Smoke was still rising from the cracks overhead, and there was a burnt smell in the air.
Chen Hao wiped the dust off his face, his hands trembling slightly. He looked down at his palms, which were covered in a mixture of sweat and mud. The battle hadn't been fought well, but at least no one had died.
Nana stood before the metal plate, her right arm armor not yet fully healed, a thin crack visible on its surface. She didn't speak, but traced a few lines in the air with her fingers, bringing up a series of data. A red light swept across the triangular-patterned plate on the ground; its edges were already beginning to heat up.
“The energy source has been identified,” she said. “It’s a node, a branch connecting to the deep network.”
Susan leaned against the wall, inspecting the gun barrel; steam was still rising from the vents. She removed the magazine, glanced at it, and then slowly put it back in. Her hand hadn't left the weapon since she'd fought those mechanical monsters.
Karl sat on a collapsed stone slab, his left sleeve torn open, blood still seeping out despite the medicine being applied. He pressed his other hand against the wound, his brow furrowing.
"Are we in a dilemma now?" Chen Hao looked at Nana. "Can this thing even move?"
“It can be adjusted,” Nana nodded, “but it will cause a backlash. Direct connection may cause system oscillations.”
"Then don't force it." Chen Hao took half a step back. "Let's see what it wants to do first."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the trench in the ground suddenly lit up, as if someone had flipped a switch. The light spread outward from the center, radiating outward and disappearing into the depths of darkness.
“It’s responding to an external signal,” Nana said. “It could be a pulse from the main core, or it could be residual energy from the battle just now.”
"So, if we make a move, it might explode?" Chen Hao scratched his head. "Then who's going to touch it?"
“Nobody’s touching it.” Nana opened the wrist interface. “I’ll connect remotely and test it with a low frequency. If there’s a strong reaction, I’ll disconnect immediately.”
“Okay.” Chen Hao turned his head. “Susan, keep an eye on what’s behind you. Carl, can you stand up?”
Karl gritted his teeth and stood up straight, supporting himself against the stone wall. "I can walk, but I can't walk very fast."
"No need to run," Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder. "Just don't fall."
Nana crouched down, extended a data cable from her wrist, and gently placed it in the groove on the edge of the metal plate. Her screen instantly displayed a series of warnings, changing color from green to yellow.
“Reverse current detected,” she said. “Switching to the backup channel.”
The light patterns on the ground began to pulsate, the frequency increasing rapidly. A low rumble came from the air, as if something was starting up in the distance.
"Hold on." Chen Hao stared at Nana's face. "Can you still hold on?"
“Okay.” She swiped her finger quickly. “Found the buffer point.”
Suddenly, her arm jerked violently, and sparks flew from the connector. She swayed and almost fell to her knees.
"Nana!" Chen Hao caught her.
“It’s nothing.” She shook her hand away. “It’s just a sudden voltage spike. I’ve already disconnected the main link, and it’s now running on the side protocol.”
The light on the ground stopped, and the brightness of the trench decreased, but it did not go out.
"Did it work?" Susan asked.
“Temporarily suppressed.” Nana stared at the data stream. “The node is still running, but the fluctuation has decreased by 42 percent. If we continue to inject correction signals, it may be possible to bring it into a stable state.”
"Then what are we waiting for?" Carl cracked his elbows. "Let's get this done and get going."
"It's not as simple as you think." Chen Hao stared at the board. "This thing is like a time bomb. We're currently disarming the fuse. If we don't do it right, it could blow up the entire passage."
“I know.” Nana reconnected. “This time, use manual segmented input. Once every three seconds, and the rhythm needs to be precise.”
"Did you count the rhythm when you were fighting the monster?" Chen Hao grinned.
“Your breathing was rhythmic when you dodged attacks.” She glanced at him. “I remember it all.”
Chen Hao touched his nose. "You must have a lot of free time."
Nana ignored him and began operating the system. Each time a signal was injected, the light on the ground flashed, like a heartbeat.
During the third injection, the trench suddenly lit up completely, and the buzzing sound grew louder. Karl slipped, stepped on some gravel, and swayed to the side. He reached out to brace himself, but the wound reopened, and blood flowed down his arm.
"Hold on!" Susan rushed over and pulled him back, then stuck a metal rod into a crevice in the rock to stabilize the loose rock.
"Thanks," Carl said, panting.
"Don't move," Susan whispered. "If you fall again, I'll tie you to my backpack and drag you around."
Nana's fingers didn't stop, but a fine sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead. Her body emitted a soft alarm; the repair progress of her right arm was stuck at seventy percent.
“The current has increased again,” she said. “We need to change the rhythm.”
"How should we change it?" Chen Hao asked.
"It used to be once every three seconds, now... five seconds, then two seconds, then four seconds."
"This isn't rhythm, this is erratic behavior." Chen Hao frowned. "Are you sure?"
“OK.” She stared at the interface. “This is the only way to avoid the resonant frequency.”
“Okay.” Chen Hao stood next to her. “You read out the numbers, and I’ll keep track of the time for you.”
"five……"
Chen Hao stared at his watch.
"two……"
"Four."
After the final signal was injected, the light on the ground suddenly stopped. The brightness of the trench gradually decreased, eventually turning into a stable blue line that stopped flickering.
The buzzing sound disappeared.
"Did it work?" Chen Hao looked down.
“Node locked.” Nana retracted the data cable. “Operating parameters are normal, and there will be no restart or malfunction in the short term.”
"How long is 'short term'?" Susan asked.
“I don’t know.” Nana shook her head. “The design life of this structure far exceeds human records, but I can only guarantee that it won’t go berserk for the next 24 hours.”
"That's enough." Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "At least we can move forward."
Carl tried to take a few steps, and although he was still limping, he could manage. He looked down at his arm; the blood had congealed, and his clothes were stuck to the wound.
“You need to re-bandage it.” Susan pulled a new bandage out of her backpack.
“Wait a minute,” Carl waved his hand, “Let’s see where this leads down here first.”
Nana squatted back in front of the metal plate, her fingers lightly touching the surface. The triangular patterns no longer felt hot; instead, they were somewhat cool to the touch.
“The conditions for opening the internal channel have been met,” she said. “As long as someone triggers node authentication, the downlink path can be activated.”
"Authentication?" Chen Hao asked. "How do you authenticate? By facial recognition or fingerprint?"
“Vascular signs and energy wavebands need to be synchronized,” Nana said. “Simply put, someone has to put their hand on it so the system can recognize it.”
"Another death trap." Chen Hao took a half step back. "Who's going?"
Nobody moved.
"No..." he glared, "I gave the order to fight the monsters just now, and I was the one who suggested repairing the equipment. Now I have to test the mechanisms?"
“Your heartbeat is the most steady,” Nana said. “It didn’t exceed 110 for the entire time just now.”
"That's because I'm fat and have a big heart," Chen Hao pointed to himself. "It has nothing to do with composure."
“Then let Karl go.” Nana looked at him calmly.
Carl was looking up when he heard this. "Wait, I'm still bleeding!"
“So it won’t work,” Nana said.
Where is Susan?
Susan, holding the gun, said, "My body temperature is a bit high; I just finished a fight."
"Look," Chen Hao said, spreading his hands, "the fact that no one can go means this shouldn't have been done."
“You can wear gloves,” Nana said.
"Then how can we synchronize?"
"Cut a hole." She took out a utility knife. "Just enough to expose your fingertips."
Chen Hao stared at her for five seconds, then sighed, "You robots always win when it comes to reason."
He took off his outer glove, cut a small slit at the index finger position, and then slowly placed his hand in the center of the metal plate.
Nothing happened at first.
Three seconds later, the triangular pattern lit up with blue light, which spread outwards along the grooves. This time there was no vibration or noise; the light flowed smoothly into the surrounding channels.
"Recognition successful," Nana said. "The downlink portal will open in thirty seconds."
"Finally, something good is happening." Chen Hao waved his hand. "Staying in this crappy place for too long can really make you sick."
“You’re sick.” Nana put away her tools. “Lazy, fat, and afraid of trouble—a typical chronic procrastinator.”
"You dare call me that?" Chen Hao glared at her. "You're a robot who calculates people's heartbeats and breathing every day. If you're not a pervert, who is?"
“I’m just analyzing data.” She looked up. “Unlike some people who are so nervous their hands are shaking, but they still pretend to be relaxed.”
"I don't!"
"have."
"Shut up."
As they argued, the ground began to tremble slightly. The metal plate slowly sank, revealing a circular opening underneath, with steps extending downwards from the edge.
A cold wind blew up.
"Go down?" Carl asked.
"Of course I'll go down," Chen Hao said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Or how about we have a tea party here?"
"Didn't you just say you didn't want to go in?" Susan glanced at him.
"That's because I didn't know the door was open," Chen Hao said matter-of-factly. "Now that the opportunity has come, it would be irresponsible of me not to seize it."
Nana walked to the edge of the cave entrance and scanned the depth. "The visible area is about fifty meters. The passage is intact and there are no signs of collapse."
"Great." Chen Hao pulled out a flashlight. "Let's go see if there's Wi-Fi down there."
Just as he was about to take a step, Nana suddenly reached out and stopped him.
"etc."
"What's wrong now?"
She stared at the data screen. "The node status has changed. Faint red spots have appeared at the edge of the blue light. Although the area is very small, the growth rate is abnormal."
"What do you mean?" Susan approached.
“It might not be a single node.” Nana’s voice lowered. “What we’ve adjusted might just be a surface reaction of a larger system.”
Chen Hao looked down at the glowing panel.
A red dot appeared in the corner, like a drop of ink that had just fallen, slowly spreading.
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