Chen Hao gripped the iron rod, his knuckles slightly clenched. The gray fog outside the window continued to creep forward, like a dirty cloth covering the wasteland. He didn't call out, nor did he move; he simply placed the iron rod gently back into the tool pile, then turned and walked to the control panel.
“That fog is strange,” he said. “I don’t understand science, but I know it shouldn’t be there.”
Nana immediately pulled up the external monitoring footage and zoomed in on the edge of the haze. Her finger swiped across the screen, and a set of data popped up a few seconds later. "Trace amounts of radioactive isotopes detected in the air. The concentration is below the danger level, but continues to rise. The direction of movement is inconsistent with the wind speed, suggesting a ground-based release source."
Susan leaned closer to the screen, her brow furrowing. "If it leaked from underground, could the routes we usually take also be problematic?"
"Currently, the impact is limited to three kilometers to the northwest," Nana said. "The spread is slow, and it is estimated that it will take more than seventy-two hours to reach the base boundary."
Carl stared at the map for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Is it possible that it was man-made?"
“It cannot be ruled out.” Nana nodded. “The geology in this area is stable, and there is no record of natural radiation sources. The anomaly started two hours ago, which is close to the time of the signal interruption last night.”
Chen Hao slammed his hand on the table: "So, it's not just that there's no one outside, but there might also be a bunch of things we don't understand hiding there?"
No one responded.
The air was a little stuffy, and the light bulbs hummed softly. Susan opened her notebook, wrote a line, then crossed it out. Carl stood by the window, his hand resting on the frame, his fingertips wiping the dust off the glass.
“We said we’d send signals to find someone,” Chen Hao broke the silence. “Now I want to ask another question—what if the one who responds is the owner of this fog?”
Susan looked up at him.
"It's not that I'm afraid of people," Chen Hao scratched his head. "I'm afraid that as soon as we send out the coordinates, they'll show up in a car with guns. We can't even lock our doors with wire, how are we supposed to talk about cooperation?"
“So you have to have things first,” Carl continued. “You don’t live on hope, you live on resources. You need electricity, water, and materials to decide whether to meet people and when to meet them.”
Nana brought up a new analysis model, inputting the fog event as a new variable into the system. The screen refreshed several times, eventually stopping at a comparison chart.
“The updated assessment results,” she said, “have increased the overall safety margin of the resource exploration program to 68.4 percent, with a high probability of success. The success rate of external communication has decreased to 23.1 percent, with the main risk being unpredictable interference after the location is exposed.”
Chen Hao stared at the string of numbers for a long time, then suddenly laughed. "So, in other words, if we go looking for people now, it's like carrying a half-empty bottle of water into the desert—we'll have to bow our heads to everyone we encounter?"
“Accurate,” Nana said.
“That’s not called contacting, that’s called seeking refuge.” Chen Hao shrugged. “Let’s wait until we dig our own well before we talk about that.”
Susan closed her notebook and said softly, "Actually, this is what I've been worried about the most. We don't know if there are rules outside, or who's in charge. But if we build walls and install lights on our own turf, even if bad guys come, we can hold out a little longer."
Carl nodded. "Besides, exploration isn't just about finding minerals. Once we're familiar with the routes, tested the equipment, and trained our physical abilities, we can choose the timing for future contact."
"Even a dual-track plan won't work?" Chen Hao asked finally. "Find resources on one hand, and send a low-power signal on the other, leaving a backdoor?"
Nana shook her head. "Current power reserves are only enough to support the basic survival system for 89 days. If continuous broadcasting is added, the lifespan will be shortened to 76 days. Furthermore, the signal transmitter generates heat signatures when it is operating, which may attract unknown entities."
She paused. "Once started, it cannot be turned off midway without attracting attention."
The room fell silent.
Chen Hao looked down at his shoes, the uppers still covered in mud from yesterday's roof-moving work. He remembered falling and his knee still aching. Back then, he'd been thinking how nice it would be if someone came to help.
But now he knows that if someone really comes, the first thing they will see will not be courage, but a dilapidated house, broken boards, leaky walls, and a group of unlucky people who can't even walk properly.
He looked up at the northwest mineral vein route marked on the map.
“Then let’s hone our skills first,” he said. “Let’s straighten our backs first.”
"Officially approved?" Nana asked.
"I'll agree," Chen Hao nodded. "But I have one condition."
"Please speak."
"This preparation requires me to be able to handle it. I don't want to hold anyone back anymore. I'll start extra training tomorrow."
Susan smiled. "You've finally decided to move?"
"It's not that I want to move," Chen Hao grinned. "It's just that this place is too small, there's nowhere to hide. If I keep being lazy, I'll be thrown to feed the fog sooner or later."
Carl walked back from the window, crossed out the "External Liaison" option on the task board, and rewrote: Resource Exploration Preparation.
"Phase 1: Route mapping and supply list confirmation," he read aloud. "Phase 2: Protective equipment testing and emergency kit assembly. Phase 3: Comprehensive physical training for all personnel."
“I’m in charge of testing the sealing of the protective suits,” Susan said, “and also checking whether the water purification module can withstand the sandstorm environment.”
“I’ll modify it into a remote-controlled car,” Chen Hao raised his hand. “Although it can’t fly the whole way, it can at least explore a section. I’ll install the wheels and adjust the camera.”
“I’ll do the electrical circuitry,” Carl said. “The solar panels also need to be reinforced; the sunlight is strong there, but the sand abrasion is also severe.”
Nana has already started organizing the data package. "I will generate a dynamic navigation map, combining weather forecasts and terrain undulations, and update the optimal route suggestions daily."
She clicked to confirm, and a message popped up on the screen: [Action Plan Locked].
"Resource exploration project, officially approved." She read out the system feedback.
Chen Hao sat at the control panel, a worn-out battery twirling in his hand. The battery casing was somewhat blackened, but he didn't throw it away. He stared at the red line on the map, which stretched from the base across the wasteland, pointing towards the distant mineral vein marker.
His lips twitched, but he didn't speak; however, his gaze became steady.
Susan finished writing the last line of her note: Three tests were completed before departure—testing the protective suit's airtightness, the water purification module, and the communication delay.
She closed the notebook and placed it on the table.
Carl stood by the window, gazing at the lingering gray fog in the distance. It continued to move slowly and persistently along the ground. After watching for a while, he turned and said, "Starting tomorrow, increase the intensity of physical training."
"What time?" Chen Hao asked.
"Six o'clock," Carl said. "Don't be late."
“If you’re late, I’ll run the errand for you,” Susan added.
"Then I'd rather get up early," Chen Hao said with a wry smile.
Nana is backing up all her decision-making records. The file transfer progress bar reaches 100%, and a system notification sound plays.
She turned around, about to say something.
Chen Hao suddenly raised his hand, interrupting her.
“Wait,” he said.
He stared at a small icon in the corner of the screen, which was a real-time window for monitoring the external temperature.
"It was fifteen degrees just now," he pointed, "how did it jump to nineteen now?"
Nana immediately pulled up the sensor logs.
“The surface temperature to the northwest has risen by 3.7 degrees Celsius in the past ten minutes,” she said. “This is not due to sunlight; the heat source is concentrated in the leading edge of the fog.”
Karl strode over.
"Is it accelerating?" Susan asked.
"Not necessarily." Nana quickly made a decision. "It could be a temporary fluctuation, or it could be..."
She didn't finish speaking.
Because at that very moment, the gray fog in the surveillance footage suddenly moved forward by nearly twenty meters, like a slowly opening mouth.
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