The preliminary operation of the temporary workshop gave Cairo a brief respite, but this tranquility didn't last long.
He leaned against the metal workbench, watching the energy readings still hovering at low levels on his visual interface, unconsciously making a motion of rubbing his brow—though most of his face was already covered by reinforced alloy, this habit from his human days remained.
"The foundation is still too thin." He sighed softly, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table.
That miniature fusion reactor from Mars's forge worlds was like a giant that could never be filled. Although connected to the town's repaired solar grid, even this supplementary rate was barely enough to maintain basic operations.
Not to mention that excessively quiet ancient artifact at his waist—who knew how much energy it would drain the next time it acted up.
He called up the regional scan sketch the servo-skull had previously drawn, his gaze moving between several marked points.
Promethium, high-energy batteries, electronic components, biomass... everything was lacking, everything was urgent.
Everything that could be scavenged in the town had been scavenged clean. Even that cleaning robot dedicated to the point of madness had been dismantled for usable parts.
"Old friend, looks like we need to go foraging." Cairo patted the servo-skull hovering at his shoulder.
The skull's jaw clicked twice, the blue light in its eye sockets flickering slightly, seemingly expressing agreement.
He walked to the workshop entrance and pushed open the temporary barrier.
The afternoon sun scorched the sandy ground, heat waves making distant scenery slightly distorted.
"Come on, scan the surroundings carefully again, especially that mine to the northwest and the dump area to the northeast. This time we need complete regional mapping."
The servo-skull silently rose to about ten meters altitude, beginning systematic scanning with the workshop as center.
Cairo leaned against the doorframe, watching the pale blue beam projected from the skull's eye sockets slowly sweep across the surrounding sand, ruins, and distant rock formations.
The scanning beam changed at specific frequencies, from visible light to infrared, then to deeper material composition analysis.
"First, wide-area terrain scanning." He commanded softly. "Establish basic elevation model."
The skull emitted a slight hum, the scanning beam becoming denser.
The undulations of dunes, the trends of rock layers, the outlines of abandoned buildings were precisely recorded, forming a basic terrain grid.
"Now do underground detection, focus on scanning for metal reactions and energy signals within ten to fifty meters range." Cairo added.
He waited patiently, watching the servo-skull adjust scanning frequencies, emitting special geological penetration waves.
Several minutes later, a set of data was marked out.
"Detected seven point three kilometers northwest direction, approximately thirty meters underground depth, intermittent low-energy reaction. Signal characteristics suspected to be mining equipment, attenuation waveform has sixty-seven percent match rate. Simultaneously detected metal enrichment phenomenon in that area, suspected ore vein extension."
"What about northeast direction?"
"Detected large-scale metal accumulation signal, but energy readings chaotic, strong interference present. Signal source distribution range approximately two square kilometers, varying depths. Unable to determine specific composition and risk level." The skull reported through binary signals.
Cairo nodded: "Good, now overlay all this data, generate comprehensive map."
The light in the servo-skull's eye sockets became concentrated, projecting a detailed holographic map before Cairo.
The map outlined terrain contours in clear blue lines. The mine location in the northwest corner was marked as a blinking orange point, with energy readings and technical parameters noted beside it.
The dump area to the northeast displayed as a large red zone, with warning symbols constantly rotating beside it.
The map also meticulously marked quicksand areas, stable rock layers, optimal travel routes, and even several ruin points that might provide cover.
Cairo carefully studied this suddenly enriched map, his finger passing through the holographic projection, zooming in to view various details.
"Mine is moderately distant, energy signal clear, with associated ore veins... though there's some risk, worth trying." He muttered to himself, then switched to the northeast area display. "The dump might have richer resources, but the distance is far, interference strong, too many unknown factors..."
He was silent for a moment, his gaze moving back and forth across the map, weighing pros and cons.
Finally, he reached out and lightly tapped the mine location: "This is it. Close distance, controllable risk, perfect as the first exploration target."
Putting away the holographic projection, he began preparations before departure.
First to check was his primary weapon—a devastatingly large-caliber heavy plasma incinerator.
This masterpiece from the forge worlds seemed especially silent at this moment.
Cairo attempted to activate its energy circuit, only receiving a weak hum and system prompt: "Insufficient energy, unable to complete plasma charging. Recommend waiting for core energy to recover above 45% before attempting."
This weapon at full power could vaporize most threats with one shot, but the energy consumption would also cause his reactor readings to plummet—truly a luxury choice under the current energy crisis.
Instead, he retrieved a ruggedly styled pistol from his personal storage compartment.
This was a bolt pistol, in some sense his "amateur work" from his time on Mars.
At the time, he'd purely felt the traditional bolt gun design was "insufficiently efficient," so he'd improved it himself, adding more advanced recoil buffering systems and aiming components.
Though its power and range couldn't match specialized models, it excelled in being light and reliable, and the bolts it used were among the few ammunition types he could still manufacture in small batches.
"Good thing I made this for fun back then." He checked the magazine, filled with his self-made .50 caliber bolts.
Though power and armor-piercing ability couldn't match the military-grade models used by Astartes, they were more than sufficient for dealing with most soft targets.
Next was checking the energy systems.
The wrist-mounted laser cutter could only maintain minimum power, emitting a dim reddish beam that could barely cut thin metal plates.
The multi-functional mechanical tentacles on his back could only operate in energy-saving mode, movements considerably slower than usual, but precision still maintained.
What concerned him most was the shield system.
He activated this energy field generator from the Warhammer world. A nearly invisible shimmer flickered around him then stabilized.
"Shield strength: 23%. Can deflect low-power energy weapons and small kinetic weapon attacks. Warning: Sustained attacks will significantly increase energy consumption."
"Enough, as long as I don't encounter heavy firepower." Cairo muttered to himself.
In this world that didn't seem particularly advanced in civilization, this level of protection should be sufficient to handle most threats.
He attached the bolt pistol to the magnetic mount at his waist, and prepared two spare magazines.
A basic repair toolkit, a multi-function scanner—these were all neatly stored in compartments beneath his robes.
Finally, he spread out that self-made leather map: "Come, mark out the detailed route for me, especially the locations of those cover points."
The servo-skull descended to lower altitude, projecting a thin red light that precisely marked rock body positions, quicksand areas, and optimal travel routes on the map.
"Alright, that's it." After one final confirmation of route and equipment, he stood up, his dark red robes swaying gently in the hot wind. "Be alert while watching the house, don't let those mutant weasels sneak in and gnaw the wires."
The servo-skull's jaw clicked twice, the blue light in its eye sockets glowing steadily, seeing off its master as he stepped out of the workshop and toward that scorching sea of sand.