A night wind blew across the edge of the highlands, causing the treetops to sway. Chen Hao rubbed his hands together. "There's not even a wall to shelter us from the wind here. We'll freeze to death tonight."
Susan stood still, her gaze lingering on the distant building outlines. Nana crouched down, took a small heater from her backpack, placed it on the open ground, and pressed the start button. A faint red light appeared, and the air slowly warmed.
"It'll do," Nana said. "The heat source is stable and lasts for six hours."
"Your robot can even start a fire?" Chen Hao grinned. "I thought you could only report data."
“I can’t cook,” Nana looked up, “but calorie management is one of my top three survival priorities.”
"Alright." Chen Hao plopped down and patted the empty space next to him. "Come on, don't stand there. We're teammates now. Even though I don't even know what you ate yesterday, we can't just sit here like this all the way back to base."
Susan hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down, not too far from the fire, just enough to feel the warmth without getting too close.
"What do you want to hear?" she asked.
"Whatever." Chen Hao shrugged. "For example, how did you survive? I survived until now thanks to Nana picking wild vegetables and counting calories. I ate compressed biscuits every day and gained ten pounds."
“That’s metabolic regulation,” Nana corrected. “Your increased body fat percentage is due to consuming more calories than you burn by 23 percent.”
"Shut up." Chen Hao waved his hand. "I'm telling a story, don't ruin it."
Susan's lips twitched, as if she was suppressing a laugh. "I didn't have anything to eat at first either. After walking for two days, I found an abandoned toolbox with a pair of pliers, a piece of wire, and a roll of tape inside."
"You survived using this?" Chen Hao's eyes widened.
“We used tape to wrap the leaking kettle, bent wire into hooks to scoop out the remaining water from the well wreckage, and pliers to pry open cans,” she said casually. “On the third day, I ate half a piece of moldy soybean paste and had diarrhea all day.”
“Then you’re worse off than me.” Chen Hao nodded. “At most, I’ll miss one meal, and Nana will be so anxious that her alarm will go off in a frenzy.”
“She’s right.” Susan looked at Nana. “When you’re alone, you could die from just one illness.”
"So how did you manage to eat later?" Chen Hao asked.
“There are several kinds of vines in the woods, and their roots contain moisture. If you scrape off the outer skin, you can collect enough water to drink overnight.” She gestured, “You can’t touch the kind with purple undersides on the leaves, or it will make you dizzy.”
"Got it." Chen Hao took out his notebook and wrote in a crooked hand, "Purple-backed leaves - poisonous."
“And mushrooms,” Susan continued. “Those growing on rotten wood with smooth caps are safe. Don’t touch the ones with lots of cracks or that smell sour.”
"Is there a simpler way to judge?" Chen Hao scratched his head. "I can't remember so many."
"Look at the insects," she said. "If an insect has gnawed on it, most people can still eat it. If the insects don't eat it, don't try it."
"That's a ruthless move." Chen Hao gave a thumbs up. "I'll learn it too, and let the insects taste the poison for me first."
Nana recorded the data simultaneously, the camera flickering slightly as the data stream was rapidly archived internally. A few seconds later, she spoke: "Three technologies that can be integrated have been compiled: water source extraction method, food identification logic, and trap avoidance experience."
"You actually remember?" Chen Hao looked at her.
"Knowledge is a resource for survival," Nana said. "You made a mistake in the word 'purple-backed leaf' you just wrote."
"Who wants to be a top student?" Chen Hao closed his notebook. "Just being alive is enough."
Susan looked down at her hands, where there was still dirt under her fingernails. "I didn't know any of this before. In the first month, it took me three days just to find water. In the end, I had to follow the ants to find a crevice in the rock that was seeping water."
"Ants?" Chen Hao was taken aback.
"The routes they take usually lead to damp places," she said. "Before it rains, they move their nests to higher ground, and you can find shelter from the rain by following the path."
"You could even spot that?" Chen Hao clicked his tongue. "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have coughed for three days after getting caught in the rain last time."
“You did that because you took off your shoes to dry your feet,” Nana reminded you. “Not changing your wet socks promptly increases the risk of fungal foot infections by 40 percent.”
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Chen Hao protested. "How can you blame me for my feet turning white from soaking them?"
Susan finally smiled, her voice still hoarse, but more relaxed. "You two... one was afraid I would harm people, and the other was afraid I would be poisoned, but you're both courting death every day."
"We're just being optimistic," Chen Hao said, puffing out his chest. "Even when we die, we'll leave with a smile on our faces."
"Then don't make me save you next time," Susan said calmly, though her tone was no longer so cold.
"I beg you to save me." Chen Hao clasped his hands together. "If you don't save me, I'll have to rely on Nana reading my last words to me."
Nana calmly said, "My last words template has not been entered yet."
"Look!" Chen Hao pointed at her, "She didn't even prepare a last will and testament. Isn't she just trying to leave me to fend for myself?"
Susan shook her head, paused for a few seconds, and then said, "Don't walk too fast at night. There are many potholes on the ground, and fallen leaves cover your vision. I fell twice before, and my ribs still hurt when I turn over."
"So where are you sleeping now?" Chen Hao asked.
"The place is against the mountainside," she said. "The wind is gentle, and rainwater can't get in. Plus, the rocks block the way, making it difficult for animals to get close."
"Sounds like she's better than me." Chen Hao sighed. "I rely on Nana standing next to me and playing warning sounds to sleep, otherwise I'll be woken up by birdsong in my dreams."
“Your heartbeat is too loud,” Nana said. “Nighttime monitoring shows that you frequently wake up during light sleep, which may be related to caffeine residue in your diet.”
"I didn't drink coffee!"
"The third formula for compressed biscuits contains trace amounts of energizing ingredients," Nana replied. "You've been eating them for four days in a row."
“No wonder I always felt like I heard someone calling me in the middle of the night…” Chen Hao rubbed his temples. “I thought it was a ghost.”
“It’s an illusion,” Nana said.
"Thanks, that's very direct."
Susan listened to their bickering, then slowly reached her hand to the fire and turned it over and over. Her movements were very light, as if she was used to conserving energy.
"Aren't you afraid of being alone for so long?" Chen Hao suddenly asked.
Susan didn't answer immediately. The firelight shone on her face, casting a fleeting shadow.
“I was scared,” she said. “At first, I was scared every day. But then I realized that being scared was useless. Instead of worrying about whether I would die, I should think about how I would live tomorrow.”
“I like hearing that,” Chen Hao nodded. “Living is victory; everything else is just bonus questions.”
"You're quite open-minded."
“If I didn’t think that way, I would have collapsed long ago.” He shrugged. “The first thing I do every day when I open my eyes is tell myself: I’ve survived another night, I’ve made a profit.”
Nana interjected: "According to psychological assessment models, long-term self-motivation can increase the survival willingness index by 18.3 percent."
“Look,” Chen Hao pointed at her, “even the machine is certified. My mindset is top-notch.”
Susan smiled and looked down, then took out a piece of dry food from her pocket, broke it in half, and handed one half to Chen Hao.
"then."
"For me?"
"Didn't you say you were hungry?" she said. "Eat sparingly, we have to walk a long way tomorrow."
Chen Hao took it, took a bite, and chewed loudly. "Hmm, it's as hard as a brick, but it smells good."
“Homemade,” she said. “It’s a mix of nut powder and bark fiber, so it’s high in calories and keeps you full.”
"You can make this too?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up. "Nana, can we add her cooking skills to the recipe database?"
“Recording has begun,” Nana said. “Nutritional analysis is underway.”
“You two are really…” Susan shook her head, “One of you is busy storing data, and the other is busy begging for food.”
"Team division of labor," Chen Hao said confidently. "She takes care of the brains, I take care of the stomach, and you take care of the experience. Perfect."
Nana brought up the projector and drew a blue line in the air. "The return route for tomorrow has been planned and is expected to take three hours and twenty-seven minutes."
"Can you avoid the traps I've already stepped on?" Chen Hao asked.
“Okay.” Nana nodded. “Seven potential danger zones have been marked, and the path will be shifted by five to eight meters to avoid them.”
"That's good." Chen Hao patted his leg. "As long as we don't have to hang in the sky anymore."
Susan glanced at him. "Your reaction time is actually quite fast. The day you fell into the trap, you protected your bag immediately, which is better than most people."
"Of course," Chen Hao said proudly. "Although I'm fat, I'll never hold you back when it matters."
“I was just lucky,” Nana said.
"Hello!"
“The heart rate peak occurred at the moment of the fall, indicating that the stress response was normal,” Nana added. “However, the subsequent cries for help exceeded the necessary range and may have attracted unnecessary attention.”
"I was just nervous!" Chen Hao glared. "Do you think everyone is like you, able to calmly scan the vine structure even after falling into a pit?"
“That’s how I designed it,” Nana said.
"You two can argue all you want." Susan stood up and stretched her arms and legs. "I'm going to take a nap. I'll leave early tomorrow."
"Don't stay up too late either," Chen Hao said. "I'll watch the fire and make sure it doesn't go out."
Susan nodded, walked to a rock a little further away, sat down, pulled her coat collar tighter, and closed her eyes.
Chen Hao stared at the fire and whispered to Nana, "She's actually quite capable."
"Based on the overall assessment, Susan's wilderness survival ability is rated B+," Nana replied. "Under conditions without equipment, she is a highly adaptable individual."
"B+? Why not an A?"
"She lacks systematic medical knowledge, and long-term malnutrition has affected her physical reserves."
"Sigh." Chen Hao sighed, "The first thing we must do when we get back is to make sure she's well-fed."
“The water purifier and greenhouse are ready,” Nana said. “The food supply process can begin tomorrow.”
Chen Hao nodded and tossed a small piece of dry twig into the fire. A spark danced and reflected on his face.
He suddenly remembered something, took the circuit board out of his breast pocket, and looked at it in his hand.
"Why do you think she kept this?" he asked.
“Emotionally resonant objects,” Nana said. “Humans often use objects to maintain anchors in their memories.”
"Oh." Chen Hao gripped it tighter. "Then I'll have to keep it safe."
He carefully put the circuit board back in and patted his chest.
The firelight gradually dimmed, and the wind subsided.
Chen Hao yawned and was about to lie down when he suddenly heard Susan whisper something on the other end.
"I'm going back tomorrow... I want to learn how to use your water purifier."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com