"This is your entry and exit card, please take it."
"Thank you."
After receiving the card from the customs officer, Professor Leonard politely thanked him, but the customs officer didn't seem to hear him. He looked at the person behind him with a blank expression.
"Next."
"…"
The Atlantis Space Station was a synchronous orbit transit station belonging to the North Sea Alliance. Its coordinates were located in the zero time zone section of the synchronous orbit.
As the seventh orbital transit station built by human civilization, it mainly undertook the role of transferring personnel and materials to the ground and the Moon. At the same time, it was also the only customs from the North Sea Alliance to Earth.
Every day, tens of thousands of people went to and from here, either to the colony on the Moon, to the distant Mars colony, or to the outpost on the Lagrange point.
Under such high-intensity work, of course, the customs officer was not in the mood to talk nonsense with him. He threw a stamped passport and an entry and exit registration card into his hand and began to go through the formalities for the next person.
Couldn't Androids take over these jobs? Anyway, they have almost occupied the vast majority of the service industry. At least they can smile at me …
Professor Leonard, who was in a bad mood, reached out and clicked on his watch. He exhaled the holographic interface.
"Where are you?"
In the holographic panel, a dark-skinned face occupied the video window, smiling at him.
"We have encountered a little trouble here … Don't worry, speaking of which, is your certificate really useful?"
Looking at the annoying smile, Professor Leonard said impatiently, "This is a certificate issued by Oxford University. We are a formal scientific investigation team hired by the North Sea Alliance government … Seriously, is this your first time doing this kind of work? I am beginning to doubt your professionalism. "
"Ahem! Please don't doubt, we are just a little worried. After all, you know the current situation. The security situation in the Mars colony is very bad, and fake certificates are very strict … Okay! Passed smoothly, we are here! "
Not far away, a big dark-skinned man waved at him. He walked towards him with a smile on his face with two underlings and a robot worker.
"Hey, man! Nice to meet you! "
Leonard took out the business card from his bag. After reading the image information inside, he raised his eyelids and glanced at him and the three employees behind him.
"Mammoth Mining Company?"
"Yes, my name is Jim. These two are my assistants, Hughes from North America and Shinichi Tanigawa from East Asia. Don't worry about the robot at the back. Although it looks a little old, it has complete functions, especially when it comes to operating a drilling rig. "
After being introduced by their boss, the tall North American and the slightly thin Pan-Asian next to him nodded slightly to greet him.
After introducing his employees, Jim looked at Professor Leonard and grinned.
"As you can see, we are as strong as mammoths, and we are just as good at digging holes."
Leonard: "… Mammoths can't burrow."
Moreover, the workers were all machines, so he didn't need them to be strong.
"Cough cough! That's not the point. "Jim awkwardly raised his calloused hand and patted Professor Leonard on the shoulder. He said," Let's go to Mars. As long as we can help you find those treasures, it will be enough to prove our professionalism! "
Jim waved his hand and swaggered toward the boarding gate with the two employees and a robot behind him.
Professor Leonard glanced at the back of this group of people with a strange expression. For some reason, he suddenly felt a little worried about this trip to Mars …
…
It was said that a century ago, around the beginning of the 21st century, it took at least 2 to 3 weeks to go from Earth to Mars, and there was also a window period and a non-window period.
Leonard, who grew up in the 22nd century, couldn't imagine how anyone could tolerate such a long journey.
At that time, the average life expectancy of people was less than 80 years old.
Not only was there no Internet on this journey, but there was also no entertainment in any sense. They couldn't even take a bath.
Dr. Leonard landed on the surface of Mars through the lift cabin. He moved his sore shoulders and arms and walked down the gangway with the tourists. His feet finally stepped on the solid ground.
"We're finally here."
The terminal of the aerospaceplane was located on the edge of the city. After passing through the customs connected to the buffer room, they were in the city.
Leonard raised his head and the first thing he saw was a hemispherical aerogel film shrouding the sky over the city.
Like the dome of a greenhouse, this aerogel film with a thickness of several meters circled a large circular land in this desert. While blocking the high-energy rays from space, it also played the role of an atmosphere, keeping clean air in the city and bringing a highly realistic "blue sky" to the residents in the city.
The interior of the city was even more amazing. The designer seemed to have exerted spatialism to the extreme, squeezing the last bit of value out of every inch of land.
Pipes paved with alloys crisscrossed each other, connecting pillar-like towers to form the road network and building complexes of the entire city.
Between the gaps of the tower-like buildings, one could see the green landscape designed through genetic engineering, thriving in this exotic land.
It was difficult to summarize the grandeur of this city in one sentence.
It was like an oasis in the desert, a lighthouse that dispelled the night.
This was indeed the case. As the largest city on Mars of the Pan-Asian Cooperation, this Mars colony named Tiangong City was not only the most developed and expensive area on Mars, but it was also the place with the best security on Mars.
As for why there was a need to emphasize public security …
This would be mentioned later.
"We'll rest here for the night. After the goods are unloaded from the transport spacecraft, we'll immediately set off for the archaeological site."
"Okay, you're the boss, you have the final say. We'll just dig."
The big black man named Jim squeezed his eyebrows and made a gesture to punch a hole. This vulgar gesture not only made Leonard's eyebrows twitch, but it also made the Pan-Asian police on duty standing next to him pay attention to them.
Leonard put his arm around Jim's shoulder and whispered in his ear.
"I hope you don't cause trouble. The nearest colony of the North Sea Alliance is 100 kilometers away from here! If we are repatriated there, all our plans will be ruined! "
This operation was only reported to the North Sea Alliance, and it was not approved by the Pan-Asian Cooperation. They didn't even submit a written application at all! If those Asians knew that they were not a mining company's investigation team at all, but that they came here in the name of archaeology, and that they were excavating the ruins of the Martian civilization, they would definitely not let them go.
"Yes, yes, yes." Jim quickly apologized with an apologetic smile. "Don't worry, those Asians won't trouble us for such a small matter. Let's go, let's find a hotel first."
"I have already booked the hotel online."
Although the network on Mars and the network on Earth were relatively independent due to the delay, the data on both sides were still interconnected.
Whether it was booking tickets or shopping, it could be easily completed with a terminal that could connect to the network.
Leonard put on the AR glasses and quickly found the capsule hotel he booked according to the hints of the road signs.
The group rested for a night and came to the exit gate the next day. After providing proof, they put on lightweight extravehicular spacesuits, passed through the buffer room on the edge of the city, and came to an open space filled with cement.
Here, the Mammoth Excavation Company's rover and excavator were parked.
However, looking at these two pieces of engineering equipment and the logo on them, Leonard felt that this thing didn't look like their own equipment. It looked like it was rented.
"… Are you sure these equipment are yours?"
"Uh, of course … Is there a problem?"
He stared at the big black man for a while. Although Leonard wanted to force him to tell the truth, he realized that it was too late to hire another construction team at this point.
What's more, his project had been revoked by the dean. This archaeological operation was completely at his own expense. He couldn't afford other more expensive and seemingly more reliable construction teams.
Professor Leonard sighed and put his hand on Jim's shoulder. He lowered his voice and spoke.
"Okay … I hope you are professionals. We are going to excavate the ruins left over billions of years ago. We must be very, very careful. If anything goes wrong, it will be an unbearable loss for the entire archaeology! "
Jim grinned and gave the standard answer.
"Don't worry, boss, I promise that the cultural relics of the Martian civilization will be dug out the same way they were buried!"
No matter how worried he was, there was no turning back now that things had come to this.
The group got into the car and drove to the side of a rift valley according to the map Leonard got from the Hiddell Mining Company employee. They stopped in front of an abandoned mine.
At the entrance of the mine, they could see the sign and simple roadblock left by the Hiddell Mining Company, but judging from the wear and dust on the surface, it seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
After hearing Jim's inquiry, Leonard clicked on the holographic map on his watch, carefully compared the nearby landform features, and finally looked at the suspicious mine.
"It should be here."
In fact, according to the agreement between him and the netizen who claimed to be "Dr. Z", the first time they came to Mars, the two should first meet in Tiangong City and then act together.
But …
Out of selfishness and confidence in his ability, he did not abide by the agreement.
Academics were full of deception. He felt that it was necessary to teach a lesson to a fool like this who revealed all his chips in his hands.
Jim and the two employees looked at Professor Leonard, who was comparing the map. They exchanged strange expressions on their faces.
Professor Leonard frowned as he looked at the three people who didn't move.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing …" With an unnatural smile on his face, Jim shrugged his shoulders. He then looked back at his two employees and clapped his hands. "Guys, let's get to work."
Construction on Mars was not the same as on Earth. Because of the different gravity environment and air density, many of the experiences that were applicable on Earth were not necessarily applicable here.
Strictly speaking, it was impossible to dig anything with the small drilling rig carried behind the rover.
Fortunately, the Hiddell Mining Company, which went bankrupt or moved, had dug the mine to a depth of one kilometer underground. They even left a simple magnetic track deep into the mine, which solved most of their problems.
Therefore, what they had to do was actually very simple. That was to widen the mine to a certain extent according to the location marked on the drawing.
The drilling vehicle was removed from the back of the rover. With the cooperation of the robot driver, the three "professionals" he hired quickly entered a working state.
Although these people didn't look very reliable, they were unambiguous when it came to work.
After reaching the deepest part of the abandoned mine, the drill bit in the front of the drilling rig began to start.
Truckloads of soil were transported out of the hole. In just an hour, a spiral downward passage continued to push the abandoned mine to a depth of tens of meters.
While the drill bit was being replaced, Jim walked to Professor Leonard's side, wiped the dust on his mask, and asked.
"Are you sure there are treasures of the Martian civilization there?"
"Treasures?" Leonard frowned when he heard this word. "I don't remember saying that there are any treasures there, but there are a lot of precious cultural relics … Be careful when you dig. If you dig any artificially excavated structures, remember to stop immediately and call me over."
"Oh, I know … Don't worry." The big black man named Jim smiled and said, "If we dig up a treasure, we will definitely call you over."
At this moment, a cry of surprise suddenly came from the communication channel.
"Boss! We dug a tunnel! It doesn't look like it was left by the Hiddell Mining Company. It seems to be … the remains of the Martian civilization? "
Hearing the voice in the communication channel, before Jim could react, Leonard jumped off the hood of the rover.
"Tunnel? How wide is it? Wait, you guys stop first … I'll come and see it myself! "
After that, he ignored the surprised expression on Jim's face. He rushed into the mine alone and followed the spiral downward passage to the bottom of the mine.
Seeing Professor Leonard appear behind him, the American named Hughes jumped out of the passenger seat and walked toward him.
"Doctor … Are we digging in the wrong place? I'm not sure if I should continue forward. "
Leonard ignored him. He walked forward quickly, squatted down beside the hole, and groped along the edge of the hole for a while. An excited expression suddenly appeared on his face.
"Quick, keep going! It's here! "
The American named Hughes nodded quickly. He was about to turn around and order the robot sitting in the driver's seat to start the drilling rig, but the drilling rig moved on its own as if it was out of control.
The sturdy rock wall shattered with a loud bang, and the huge drilling rig rushed down the slope directly, smashing into the wall on the opposite side. The old robot sitting in the cockpit also knocked its head on the steering wheel, as if it was broken.
"Sh * t … Why did it fail at this time! Sure enough, secondhand goods are worthless! "
Hughes chased the out-of-control drilling rig into the cave. He looked at the crushed cockpit door that could not be opened and the robot hanging on the steering wheel. He then glanced at Professor Leonard behind him, switched the communication channel, and muttered a few words.
"Look at what you've done!" Looking at the damaged rock wall, Professor Leonard, who walked into the cave, complained angrily, "This is great, such a large area of damage, I just hope you didn't hit any precious cultural relics or specimens! No one found out that we did it! Otherwise, you can just wait for the public prosecution! "
Ignoring Hughes, who was standing next to the truck, and Jim, who was catching up from behind, Professor Leonard continued to explore the cave with the flashlight in his hand.
The tunnel was very deep, but he could feel something in front of him.
After climbing over a pile of rubble, he soon saw a silver-white metal cuboid about the height of two people and a step wide lying on the side of the wall.
"… That is!"
Dr. Leonard's eyes widened. He looked at the metal artifact in front of him in disbelief.
This could not be the equipment left by the Hiddell Mining Company, let alone left here by other humans.
He bet that they were definitely the first people to arrive here!
In this case, there was only one possibility …
"The treasure of the Martian civilization!"
In the communication channel, Jim's annoying voice came. Professor Leonard frowned and corrected him with dissatisfaction.
"It's a cultural relic! You idiot, can you — "
Halfway through his sentence, the second half of the sentence was stuck in his throat.
Because when he turned his head, a black muzzle was already aimed at him.
Professor Leonard's throat moved up and down. The expression on his face suddenly changed from dissatisfaction to nervousness and fear.
He didn't know why this guy had a gun in his hand, let alone what he wanted to do.
He only knew that if that idiot pulled the trigger, even if it scratched a layer of skin on his spacesuit, he would die.
Jim looked at the expression on the old professor's face. He held the electromagnetic pistol in his hand and smiled playfully.
"Can you what?"
"I mean, I'm an idiot, can you … help me see what this is?"
Professor Leonard was trembling. His back was soaked with sweat. Even the temperature control system of the spacesuit could not calm him down.
This was the first time he felt like he was being pointed at by a gun.
However, this explanation did not seem to satisfy Jim.
The big black man smiled and continued to speak as if he was teasing them.
"This sounds like a command."
"Please …" Kneeling on the ground, Professor Leonard put his hands on his head and pleaded, "It's my fault, I shouldn't have ordered you …"
"Don't be like this, my dear friend."
Jim walked to Professor Leonard and squatted down. With a cruel smile on his face, he patted his mask gently with the muzzle of the gun. "My guys and I have to thank you. If it weren't for your archaeological work certificate, it would not have been so easy for us to leave Earth through the customs of the Atlanta Space Station."
The expression on Professor Leonard's face was ashen.
Those who could say this were either fugitives on Earth or air pirates wandering between the asteroid belt of Mars and Jupiter.
Even though he had always heard that Mars was a paradise for criminals, he didn't expect and didn't dare to believe that such a thing would be so coincidental that a mere scholar like him would encounter it …
"Originally, we planned to say goodbye to you in Tiangong City. We just wanted to use you to escape the pursuit of Interpol and start a new life on Mars. But since you mentioned the remains of the Martian civilization, there must be some valuable antiques in it. It just so happens that we need a sum of money … to start a new business. "Jim smiled as if he was intoxicated by his own ingenuity. He looked at the metal cuboid lying on the ground and said," I didn't expect my bet to be right. "
"…"
Professor Leonard did not respond. He just lowered his head with a pale face.
He knew that he could no longer live. These outlaws had no reason to let him go.
Like looking at prey on the chopping board, Jim admired the expression on Professor Leonard's face at a close distance. His index finger rubbed the trigger of the electromagnetic pistol as he spoke casually.
"Now, my dear Professor Leonard, if you can use your knowledge to introduce to me what the metal box that looks like a coffin is and how much it can be sold for, maybe I can let you go a little faster."
Professor Leonard's lips moved, but in the end, he did not speak.
Seeing that he did not respond, Jim sighed and stood up again.
"Well, it seems that you have made a choice."
As he spoke, he took out a dagger that was used to cut ropes from his waist.
Professor Leonard closed his eyes in despair. Just when he was ready to die, he suddenly heard a gunshot.
The gunshot seemed to have come from far away, and it echoed in the cave for a very, very long time.
Then, with a bang, something fell to the ground.
Professor Leonard slowly opened his eyes. He saw that it was not himself who fell to the ground, but Jim.
Just when he was wondering if this unlucky guy was betrayed by his own men, he saw a robot covered in blood slowly walking from the other end of the cave like a devil from hell.
A chilling feeling climbed to the back of his head. Professor Leonard trembled and sat back on the ground. The expression on his face was like he had seen a ghost.
A civilian robot …
Attacking humans?!
He had never heard of such an incredible thing.
Regardless of the plot in a science fiction blockbuster, this was absolutely impossible in reality!
Not only was the procedure locked, but if there was an accident of a robot injuring a human, not only would the company that produced the robot be sued to bankruptcy, the entire production line would be abandoned, and the legal person would face prison!
"Who are you?"
As if he did not hear his question, the robot shook the blood on his arm.
It walked to the side of Jim's body. It picked up the electromagnetic pistol that had fallen there from the helmet that had been pierced by a bullet. After looking at it, it pinned it to its waist.
At the same time, there was an intermittent, cold electronic voice in the communication channel.
"Danger eliminated."
Inexplicably, a feeling of fear welled up in his heart.
Thinking of the "Dr. Z" who had never shown up, Professor Leonard suddenly felt that he was like a chess piece. From the moment he landed on Mars … No, from the moment he saw that paper, he fell into someone's trap and was led by the nose.
He gulped and looked at the robot walking toward him. He summoned up all the courage in his body and asked in a trembling voice.
"Your master … Who is it?"
"Is it Dr. Z?"
He originally thought that the robot would ignore him, but he did not expect it to respond this time.
Even though it was only a short sentence …
"It has nothing to do with you."
(Thank you to my book friend "Miss JC" for your tips ~ ~ Everyone, don't forget to make heart gestures and vote ~ ~)
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