There was another soft sound above my head.
Nana's shield deployed instantly, and Chen Hao, clutching the mud ball, huddled behind her. Rock fragments slammed into the force field, sending sparks flying. The crack in the cave ceiling widened, rainwater trickled down the rock walls, forming streams, and a layer of slippery mud accumulated on the ground.
“We can’t stay here any longer.” He wiped the water from his face. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll both be buried here as fossils.”
Nana deactivated her shield: "I suggest you move to higher ground first."
“High ground? Our base is built on flat land for farming, not for climbing mountains.” Chen Hao stood up, panting, and almost slipped and fell. “If you ask me, we need to change our thinking—if it doesn’t rain, we’ll find our own water.”
"you mean?"
“I saw water dripping from the stalactites in the cave, which means there is a living water vein below. Since we can’t rely on the sky, we’ll dig underground.”
Nana paused for two seconds, then her optical eyes flashed: "According to the hydrological model of the arid planet, the geological structure of this area is unstable, the aquifer is about seventeen meters deep, the efficiency of manual excavation is 0.8 meters per day, and it is estimated to take more than twenty-one days."
"Twenty-one days?" Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "By the time I dig through, the bean sprouts will have turned into fossil fuels. Do you have a faster way?"
"Yes. Miniature drilling rigs can perform directional drilling operations with a success rate of 76%, but precise coordinate positioning is required."
"Then why don't you hurry up and calculate it?"
"Calculations are complete. The drilling point is located 37 steps east of the field ridge, avoiding the fault zone and the karst cave system."
“Okay, whatever you say.” He patted the mud off his body. “But let’s make this clear first, if you miss and create an underground fountain that washes me away, I’ll hold you responsible.”
"No. I will control the drilling speed and angle."
"You're quite confident."
"I'm not just confident, I have data to back me up."
When the two emerged from the cave, the rain had stopped. The sunlight was blinding, the air was stifling, and the ground reeked of earth. Chen Hao squinted as he walked to the edge of the field, inching forward step by step according to the number of steps Nana had given him. Finally, he squatted down and poked the ground with his finger.
"This is it? It looks no different from other places."
"Low-frequency vibration signals were found at a depth of nine meters underground, which is consistent with the characteristics of groundwater flow."
"I'll believe whatever you say." He waved his hand. "Let's get started."
Nana opened a hidden compartment in the rear cabin and took out a palm-sized silver drill rig with three support legs extending from the bottom and a blue light emanating from the top. She placed the equipment in the designated position and started the program.
The drill bit slowly rotated and cut into the ground.
Initially, progress was smooth, with the soil being spiraled outwards, forming a fine ring of soil. Ten minutes later, the drilling rig suddenly emitted a short alarm.
"The resistance increases, and we enter the dense rock layer," she said.
"Then let's put in a little more effort."
"The power has been increased to 70%, and further increases may cause the motor to overload."
"Do robots also get afraid of blown fuses?"
"I'm not afraid, you're afraid of power outages."
Chen Hao pouted and squatted down beside the drilling rig, staring blankly. The sun rose higher and higher, making his forehead burn and the back of his neck feel like it was pressed against a hot iron plate. He took off his coat and covered his head, leaving only his eyes exposed, muttering, "This damn weather, even my shadow is melting in the heat."
Nana didn't respond, focusing intently on monitoring the drilling parameters.
Half an hour later, the drilling rig alarmed again.
"Penetration complete, high-pressure water flow detected."
Before he could finish speaking, the ground suddenly shook.
Immediately afterwards, a jet of murky water shot out from the edge of the borehole, reaching a height of two meters, like a writhing gray snake shooting straight into the sky. Water splashed everywhere, drenching Chen Hao's head and face.
He wiped his eyes, stared blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly jumped up and shouted, "The water's out! The water's really out!"
Nana quickly deployed a force field shield, blocking the nozzle and reducing the impact of the water flow. At the same time, she brought up a projected map and drew a water diversion route in the air: "Immediately construct a diversion channel, target: water storage pit, 12 meters away."
"I know!" Chen Hao grabbed a pile of discarded clay fragments and started building a dam by mixing them with sand and gravel. "Come on, who said the jars we made were useless? Now they've all become water conservancy building materials!"
As he piled the water, he muttered, "The first bucket is for soaking rice, the second for washing feet, the third... never mind, let's not think that far ahead, let's stop this flow first."
The water was gradually guided to the pre-designed ditch, flowing down the slope to the low-lying water storage pit. The bottom of the pit, which was originally cracked like a spider web, was now being gradually moistened and softened.
Chen Hao stood by the ditch, watching the water rushing merrily, and grinned: "See? Human wisdom is so simple and unpretentious."
"This is the result of combining robot algorithms with geological models," Nana corrected.
"Hey, you're trying to steal the credit? If I hadn't been sweating buckets carrying mud, would your little bit of data have turned into a tap of water?"
"Your carrying efficiency is only 3.2 kilograms per minute, and you take seven breaks in between, with your average heart rate close to your maximum capacity."
"That's why I'm great! For a fat person to endure this long under the scorching sun is already pushing the limits of human physiology!"
Nana glanced at him but didn't say anything.
The water level gradually stabilized, and the reservoir was already half full of murky water. Chen Hao slumped to the ground, leaning against a rock, panting heavily: "What's the next step? Should we build a filtration pond? Or maybe just install a waterwheel? I think I could apply for a water conservancy project award."
"It is recommended to reinforce the surrounding foundation first, as the current soil moisture content has risen sharply, resulting in a decrease in structural stability."
"You're always such a spoilsport."
"I'm just stating the facts."
"Fine, fine, if you say you'll fix it, then you'll fix it." He struggled to get up, but as soon as he took a step, the ground beneath his feet suddenly softened.
"Wait a minute." Nana reached out and pulled him.
It's too late.
Without warning, the ground collapsed, and the entire work area sank downwards like a carpet being lifted. Chen Hao screamed and instinctively lunged towards the nearby rock wall, his fingers barely managing to grip a protruding rock. Nana reacted extremely quickly; her robotic arm instantly extended, struck a crevice in the rock, hooked onto a fixed point, and at the same time, her other hand grabbed Chen Hao's belt.
The two were suspended in mid-air, with the cracked earth above them and a rapidly expanding black hole below.
"This...this is too fragile!" Chen Hao's voice trembled. "We only dug a hole, how did the entire foundation fall apart?"
“High-pressure water erosion caused soil loss, triggering a chain reaction of landslides.” Nana’s voice remained calm. “We are losing our footing.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a soft click came from the connection point of her arm, and the metal grappling hook loosened slightly.
"Hey! Don't mess this up!"
"The system is normal, but the tensile strength of the rock mass is insufficient."
The next second, the entire rock broke apart.
The two fell into darkness.
The descent was brief but violent, with only the sound of wind and rushing water in their ears. They crashed heavily into a fast-flowing underground river, instantly swept away by the icy current.
Chen Hao choked on some dirty water and frantically flailed his arms and legs, trying to lift his head to breathe. A faint blue light flashed in front of him—it was Nana's optical eye.
“Arrest me!” she shouted.
He reached out haphazardly and finally grabbed her mechanical arm. Nana immediately tightened her joints, pulling him closer, and at the same time deployed her residual force field to create a small space to avoid the water in the raging torrent.
The two clung tightly to the rock face, barely managing to maintain their balance.
Above us was a towering cave ceiling, with stalactites faintly visible hanging down, and a thunderous roar like a waterfall echoed in the distance. The water flowed extremely fast, constantly crashing against the surroundings, carrying with it pebbles and silt.
"Where are we now?" Chen Hao asked, his teeth chattering.
"The middle section of the unknown underground riverbed is about 130 meters underground and is oriented southeast by south."
"Can we go back?"
"The navigation system is affected by water pressure, causing positioning failure. Communication is interrupted."
"That means you're lost."
"You could say that."
"So now, we're adrift in some unknown place, where we could be swept into some abyss at any moment and turn into fish food?"
"This possibility exists."
"You're really honest."
Nana adjusted her posture to expand the area covered by the force field: "Conserve your energy and wait for the water flow to slow down."
"How long?"
"uncertain."
Can't you just give me a straight answer?
"What I can offer is data, not words of comfort."
Chen Hao sighed, leaning against the damp, cold rock wall, gazing at the dark upstream. The sound of the water was deafening, as if the entire mountain was moving.
Suddenly, he noticed unusual ripples on the water ahead.
"Is there...something over there?"
Nana turned her head to look at the end of the stream.
In the dim blue light, a wide body of water could be vaguely seen, with a columnar object standing in the center, its surface covered with vine-like patterns, swaying gently with the current.
“An unusual biosignal was detected,” she said.
"What do you mean?"
"That's not a stone."
"What's that?"
Nana did not answer. Her optical eye continued scanning, the data stream scrolling rapidly.
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