The ship shuddered slightly, as if it had bumped into something.
Chen Hao immediately sat up straight. "What's going on?"
“Unidentified contact.” Nana looked at the screen. “It could be floating debris, or it could be… something else.”
No one answered. The grayish-white mass on the screen was still there, but the outline of the long, narrow object in the middle was clearer, lying across the waterway in front of it like a broken bone.
"Stop the boat," Chen Hao said. "Don't move forward. What if it's a powder keg? We can't even afford insurance right now."
Carl released the control lever. "Should we go around? The fog is so thick, no one will know we're lost even if we go around in circles."
“There’s no way around it.” Susan pointed to the oxygen reading. “The ventilation system has been off for almost an hour. If we don’t turn on the external air circulation soon, we’ll have to rely on mouth-to-mouth breathing to get through this.”
"Then who do you choose?" Carl turned to look at her.
"You two get out of here." Susan rolled her eyes. "I'd rather breathe carbon dioxide."
Nana has already brought up the robotic arm's control interface. "I suggest you test it first. If it's an inert object, you can try to remove it or make use of it."
"Okay." Chen Hao nodded. "Anyway, we're not in a hurry to be reincarnated."
The robotic arm slowly extended, its front-end spotlight illuminating the object—a twisted metal plate, its edges curled and its surface covered in a grayish-white deposit. The arm touched it lightly, producing a dull thud, like striking a tin bucket.
“It has moderate hardness and no reactive properties,” Nana said. “Preliminary analysis of the composition indicates that it is a titanium alloy sandwich composite material, commonly found in the outer shells of deep-sea exploration equipment.”
"So, it's not a natural product?" Chen Hao asked.
“No,” she said. “It is most likely a man-made lost item.”
Carl whistled. "Looks like someone's coming to die before us."
“Maybe they succeeded,” Chen Hao said. “They just didn’t want the stuff anymore and just threw it here.”
"You think this is a garbage dump?" Susan frowned.
"Once the volcano erupts, the whole place becomes a junkyard." Chen Hao shrugged. "We're basically scavengers now."
Nana continued scanning. "The wreckage is about four meters long and one and a half meters wide. Some of the internal circuits still have a weak current, suggesting that it once carried an energy module. Although it has failed, its structural integrity is 67 percent, making it reusable."
"Can it be dismantled?" Chen Hao asked.
“Yes,” she said. “If the hull coating needs repair, the outer anti-corrosion layer can be peeled off and reused.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Karl rubbed his hands together. “Let’s take them apart and use them as patches on the ship.”
“The problem is it’s blocking the way.” Chen Hao stared at the screen. “We have to move it so we can move forward.”
“Let’s drag it to the side with a leash,” Susan suggested. “We can save it for later.”
“That’s the plan,” Chen Hao decided. “Karl, you and Susan will operate the robotic arm, and I’ll keep an eye on the sonar. Just in case there’s something else down there, make sure it doesn’t blow up the whole graveyard.”
The two men immediately began to work. The robotic arm repositioned itself and engaged the fixing hook at the edge of the metal plate. The traction rope tightened, and the wreckage moved slowly, emitting a harsh scraping sound, as if something that had been sleeping on the seabed for many years was being forcibly awakened.
"Slow down." Chen Hao stared at the sonar image. "The gap on the left is too narrow. Don't scrape against the ridge."
“Got it.” Carl gritted his teeth. “This thing is much heavier than it looks.”
“Nonsense.” Susan stared at the pressure gauge. “We’re probably stuck in a sedimentary layer down there; the suction is strong.”
Finally, the metal plate was towed to the side and securely fixed to the hull's external rack. On the screen, the channel in the middle was clear again, with only a few scattered pieces swaying with the current.
"Clearance complete," Nana said. "The main passage is now passable."
"Okay." Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "The bigger problem now is—which way to go?"
No one answered. The main navigation radar remained black, and inertial positioning could only provide a general direction. They were like walking blindfolded, not knowing whether there was a door or a cliff ahead.
"How much energy is left?" Chen Hao asked.
"The spacecraft has 23 percent of its total energy remaining," Nana said. "If we maintain the current energy consumption level, it can support basic operation for seven hours. Remote scanning can only be performed once."
"Just once," Chen Hao said. "We're going to die anyway, so we might as well take a gamble."
Nana closed her eyes for a moment, the data stream scrolling rapidly in her pupils. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes: "Activate the quantum positioning module, operating at minimum power. Based on planetary rotation parameters and inertial trajectory deduction, locate three possible land areas."
Three red dots popped up on the screen.
“The first one is located in the northwest direction, at a depth of 9,200 meters, and is confirmed to be the bottom of the trench. Eliminate it.” She crossed one out.
"The second location is located eight kilometers to the southeast. The terrain is extremely undulating, and it is suspected to be a subsidence area. The risk is too high, so it is ruled out."
The last point remains in the southeast-southeast direction, at a distance of fourteen kilometers.
"This is a miniature atoll, about four meters above sea level and less than three hundred meters in diameter. There is no vegetation or signal, but the surface is stable, which meets the conditions for temporary refuge."
"Is there nothing on the island?" Carl asked.
“It’s not detectable right now,” she said, “but at least it’s dry.”
“As long as we do something,” Chen Hao said. “We’re not on vacation, we’re here to survive. Even if there’s only one rock on the island where we can sit and breathe, it’s better than wandering around aimlessly in this fog.”
"What if there are no stones?" Karl muttered.
“Then lie down on the ground,” Chen Hao said. “I can stand on your back and see the distance.”
“If you step on me, I’ll kick you off,” Karl retorted.
"That's enough," Susan interrupted. "The discussion now is about survival, not about who's stepping on whom."
A brief silence.
"The worst place I've ever been is the school cafeteria," Chen Hao suddenly said. "I waited in line for half an hour, got my food in three seconds, and then found a hair in my food. At that time, I thought, 'Is this the end of my life?' But today, I realized it could get even worse."
“You’re on the road to something even worse now,” Carl said.
"That's why we need to find a place to rest." Chen Hao looked at Nana. "Activate the travel program and move forward at a low speed. Stay close to the middle and don't touch the walls."
The ship slowly advanced, passing through the cleared path from the wreckage and heading deeper into the fog. Sonar images were intermittent, and thermal imaging barely maintained outline recognition.
“Cooling efficiency continues to decline,” Nana warned. “The outer casing temperature is 49 degrees Celsius, and the water curtain system has reached its limit.”
"Switch off non-essential equipment," Chen Hao ordered. "Leave two lights on, turn off everything else. Saving electricity is easier than saving your life."
The lights were half off, leaving the cabin dimly lit. Only the control screen emitted a faint glow, reflecting on everyone's faces.
Carl rubbed his sore hands. "My hands are all blistered from pulling that metal plate just now."
"Bear with it." Susan handed her a bottle of electrolyte solution. "Take a sip, don't get dizzy."
He took the bottle, drank a sip, and placed it back on the table with a slight clinking sound.
“The oxygen concentration is stable,” she added, “but carbon dioxide is starting to accumulate, and we can only last for another three hours before we have to change the air.”
“Then we’ll get to the island within three hours,” Chen Hao said. “Otherwise, we’ll all turn into carbonated drinks.”
“If you really turned into a beverage, I doubt anyone would drink it,” Carl said. “It’s too sweet.”
"Mine is the rich type," Chen Hao said, rubbing his stomach. "High in calories, keeps me full."
Susan sighed. "Can you guys be quiet for five minutes? My head is spinning."
"No," Chen Hao and Karl said at the same time.
Nana suddenly looked up. "Attention, a stable terrain echo has appeared twelve kilometers ahead. The outline matches the characteristics of an island, and the height and width are consistent with the prediction."
"Really?" Karl leaned closer to the screen.
"The signal strength is increasing," she said. "It is expected to be within line of sight in forty minutes."
"Finally, some good news." Chen Hao leaned back in his chair. "Although it might be a bald island, at least we don't have to guess whether there's a wall in front of us anymore."
“What if there are other people on the island?” Carl asked.
"Then say hello," Chen Hao said. "Hi, wanna run for our lives together? Do you give me some gear if we team up for a dungeon run?"
"You think this is a game?" Susan said.
“That’s exactly what we’re doing now,” he laughed. “My health bar is almost empty, time to find a safe zone to replenish my mana.”
The ship continued its journey, and the fog seemed to thin out a bit. The terrain lines on the screen became clearer, no longer a blurry mass, but with defined boundaries.
“The channel is clear,” Nana said. “No large obstacles have been detected. We recommend maintaining the current course.”
"Keep it up." Chen Hao nodded. "Everyone check your equipment. Prepare repair kits, oxygen cylinders, and lighting tools before landing on the island. We don't know if there's electricity on the island, but we'll prepare it if there isn't."
Susan got up and began organizing the medical kit, taking out bandages, disinfectant, painkillers, and counting them one by one.
Carl examined the metal debris on the external rack. "How many patches can be removed from this piece of sheet metal?"
“Enough to repair three major scratches,” Nana said. “With careful workmanship, it could extend the life of the hull by more than two hours.”
"Two hours is fine," Chen Hao said. "That's enough for us to get some sleep."
“You snore when you sleep,” Carl said.
“Then you sleep on the deck,” Chen Hao replied. “I’ll sleep in the room.”
“There needs to be a room inside the room,” Susan reminded her. “Right now, we can’t even see a shadow of a roof.”
"Almost there." Chen Hao looked ahead. "Look, it seems to be getting a little brighter."
Indeed, in the gray-white fog ahead, a deeper outline could be vaguely seen, like a low wall rising from the sea level.
“That’s land,” Nana said. “Ten kilometers away.”
The ship trembled slightly, and the propellers hummed as they propelled it forward. No one spoke; everyone stared at the increasingly clear shadow.
Suddenly, Nana's fingers paused.
"etc."
She zoomed in on the sonar image on the right.
At the edge of the shipping channel, near the seabed, there are several regularly arranged cubic structures, so neat that they don't seem to have formed naturally.
“What are those?” Susan asked.
“It’s still unclear.” Nana turned up the resolution, “but…it seems to have been placed there by someone.”
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