used?"
Nana turned to look at him.
You mean biogas digesters.
"That's right!" Chen Hao slapped his thigh. "Before, when we were doing fermentation, the temperature couldn't be raised and gas production was slow. Now, it's great, a natural heat source has been delivered right to our door!"
“It’s technically feasible.” Nana quickly retrieved the data. “The optimal temperature for biogas microorganisms to activate is 30 to 40 degrees Celsius. The current steam temperature is 120 degrees Celsius, so we need to reduce the pressure and temperature.”
"Then let's connect a pipe and run it over!"
"There are no high-temperature resistant hoses available on site."
"Where are the abandoned pipes? The pile of rusty iron pipes under the sled!"
Nana paused for a second, then turned and walked towards the sled. She pulled out a bent metal tube from the bottom and inspected the joint. "It can be modified. But the flow direction needs to be manually fixed to prevent it from shifting."
"I'll do it." Chen Hao flexed his wrists. "Anyway, it's already half-cooked, so it won't make a difference if it's cooked a little longer."
The two started dismantling and modifying the pipes. Chen Hao used a wrench to saw off the elbows, and Nana welded the joints. In less than ten minutes, a crooked guide channel was assembled.
"Connect it to the biogas digester's inlet." Chen Hao picked up the pipe and walked up the hillside. "Keep an eye on the angle for me, so the steam doesn't hit anyone."
Nana followed behind him, the robotic arm ready to raise the barrier at any moment.
Chen Hao inserted one end of the pipe into the vent in the rock crevice, and pointed the other end diagonally towards the entrance of the biogas digester down the mountain.
"It's done!" As soon as he let go, an even stronger burst of steam suddenly erupted, and the pipe shook violently.
"We're about to take off!"
He lunged forward and hugged the tube, pressing his entire body against it to steady himself. The scalding air brushed against the back of his hand, instantly turning his skin red.
"Nana! Lock the brace!"
"In progress."
The alloy clip popped out from the side and snapped into the rock with a click. The pipe finally stabilized, and steam shot along the predetermined route towards the distant biogas digester.
A few minutes later, dense bubbles began to emerge from the observation window of the pool.
Nana scanned the data: "The temperature in the fermentation chamber rose from 23 degrees to 36 degrees, and the methane generation rate increased by 217 percent."
Chen Hao slumped to the ground, panting as he laughed. "See, even bad things can turn into good things."
“The logic holds true.” Nana looked at the readings. “However, your skin tissue damage has reached level two, and we recommend that you stop any exposure work.”
"It's nothing." He waved his hand. "I'll just put some medicine on it when we get back. The important thing now is how to keep digging."
Nana explained, "The problem is that the rate of heat accumulation exceeds the release capacity. If heating continues, the steam pressure will continue to rise, threatening operational safety."
Chen Hao sat down against the rock and thought for a moment. "Then let's not burn it all at once. Let's do it in pieces, heat one small piece at a time, and if it cracks, we can remove it and then burn the next piece."
“That makes sense.” Nana nodded. “At the same time, the sealing of the flow diversion system can be optimized, and a simple valve can be added to control the flow rate.”
“The valve is easy to handle.” Chen Hao pulled a discarded pressure regulating knob from his toolbox. “This one still works; just install it in the middle of the pipe.”
The two threw themselves back into work.
The pace has slowed down this time.
Chen Hao was responsible for designating the heating area, heating only a palm-sized section at a time. Nana monitored temperature changes and promptly reminded everyone to stop heating. Once steam was generated, it was stably introduced into the biogas digester through modified pipes, and no further splashing incidents occurred throughout the process.
Two hours later, the first intact piece of ore was pried off.
It's about the size of a fist and quite heavy.
Chen Hao held it in his hand and weighed it. "Although it's not much, at least it's a start."
Nana recorded the mining parameters: "A total of 3.8 kilograms of samples have been obtained, and the energy consumption ratio is better than expected. If the current pace is maintained, enough raw materials can be accumulated within 48 hours for preliminary processing and testing."
"Not bad." Chen Hao yawned, his eyelids drooping slightly. The night wind grew colder, so he wrapped himself tighter in his thermal blanket and squatted by the rock to continue recording the mineral characteristics.
Nana stood to the side, the optical lens continuously scanning the rock strata. The outer layer of the robotic arm had undergone slight deformation due to repeated exposure to high temperatures, and the internal self-check program had initiated a repair process.
The camp lights were still on.
The sleds were parked on the side, serving as temporary storage platforms.
After writing down the last line of data, Chen Hao looked up at the still-functioning diversion pipe. White vapor flowed slowly, tracing a clear path through the night.
He suddenly asked, "If this vein keeps getting bigger and bigger, do you think we won't need to go back to base anymore? Can we just build a branch station here?"
Nana did not answer.
Her optical mirror turned toward the northern horizon, and the scanning wave quietly extended outwards.
In the distance, beneath the surface, some kind of structural anomaly is slowly moving.
Chen Hao grabbed a handful of ash and rubbed it in his hands, feeling a little itchy.
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