The wind whipped up sand that pelted against his protective suit, making a soft, rustling sound. Chen Hao glanced down at the ground beneath his feet; the loose gravel looked as if it could collapse at any moment.
"This road is even harder to walk than the cafeteria queue," he muttered, lifting his backpack up a bit.
Nana took a half-step ahead, her terminal screen lit up with a blue line. She tapped the interface lightly as she walked. "There is a crack five meters ahead. It is recommended to detour around the rock foundation on the left."
Carl didn't speak, but silently untied the securing rope from his waist and fastened it to everyone's belts. Susan checked the connections to make sure they were secure before taking a step forward.
The four of them lined up in a row and moved slowly along the rock wall. They could feel the ground slipping slightly from time to time, as if they were stepping on tiles that were about to come loose.
"I was wondering if we really fell down there, would those people at the base put up a monument for us?" Chen Hao tried to laugh. "They'd write, 'Here lies an ordinary person who just wanted to eat lunch.'"
"No." Nana said without turning her head. "The remains will be weathered into powder, making identification impossible."
"You're really good at comforting people."
Susan rolled her eyes: "Shut up, or I'll push you into a pit and use you as a stepping stone."
As soon as he finished speaking, Karl suddenly slipped and tilted to the side. A fist-sized rock rolled down the slope and disappeared into the dark gray ravine.
"Don't move!" Susan reacted quickly, grabbing his wrist.
Carl braced himself on a protruding rock ledge with one hand, while Susan gripped his other hand tightly. He glanced down at the bottom of the pit, where broken, rusted metal debris lay piled up.
“This used to be a pipe support structure.” Nana crouched down and quickly tied the other end of the rope to a stable rock. “The structure is unstable now.”
Chen Hao and Nana simultaneously lay down on the ground to hold down the rope. Karl used the momentum to slowly move back, his knees scraping against the rough rock surface, making a tearing sound like fabric ripping.
When he finally got back to level ground, he took a couple of breaths before speaking: "That rock... it looked pretty solid."
“The surface is intact, but the interior is weathered.” Nana put away her terminal. “This type of area needs to be marked as a high-risk road section.”
Susan dusted off her clothes: "From now on, walk in the middle, don't always rush to the front and act like a hero."
“I wasn’t trying to show off,” Carl said, rubbing his wrist. “I just thought that getting there earlier would mean getting back sooner.”
“We have the same goal.” Nana brought up the map again. “The abandoned greenhouse is 800 meters away from our current location. We expect to arrive in 15 minutes.”
The group continued forward, with Chen Hao taking the rear and Karl moving to the middle. The path narrowed, flanked by uneven rock formations, with occasional grains of sand falling from above.
In the distance, you can see a collapsed glass frame, lying haphazardly in the ground, like a torn transparent net.
"Is that a greenhouse?" Chen Hao squinted at it.
“Yes.” Nana nodded. “The external structure is severely damaged, but the internal soil may still retain a microenvironment suitable for plant growth.”
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the edges of the glass shards were rounded, and the ground was covered with a thin layer of grayish-white sediment. The wind whistled through the ruins.
"Where does the crystal vine grow?" Susan asked.
Nana activated the plant identification mode, and the camera panned across the ruins. "According to the database, they usually grow attached to sheltered stone pillars or walls."
She pointed to a concrete pillar half-buried in the soil, with a few withered vines climbing on its surface.
“These won’t do.” Susan reached out and touched them; the branches crumbled at the slightest touch. “They’re completely dehydrated.”
They split up to search. Chen Hao went around to the back of the greenhouse and found a small patch of greenery under a pile of collapsed supports.
"There are live ones here!" he shouted.
The three quickly gathered together. Three crystal vines were entwined around a section of metal pipe that had not fallen over; their leaves were dark green, and their stems were slightly damp.
“The secretions are of good activity.” Nana leaned closer to the scanner. “I recommend taking a sample immediately.”
Susan took out her toolkit and a sterile scalpel and cotton swabs. She first used tweezers to clear away the surrounding dead leaves, then made a diagonal cut on a main stem.
A pale yellow liquid slowly seeped out, flowing down the incision. She gently guided it with a cotton swab, dripping it into the thermos.
"This stuff smells like sour apple juice." Chen Hao leaned closer and sniffed it.
"Don't breathe too heavily," Susan warned. "What if it's poisonous?"
"Didn't Nana say she had been tested?"
“She’s referring to laboratory conditions,” Carl said, standing beside her and watching. “There are too many variables in field sampling.”
When the bottle was half full, a rumble of thunder sounded in the sky. The clouds pressed down lower, and the wind began to carry moisture.
"Weather alert updated." Nana looked up at the sky. "The rain has arrived ahead of schedule and is expected to reach the area in thirty-five minutes."
“Speed up,” Carl said. “The sealing must be finished before it rains.”
Susan quickened her pace, treating two vines in quick succession. She carefully controlled the depth of each cut; too shallow and no sap would flow, too deep and the roots might be damaged.
The third plant was the thickest and produced the most liquid. They deliberately set aside a portion for dilution and poured it into the second bottle.
"Total volume: 127 milliliters." Nana recorded the data. "This meets the minimum requirement."
"That's enough." Chen Hao tightened the bottle cap and put it in the shockproof bag. "Now we can run away, right?"
“We can’t go back the way we came.” Carl pointed in the direction they came from. “If that scree slope gets wet, it will definitely cause a landslide.”
Nana pulled up the backup route. "There's a gentle slope passage on the west side. Although it's 200 meters further away, the geological stability is much higher."
“Then let’s go that way.” Susan put away her tools and dusted off her gloves.
On the way back, no one joked anymore. Everyone knew that carrying this bottle of liquid wasn't just for putting up posters, but to ensure that the holiday called "We Are Together" wouldn't become just empty words.
They had just stepped onto the gentle slope when the rain began to fall. The first drop hit Chen Hao's helmet with a crisp sound.
"Luckily, I wasn't soaked," he said.
"Ten minutes to go." Nana glanced at the time. "Just in time for the window."
Carl led the way, his steps steady. Susan occasionally looked back to make sure the others were following. Chen Hao carried the thermos flask carefully, as if he were holding a freshly boiled egg.
The last 100 meters were uphill. Chen Hao was panting heavily, sweat beading on his forehead, but he didn't call for a stop.
"You think this thing can really stick to the puzzle wall?" he asked as he walked.
“Theoretically, yes,” Nana said.
"What do you mean by 'theoretically'?"
"This means that if the operation is correct and the environment meets the requirements, the success rate is very high."
"Can't you just say something definite?"
"I do not make promises without a basis."
Susan chuckled: "You two have been arguing for so long, and neither of you has ever won."
As they approached the outer checkpoint of the base, the rain intensified. The corrugated iron roof rattled loudly as the guard peeked out.
"You're finally back!" he said, opening the door. "Five minutes later and we would have had to start the search and rescue operation."
The four people passed through the registration desk one by one. Chen Hao handed over the sealed bottle, which was labeled "Crystal Vine Liquid - Active Sample".
"Store it in the cold storage." The staff member took the box. "The lab will start testing in two hours."
"Let us know when the results are out," Carl said.
"Don't worry, it's not like this is the first time we've processed wild-collected materials."
They removed their outer protective suits and hung them on the drying rack. Susan's fingers were a little stiff; her knuckles ached from holding the knife for so long. Carl sat on the bench, looking down to check the soles of his boots, and noticed that the cleats on his right shoe were worn down.
“These shoes are ruined,” he said.
"Go back and change into a pair of shoes." Chen Hao shook his wet hair. "Right now, I just want to drink some hot water and lie down for ten minutes."
"The meeting is in ten minutes," Nana reminded them. "We need to report on the entire data collection process."
"Another meeting?" Chen Hao's eyes widened. "I'm soaked in sweat!"
"It's in accordance with the procedures," Nana said without changing her expression, "and the cultural festival organizing committee has the right to request on-site feedback."
Susan picked up her backpack and walked towards the door. "Let's go, we're already back, a little longer won't make a difference."
Carl stood up and brushed the mud off his pants. Chen Hao sighed and slowly followed.
The corridor lights were dim, and condensation formed tiny water droplets on the walls. Their footsteps mingled with the sound of rain outside, leading all the way to the conference room.
When I opened the door, the projector was warming up. Four water glasses, steaming, were on the table.
Just as Chen Hao was about to sit down, his phone vibrated.
He took it out and glanced at it; it was a system notification.
"The application for testing the puzzle wall adhesive has been submitted."
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