"Standing on Mars" was a topic that I could only fantasize about three years ago. At that time, I loved watching sci-fi movies, especially those related to alien planets. Yes, the kind where the Americans would always save the earth in the last 30 minutes, and the protagonists would always be a couple or multiple couples. At that time, I would always watch those alien planets and desolate and strange phenomena in the movie studio, and I would always feel fascinated and fascinated by it. I thought it was amazing.
Now, I could only sigh. My youth was no longer as fleeting as the sun and moon. Back then, I could be mesmerized by the craters on the moon, but now, I was at the age where I could not even feel a sense of accomplishment when I peed on Mars …
At first, Qian Qian was quite interested in this red planet. She carried a laser cannon and hopped around, looking for a crater to write her name on. But soon, she grew bored by the monotonous scenery in front of her. She hugged the cannon and started whining. It wasn't until I gave her 700 billion and everyone drove to the first impact crater that she finally quieted down.
"This is so desolate. I believed that there were aliens on Mars before I was thirteen."
Leaning over the window to peek out, I grumbled.
The land outside was as rugged as the Gobi Desert. The oxidized iron gave it a dirty red color. Perhaps it was due to the impact of the impact, but along the way, we encountered many broken boulders with a color that was completely different from the surrounding land. The marks under the boulders were clear, indicating that these boulders were new visitors to this land. Our instruments showed that these boulders had more or less psionic radiation on them. They had been ejected from the impact crater. The sky was murky, and the light was dim. The Martian atmosphere was thin, but the sunlight was also relatively weak. There was too much dust in the upper atmosphere, so even though it was still daytime on Mars, the surroundings still looked a little like dusk. Shallow shallow looked at the horizon in the distance, and suddenly, she happily made a big discovery. She said happily, "Look! Mountains! "
I looked in the direction that Qian Qian was pointing at. There was indeed an endless stretch of brown 'mountains'. The heights of the mountains were so uniform that they stretched across the horizon. There wasn't even a break in the line. I looked at them curiously and activated my enhanced vision. Finally, I could vaguely make out the surface of the mountain range. It looked like a large piece of twisting cotton.
"It's a storm."
Sandora knocked me and Shallow Shallow on the head. "I say, you're the leader of an Empire, and you're the matriarch of an Empire. Can you at least add in some common sense? How many years has it been since the scientists on Earth invented the term Martian storm? "
"Holy shit! This is Mars Storm? Why is it so magnificent? " I instantly exclaimed in surprise. Martian Storms were actually such a famous thing. In the past, I had often seen them in sci-fi movies, but now that I was seeing one in real life, I didn't expect it to look like this. To be honest, it was really different from what I had imagined. They … were on a much larger scale than what I had imagined.
From the horizon, it looked like a majestic mountain range. If I were to zoom in, how huge would it be?
Shallow shallow and I clicked our tongues in wonder. Even though we had seen many magical and majestic sights from other planets when we were fighting outside, we were still a little excited to see this mysterious and powerful Martian storm with our own eyes. Shallow shallow's mind became active again. She started discussing with Sandora how sturdy a kite string would be if we were to fly a kite in a Martian storm …
I hugged Pandora, who had a blank expression on her face, and Visca, who had a spirited look in his eyes. I tried my best to reduce my presence, afraid that Shallow shallow would suggest tying a steel wire around my waist and using 700 billion to fly a kite in a Martian storm. It wasn't that she wouldn't do something like that.
"Wait, what's that?"
Just as I was trying my best to reduce my presence, Shallow shallow suddenly stopped talking about flying a kite in a Martian storm. She pointed outside the car window and exclaimed.
Sandora and I immediately looked in the direction of the voice. Following the direction that Shallow shallow was pointing at, I saw that on a small plateau not too far above the ground, something had suddenly flashed under the sunlight.
"Could it be a small fragment that slipped through the net?"
Sandora muttered curiously. "Let's go take a look."
The 700 billion immediately turned around after receiving the order. It glided lightly and silently to the plateau a few hundred meters away. The few of us pushed the door open and came to the front of the flashing object.
"This is not made by the Empire." Sandora looked at the heavily damaged metal object not far away and shook her head. "It's completely broken."
On the ground not far away, a battered and exhausted machine lay quietly. Half of its body was buried in dust, and the parts that were exposed were covered in reddish-brown sand. The solar panel that was once bright and clean was now only a third of its bare frame. The entire machine was lifeless, as though it had lost power for many years.
Shallow shallow curiously went forward and kicked the object. In an instant, the entire metal plate on top of it fell off, stirring up a cloud of dust. Shallow shallow didn't mind that it was dirty. She went forward to pick up the broken metal plate and showed me the symbol on it.
It was the symbol of the former Soviet Union.
"This is Mars 3." Sandora glanced at the metal plate and said in a surprised tone, "It's actually here."
I was instantly stunned.
"Are you … sure?" I looked at Sandora in surprise. "This is the first probe that humans have ever created and landed on Mars. How do you know about it?"
Sandora shrugged. "I'm afraid that my understanding of human history is much deeper than yours. This is Mars 3. I didn't think that such a coincidence would happen. "
Shallow shallow blinked her eyes in confusion. She really didn't know what Mars 3 was. I could only give her a simple explanation. This was the first probe that humans had successfully landed on Mars during the initial stages of exploring the planet. Even though it had stopped working after 20 seconds, it was still a milestone.
Sandora took the metal plate from Shallow shallow's hands. She gently wiped off the dust on it and placed it back on the ancient probe.
Sandora stood less than five meters away from Mars 3. She looked at it quietly as though she was paying her respects. The ancient machine that was almost buried in dust shimmered under the dim sunlight of Mars, casting a long shadow beside it. It looked like a veteran that had one foot in the grave as it accepted her greeting calmly.
"Scout team, record down our current coordinates. This is a protected area. Take a detour around this area," Sandora ordered the scout team that was following behind to collect the debris. Then, she turned around and returned to the car.
In the car, I glanced at Sandora curiously. "I felt that you were a little weird just now."
"Are you saying that I'm paying my respects to an abandoned probe?" Sandora smiled and gently pinched the corner of my lips. "That's how it should be, because it is a monument. Even if it is just a pile of scrap metal, even if there is only a camera on it, it is still a monument. And monuments need to be saluted."
"Tradition," Pandora suddenly blurted out. She was as concise as ever.
"It is indeed a tradition. It was once set up by the Empire and is seen as a law in the multiverse." Sandora seemed to be in a good mood. She had a smile on her face since the beginning. "No matter what kind of civilization it is, it is always praiseworthy when it waves its hand for the first time outside of its cradle. That is why the Empire once stipulated that anyone who sees the first generation probe or other relics of similar significance used by another civilization in a desolate region must salute. In the Empire's laws, one of the most important criteria to determine whether a civilization is an enlightened civilization or a closed civilization is the first probe they send into space. "
Shallow Shallow and I looked surprised. Sandora continued, "The first spacecraft, the first satellite, the first landing capsule on a foreign planet. These are all worthy of commemoration. The Empire has even set up a law to clarify the 'status' of these things. Even the Protoss of the Star Field is a supporter of this law. Some vassal civilizations would even treat the first generation probe of their own civilization as a sacred relic. These relics are absolutely not allowed to be traded or desecrated. The Empire will personally oversee it. In the old Empire, there was an incident where a vassal civilization's first generation probe was destroyed by pirates on its way to the memorial. That incident was a blatant violation of the Empire's laws, resulting in the death of 4.76 billion people. "
I almost fell off my chair. "That many people died from pirates? That's ridiculous! "
Sandora scratched her head. "It's not like you don't know about the old Empire. In the beginning, it was a fight against pirates. In less than seventeen minutes, it turned into a war between two civilizations. One of them was a vassal civilization of the Empire, while the other was a barbarian civilization that belonged to pirates. After the two civilizations declared war, the local garrisons of the Empire intervened. After three warnings and confirming that the pirate civilization was not willing to surrender, the garrisons destroyed the enemy's home planet. Later, it became known as the 'One Hour and Twelve Minute War' because it took a total of one hour and twelve minutes for the pirates to destroy the enemy. Similar wars were common in the old Empire. Back then, we were busy destroying the Abyss at the frontlines. So, with efficiency as our top priority, we tried our best to end all wars in two hours … "
I wiped the cold sweat off my forehead. I was glad that the old Empire was finished. What a bunch of lunatics. Of course, the "Civilization Monument Protection Act" that they created was quite touching.
Our encounter with Mars No.3 was just an emotional interlude. Very soon, we left the highland that had been turned into a cultural reserve. The 700 billion Martians flew across the vast and rugged red land of Mars. Very soon, a rapidly enlarging blue and black energy cloud appeared in the sky ahead. We were approaching the largest impact crater, No.1.
The magnificent wreckage that had fallen from the sky had also appeared in our vision.
Like a mountain range that had collapsed from the heavens to the mortal world, or like a ferocious horn that was poking out from the depths of hell, a gigantic wreckage that blocked out the sun appeared in front of us. Its surface glowed with a dull metallic luster, and the psionic energy it released occasionally flashed across this dark mountain range like a ghost. The once indestructible battleship armor was now full of holes, especially right in front of us. There was even a huge crack in the armor that was large enough to pierce through the entire wreckage. Looking through this terrifying crack, we could only see the pitch-black second-level buffer zone and the charred and deformed mechanical structure buried in the buffer zone. Lightning and thick smoke shot out from the crack, warning anyone who wanted to approach recklessly, "High pressure, danger, non-professionals, please do not open the back cover …"
Alright, to be honest, I really couldn't find the right words to describe this spectacular crack. Just how strong was the force that could tear an Eternal-class battleship into hundreds of pieces and send it crashing into the Prime Material Plane in such a pitiful state?
Was it just a failed forced landing?
Or was the spaceship being chased before it crash-landed?
I looked at the countless holes on the wreckage's outer armor and the molten pits left by high-temperature bolts, and my heart began to race.
The reconnaissance team had already built a scientific outpost near the largest wreckage, which was a rapidly expanding frontline laboratory, a few functional towers, and a small military station. The scale was enough for Hollywood to use as a first-generation Mars colony for a movie, but it was a foldable house that was built in ten minutes.
Two Empire technicians in white uniforms and some technical soldiers were recording data under the wreckage when we arrived, and they were trying to open one of its portals. We didn't disturb their work, but first drove slowly around the behemoth before getting out of the car at the front of the wreckage.
It seemed to have cut off a part of the starship and thrown it down. It was at least ten kilometers long. In other words, if it was not placed here at an angle and a quarter of it was buried underground, this thing would be higher than the Himalayas.
"This is the Eternal-class power section, and a quarter of the navigation system cabin. But the latter is definitely gone," Sandora said as she led everyone to the portal where the technical soldiers were busy working. "There are traces of weapon attacks on the armor, and there are no signs of life in the wreckage. The crew must have all died."
"Your Majesty, the portal locked itself before the spaceship disintegrated," the Empire technician who had been working in front of the portal for a long time came to us and reported loudly. "Apart from this tube, there is no other safe way into the wreckage."
Shadora frowned. "What I want is a solution, not what kind of trouble you're in."
"We plan to cut the portal directly, but if there is still some self-destruction system in the wreckage, it may self-destruct."
The Empire technician, who had been scolded by Sandora, immediately told us their plan and the possible consequences. Obviously, he needed to report it.
I looked at the wreckage with thick smoke billowing in front of me, and thought to myself, 'This looks no different from self-destructing …'
"Don't bother, let me try."
At this moment, Visca suddenly interrupted the technician's report. She blinked at us, and a trace of slyness flashed in her blood-red cat eyes. "Brother, you are so stupid. This is my spaceship!"
Hearing that, Sandora and I turned to look at the sky at the same time. Only Shallow Shallow was confused and kept asking questions.
Visca had already arrived before the portal. The heavy and huge round portal was marked with the insignia of Visca's Army of Destruction in blood red. The little girl pressed her hand on the insignia and closed her eyes slightly. She began to connect with the traffic control system in the wreckage. Since the portal was locked from the inside and not mechanically jammed, it meant that the power to open it was still usable. Visca used this point to take over the various controls in the wreckage.
The process didn't take long. When Pandora's stomach beeped for the third time, her cat-eyed sister let out a long sigh of relief. "It's done!"
"Zi zi …"
Accompanied by the sound of metal rubbing against each other, the heavy and thick entrance of the portal automatically opened. Due to the leakage of energy, bright sparks leaped from the edges of the portal as it opened. Fortunately, the remaining power was enough to open a gap for the hundred-ton metal lump. What gushed out from the portal was an unusually strong gust of hot air. Sandora's long hair flew across my face, and Shallow Shallow coughed for a long time. It took half a minute for the gust of hot air to subside.
"This is an auxiliary heat dissipation channel." Visca led us into the wreckage. "Although the power system has stopped, the channel's circulation system is still running. The excess heat from the psionic coil will circulate through the main channel every five minutes. There will also be hot air in this auxiliary channel. It's an old trick, but I lacked some blueprints in my database back then, so I could only design it this way. "
As a heat dissipation channel, it wasn't very spacious. Moreover, the surrounding walls were filled with complicated mechanical structures and conductive cables. These dark-colored things were obviously different from the bright and clean alloy corridors of the Empire's battleships. Instead, it had a heavy metal sci-fi feel to it. This was the first time Shallow Shallow and I had entered a place like the heat dissipation channel of an Empire's battleship. Naturally, it was a novel experience. Shallow Shallow had already left a lot of messages along the way, and I had no choice but to help her take a photo at a random corner of the corridor. We didn't feel any pressure, because it was obvious that in such a high-tech place, both Shallow Shallow and I wouldn't be able to do anything serious even if we worked together …
Along the way, Pandora silently looked around. Although her face didn't move, I could feel the little lass's gaze moving back and forth. It was obvious that she was very concerned about the warship that her twin sister had once led.
The pipe wasn't straight. Due to the impact of the crash, many parts of the pipe were crooked. Many of the pipe walls had large cracks, through which broken cables could be seen. There were also large pieces of twisted metal or crystals that pierced through the walls of the pipe, blocking the way forward. Sandora had already revealed her claws, and she fiercely scratched the obstacles into pieces. I was really worried about Pandora's safety when she used the battleship's cannons to open a path.
Just like that, we advanced in a destructive manner. Sandora's claws swept away all the obstacles in our way. Finally, we passed through the heat dissipation channel that spurted out water every five minutes. After piercing through an alloy barrier, we entered the starship's personnel passageway.
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