Chen Hao leaned against the control panel, staring at the simulation data on the screen. Nana had just finished reporting the last set of results, and the only sound in the air was the low-frequency hum of the main unit. He raised his hand and rubbed his neck, his bones cracking a few times.
"The success rate in a real-world environment is 86%, which isn't high," he said, "but it's enough for us to get started."
Susan didn't look up, her fingers still typing on the keyboard. "Once Carl's blueprints are out, I can start writing the driver. Don't just talk the talk, you need to finish writing the test procedure by tomorrow."
"I'm thinking," Chen Hao said, "if the signal really can't get through, should we consider sending out smoke grenades?"
"Who do you want to see this?" Susan finally stopped. "There are only five people at the base, and two of them can fix electrical circuits."
“That’s still better than now,” he shrugged. “At least the smoke won’t be blocked by the mountain.”
Nana suddenly spoke up: "An inventory anomaly has been detected. The stock of high-frequency filter capacitors is below the threshold, and there are only three low-noise amplifier chips remaining."
Chen Hao turned around: "Didn't we just take inventory a couple of days ago? How come it's not enough again?"
“The existing stock is based on the old circuit design,” Nana said calmly. “The new solution requires 47% more components, and the current inventory cannot support the prototype construction.”
Susan stood up, walked to the terminal, and pulled up the list. "Can I change the model?"
“The signal-to-noise ratio of the replacement part will drop by twelve decibels,” Nana replied. “The communication distance is expected to be shortened to less than nine kilometers, and the goal of blind spot coverage cannot be achieved.”
“That won’t do.” Chen Hao shook his head. “Our goal is to solve the blind spots. Changing only half of it would be a waste of time.”
“There’s an abandoned observation station in the North District,” Carl said, who had been sitting in the corner drawing. “A batch of old equipment was dismantled there, and I remember there were signal processing modules; they might still be usable.”
"Have you been there?" Susan asked.
“The power lines were repaired last year.” Carl put down his pen. “I walked all day and came back with blisters on my feet.”
“It sounds like it’s far away,” Chen Hao said.
"It's not far, but the road is hard to find. There have been too many landslides, and the maps are outdated."
"Then it would be appropriate for you to go?" Chen Hao asked, looking at him.
“It’s best for me to go,” Carl nodded. “You guys stay here and do other things. If I find anything, I’ll bring it back directly.”
Chen Hao thought for a moment and looked at Nana: "Could we get him a GPS tracker? It'll be easier to find him if he gets lost."
“We have prepared a vital signs bracelet,” Nana said. “It can monitor heart rate, body temperature and movement trajectory in real time. The communicator has a built-in dual-frequency signal, which has better penetration than existing terminals.”
“That sounds more reliable than me,” Chen Hao said. “Then pack your things and set off early, don’t travel at night.”
Carl got up and went back to his dorm to get his bag. Twenty minutes later, he appeared at the lab door with a tool bag on his back, wearing a thick coat, and a bracelet and communicator hanging from his waist.
"Remember not to step on anything." Chen Hao handed over an emergency power source. "The ground in the Black Swamp is soft; I heard people have died there before."
“I know.” Carl took the power adapter and stuffed it into his bag. “I’ll avoid the wetlands.”
"If you see the monument, please bow for me," Chen Hao said. "To commemorate those predecessors who sacrificed their lives for science."
Carl smiled, turned and went out.
The lab fell silent again. Susan sat back down and opened the code editor. Chen Hao flipped through the task list beside her, crossed out "Waiting for components" and wrote "Waiting for Karl to bring back supplies".
Nana stood behind the terminal, the optical lens slightly rotating, and the monitoring screen automatically switched to a regional map. A small red dot was slowly leaving the base area, moving north along a preset path.
Two hours have passed.
“He’s walking quite steadily.” Chen Hao glanced at the map. “At this speed, he should be back this afternoon.”
“Signal attenuation is significant in areas with complex terrain,” Nana cautioned. “It is recommended to check the status every half hour.”
"He hasn't replied yet?" Susan looked up.
“The last communication was an hour ago,” Nana said. “At that time, the report stated that a partially buried metal box had been found, suspected to be equipment debris, and that a plan was made to approach and investigate.”
"Then let's wait," Chen Hao said. "Anyway, we'll have to unpack it once we find it, so there's no rush."
Another forty minutes passed.
The red dot on the map has stopped moving.
At first, no one noticed. Nana was still running data analysis in the background, and Susan stretched after debugging a piece of code. Chen Hao was trying to stick the printed task sheet on the wall, but the tape wouldn't stick, making him so frustrated that he blew on his fingers.
"Nana, is Karl still moving?" Susan suddenly asked.
“No displacement recorded, lasting for nineteen minutes.” Nana pulled up the trajectory map. “The last stop was at the edge of the wetland, coordinates x739-Y182.”
"Has it been that long?" Chen Hao leaned closer. "What's he doing? Sleeping?"
"Attempting to establish a voice connection." Nana initiated the call. "No response. Signal strength is normal, but the receiving end did not respond with a handshake protocol."
"Try it again." Chen Hao frowned.
Repeated three times, still no sound.
Susan stood up: "Could he have turned off his communicator? In power-saving mode?"
“The bracelet is forced to activate the main frequency signal,” Nana said. “Unless physically damaged or deeply buried and obstructed, it should not be completely disconnected.”
"Black Swamp..." Chen Hao uttered these two words, his expression changing. "Didn't he say he wanted to go around it?"
“The original route has been blocked by a landslide.” Nana pulled up the updated terrain map. “Karl has chosen an off-route and entered a low-lying area. The soil moisture content in this area is too high, posing a hidden risk of subsidence.”
"You mean he might have stepped in?" Susan's voice tightened.
“The probability is 68 percent.” Nana projected a simulation of the scene. “If you sink into the mud, you can initially support your upper body, but as time goes on, breathing and struggling will accelerate your sinking. You may be completely submerged after 45 minutes.”
"Damn it!" Chen Hao slammed his fist on the table. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
“The risk level did not meet the warning criteria,” Nana said. “Furthermore, Carl was capable of making his own judgments and did not request navigation assistance.”
"Who cares about that now?" He grabbed the emergency kit and rushed towards the door. "Get ropes! Bring a tow bar! Quick!"
Susan immediately opened the first-aid cabinet and took out a portable oxygen cylinder and a roll of bandages. Nana simultaneously retrieved the optimal route and projected it onto the handheld terminal screen.
"Is the communicator still working?" Susan asked as she ran.
“There was intermittent audio in the last transmission.” Nana played the recording. “The content was as follows: ‘...I am in...Black Swamp...unable to move…’ The rest was covered by noise.”
"He's still alive," Chen Hao said through gritted teeth. "As long as he can still make a sound, we can get him back."
The three rushed out of the lab and hurried along the north gate passage. A gust of wind rushed in from the entrance, whipping Chen Hao's hair into a frenzy. He held a rope in one hand and gripped the terminal tightly in the other, his eyes fixed on the stationary red dot on the map.
“It’s 1,200 meters away,” Nana said. “We expect to arrive in eight minutes.”
“If he’s really stuck, how do we pull him out?” Susan asked breathlessly. “We can’t pull him out forcefully, or we’ll tear his muscles.”
"Let's get closer first," Chen Hao said. "We can't just watch him sink."
“Among the equipment I carry is an aluminum alloy telescopic rod,” Nana said. “It has a maximum length of five meters and can be used with ropes to form a lever structure.”
"Then let's use it to scout ahead." Chen Hao didn't stop walking. "Let's determine his exact location first, then decide how to make our move."
The ground gradually became damp. The further you walked, the softer the soil became, leaving shallow dents when you stepped on it. A faint smell of decay began to fill the air.
"The odor concentration is rising," Nana warned. "We're entering a high-risk area fifty meters ahead."
"Slow down," Chen Hao said in a low voice, "Don't step in together."
They stopped and looked ahead. A patch of grayish-brown mud lay before them, its surface covered with bubbles that occasionally burst with a gurgling sound. In the distance, they could vaguely see the corner of a crooked metal box protruding from the mud.
"Is that his bag?" Susan pointed to a reflective spot.
"It seems so," Chen Hao said, narrowing his eyes. "But where is he?"
Nana raised the terminal to scan. "Heat source detection... a life sign signal detected, distance 30 meters, height 0.8 meters, consistent with a semi-collapsed posture."
"He's over there!" Chen Hao pointed to the left. "Hurry up!"
“Please approach with caution,” Nana warned. “Weighing tests show that the current surface can withstand a maximum pressure of 3.2 kilograms per square centimeter. Exceeding this limit will trigger a chain reaction of collapses.”
“Then let’s crawl over.” Chen Hao put down his backpack, pulled out a rope and tied it around his waist. “You guys hold the other end steady, I’ll move forward.”
Susan and Nana immediately tied the rope to a nearby concrete post. Chen Hao lay down, limbs outstretched, and inching forward. The mud made a slight sucking sound, each meter forward feeling like he was struggling against some invisible pull.
He stopped after ten meters.
"It's too soft down there," he shouted back. "We can't go any further."
Nana piloted the drone into the air, hovering at low altitude to film. The footage clearly showed Karl's upper body protruding from the mud thirty meters away, his hands gripping a dead branch, his face turned to one side, his lips pale. His communicator hung on his chest, its screen cracked.
“He’s panting,” Susan said. “He can still manage.”
"Karl!" Chen Hao shouted, "Can you hear me!"
The man's head moved slightly, and his eyes opened a crack.
"Don't pull," Chen Hao raised his voice. "We're here to pull you up, don't move!"
Karl's lips moved, but no sound came out.
Nana adjusted the drone's angle and cast a light. The beam of light shone on the mud, creating tiny ripples.
Chen Hao slowly untied the rope around his waist, tied a small iron hook to one end, swung it twice, and threw it towards Karl. The hook landed in the mud two meters away from his arm and slowly sank.
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