The sled was parked at the workshop entrance, the connecting pin of the right rear slide rail still trembling slightly. Chen Hao squatted down and stared at the newly welded triangular bracket, tapping the metal surface with his fingers; the sound was much solider than last night.
“Add another layer of rivets,” he said.
Nana stood to the side, her optical lens scanning the joint area. "The structural stress has reached the standard; additional reinforcement would affect the efficiency of disassembly and maintenance."
“We don’t do repairs every day.” He unscrewed the toolbox and pulled out a pair of double-headed riveting guns. “If something goes wrong here, we’ll be stuck outside. Better to be a little clumsy than a little fragile.”
He aligned the rivet with the hole and pressed the foot switch. Two clicks, and the metal meshed tightly. Then he wrapped the entire connection area with an insulating coating, like bandaging a joint.
As dawn broke, the wind died down. The distant snowfield was so flat it was invisible. They inspected the cargo hold, placing in two sets of spare batteries, three heating rods, an ice pick, and a sealed sample box. Chen Hao slung his backpack over his shoulder and opened the car door.
"Walk?"
“Route planning complete.” Nana got into the passenger seat. “Temperature imaging mode activated. Avoid the underground cavity area.”
The engine started, and the tracks turned slowly. The sled rolled across the frosty ground, leaving the first fresh tracks.
Just five kilometers from the base, Nana warned of an abnormal temperature point thirty meters ahead. Chen Hao slowed down and noticed that the snow on the ground was slightly softer and lighter in color than the surrounding area.
"Is it empty below?"
"The probability is 82 percent," she said. "I suggest taking a detour."
They veered twenty degrees to the left, proceeding along a compacted old rut. Every half hour, they stopped, and Nana used an infrared scanner to check the condition of the rails, confirming that no new deformation had occurred.
They arrived at the target coordinates before noon. The red dot on the map was buried in this vast expanse of white. Chen Hao jumped out of the car, stepping into knee-deep snow and nearly slipping and falling.
“This snow crust is deceiving.” He pulled his leg out and brushed the powder off his body. “It looks hard, but it’s all cotton underneath.”
Nana deployed the geological probe. It was a fist-sized drill bit with its own power system. She set five sampling points, drove it two meters underground in sequence, and brought back a small amount of rock core upon retrieval.
"Preliminary analysis," she said, "shows that the iron-nickel alloy content is 3.7 times higher than the normal value, accompanied by silicate minerals, and the composition is stable."
Chen Hao was digging through the snow at the bottom of a gentle slope. His gloves were frozen stiff, and his fingernails were filled with ice crystals. Suddenly, his hand found nothing; he had dug something.
It is a vine-like plant, dark green in color, with thick leaves covered by a waxy film. It extends diagonally from the frozen soil, as if it had been blown down by the wind and then covered by snow.
"Alive?" He tugged at the leaf; it didn't break.
“Vital signs are weak, but cell structure is intact.” Nana took the sample and observed it. “The cold resistance mechanism may be related to epidermal lipids.”
He dug deeper and found that the roots were very deep, reaching all the way to the cracks in the rock. A regular shovel couldn't dig them up at all.
"It has to be hot."
He took a small heating element from his toolbox, attached it to the chisel head, and connected it to a battery. After a few minutes, the metal heated up and began to melt the frozen soil little by little. He pried at it while heating it, and it took him twenty minutes to remove the entire plant, soil and roots, from the chisel.
“Like a radish spirit,” he said breathlessly, “and it’s green.”
Nana has completed the collection of mineral samples from three sites. The electric core drill is highly efficient, with almost no jamming when drilling into the rock. The obtained columnar samples are automatically packaged into shockproof tubes, labeled, and stored in sample boxes.
“The iron-nickel sample concentration distribution is uneven.” She pulled up the data chart. “The highest value is located 15 meters to the northwest, at a depth of 1.8 meters.”
Chen Hao carried the pickaxe over and continued breaking the ice at the spot she had indicated. Below this layer of snow was a layer of gravel, and below that was the complete rock vein. He smashed open a rock, revealing a silvery-gray cross-section.
"Can this thing be used to make steel?"
“Further purification is needed,” she said. “But judging from the crystal structure, the processing difficulty is lower than expected.”
They had a clear division of labor. He was responsible for mining and collecting soil, while she was responsible for recording coordinates, temperature, humidity, and light intensity, and classifying and numbering each sample. The soil was put into small bags, the plants were wrapped in insulating cloth, and the ore was sealed separately.
The wind picked up. Chen Hao's face was numb from the wind, and he hid his ears inside his hat, not daring to show them. He glanced at his watch; the hands were almost pointing to two in the afternoon.
"I'll collect one more set and then head back," he said.
The last mining site was on the edge of a depression. He knelt on the ground operating the rock drill, his knees sinking into the snow. The drill bit vibrated violently as it entered the rock; he held the machine with one hand and pressed the ground with the other to steady himself.
"Thirty seconds left," Nana reminded them.
The drilling rig stopped, and a core sample about forty centimeters long was extracted. Its surface had a metallic sheen, as if it had been mixed with silver powder.
"It's done." He smiled as he packed up the equipment. "A pretty good day."
They loaded all the samples onto the sled and secured it to the center of the cargo hold. Chen Hao checked the tightness of the straps and then covered it with another layer of thermal blanket.
“The return route has been updated,” Nana said. “A strong wind warning has been detected in the southeast. We recommend reducing speed and maintaining a stable course.”
The engine started again. The sled turned around and headed towards the base. Chen Hao sat in the driver's seat, glancing back at the cargo box every now and then.
"What do you think we can do with these things when we get back?"
"It can at least extend the generator's lifespan by three months," she said. "The plant samples may have edible or medicinal potential."
"I wish we could grow them." He yawned. "It's not easy to get some greens in winter."
The sunlight outside gradually weakened, and the sky turned grayish-white. The road surface was relatively smooth, but occasionally the car would encounter hidden icicles, causing it to sway slightly.
"The temperature of the right rear slide rail is normal," Nana reported. "There are no signs of stress concentration at the connection point."
"That's good." He nodded. "This time, let's hope it doesn't fall apart halfway through."
After walking for about an hour, the wind subsided. The distant horizon began to blur, the mountain shadows sank, leaving only a monotonous white expanse.
Chen Hao rubbed his stomach. "I didn't eat much for breakfast, so I'm hungry now."
"Food is stored in the secondary compartment," she said. "It's not recommended to eat during the journey, as digestive function is impaired in low temperatures."
“I know.” He opened the inside pocket of his coat, took out a compressed biscuit, broke it in half, and handed it to her. “Try it? It’s chocolate flavored.”
She shook her head. "I don't need any energy replenishment."
“If you don’t eat it, I won’t eat it either.” He stuffed the biscuit back into his pocket. “One bite each, otherwise it’ll be a waste.”
She glanced at him, then reached out her robotic arm and took the other half. Although she couldn't chew, she mimicked swallowing motions and placed the food into the storage compartment.
"Taste feedback: Too sweet, texture is too firm," she said. "Rating: Pass."
"You even grade it?" he laughed. "Like writing a lab report."
“It’s just a habit,” she said. “Any input needs to be evaluated.”
Before the sun had completely set, they crossed the last stretch of open ground. The outline of the base came into view, like a crooked iron box standing in the snow.
"Communication signals have been restored," Nana said. "The internal temperature is maintained at five degrees Celsius, which is suitable for temporary sample storage."
"Put it in the lab first," he said. "Then send it into the analyzer first thing tomorrow morning."
The sled slowly entered the loading and unloading area. Chen Hao turned off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt. He stretched his shoulders, and his neck cracked.
"Are you tired?" she asked.
"It's alright." He rubbed his face. "It's just that the gloves are too thick, and my fingers don't obey my commands."
Together they carried the sample box down and into the lab. The lights automatically turned on, illuminating the metal tabletop.
Chen Hao opened the box and took out the plant samples first. The waxy coating on the leaves looked even shinier in the light.
"This thing really doesn't look like it grows in this place."
Nana activated the recording system. "Starting basic file entry. Name: Unknown Cold-Resistant Plant_001. Collection Time: 2:17 PM today. Coordinates..."
As he listened to her reciting the data, he casually picked up a piece of ore. The silvery-gray cross-section, illuminated by the light, revealed fine veins.
He rubbed the surface with his finger.
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