As the cabin door opened, Chen Hao was prying the last crumb of a compressed biscuit out of the folds of his clothes and stuffing it into his mouth. He smacked his lips; the taste, like cardboard mixed with salt, still lingered on his tongue.
"I really want something fizzy," he muttered as he stood up, patting his pants. "Even if it's orange soda that's three years past its expiration date."
Nana was already standing in front of the exit, her mechanical fingers sliding across the projection on her wrist. "Propulsion suit self-check complete. Left arm power output restored to 78%. Avoid violent twisting movements."
"I'm too tired to even twist a bottle cap." He put on his outer protective suit, but the zipper got stuck halfway up. He tugged at it a couple of times without moving it. "Is this thing holding a grudge? It got crippled by the wind yesterday, and it's getting revenge on me today?"
Nana walked over, reached out and squeezed and pulled, the zipper slid smoothly to the bottom. "Emotional attribution does not help with equipment maintenance."
“But I live on my emotions.” He moved his shoulders, his joints making a slight clicking sound. “If I didn’t complain, I would have given up long ago.”
The wind outside had died down, the dust had settled, revealing a grayish-brown rock crust. In the distance, a fault line stretched across the view, as if the earth had been forcibly cleaved open with a blunt knife. They set off along the safe path marked on map-01, the loose gravel slipping under their feet.
After walking less than two kilometers, Chen Hao started panting. "This map says it will take six hours to get there, is that based on the speed of a rabbit hopping around?"
“Based on your average pace yesterday, the error should be no more than twelve minutes.” Nana said without turning her head. “If you speed up now, you can shorten it to five hours and fifty-three minutes.”
Do you have to make your words of comfort sound like a death sentence?
The path abruptly ended at the edge of a cliff, where a rubble had collapsed ahead, cutting off the planned route. Nana stopped and pulled up a topographical elevation map.
"Detour Option A: Deviate 1.2 kilometers to the north and pass through the gentle slope area."
“Going that way would take us to our next life.” Chen Hao peered into the deep ditch. “Is there a Plan B, like ‘jumping across with our eyes closed’?”
"Success rate is less than 3.6%, not recommended."
"What about C? 'Praying that wings will suddenly grow'?"
This feature is not included.
Ultimately, they chose to climb along the side of the cliff. The rocks were severely weathered, crumbling with every step. Every step Chen Hao took felt like negotiating with gravity, and the earth's gravity was clearly unyielding.
"Now I understand why ancient apes evolved to be thin." He was stuck in a narrow passage, his belly squeezed in, the rocks on both sides digging painfully into him. "Being fat was to store energy, but all that energy was used up in moving himself out."
Nana extended a mechanical arm from behind and gave it a gentle push. "Biological evolution prioritizes survival redundancy over terrain adaptability."
"So, does it translate to 'You're fat just because you eat a lot'?"
"The data supports this conclusion."
After crossing the cliff, the terrain gradually descended, and the air became damp and cool. Nana suddenly raised her hand to signal to stop.
“There are abnormal mineral deposits 30 meters ahead. The ratio of silicate to calcium carbonate is consistent with the characteristics of groundwater seepage.”
"You mean...there's water down there?"
"The probability is 64.3%."
"Where did the remaining thirty-odd people go?"
"It cannot be ruled out that the spring has dried up or that there is residual evaporation."
"Can't you just say 'maybe, maybe not'? Why make it sound like a math problem?"
They continued onward and came to a crevice in the rocks. The crevice was narrow, barely allowing one person to squeeze through sideways. Chen Hao tried twice, but the crevice got stuck at his chest, leaving him unable to move forward or backward.
"I think this is not a passage, but a weighing scale set up by nature."
Nana removed the tool bag from his back, crawled inside first, and then used the robotic arm to pull him in. Chen Hao held his breath and squeezed himself in, his hair disheveled when he came out.
"Can you let me know in advance that I need to lose weight for my next expedition?"
Deep within the rock crevice, the ground became slippery, and the faint sound of dripping water could be heard. Nana shut down most of the sensors, entering a low-power scanning mode, and the optical lens dimmed slightly.
"A large liquid reflective surface was detected 10 meters below, which is preliminarily identified as a closed underground lake."
"A lake?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up. "The kind you can drink from?"
"Not yet confirmed."
At the end of the fissure was a vertical shaft, covered with weathered rock spikes, like rows of upside-down fangs. Chen Hao stared at the dark entrance and swallowed hard.
"Suddenly, I don't think the sandstorm outside is so bad anymore."
"You can stay here and wait for the results."
“No way.” He gritted his teeth. “I want to see the first mouthful of non-saltwater go into my mouth. This is a historic moment, and I have to be there.”
Nana deployed the anchor hook, secured the rope system, and tied the other end firmly to his waist. "During the descent, keep your body close to the wall and shift your center of gravity downwards. I will adjust the traction in real time."
"You make it sound so easy, but if I went down there, I'd be in real trouble."
"The actual probability of damage is 8.1 percent."
"You actually dare to give a specific number!"
Chen Hao slid slowly into the shaft, the rocks scraping against his protective suit with a screeching sound. Midway, he lost his footing, swayed, and the rope instantly tightened.
"Don't panic," Nana's voice came from above. "There's a bump at the three o'clock position on your right foot."
He touched the rock, steadied himself, and continued downwards. In less than ten minutes, his feet finally touched the bottom. The cave was small, with the surrounding rock walls shimmering with water, and a pool of dark water lying quietly in the center, like a sleeping piece of black jade.
He squatted down, opened the sealed bottle, and carefully took a water sample.
Nana activated the portable analyzer, and blue light flashed around her eyes. Three minutes later, a soft beep sounded.
"The pH value is neutral, the heavy metal content is below the safety threshold, and the microbial community is within an acceptable range. The water quality meets the standards for direct drinking."
Chen Hao was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Really? You're not just fooling me with simulation data?"
"Robots do not create false hope."
He unscrewed the cap, brought it close to his nose, and smelled it; it had almost no aroma. After hesitating for a moment, he took a sip.
A cool sensation slid down his throat, without any unpleasant taste or saltiness. He took a big gulp and smacked his lips.
“This taste…” he grinned, “like the water we used to sneakily drink from the tap downstairs when we were kids.”
"Urban water supply systems typically undergo multiple purification processes."
“But back then, I thought it was the best-tasting drink in the world.” He plopped down against the rock wall. “Because nobody cared about me, I could drink it whenever I wanted.”
Nana saved the test report to the cache and marked the new coordinates. "The resource system has entered the 'second water source' tag, and a regular replenishment plan can be set up later."
"Could I apply to come here for a drink every day from now on? As a form of therapy for depression."
"The current backpack capacity is insufficient to carry additional water."
"Then let's build a water station." He looked up at the cave ceiling. "You can send a little robot to deliver bottles up every day. I'll scan a code to get water, and I'll have to pay points."
"It's feasible. But we need to establish a signal relay node first."
He stood up, put the empty bottle away, and glanced down at the pool of water. "Let's give it a name, shall we? We can't just call it 'Underground Lake No. 1, Twelve Kilometers Southeast'."
"Naming is not an essential process."
“But when a person dies, a tombstone is erected; when water is found, it needs a name.” He thought for a moment, “How about calling it ‘Lifesaving Pool’?”
"That's an exaggeration."
"'Brother Hao's Exclusive Water Station'?"
"Too subjective."
"Then... 'Nana's Tears'?"
"I don't have tear ducts."
"Then let's call it 'Water Without a Name,' since you're against all names anyway."
Nana was silent for two seconds. "System record name: Temporary number w-02."
"You're so honest, as expected." He patted the dust off his clothes. "Let's go. On the way back, I'll try to think of ten more names. You have to pick one."
They returned the way they came. Climbing up the shaft was more strenuous than coming down; Chen Hao's arms trembled, and he relied entirely on Nana's traction and the ropes for assistance. By the time they emerged from the crevice, it was already dark, with sparse stars hanging in the sky.
Stepping into the open valley, the wind picked up again, but it was much gentler. Nana brought up the return route, and the blue light flickered steadily.
"We are expected to arrive at the escape capsule in four hours."
"I'll try to fall asleep on the way." He dragged his feet forward, "so that I can have another sip of that water in my dreams."
He had walked less than 100 meters when he suddenly stopped.
"etc."
Nana turned around.
When I came down just now...did I step on something soft?
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