Port No. 10, Mars City.

The once well-connected port was now completely blocked by countless airtight doors.

With the air circulation equipment ceasing operation, Port 10 became a separate unit from Mars City.

All personnel inside have been evacuated without any prior warning.

Inside Port No. 10, only countless robots remained, "on high alert".

Outside the port.

The area originally responsible for transporting supplies was temporarily converted into a simple biological laboratory.

Like Port 10, this biological laboratory was also placed under complete lockdown by Zero.

Wearing protective clothing, Lü Yongchang stood solemnly in front of the sealed gate of Port No. 10.

"Professor, this is a message from the Speaker of Parliament."

A robotic arm carrying a camera and a holographic image generator slowly moved to Lü Yongchang's side.

A light shone, and the image of the Speaker of Parliament appeared in front of Lu Yongchang.

"Yongchang." The old man's face was filled with worry; he had clearly seen the bright red Level 1 alert. "Is the situation serious?"

When questioned by the councilor, Lü Yongchang's expression turned slightly serious.

"Xuan Nu No. 2 hasn't returned yet, and I don't know the situation of Bai Yixuan and the others."

"However, this unexpected situation is a necessary test for our human civilization to enter the interstellar age."

Lü Yongchang stopped speaking.

He kept the rest of his sentence to himself.

This is not only a necessary test for human civilization, but also a life-or-death crisis that human civilization must constantly experience.

In the years following his rebirth, he completely changed his original beliefs.

Life is not uncommon in this universe.

Faced with a myriad of life forms, human civilization will still need to undergo more and more rigorous tests in the future.

Any mistake would be a huge blow to human civilization.

"Well..." After a moment of silence, the Speaker's voice came again, "Is there anything I can do?"

Lu Yongchang chuckled lightly: "Speaker, all you need to do is appease the residents of Mars City."

Upon hearing this, a bitter smile appeared on the old man's face.

"Soothe emotions?"

"I think, at least for now, the residents of Mars City don't need me to soothe their emotions."

Lu Yongchang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

That's right.

Apart from researchers, the only residents of Mars City are countless starship pilots.

The qualities of these people destined them to act differently from ordinary people when faced with such a disaster.

The tense atmosphere eased slightly with Lü Yongchang's laughter.

"Professor," Zero's voice rang out at just the right moment, adding a catalyst to the slightly subdued atmosphere, "Mystic Maiden II is expected to enter Port Ten in one minute."

"Yongchang." The old man's expression turned slightly solemn as he raised his right hand and gave Lü Yongchang, who was wearing protective clothing, a standard military salute. "Human civilization is in your hands now."

After saying that, the speaker of parliament cut off the communication.

Looking at the blank holographic image in front of him, Lü Yongchang was slightly taken aback before quickly realizing what was happening.

"Zero, everything is proceeding according to plan!"

...

The moment the two Xuan Nu II spacecraft, covered in crimson Martian dust, entered the spaceport, Lü Yongchang's concentration instantly reached its peak.

"Professor Lü!" The sealed door behind him opened, and Mao Zhengzhi's voice came through, "We're here. Where are the experimental samples?!"

Lü Yongchang did not turn around, but simply pointed to the huge holographic image in front of him.

The screen is divided into three parts.

On the far left are exterior views of the two Xuan Nu II ships.

Robots were spraying large amounts of disinfectant onto the outer shell of the Xuan Nu II.

The center and right sides of the image show the interior of the Mysterious Maiden No. 2.

Seeing the six drivers lying unconscious on the ground, Mao Zhengzhi gasped softly.

When he saw the vital signs data displayed on the side, his eyes were filled with anxiety!

"40.5 degrees Celsius?!"

Mao Zhengzhi, inside the protective suit, spoke urgently, his voice changing: "Professor! Quickly, have the robot bring them out!"

"At this temperature, if this continues any longer, the person might die!"

The moment the words were spoken, all the robots simultaneously stopped spraying disinfectant!

The hatch opened, and robots, under Zero's control, rushed into the starship.

The six starship pilots were quickly carried out.

"Academician Mao?" Lü Yongchang also lacked experience in this situation.

To be precise, none of the researchers present, including medical staff, had experience dealing with this situation.

After all, this is the first time in human history that extraterrestrial microorganisms have invaded the planet!

"In short, let's try physical cooling methods first!" A slightly unfamiliar voice came from the side. "We don't know the specific situation yet, so we can't use medication rashly."

Lu Yongchang quickly looked in the direction of the sound and saw an elderly man with gray hair.

"This is Academician Ding Xueming, an expert in infectious diseases."

Lu Yongchang gave a forced smile and nodded to the old man, saying, "Academician Ding, I'm entrusting the handling of the six drivers to you!"

Ding Xueming nodded solemnly: "Professor Lü, don't worry."

"I will do everything in my power to save their lives!"

After a moment's thought, Lü Yongchang spoke again: "Zero, have the robot retrieve the samples from Gale Crater."

"Also, conduct blood tests on the six drivers!"

"I want to see what kind of microorganisms could be so lethal!"

...

More than ten minutes later.

An isolation door connecting Port 10 to the laboratory slowly opened.

A robot carrying a large box steadily walked up to Lü Yongchang.

"Brother Mao, be careful."

Inside the protective suit, Lü Yongchang said to Mao Zhengzhi with an unusually serious expression, "According to Bai Yixuan, it withstood the disinfection measures when entering the starship!"

"Even with the various disinfection measures we have taken, there is still a possibility that the air around us may be polluted!"

Upon hearing this, Mao Zhengzhi's expression hardened.

The starship withstood the first disinfection measures... these microorganisms are truly remarkable!

As the most important barrier, ultraviolet light combined with high-concentration disinfectants can basically eliminate all microorganisms on Earth.

Mao Zhengzhi took a deep breath.

After preparing himself mentally, he reached into the box, opened it, and took out a sample.

The holographic image lights up.

A thumbnail of Gale Crater appeared before everyone.

Zero then marked the source of this sample on the map.

"Hmm?" Lu Yongchang looked at the data on the map and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is this a sample from the foot of Mount Sharp?"

“Yes, Professor,” Zero replied in a steady tone. “There are a total of 12 samples near Mount Sharp, all of which have been listed for you.”