After the alarm sounded at 4:17 a.m., Nana stood there for a full ten minutes, her optical camera continuously tracking the direction in which the blurry shadow disappeared. Chen Hao poked half his head out of his sleeping bag, his hair a mess, like a bird's nest blown by the wind.
"It really brought its whole family?" He rubbed his eyes. "I thought I was dreaming."
“Three adult individuals and two juveniles.” Nana retracted the detection device. “The feeding time lasted a total of six minutes and twenty-three seconds, and there were no signs of conflict left at the scene.”
"Good heavens, a wild family picnic." He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. "Next time, could you please not announce the animal kingdom's social news when I'm about to fall asleep?"
The red warning circle outside the tent slowly went out, the sky began to lighten, and the wind calmed down.
Five hours later, as the sun had just climbed over the ridge, the tent had been dismantled, leaving only a lone frame stuck in the ground. Chen Hao squatted beside his backpack, clutching the last energy bar in his hand, taking a bite and then frowning.
"Is this stuff expired? It tastes like cardboard."
"There are still 28 days left on the shelf life." Nana put the folding chair into the side pocket. "But the taste will deteriorate in high temperatures."
“I feel like I’m not trying to survive, but participating in a food industry toxicology test.” He stuffed the packaging into a recycling bag and sighed, “Let’s go, or I’ll grow mushrooms here.”
Nana activated the propulsion suit's auxiliary system and gently nudged his back.
"The terrain ahead is flat, and we expect our travel efficiency to increase by 15% today."
“You always say that, and what’s the result? Yesterday you said ‘only slight undulations,’ but climbing that slope felt like landing on the moon.”
"Data doesn't lie."
"But it doesn't speak human language either."
They resumed their journey along the southeastern path. The ground gradually transitioned from gravel to hard soil, making a dull thud underfoot. Chen Hao walked slowly, each step carrying a heavy weight of "It's not like I don't want to live."
Around 11 a.m., Nana suddenly stopped.
Her detector emitted a short beep, not an alarm, but more frequently than usual.
“An anomaly has been detected,” she said.
Chen Hao immediately jumped half a step to the side: "Again? Is this a precursor to an earthquake? A volcanic eruption? Or did those hedgehogs from last night evolve into an armored force?"
“There is a stable energy fluctuation at a depth of ten meters underground.” She looked down at the screen. “The intensity is moderate, and the spectral characteristics do not belong to known radioactive materials or geothermal activity.”
"Wait a minute." He squinted. "You mean... something's generating electricity down there?"
"More precisely, the probability of some kind of high-density energy deposit is 79 percent."
Chen Hao paused for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing: "What did you say? We've been wandering around for two days and we actually stumbled upon a new energy source? Is your database acting up again? Last time you said this place was suitable for camping, but we almost got swept away by a mudslide in the middle of the night."
"That time it was because you insisted on resting in the middle of the riverbed."
"I'm too tired to walk! Who says you have to choose your location precisely for wilderness survival!"
"The regulation comes from Article 3 of the Basic Field Safety Code."
“Look, here you go again—using books to pressure people.” He scratched his head. “But… if we really had energy, wouldn’t we be able to repair the spaceship? At least we could connect the kitchen module to electricity and cook some instant noodles?”
"It's currently impossible to determine whether it can be used directly." She pulled up the map and marked the coordinates. "I suggest sampling and analysis."
"So we have to dig again?" His face fell. "I only understood what it meant yesterday that 'my legs aren't my own,' and today I have to swing a shovel again?"
“I can take on the main excavation work.”
"You should have said so earlier." He breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought we were going to see another tragic drama of 'humanity fighting gravity'."
They found the strongest signal at the boundary of a gray-brown rock layer. The surface was so smooth it didn't look naturally formed; it looked as if something had pressed it down.
Nana took out her entrenching tool and switched to melt mode. The moment the blade touched the rock, wisps of white smoke rose from the edge, and the stone was sliced open like butter.
"Why didn't you use this feature sooner?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up.
"It consumes a lot of energy, so the usage time needs to be controlled."
"Got it. High technology shouldn't be shown off casually." He took the shovel. "I'll take turns. Anyway, I don't have any other contribution to make besides my strength."
The two men took turns digging, descending about eight meters. The air became dry, and the rock face felt slightly warm to the touch.
Just as Chen Hao swung his shovel again, the tip hit something hard.
A crisp "ding" sounded.
He stopped what he was doing and leaned closer to take a look.
A translucent blue crystal is embedded in a crevice in the rock, emitting a soft light, as if someone had sealed a small section of the starry sky into the stone.
"Huh?" He swallowed hard. "This is... a gemstone? An alien crystal? Or someone dropped an LED light bulb?"
Nana quickly set up the scanner, and blue light swept across the surface of the crystal.
A few seconds later, she looked up: "An extremely high-purity quantum energy field has been detected. Preliminary identification suggests it is a 'stellar core fragment,' a rare energy mineral commonly found inside supernova remnants."
"Translate into human language."
"valuable."
Chen Hao's eyes widened, then he suddenly grabbed the shovel and spun around halfway, almost falling headfirst into the pit.
"We're rich! We don't need to go back to Earth to pick up trash anymore! I can buy sofas, air conditioners, and 24-hour food delivery! I'm going to hire ten robots to peel shrimp for me!"
"You only have one robot right now."
“You’re mine now!” He grinned, carefully prying out the crystal with his fingers and holding it in his palm. “Look at this luster, this texture, this brightness—it’s practically a tailor-made opportunity for me to turn my life around!”
"Please do not touch it with your bare hands for too long." Nana handed over insulated gloves. "Although the current radiation level is safe, long-term exposure may affect the nervous system."
“I’m willing to accept the impact.” But he refused to let go. “Do you know what the most expensive thing I’ve owned in the past twenty years is? A second-hand tablet computer, which cost me three months’ worth of food money. The one I have now is enough to buy a hundred of them, including delivery.”
"It could just be one of the samples."
“Even if it’s just this piece, I can go back and hold an exhibition, charge fifty yuan for tickets, and title it ‘How a mediocre student made his first pot of gold on a desolate planet.’”
Nana silently recorded the data while simultaneously activating the shielding program and placing the crystal into a specially designed interlayered backpack.
"It is recommended that you return to the life pod area as soon as possible for further testing."
“Agreed.” He dusted himself off, stood up, and glanced back at the deep pit. “This place is quite magical; we can come back to dig again next time.”
"Resources are non-renewable."
“I know, but I can erect a monument that says ‘My hopes are buried here.’”
They began their return journey. Chen Hao's steps were noticeably lighter, and he even adjusted the shoulder straps of his propulsion suit, humming an off-key tune.
"How much do you think this thing would fetch if it were auctioned off?"
"The market value cannot be estimated because such items have never entered the civilian market."
“That’s an astronomical price.” He proudly shook his backpack. “Maybe I can even trade it for a private spaceship. I’ll name it ‘Counterattack,’ and my maiden voyage will be to the food street.”
"The top priority right now is to ensure the stable transport of crystals."
"Don't worry, I'm holding on tight." He hugged his backpack like he was protecting a newborn child. "This time, I'm not running for my life, I'm going home to take care of my baby."
As they were talking, Nana suddenly turned her head to look to her right.
Her detector beeped again, this time with a series of beeps.
"Watch out." She slowed her pace. "A cluster of mobile heat sources has appeared about 200 meters to the southeast. They are of medium size, moving at a relatively fast speed, and are approaching us."
Chen Hao's heart tightened: "Could it be the Hedgehog family coming to collect debts again? I clearly left them the packaging bag last night!"
“The size doesn’t match.” She quickly pulled up the image preview. “It walks on four legs, is over two meters long, and has a body temperature 37 degrees Celsius higher than the average temperature in the environment.”
"Such a high body temperature?" His voice trembled. "It doesn't sound like a mammal, more like a boiler for heating."
"More likely a predatory creature."
Chen Hao immediately shrank back, subconsciously taking half a step back: "Then... shall we take a detour?"
"They have changed course and are now flanking us."
He stared at a small cloud of dust rising in the distance, his throat bobbing.
"So, I just got my first pot of gold, and the universe is already sending in robbers?"
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