"Thousands of miles of long march once crossed, 400 billion galaxies begin with a single step! 》

Looking at the newspaper in his hand, a smile appeared on Lu Zhou's face.

This is the latest issue of Renren Daily.

On the cover of the newspaper is a photograph taken on Mars.

I saw five astronauts standing on a gentle sand dune, arms hooked on each other's shoulders. Behind them was a silvery-white circular colonial pod, and a red flag fluttering in the wind.

This hard-won photo is destined to go down in history and become one of the indelible memories in the history of human civilization......

Closing the newspaper in his hand, Lu Zhou hurriedly settled the rest of the breakfast.

Looking at Xiao Ai, who was flying from the side and preparing to clean up the dinner plates, just as Lu Zhou was about to get up to go to the bathroom, the mobile phone rang.

Pressing the connected button, Lu Zhou put the mobile phone to his ear, but before he could speak, a "Master" with a trembling nervousness came from the other end of the phone.

"It seems that you have arrived in Boston safely," hearing the apprehension in the voice, Lu Zhou probably guessed something, smiled and said, "Why didn't you call back yesterday?" Your sister is worried about you. ”

"I ...... I forgot. ”

When something like that happens, where do you still have the heart to call!

Swallowing her saliva, Han Mengqi asked in a nervous voice, "Master, Master...... Yesterday, what happened to the convoy that picked me up outside the airport? ”

Lu Zhou smiled and said, "Convoy? That's probably to show respect for us. Attend your academic conference and finish your report with peace of mind. Don't worry too much about other things, just participate in meaningful activities, and if you can't make up your mind, just call me and ask. ”

Although she was still a little apprehensive in her heart, she heard that her most trusted master had said this, and she calmed down for the time being.

"Hmm...... All right. ”

After chatting with his little apprentice about the academic conference, Lu Zhou, who hung up the phone, put aside the April meeting of the International Federation of Materials Research Societies for the time being, got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

It's not early.

He'll have to go to the launch center in a moment.

If colonizing Mars corresponds to "going deep into hell", then "hell treasure hunting" is obviously implying that the gift from the void should be on Mars?

Or at least the clues are there.

Thinking of the previous conversation with the "observer", Lu Zhou was even more convinced of this guess, something should be placed on Mars. It's just that the only thing that worries him a little is that his "Reptile" all-terrain survey vehicle has been thrown on Mars for almost two years, and after such a long time, no clues have been found.

This made him wonder if the gift from the void was still there.

After all, billions of years can even cool the core of a hot planet and give birth to life in the chaotic atmosphere. There are simply too many things that could happen on such a long time scale......

……

Jinling Space Launch Center.

Let Wang Peng drive himself downstairs to the command tower, and Lu Zhou went straight to the hall of the ground command center.

By the time he arrived, the day's work had already begun.

Looking at Director Chang Hezhi who was walking towards him, Lu Zhou asked.

"How's the situation at the Martian research station?"

"Everything is normal, according to the work schedule submitted by Captain Liang Youcheng, their work today is mainly to lay solar panels."

Lu Zhou nodded, and just as he was about to ask if there was anything unusual to discover, Director Chang suddenly took the initiative to speak.

"Speaking of which, there's something I need to report to you."

"What's the matter?"

"Dr. Fan Tong of the Mars Research Station discovered a very unusual fault structure near the basin 4.5 kilometers away from the Mars Research Station when he drilled core samples from the water source. According to Ya's speculation, this fault structure may have been formed by an earthquake. ”

"Earthquake?" Glancing at Director Chang with a somewhat strange expression, Lu Zhou frowned and asked, "I remember that geological activities on Mars have been suspended?" ”

"I don't know very well," Director Chang Hezhi shook his head and said with some nerve-wracking, "In short, according to him, the study of this fault structure is of great significance, and may even subvert the inherent impression of the academic community on the study of Martian geological structures." Therefore, he made an application that he wished to go down and see. ”

Lu Zhou: "Is the fault structure very deep?" ”

Director Chang Hezhi shook his head and said, "It doesn't seem to be very deep, according to the records in the work log, it is only about ten meters." ”

A depth of more than ten meters is already a dangerous depth on Earth.

But for Mars, it's not that dangerous.

"Then let him go down and see...... By the way, I would like to tell Captain Liang that in the future, unless they plan to explore the crater or carry out other risky scientific research activities, there is no need to ask for special instructions for such trivial matters. I remember that before leaving, I should have given him on-site command, and there were some things that he could decide on his own as needed, and just update the records on the work log. ”

Director Chang nodded with a serious expression.

"Okay, I'll go talk to him."

Lu Zhou nodded.

"So let's do it for now."

……

Mars tens of millions of kilometers away.

Billowing dust was kicked up by the wheels, and a rover with tires as tall as an adult's shoulder was moving forward on this endless sea of sand.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ming Wenzhe, who was wearing an extravehicular spacesuit, looked at the screen of the on-board positioning system, as well as the green dot that was getting closer and closer, and asked casually.

"Are you sure it's an earthquake crack?"

Fan Tong, who was sitting in the driver's seat, nodded his head and said in an affirmative tone.

"I can vouch for my academic reputation."

"I'm not doubting you...... I mean, could you be mistaken? The data on the thermal radiation images clearly show that the geological activity of Mars has been suspended, and even if there are seismic structures, it is unlikely to be exposed/exposed to the surface, right? ”

Although he majored in bioengineering, that didn't mean he didn't know anything about geology. In fact, most of the people who can be sent here are all-round talents.

Although he is not very professional in this non-professional field, he still understands some of it.

Fan Tong: "My surprise is no less than yours, but I am sure that my judgment is not wrong. As for why, we'll find out later. Look, do you see that ridge ahead? Right at the foot of the hill in front of ......"

After a pause, he corrected his statement.

"We're here!"

Approaching the edge of the ridge, Fan Tong got out of the car with Ming Wenzhe, who was sitting in the passenger seat, removed the safety rope from the trunk, and hooked the metal lock to the waist of his spacesuit.

"There's hematite everywhere here, I don't know what the signal is down there," the Doctor of Planetary Geology looked around at his teammates and continued, "If I flash the flashlight upwards in a moment, you'll pull me up." ”

Ming Wenzhe nodded.

"Okay."

After discussing the plan, Fan Tong came to yesterday's position according to his memory.

However......

The unexpected happened.

He stopped beside the ridge, and his whole body was frozen there, with a hellish expression on his face.

Reading the surprised expression on his face through the transparent mask, Ming Wenzhe glanced around at the rough road around him, and asked in an uncertain tone.

"What about the fault structure?"

"Hell ......"

With a muttering sound, Fan Tong didn't answer, but took two quick steps forward, lying on the ground and groping like crazy. However, no matter how much he searched, he found nothing but sand all over the spacesuit.

The scar-like fracture structure......

It's like disappearing into thin air.

"Could it be a mistake?"

If it weren't for the thin atmosphere on Mars, he would have wanted to ask if it was a mirage.

In response to his teammates' questions, Fan Tong shook his head firmly, stared at the flat ground in front of him, and said in an incredulous tone.

"Impossible! You can't go wrong with your decision! I took a photo and uploaded it to my work diary! ”

I had seen that photo before, and Ming Wenzhe couldn't help but show a hesitant expression on his face.

"Is that possible...... Did you misremember the location? ”

Fan Tong continued to shake his head.

"Unless the Xu Fu's positioning system is broken along with my brain."

Hearing this, the expression on Ming Wenzhe's face showed a hint of strangeness.

Fault structure more than 10 meters deep......

Even if there is a sandstorm, it can't erase the traces in ten days and half a month, right?

What's more, it's only been a day.

This is too evil......

-

(Don't forget to compare your heart~ By the way, you can also click on mathematics and physics, and you can have a character avatar when you get to Samsung!) Ahem, I'm just a little curious about what the artists will draw these characters like. ）