Chen Hao plopped down on the ground, the hard earth beneath him feeling uncomfortable. He didn't move, just looked up at the now quiet metal door, the last bit of blue light emanating from the crack in it disappearing.
“It’s gone,” Nana said.
Carl leaned against the rock, his hands still trembling, but he was able to stand steadily. He picked up the half-welded electric spear, examined the joint, and stuffed it back into his backpack. "The thing is still here."
Susan sheathed the knife and dusted off her clothes. "We can go now."
No one was in a hurry to get up. The battle had drained all their strength; even breathing felt exhausting. The wind blew in from the woods, carrying the smell of burnt food and damp earth, and felt a little cool on their faces.
Chen Hao slowly pushed himself up, his knees cracking. He grimaced, but didn't cry out in pain or complain. He simply slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Let's go. If we don't go back soon, I'm afraid someone will take our old bed."
Nana walked in front, the scanner always on. Her pace was slow, but each step was steady. Carl followed behind, flipping through his notebook as he walked; the pages were soaked with sweat, the handwriting slightly blurred. Susan walked on the right, her hand always resting on the hilt of her knife, her eyes scanning the shadows of the trees on either side.
The road was more difficult than the way up. His backpack was heavy, his feet were slippery, and Chen Hao had to switch shoulders twice, his back drenched in sweat. He wanted to tell a joke, but after opening his mouth, he swallowed it back. No one was in the mood to listen at this moment.
As the sun began to set, they finally saw the wooden door to the base.
The door was closed, and it wasn't broken.
Nana stepped forward first and placed her hand on the sensor by the door. The green light flashed briefly.
"The system is working normally," she said.
Chen Hao reached out and pushed open the door. Sunlight streamed in, falling on the corner of the table, dust motes swirling in the beams of light. The old generator in the corner was still there, covered with a cloth, motionless.
“Our home is still here,” he said.
The four men went inside and put their backpacks on the ground. The sound was heavy, as if they had just given up their lives.
Chen Hao plopped down on the wooden crate, stretched out his legs, and took a couple of breaths. "It feels so good to be back alive."
Carl opened his backpack, took out the dark blue crystal, and placed it on the table. It looked ordinary, with cracks at the edges, but under the light, a faint reflection could be seen.
“This thing saved us,” he said.
Susan began sorting the plant samples, placing each leaf into a sealed jar. Her movements were gentle, as if she were afraid of damaging something precious. Nana walked to the control panel, plugged in the data cable, and retrieved the symbol images she had photographed in the ruins, one by one.
The screen lit up with a dense array of markings.
“These symbols,” she said, “are related to water purification and energy conversion. I have matched some database entries, and the principle makes sense.”
"So, in other words," Chen Hao tilted his head to look, "we won't have to rely on rainwater to filter our drinking water anymore?"
“Theoretically, it can achieve highly efficient purification,” Nana nodded.
"Wow!" Chen Hao slapped his thigh. "Does that mean we won't have to conserve water when taking showers anymore?"
Susan looked up at him. "You still want to take a shower? Last week you said 'rain is a natural shower'."
"That was because we didn't have the conditions!" Chen Hao argued confidently. "Now it's different, we have the technology! Civilized people should pay attention to hygiene."
Carl didn't laugh, but his lips twitched slightly. He opened his notebook and pointed to a page filled with circuit diagrams. "This frequency device can be improved. If we can find a stable power source and make it into a fixed deflector, we can clear the area around the base."
"Does that mean those things won't dare to come near us anymore?" Chen Hao asked.
“At least it won’t get close easily,” Carl said. “It’s not afraid of pain, but it’s afraid of nerve disturbance. Just like when a person hears fingernails scratching a blackboard, their instinct is to run away.”
“From then on, I called it the ‘blackboard scraper’,” Chen Hao grinned.
Nana turned the tablet towards them, and the screen switched to a set of mineral analysis tables. "These materials are stronger than existing structural alloys. The three types of plant fibers that Susan collected can also enhance the toughness of the walls."
"The house can be reinforced?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up.
"The prerequisite is that someone is willing to do the manual labor," Susan said casually.
“I can take command.” Chen Hao immediately sat up straight.
"What are you bossing around? Last time you carried two bags of cement and you complained that your back was broken."
"That was an accident! Besides, I'm fat and have a low center of gravity, which makes me suitable for stabilizing large equipment!"
Nana didn't reply, but simply categorized all the data and uploaded it to the main system. The progress bar moved forward steadily, turning green.
The room fell silent.
The crystal lay quietly on the table, like an ordinary stone. But everyone knew it wasn't.
Karl stared at it for a long time, then suddenly said, "We brought back more than just things."
Chen Hao looked up.
“It’s a choice,” Carl said. “Before, we could only run away. Now, we can prepare.”
Susan stopped what she was doing and looked at him.
“That door…” Chen Hao stroked his chin, “Whose is it?”
No one answered.
Nana's screen flickered; the last data sync was complete. She closed her tablet and stood by the window. It was getting dark outside, and the wind blew a clanging sound from the tin bucket in the corner of the yard.
“I don’t know,” she said, “but it recognizes the stone.”
"So it's helping us?" Chen Hao asked.
“Or,” Nana turned around, “it only recognizes commands, and doesn’t care who is using them.”
The room was silent for a few more seconds.
Chen Hao suddenly laughed. "Who cares? Anyway, we have water, defenses, walls, and a bunch of new gadgets to mess with. Even if a bunch of dancing lizards crawl out of the ground tomorrow, I'll let them dance before I fight them."
Susan lowered her head to continue sealing the jar, but her hand was a beat too slow.
Carl closed the notebook and gently placed it on the table.
Nana walked over to Chen Hao and handed him a bottle of water. The label was missing, and the bottle was scratched, but it was clean.
“Drink it,” she said. “This is the last bottle of water.”
Chen Hao took the bottle, unscrewed it, and drank half of it in one gulp. The water was a little warm, but he didn't care.
“Starting tomorrow,” he wiped his mouth, “we’ll set the rules again.”
“First rule,” he said, pointing to the crystal beside him, “whoever touches this thing is responsible for charging it.”
“Secondly,” he said, looking at Susan, “you are in charge of the kitchen, but you are not allowed to use wild vegetables to make soup anymore. Last time, that pot of green broth almost made me think I had turned into a plant.”
Susan looked up: "Fine, don't drink then."
“The third rule,” he said, looking at Carl, “is that you must page number everything you write. Last time I was looking for a drawing, I spent twenty minutes flipping through it, and I thought you had slipped a love letter inside.”
Carl coughed.
"Fourth point," Chen Hao said, turning to Nana one last time, "Don't shut down the system too often. It's scary when the screen suddenly goes black in the middle of the night. I know you're trying to save power, but I'm also afraid of ghosts."
Nana looked at him without saying a word.
A few seconds later, she nodded slightly.
It was completely dark outside.
The only light in the room came from the console, illuminating the crystal on the table, the open notebook, and the faces of the four people.
Chen Hao leaned against the box, his leg still aching, but he didn't say anything. He picked up Karl's notebook, turned a page, and saw a line of scrawled words: [Resonance frequency 19Hz, test valid].
He read it aloud.
“Yes,” Carl said, “the first time.”
"Back then you said you weren't sure," Chen Hao looked up. "And what happened?"
“And then,” Carlton paused, “we came back alive.”
Chen Hao smiled and put the notebook back on the table.
He was about to speak when he suddenly heard a soft sound.
From the entrance.
It's not the wind.
It's not a tin bucket either.
It was a short, sharp tick, like the sound of some kind of instrument starting up.
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
Nana turned to look at the scanner.
A red dot just lit up on the screen.
Chen Hao placed his hand on the edge of the table.
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