"This is unbelievable," the professor murmured, looking at the test report.
Another colleague came over and said, "The detector we launched above Rainy City stopped working, seems like it malfunctioned again."
"It was only launched today!" the professor said, surprised. He looked at his watch, "It lasted two hours this time."
"To be accurate, it broke right after launching," the colleague corrected him, "It wasn't two hours long at all. At this rate of consumption, we'll soon go from being the richest research institute to the poorest."
The professor shrugged, indicating that there was nothing he could do. "Did it transmit any messages back?"
"Yes, it did." The colleague typed something on the computer. "It transmitted a precious five seconds."
It was a soundless video. The screen was a patch of yellowish green. Then, a drop of black liquid fell onto the lens, and the video abruptly ended.
"That's it?" the old professor asked.
"Yes," the colleague nodded.