Chen Hao's fingers dug into the mud, his fingernails filled with pebbles. He looked down at the broken metal edge, then looked up at the massive structure below the slope.
The thing didn't move, but its eyes remained fixed on them.
“This door can’t be opened,” he said.
Nana had already crouched down, her finger tracing the symbols on the door. Her screen flickered a few times, emitting a low battery warning beep. "It matches the control runes in the ruins; it might be a linkage device."
"Can it be started?" Susan asked.
“There’s no energy input,” Nana shook her head. “And the structure is buried too deep; it can’t be activated manually.”
Karl leaned against a rock, panting, blood still seeping from his arm. Suddenly remembering something, he abruptly pulled out his notebook from his backpack; the pages were wrinkled and soaked with sweat.
“Blue crystals,” he said. “They were depicted in the murals, long and luminous. The label read ‘Disrupts nerves, subdues beasts.’”
"Where did it come from?" Chen Hao asked.
“We brought out a piece of ore from the samples we brought out,” Karl looked up at Nana. “Do you still keep it?”
Nana paused for a moment, then pulled a dark blue stone from her tool bag. Its surface was uneven, and it had cracks along the edges; it looked quite ordinary.
"This is it?" Chen Hao picked it up and flipped through it. "It doesn't look fierce at all."
“Its function isn’t in its appearance.” Carl spread out his notebook. “Look at this circuit diagram. It uses pulse frequencies to stimulate biological nervous systems, causing them to temporarily lose control. The principle is similar to a flashbang, but it lasts longer.”
"Then hurry up and get one." Chen Hao shoved the stone into his hand.
Carl began disassembling the remaining casing of the communicator. The battery had only a sliver of power left, and half of the wiring was burned out. He gritted his teeth and picked out the usable parts, placing them on his lap.
“A stable conductor is needed,” he said.
Susan immediately pulled out a small knife and handed it over. "The blade is made of alloy, so it conducts electricity well."
Karl took it, compared it to his own, and nodded. "Okay, I'll use it as an electrode."
Nana brought up the knowledge base interface and quickly swiped her finger. "The recommended resonant frequency is nineteen times per second. This is the parameter in the database that is closest to the neural response threshold of this species."
"Are you sure?" Karl looked up.
“Uncertain,” she said. “It’s just the set of data with the highest probability.”
“That’s enough.” Carl started welding. “It’s better than just waiting to be eaten.”
Chen Hao lay on the ground, looking down the slope. The three smaller ones circled their leader, as if waiting for a command. The largest one stood still, its front paws pressed against the ground, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
"Is it tired?" Chen Hao asked softly.
“No.” Nana stared at the screen. “It’s listening.”
"Listen to what?"
“Our movements. Breathing rate, the clanging of metal, even our heartbeats.” She glanced at the device readings. “It can sense the prey’s condition through vibrations.”
Chen Hao immediately held his breath.
Susan took out a tinderbox and then pulled out a bottle of alcohol. "I can make a Molotov cocktail to attract attention."
"Don't order now," Carl said without looking up. "Let me finish first."
Just as the weld broke for the third time, a gust of sand blew in. Without a word, Chen Hao lay down and used his back to shield the work area.
"Thank you," Carl said.
“Don’t thank me,” Chen Hao muttered, “If you can’t do it, we’ll all have to be fed to the dogs.”
When the wires were connected for the second time, the device emitted a slight hum. Blue light shone through the gaps in the crystal, flashing intermittently.
"It's done?" Chen Hao's eyes widened.
“Give it a try.” Karl attached the device to the end of a wooden stick, forming a crude spear shape. He pressed the switch.
Buzz—
The sound increased in volume, and the blue light continued to illuminate.
A creature on the edge of the path suddenly twitched, took two steps back, and only stopped after hitting a tree trunk.
"It works!" Chen Hao almost jumped up.
“But it will adapt quickly,” Nana said. “It works the first time, the second time it’s half as effective, and the third time it may be completely ineffective.”
“Let’s take it one go.” Karl gripped the electric spear. “Who will lure it away?”
No one spoke.
Before Susan could speak, Carl waved his hand. "Your stamina is almost at its limit; that last strike was already beyond your limits."
"I'll go," Chen Hao said.
Both of them looked at him at the same time.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Chen Hao scratched his head. "I'm not going to my death, I'm just going to run a few steps."
“You’re the slowest,” Susan said.
"That's why I'm a good fit," Chen Hao grinned. "When it sees how bad I am, it'll definitely pounce on me first, creating an opportunity for you guys."
Nana paused for two seconds, then nodded.
The plan is set.
Carl, armed with his electric spear, hid on the right side of the hilltop, waiting for the signal to strike; Susan prepared Molotov cocktails to disrupt the flanks; Nana guarded the center, ready to activate any remaining flash modules; Chen Hao was responsible for luring the monsters, running in a straight line without looking back.
“Remember,” Carl said, “you just need to get it moving, don’t actually let it touch you.”
"Don't worry." Chen Hao patted his chest. "I'm an expert at escaping."
He stood up and stretched his limbs. His knees still hurt a little, but he could run.
Susan lit the strip of cloth and threw it into the woods to the left.
Bang!
Flames exploded, illuminating half the forest.
The creatures below the slope collectively turned their heads.
In that instant, Chen Hao rushed out.
He ran to the right front, deliberately stomping on dry branches, and shouted, "Hey! Big oaf! Look this way!"
The leader slowly turned its head, its gaze locking onto him.
Chen Hao's heart tightened, but he didn't stop walking.
It moved.
They walked step by step, faster and faster, until finally they were running. The ground shook more violently, and dirt fell in a flurry.
"They're here!" Chen Hao shouted, then turned and ran.
Heavy footsteps approached from behind.
He dared not look back, and charged forward with all his might. His lungs felt like they were about to explode, and his legs began to weaken.
Five meters.
Three meters.
He suddenly turned left and circled along the bottom of the slope.
The big guy couldn't stop and rushed forward a few steps before stopping, then turned around and chased after it again.
"Now!" Chen Hao roared.
Carl leaped from the top of the slope, charging forward with his electric spear in hand.
The blue light surged, accompanied by a piercing buzzing sound.
The tip of the electric spear was pointed directly at the leader's face.
Snap!
A surge of electricity shot out and struck its head.
The thing suddenly froze, its limbs twitched, its steps faltered, and it almost knelt down.
Susan threw the Molotov cocktail, which hit its hind leg.
boom!
Flames erupted, forcing it to retreat.
Nana pressed the flash button, and the bright light flashed again.
Under the double stimulus, the leader let out a roar, turned around and rammed around, only stopping when he broke a small tree.
"It works!" Chen Hao gasped for breath, lying behind the mound of earth.
"Don't let up," Nana said, watching it closely. "It's recovering."
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the guy raised his head and refocused his eyes.
But it didn't rush again.
Instead, he let out a low growl.
The three smaller ones immediately surrounded them, approaching in a fan shape.
“It called for help.” Susan gripped the knife tighter.
"One more time?" Chen Hao asked.
“The device is overheating.” Carl checked the interface. “It needs to cool down for at least five minutes.”
“We don’t have five minutes,” Nana said.
The four people gathered back to back.
The biota are getting closer and closer.
Just then, the metal door underground made a soft sound.
Click.
It's like some kind of mechanism has been triggered.
Nana suddenly looked down at the scanner. "Energy fluctuations! Coming from deep underground!"
"What's going on?" Carl asked.
“I don’t know, but the symbol is lit up.” She pointed to the crack in the door. “There was no light a moment ago, but now there’s a faint blue line.”
Everyone looked at the door.
It has indeed changed.
The surface engravings glowed faintly, as if awakened by something.
"Did our actions just now trigger something?" Chen Hao asked.
“It’s possible,” Nana analyzed. “Vibration + specific frequency + crystal resonance... may have created the conditions for activation.”
"Will it open?" Susan asked.
“Not necessarily.” Nana stared at the readings. “But the surrounding magnetic field is changing, and something is moving underground.”
The leader seemed to sense something was amiss. It stopped advancing and instead took two steps back, staring at the door, its ears twitching.
The others also stopped.
The atmosphere changed abruptly.
What started as a hunt has now turned into... a standoff.
Chen Hao slowly stood up, watching the flowing light patterns on the door.
"You know..." he said softly, "if this door opens, what if a robot jumps out and saves us?"
No one laughed.
But Susan simply said, "More reliable than you."
The blue light coming through the crack in the door grew brighter and brighter.
Suddenly, a deep hum came from underground.
It sounded like a machine starting up.
The ground began to tremble.
The group of creatures retreated en masse, even the leader turned to leave.
“They were scared,” Carl said.
“It’s not fear,” Nana said, looking at the equipment. “It’s obedience.”
Chen Hao stared at the door and reached out to touch it.
"Don't touch it!" the three shouted in unison.
He withdrew his hand.
The blue light reached its peak and then disappeared.
Silence fell upon everything.
The door was neither open nor closed; it just lay there quietly, as if nothing had happened.
But all the creatures below the slope had already left; not even a trace remained.
The four stood still, none of them daring to move.
The wind blew through the trees, dispersing the smell of smoke.
Chen Hao slowly sat down, plopping down on the ground.
“So…” he said, panting, “we won?”
Carl leaned against the rock, his hands still trembling. "We didn't win."
"Who won?" Susan asked.
Carl looked at the door.
Nana stared at the scanner; the last line of data on the screen was slowly disappearing.
“It’s this,” she said.
Chen Hao raised his head.
A faint blue light was flashing through the crack in the door.
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