Carl's pliers were stuck on the old wire connector, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He gritted his teeth and pulled back, the metal plate snapping off, sparks flying and burning a small hole in his cuff.
Chen Hao squatted down beside him, clutching a stripped wire in his hand. He looked up at Nana: "What's the next step?"
Nana stared at the data stream on the portable screen, her finger swiping rapidly. "Connect the resistors first, positions A3 and B7. The current difference must be suppressed, otherwise the circuit breaker will trip the moment it's connected."
"I don't understand." Chen Hao handed over the wires. "You point to where I'll solder it."
Susan moved the emergency light forward half a step, so the beam of light fell directly on the connector. She held the handle with her left hand and braced her right hand on her knee, her arm trembling slightly. The sudden jolt had nearly made her crash into the wall, and her legs were still weak.
Carl took the resistor and held one end with tweezers. "This thing was taken from the third layer of the distribution cabinet. The markings match, so it should work."
"We have to use it even if it's unusable." Chen Hao grinned. "We don't have a spare tire, and we don't have the option to repair it."
Nana didn't speak, and the waveform on the screen suddenly jumped. She frowned: "The internal temperature of the voltage regulator unit rose by 0.3 degrees, which may be due to poor contact."
"Take care of it immediately." Carl gently sanded the wire end with sandpaper, as if afraid of damaging something.
Chen Hao watched as the red light continued to flash, rhythmically, one after another. He reached out and touched the device's casing; it was cold. This thing had been buried here for who knows how long, yet it was still breathing.
"Don't you think it's pretty unlucky?" Chen Hao suddenly asked. "A perfectly good energy device was shoved into the wall without even a word."
Susan chuckled: "If you greet it now, will it respond?"
"Once it's connected, it'll be fine." Chen Hao patted the base. "When it's connected, make sure it outputs more power, at least to fix the air conditioner. It's about to go bad."
Carl secured the modified wiring to the bracket. "Alright, the low-voltage test can begin."
Nana nodded: "Input 10% voltage for ten seconds."
She pressed the command button, and everyone stared at the screen.
The red light flashing frequency changed, slowed down a bit, and then returned to normal. The data stream changed from messy to a neatly arranged green line.
"System response is normal," Nana said. "Self-test passed."
Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief: "Looks like the old guy isn't deaf and mute after all."
"Don't celebrate too soon." Carl wiped the sweat from his brow. "The main circuit is where the real hell is."
Susan shifted her stance; her legs were a little numb. She didn't say anything, but simply held the lamp steady.
Nana pulled up the final connection plan. "Next, we'll gradually increase the load. Let's start at 30%, and only connect to the main network after confirming there are no issues."
“I’ll connect the wires.” Carl picked up the main line. “Someone hold the support frame steady, don’t let it wobble.”
Chen Hao placed his hand on the metal frame: "I'm here."
Susan freed one hand to press down on the side panel. Dust from climbing the pipes was still stuck under her fingernails.
Nana watched the countdown reach zero. "Now, connect to the main circuit."
Karl slowly pushed the wire forward.
Click.
A soft sound.
The red light is off.
Everyone was stunned.
Two seconds later, the blue light shone steadily on the faces of the four people.
The control panel emitted startup beeps, one after another, like a dormant heartbeat restarting. The instrument panel lights up one by one, the oxygen circulation system hums, and the overhead lights change from a dim yellow to a bright white.
An alert notification popped up, and the red markers disappeared one by one.
"Power recovery." Nana looked at the readings. "Thrusters restored to 78%, life support system operating at full power, navigation module restarting."
Chen Hao plopped down on the ground, leaning against the equipment. "Oh my god, it's alive... it's really alive."
Susan slid down the wall, her legs finally giving way. She placed the lamp beside her feet, closed her eyes, and took a few breaths.
Carl didn't move, still holding the pliers, staring at the blue light for a long time.
“We have electricity now,” he said.
"Not only that." Chen Hao rolled over and lay face down on the floor. "The floor is warm. The heating is on."
Susan opened her eyes: "I just smelled the air filter. It's not rust, it's clean air."
Nana stood in front of the control panel, her finger swiping across the screen. The ship's status updates page by page, with more and more green indicators appearing.
“Energy output is stable,” she said. “It is expected to support basic navigation for more than three months. If used sparingly, it can be extended to five months.”
Chen Hao raised an arm: "I now declare that this wrecked ship has officially left the scavenging for survival stage."
Carl finally released the pliers and sat down on the box in the corner. He unbuttoned his collar, revealing the abrasions on his neck, which had already scabbed over.
"Why don't you think the previous crew member took it with them?" Susan asked.
“Maybe he left in a hurry.” Chen Hao rolled over and lay on his back. “Or maybe he forgot. People forget things, especially troublesome things.”
“It could also have been left there intentionally,” Nana said. “It’s isolated and not connected to the internet, like a backup.”
"A backup?" Chen Hao laughed. "Someone's still eyeing our ship?"
No one answered.
The cabin quieted down, broken only by the low hum of the equipment. The lights were on, and warm air was blowing; suddenly, everyone felt like they were home.
Chen Hao took out the last compressed biscuit and broke it into four pieces. He handed one to Karl: "The celebration feast will be simple, just make do with it."
Carl took it, took a bite, and chewed very slowly.
Susan held the small cookie, not in a hurry to eat it. "Where to next?"
“Let’s get out of this turbulent area first,” Nana said. “The flight path is being recalculated. As long as we keep the energy, we can find the nearest supply point.”
"Does the supply point have hot pot?" Chen Hao asked.
“No,” Nana said, “but we have a water purifier and frozen meal packs.”
"That's too mundane," Chen Hao shook his head. "It's all lost its dreams."
Laughter rang out in the cabin, not loud, but very genuine.
Just then, the main screen flashed.
A red warning box pops up.
[A high-intensity energy barrier has been detected 120,000 kilometers ahead; its nature is unknown. Avoidance is advised.]
The scene shifts, and a ring of light appears in the center of the star field, its edges tinged with pale purple, slowly rotating like some kind of creature breathing.
Chen Hao's smile froze.
"What's this?" he asked, pointing at the screen.
Nana zoomed in on the image and analyzed the parameters. "It's not a natural phenomenon. The structure is highly symmetrical, and the energy fluctuations are regular, like it was artificially constructed."
"The door?" Susan stood up.
“A wall is also a possibility.” Carl walked to the control panel. “If we can’t get through, we’ll have to go around, and that will take at least two more weeks.”
"And who knows if there's anything else behind it?" Chen Hao stared at the circle of light. "Who would build a wall in outer space for no reason?"
Nana continued scanning. "Currently, the material and energy source cannot be identified. Approaching may trigger defense mechanisms."
No one spoke in the cabin.
The ease I felt just now seemed to have vanished.
Chen Hao looked down at the half-eaten cookie in his hand, then looked up at the screen.
"So," he stuffed a biscuit into his mouth and chewed it a couple of times, "we just fixed the boat, and we're going to run right into that weirdo's face?"
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