Courtyard House: Primordial Chaos Pearl

On the plateau of Pallas's northern hemisphere, a modified Red Star-130 tunneling machine roars into operation. The reddish-brown fragments kicked up by the rotating drill bit drift slowly down under low gravity, like a silent rain of stones. The drill rod has penetrated 50 meters into the ground; the 3D ground-penetrating radar imagery shows that the rock strata ahead are relatively stable, with only 20 meters remaining to the predicted ice layer area.

"70 meters excavation depth, ice layer signal detected!" the operator reported excitedly. "The ice layer is approximately 10 meters thick, with an estimated purity of over 90%!"

Yan Jiecheng stared at the screen, his voice filled with undisguised relief: "Great! As long as we break through the ice, we can obtain a stable water source, and the ecological chamber at the outpost can be rapidly expanded. Notify the tunneling machine to slow down and prepare to break the ice."

Lin Xiangyang frowned. He stared at the gravity curve generated in real time by the lighthouse system. This curve should have been stable, but now it was like a lake disturbed by a storm, with irregular fluctuations: "No, the gravity field has intensified abnormally! The stress in the rock strata around the tunnel boring machine is accumulating rapidly, possibly due to a local gravitational imbalance caused by the displacement of the metal core."

Before he finished speaking, a dull tremor suddenly came from the ground!

"Warning! Strong geological tremors detected!" "Tunnel boring machine trapped, surrounding rock strata collapse!" "Underground passage buried, communication between the ecological capsule and tunnel boring machine lost!"

The ground-penetrating radar image on the screen instantly became chaotic, the location signal of the tunneling machine turned into a flashing red dot, and the surrounding rock strata showed a large area of ​​collapsed shadows.

"Initiate the rescue procedure immediately!" Lin Dong decisively ordered, "Red Star-130 improved model, switch to rescue mode, carry obstacle-breaking drill bit and reinforcement grout, and excavate a rescue tunnel from the side; Lighthouse system, activate 'underground path reconstruction', and deduce a safe rescue route based on previous geological data."

Lin Xiangyang's fingers flew across the keyboard. Lighthouse V4.0's computing power was at full capacity, and dozens of rescue routes were quickly generated on the screen. Red represented high risk, yellow medium risk, and green low risk. "Optimal route determined! Excavate 10 meters west of the landslide area, avoiding the stress concentration zone. Estimated rescue time: 4 hours."

Yan Jiecheng personally operated the improved Red Star-130, with its robotic arm carrying a breaching drill bit, precisely aiming at the predetermined location. The drill bit emitted a piercing friction sound as it rotated, gradually chiseling away at the crimson rock layer. At the same time, reinforcing grout was injected synchronously through pipelines. The low-temperature solidification grout, improved by Chaos Pearl, quickly solidified upon cooling, forming a solid barrier to prevent the rescue passage from collapsing again.

Just as the rescue operation was in full swing, the alarm in the eco-cabin suddenly sounded: "Air pressure in the eco-cabin has dropped! CO₂ concentration has risen abnormally!"

He Yushui rushed to the ecological cabin and found a tiny crack in the cabin caused by the vibration from the collapse. "The crack is about 3 centimeters long and is on the side of the cabin. It has been temporarily sealed with emergency sealant, but the air pressure is still slowly dropping," she quickly reported. "If it is not repaired as soon as possible, the crops inside the cabin will die from lack of oxygen, and the microbial community will also become unbalanced."

Lin Dong knew that they had to fight on two fronts: rescuing the tunneling machine on one hand and repairing the ecological chamber on the other. He immediately assigned tasks: "Yan Jiecheng will continue to lead the rescue, and I will lead the technical team to repair the ecological chamber; Xiang Yang, you are responsible for monitoring changes in the gravity field, and issuing an immediate warning if a new risk of collapse occurs."

Repairing the eco-cabin was more challenging than anticipated. The crack was located in a stress concentration zone within the cabin, and ordinary sealant couldn't withstand the pressure for long. Lin Dong remembered the shape memory alloy improved from the Chaos Pearl and immediately ordered: "Use shape memory alloy patches + low-temperature welding! The shape memory alloy can adapt to cabin deformation; after welding, reinforcing grout will be injected for double protection."

The technical team acted swiftly, using shape memory alloy patches to seal the cracks at low temperatures. The welding equipment emitted a faint blue light as the grout was slowly injected into the gaps. Half an hour later, the air pressure in the eco-chamber finally stabilized, and the CO₂ concentration began to decrease slowly.

Meanwhile, an emergency video conference of the Alliance Council had also been convened. Upon learning of the sudden collapse of Pallas, representatives from various countries once again engaged in debate.

"I've said it before: the geological risks on Pallas are too high. Exploration should be prioritized before any tunneling!" the European representative said sharply. "Now, not only is the equipment trapped, but the ecological module is also damaged. This is all the result of blindly pushing forward!"

Brazilian representative Carlos countered, "Rescue efforts are underway, and arguing about responsibility is pointless. We should provide technical support to help them rescue the tunnel boring machine and repair the eco-cabin as soon as possible."

Indian representative Rajiv added, "The metal resources on Pallas are crucial to the alliance; abandoning them would render previous investments futile. We can share India's underground rescue technology and assist in planning rescue routes."

Lin Dong looked at the arguing parties on the screen and said calmly, "Gentlemen, now is not the time for debate. The root cause of the collapse is the shift of Pallas's metallic core, leading to localized gravitational anomalies. We have already grasped the distribution pattern of the gravitational field through the Lighthouse System, and the rescue success rate exceeds 80%. I suggest that the Alliance establish a 'Panasonic Geological Safety Team' to integrate geological data and rescue technologies from various countries to jointly solve the problem; at the same time, we should adjust the outpost planning, downgrading the priority of 'resource extraction' and upgrading the priority of 'geological safety,' and all projects must be carried out in areas with stable gravitational fields."

He paused, then pulled up the geological model derived from the Chaos Pearl: "This is a simulation of the metallic core distribution of Pallas. We can delineate 'safety red lines' based on gravity anomaly zones. Within the red lines, we will only conduct exploration and not carry out large-scale excavation; outside the red lines, in the safe areas, we can gradually advance the construction of supply stations. This way, we can ensure safety while gradually developing resources."

The data and solutions once again dispelled the doubts of various countries. The European representative was the first to express his opinion: "We are willing to provide ground-penetrating radar equipment to assist in monitoring changes in the gravity field."

Carlos said, "Brazil's tropical crop laboratory can adjust the program to prioritize the development of oxygen-tolerant crop varieties, providing a backup for the ecological chamber."

Rajiv added, "India's underground rescue teams are on standby and can remotely guide on-site rescue efforts."

The alliance's technical support poured in like a tidal wave. India's rescue technology optimized the rescue route, shortening the rescue time by one hour; Europe's ground-penetrating radar equipment provided more accurate gravity field data, avoiding secondary risks during the rescue process; and Brazil's hypoxia-tolerant crop seeds were also urgently sent to Pallas via interplanetary express.

Three hours into the rescue operation, the improved Red Star-130 obstacle-breaking drill bit finally cleared a passage for the rescue team. "The tunneling machine has been located! The equipment is intact and the operator is safe!" The rescuers' voices came through the screen, and enthusiastic applause erupted in the command center.

The tunnel boring machine was successfully pulled out of the landslide area. Inspection revealed only minor wear on the outer shell; the core equipment was intact. The cracks in the ecological chamber have also been completely repaired, and the crops and microbial communities are gradually stabilizing.

On the day the crisis was averted, Lin Dong received a video call from the courtyard house. On the screen, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui were sitting around in the science museum, with a banner behind them reading "Successful Rescue of Pallas." Children held models of rescue robots and excitedly shouted, "Go Red Star!"

"Lin Dong, I heard you successfully rescued the tunneling machine and repaired the ecological capsule. That's wonderful!" Yi Zhonghai's voice was filled with excitement. "I knew you could do it!"

Liu Haizhong held up a calligraphy piece he had just written, which bore four powerful characters: "Turning the Tide." "This is for you, to celebrate your overcoming of this difficult time!"

Yan Bugui said with a smile, "I've already included the story of the landslide rescue on Pallas in my popular science guide. The children were all moved by your courage and wisdom, and many of them said they want to be deep space engineers when they grow up!"

Looking at the familiar faces on the screen, Lin Xiangyang felt a surge of warmth in his heart: "Grandpa Yi, Grandpa Liu, Uncle Yan, thank you for your concern. We have already designated a safe zone on Pallas and will steadily advance the construction of the outpost. Once the outpost is stable, I will send you photos of the ice layer taken from Pallas."

Following the video call, the Alliance Council formally adopted the "Philadelphia Safe Development Regulations," incorporating the "safety red line," "geological monitoring network," and "tiered development" proposals put forward by Lin Dong's team into the Alliance standards. Simultaneously, the Council decided that Hongxing Agricultural Machinery, in conjunction with companies from various countries, would lead the development of a "geologically adaptive agricultural machine" specifically for Paladin, enabling the machine to automatically adjust its operating mode according to changes in the gravitational field.

On the high plateau of Pallas, the improved Red Star-130 probe was restarted. This time, it no longer blindly dug, but slowly explored along the "safety red line." Underground, the passage buried by the landslide had been reinforced and became a temporary geological monitoring corridor; inside the ecological chamber, oxygen-resistant crop seedlings were growing vigorously, and the microbial community was gradually adapting to the new environment.

Standing in front of the observation screen, looking at the crimson surface of Pallas, Lin Xiangyang wrote a new lighthouse log:

"The wrath of geology is a warning from the universe; the unity of the alliance is the key to breaking the deadlock. The road to Pallas may be rugged, but as long as we respect nature and work together, there is no difficulty we cannot overcome and no place of hope we cannot open up."

Lin Dong walked to his son's side, gazing at the starry sky outside the window. While the shift in Pallas's metallic core brought crisis, it also led them to a safer development model. He knew that the journey to Pallas was far from over, and more challenges lay ahead. But as long as the Alliance remained united, the beacon burned brightly, and their original aspirations remained unchanged, humanity would surely write a new legend on this planet full of unknowns.