The buzzing of the probe was still echoing in Chen Hao's ears.
He didn't move, his fingers hovering over the edge of the recording tablet, staring at the bluish-glowing mine wall. The others remained silent; even Carl stopped zipping up his toolbox. That short, sharp sound wasn't equipment malfunction or signal interference—it came from underground, like some kind of response.
"Let's call it a day," Chen Hao finally said. "Take the stuff back, investigate it thoroughly, and then we can dig again."
Susan glanced up at him but didn't argue. She knew this wasn't backing down, but a habit she'd developed after the farm nearly collapsed last time: if she saw something unusual, she'd pause for three seconds.
Nana stood high on the rock foundation, her robotic eye scanning the entire area of fissures. Her data stream was rapidly scrolling in the background; the stress model had just been updated, and the bearing capacity in some areas was already approaching the warning line. She didn't say anything, but red dots were marked on the recorder.
The four returned to base via the same route.
The sample boxes were sealed, the maps were archived, and the detection equipment was inventoried and stored. No one rushed them, and no one chatted. Last time they brought back plants; this time it was metal, but no one could guarantee that this stuff wouldn't cause any more trouble.
It was six hours later when we returned to the command area.
Chen Hao slumped in his chair, clutching a compressed biscuit in his hand, taking a bite and then putting it down. He stared at the mineral vein map on the projection screen; the blue, ribbon-like structure resembled a sleeping snake, its stillness almost unreal.
"Nana, can we dig?" he asked.
“Okay.” Nana stood by the table, her voice steady, “but we must proceed in stages, starting with shallow sampling and gradually moving deeper. There are multiple micro-fractures inside the ore body, and excessive disturbance could trigger a chain reaction.”
"It sounds like defusing a bomb."
"Logical similarity".
Carl came in carrying his toolbox, placed the high-density probe on the table, and looked distressed. "I was worried it would break down after only five minutes of use last time."
“No.” Nana pulled up the design drawings. “We don’t need to drill continuously. I have reconstructed a prototype cutting system based on the micro-pulse drilling technology in the database, combined with the energy conduction principle of the relics.”
The screen lights up, and a 3D model of a new device slowly rotates.
“It’s named ‘Blue Gold Hunter-1’,” she said. “It’s modularly assembled, uses a thruster power unit to modify the vibration frequency cutting head, and has low energy consumption and high penetration.”
"This sounds more advanced than my welding machine." Carl leaned closer to examine it. "Can I install it?"
"You're in charge."
Susan flipped through the specifications sheet. "The deep-sea environment has poor heat dissipation and limited power. How can this machine guarantee efficiency?"
“It’s not a hard cut,” Nana explained. “It uses intermittent pulse vibration, working once every ten seconds for three seconds each time, allowing heat time to dissipate. At the same time, a brief vacuum layer is formed on the cutting surface, reducing resistance.”
"So, we have to eat them one by one, like eating sunflower seeds?" Chen Hao grinned.
"precise."
"Sure, we can go slower. We're not in a rush to build a spaceship anyway."
The meeting decided on three things:
First, safety is paramount. All operations must be conducted under stress monitoring; if vibration lasts more than two seconds or the gas composition changes, immediately cut off the power and evacuate.
Second, efficiency is controllable. The "Blue Gold Hunter-1" pilot mining operation was conducted by Carl, with Susan monitoring parameters and Chen Hao directing operations on-site.
Third, an early warning network was established. Nana deployed three drones, responsible for image transmission, geological monitoring, and gas analysis, respectively, for round-the-clock patrols.
The plan is finalized, and we are ready to start construction.
The next day, the team returned to the Alpha mining site.
The artificial morning lights were long gone; outside was a true, deep-sea black. Searchlights shone on the mine walls, reflecting a cold blue light, as if stars were hidden within the rocks.
The name "Blue Gold" is becoming more and more pleasing to the eye.
Carl crouched beside the equipment, tightening the last screw. The new machine looked like an elongated hammer drill, with a black cutting head at the front and a thick cable at the back connecting to a portable power supply box.
"It's already 80% full," he said. "Don't expect it to finish in one go."
"As long as it makes a sound, that's fine." Chen Hao patted his shoulder. "Let's begin."
Susan opened the terminal and entered the initial commands. Nana's three drones took off, gliding close to the ground with all their sensors activated.
"The imaging is normal."
"Stress stability".
"No abnormalities found in the gas."
“It can be started,” Nana announced.
Carl pressed the switch.
The machine hummed but didn't move immediately. After two seconds, the cutting head vibrated slightly, then suddenly thrust forward, embedding itself into the surface of the ore body.
"They're inside!" he shouted.
Chen Hao leaned closer and saw bluish-gray powder drifting out of the crack, like smoke stirred up by water. The probe's image showed that the cutting depth had reached five centimeters; the speed was slow but stable.
“Keep the pace,” Susan said, staring at the voltage curve. “Don’t rush it.”
It works for ten seconds, then pauses for five. The machine vibrates rhythmically like a heartbeat.
When the first mineral core was extracted, everyone gathered around.
It is only the size of a palm, with a smooth surface, neat edges, and fine grid patterns visible at the fracture, resembling a regular crystal structure.
“It doesn’t look naturally formed.” Susan shone a flashlight on her eyes. “This uniformity is more like…manufactured.”
"A factory assembly line?" Chen Hao took the ore core; it was heavy and cold.
"It cannot be ruled out."
“Then we’ve really struck gold,” he laughed. “Not only can it be used as material, but it can also be sold as a collectible.”
"The premise is that it can be safely transported back." Nana reminded, "The stress value on the west side of the current work area has increased by 0.3%, which has not yet reached the warning line, but the trend is obvious."
"Then let's change locations," Chen Hao said. "Don't get stuck in one place."
They moved their position to the south side of the protruding bedrock of the ore vein, where the geology was more stable and the supporting structure was intact.
The second cut went much more smoothly. The machine adapted to the pressure and rhythm of the seabed, and the voltage output was adjusted to the optimal range. Fifteen minutes later, the second mineral core was successfully extracted; it was larger and more intact.
“Efficiency has increased by forty percent.” Susan recorded the data. “At this rate, we can collect three to five standard ore cores per day.”
"That's enough." Chen Hao nodded. "Let's not be greedy for now, let's stabilize first."
Carl wiped away sweat; despite wearing a diving suit, his forehead was still damp. "This job is more tiring than repairing a reactor; at least there's air conditioning over there."
“If you find it too hot, I’ll let you grow vegetables next time.” Chen Hao handed over the record board. “Write down the equipment operation log.”
"Do I have to do it myself?"
"You are an engineer, not a porter."
As the two were bickering, Susan suddenly raised her hand and said, "Wait."
She stared at the terminal screen. "The gas composition has changed slightly; the methane concentration has increased by 0.2%."
The scene quieted down.
"Should we trigger the alarm?" Carl asked.
"Not reaching the threshold." Nana checked the data. "Currently it's 0.48%, the warning line is 0.5%. I suggest pausing operations for three minutes to observe the trend."
Chen Hao waved his hand: "Shut down the machine."
The machine shut down, and the water flow returned to calm.
Thirty seconds passed, and the value stopped at 0.49%, no longer rising.
"It was a false alarm," Carlson said. "It was probably a natural release from the sediment layer."
“The possibility of an internal gas passage cannot be ruled out,” Nana said. “It is recommended to add a gas sampling step at the next work site.”
"I've noted it down." Chen Hao made a few marks on the record board. "Next time, we'll drill holes for testing in advance."
They continued trial mining, switching to a shorter stroke, advancing only two centimeters each time to ensure minimal disturbance. By the sixth operation, the process was running smoothly, the team cooperated seamlessly, and no one was nervously staring at the instruments anymore.
After the last piece of ore core was extracted, Chen Hao ordered the work to stop.
"That's it for today," he said. "Good results, nothing went wrong, and we even got the real stuff."
They erected observation posts around the mining site to mark the work boundaries, set up beacons, encrypted the frequency, and used a six-digit password that Chen Hao randomly entered.
"Next time I come, I won't be completely lost." He patted the stake.
Carl was dismantling the equipment, removing the cutting head to check for wear. Susan submitted the mining log and then turned off the terminal. Nana stood on higher ground, still scanning the ore body, a slight mist rising from the machine's vents, as if she were deep in thought.
Chen Hao took one last look at the mine wall.
The pale blue light flickered silently, like breathing.
He turned to leave when he suddenly heard a very soft "click" under his feet.
It's very short, like a stone that's been misplaced.
He looked down and saw a thin crack in the sedimentary layer at his feet, less than half a centimeter wide, but extending all the way down to the bottom of the ore body.
"Wait," he called out.
The others stopped what they were doing.
"What's wrong?"
He didn't answer, but bent down, picked up a piece of gravel, and gently tossed it into the crevice.
The stone fell in without making a sound.
Three seconds later, a muffled thud came from afar, as if something had collapsed.
Nana's alarm light flashed once.
“The ground displacement has been confirmed,” she said. “The fracture is expanding.”
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