After taking a bite of the fruit, Chen Hao casually tossed the pit into a crevice in the rocks. Juice still clung to his lips; he wiped it away and was about to continue walking when the wind suddenly changed direction.
The sweltering wind that had been making him dizzy suddenly turned cold, creeping into his clothes along the back of his neck. He looked up and saw that the sky above the eastern ridge looked like it had been splashed with ink, a dark, oppressive mass pressing in, obscuring even the sun's shadow.
“Stop for a moment,” he said.
The line stopped. Susan, panting, steadied herself by holding onto Carl's arm. Carl, who was brushing the dirt out of his shoes, frowned at the sound: "What is it now? You have to give a speech just to eat some fruit?"
"It's not about the fruit." Chen Hao stared at the sky. "It's going to rain."
Nana immediately looked up, her indicator lights flashing a few times. "Atmospheric humidity has increased by 62 percent in three minutes, wind speed has increased by 4.3 meters per second, and cloud cover continues to thicken." She paused, "Rain is expected to begin in two minutes."
"Two minutes?" Carl rolled his eyes. "By the time you finish calculating, we'll all be soaking wet."
The moment he finished speaking, the first drop of rain hit Chen Hao's face, icy cold.
Then, the second drop, the third drop... in the blink of an eye, it became a continuous curtain of rain. The dark clouds rolling down from the mountaintop were like an overturned pot, covering the entire mountain road.
"Hurry up!" Chen Hao shouted, turning around and rushing forward. His backpack thudded against his back, rainwater streamed down his hat brim and into his neck, his clothes instantly clinging to his body.
Nana caught up in a few steps and stood at the front of the group. "There is a steep slope 15 meters ahead, and the right side is a layer of soft soil. We suggest walking along the left edge of the rock face."
"What did you say?" Carl shouted from behind. "The rain is too heavy, I can't hear you!"
"Go to the left!" Chen Hao shouted back, "Stay close to the rocks! Don't step in the mud!"
The ground was already starting to flood. Rainwater splashed against the rocks, and each step revealed a slippery layer of mud. Susan stumbled and almost fell to her knees. Carl reached out and grabbed her backpack strap, swaying a couple of times before regaining his balance.
"This road is impassable!" Carl cursed. "I should have known better than to pick those fruits; we could have run faster by traveling light!"
"There's no use talking about this now." Chen Hao wiped the water off his face. "We're all here, the stuff is here, we just need to run."
Nana brought up the rear, her right leg making a slight scraping sound. She didn't mention the malfunction, but her pace was a beat slower than usual. Rainwater trickled down her body, forming small puddles at her feet.
"Can you still hold on?" Chen Hao turned to look at her.
“The joint lubrication system gets damp, reducing its efficiency by 15 percent,” she said. “It doesn’t affect mobility.”
"Then don't suddenly get stuck." Chen Hao grinned. "If I still have to carry you, my weight will probably break all previous records."
“Your current weight is already 38 percent over the base’s standard,” Nana said. “Any further increase could affect the overall pace of the march.”
"You still remember how much I weigh?" Chen Hao laughed. "Why would I need to remember that?"
“All members’ physical data is archived in a database,” she said, “including the number of times you secretly ate compressed biscuits yesterday.”
"Hey!" Chen Hao glared, "Isn't that what's left over and nobody wants it?!"
“The records show that the packaging bag was completely opened and all the contents were gone,” Nana said calmly. “And you did not report the consumption afterward.”
Carl, listening from behind, laughed: "You can't even appease a robot."
“I don’t need to be coaxed,” Nana said. “I just need you to follow the procedure.”
The rain was pouring down harder and harder. The mountain path had turned into a muddy river, and every step felt like walking on a water-absorbing sponge. Chen Hao's shoes were already soaked through, and his soles were burning hot; they were probably blistered.
Susan walked slower and slower. Her lips were pale, her breathing was rapid, and her fingers gripped the backpack straps tightly, her knuckles turning blue.
"I can't go on..." she whispered, "I need to rest for a while."
"We can't stop," Nana said immediately. "According to the soil saturation rate model, a localized landslide may occur in thirty minutes, and the current risk level in the area has been raised to level two."
“What does Level 2 mean?” Carl asked.
"It means if we don't leave soon, we might get buried." Chen Hao replied, taking Susan's backpack and carrying it to the other side. "If you can't walk anymore, lean on me, but don't stop."
"You're carrying two bags?" Susan shook her head. "They're too heavy."
"I'm fat, so I can take it all," Chen Hao said, panting. "Besides, if you collapsed here, I'd have to carry you on my back, and that would be really tiring."
Susan didn't say anything more, but gritted her teeth and followed.
Nana pulled up a topographic map and traced a line in the air with her finger. "There's a gentle slope 300 meters ahead, followed by stone steps, which is relatively safe. As long as we can get through this muddy section, the risk will be greatly reduced."
"Three hundred meters?" Carl smiled wryly. "Now even walking ten meters feels like climbing a mountain."
“Then let’s move it in ten-meter increments,” Chen Hao said. “Anyway, I don’t believe we’ll die in a place like this—we won’t starve, we won’t fall to our deaths, and surely we won’t be drowned by God.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled sound came from the hillside next to him.
Several fist-sized pebbles rolled down and crashed into the muddy water, splashing up murky waves.
"What's that?" Susan looked up.
“A small-scale landslide,” Nana said after scanning. “It hasn’t formed a continuous collapse yet, but the soil structure is weakening.”
"Can you still walk?" Chen Hao asked.
“Yes, but we must speed it up,” Nana said. “I suggest immediately using traction ropes to connect everyone’s belts to prevent them from losing balance and falling.”
Without saying a word, Chen Hao took out a rope, first tied himself and Susan together, then connected it to Karl, and finally wrapped it around Nana's waist and tied a knot.
“Alright,” he said. “Now we all have one life. If anyone wants to fall behind, they’ll have to drag everyone down with them.”
The team restarted. The four of them formed a line, trudging forward through the mud like a tugboat. Chen Hao led the way, each step extremely steady. His trousers were completely wet, the mud reaching his knees, making a squelching sound as he walked.
Carl was in the middle, the water splashing in his shoes. He lowered his head, no longer complaining, just mechanically lifting and landing his feet.
Susan leaned on Chen Hao's shoulder, almost being dragged along. Her breathing grew heavier, but she didn't call for him to stop.
Nana brought up the rear, her coat dripping water constantly, and the squeak of her right leg rubbing against the ground growing louder. Her eyes were fixed on the hillside behind her, her radar continuously scanning for geological changes.
“The displacement speed of the slope behind us is accelerating,” she suddenly said. “I suggest we further increase the speed.”
"We're already fighting with everything we have!" Karl roared.
“Trying too hard isn’t efficient enough,” Nana said. “Our current average walking speed is 0.6 meters per second, which is 0.8 meters below the minimum requirement for safe evacuation.”
"You think I'm an engine?" Chen Hao gasped for breath. "Any faster and I'll be smoking!"
“You have ample body fat reserves, which theoretically gives you the potential for a short-term burst of energy,” Nana said. “I suggest you mobilize your adrenaline to deal with the crisis.”
"You really think I'm a machine?" Chen Hao smiled wryly, but still quickened his pace.
The rain stung his face. His vision was blurred; he could only see a few meters ahead. Chen Hao's legs began to ache, and his shoulders slumped under the weight of his two backpacks, but he didn't slow down.
"How much further?" Susan asked.
“One hundred and fifty meters,” Nana said. “At the current speed, we expect to reach the stone steps area in twelve minutes.”
“Twelve minutes…” Carl murmured, “It feels like twelve years.”
"Don't count the time," Chen Hao said. "Count the steps. One step, two steps, then one more step. After we finish this section, I'll treat you to hot pot when we get back."
"Where did you get the money?" Karl sneered.
"I sell 'Brother Hao's Fruit'," Chen Hao grinned. "The first batch to hit the market, guaranteed ripe and sweet. If you don't get diarrhea after eating it, I'll eat my hat."
Susan finally smiled: "You really are... even when you're exhausted, you can still brag."
“Bragging doesn’t take any effort,” Chen Hao said. “Walking is what takes effort.”
They continued forward. The muddy ground gradually narrowed, and the rock wall on the left grew higher, barely providing any shelter from the wind and rain. Chen Hao's shoes slipped several times, and he only managed to stay upright by bracing himself against the rocks.
Nana suddenly raised her voice: "There are cracks on the slope behind us, and they are already 20 centimeters wide. A medium-sized landslide is expected to occur in five minutes."
"Five minutes later?" Karl panicked. "We're still not out!"
"Speed up," Nana said. "Now."
Chen Hao gritted his teeth, took a sudden step forward, and pulled the entire team forward with him.
"Go! Don't worry about your posture, just keep moving forward!"
Their steps faltered, trudging through the mud. Susan nearly fell, but Chen Hao grabbed her.
"Don't let go!" Chen Hao roared.
“I didn’t want to loosen up,” she said, panting.
Carl quickened his pace, the water splashing loudly in his shoes.
Nana took one last look at the hillside; the cracks were widening, and the soil was slowly sliding down.
She lifted her foot to catch up with the group, her right leg making a slight clicking sound.
Chen Hao heard this and turned to look at her.
Nana nodded.
They continued onward.
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