The scene described by Tao Yuda came to mind for the academicians and professors.

The light in Lü Yongchang's eyes grew even brighter.

"...Professor, I'm done speaking." Sensing the unusual atmosphere in the conference room, Tao Yuda swallowed slightly and said in a low voice.

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Just as Tao Yuda was feeling uneasy, a soft clapping sound rang out.

Tao Yuda looked in surprise in the direction from which the applause came.

It's Professor Lü.

Lu Yongchang had a slight smile on his face and his eyes were full of appreciation.

"Not bad, not bad."

"It is indeed a completely new direction. Although we don't know if it's feasible, having this idea is commendable!"

As Lü Yongchang finished speaking, the other academicians and professors in the conference room, who all looked solemn, cast kind glances at him.

The tension in Tao Yuda's eyes gradually eased, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.

Lu Yongchang turned his head and glanced at everyone. After a moment of contemplation, he said again, "I will verify the direction of nanorobot mining. As for you... continue to try the traditional methods, and of course, try to overcome the difficulties mentioned earlier."

...

2037.2.14

"Professor, Happy New Year's Eve."

In Lu Yongchang's office in Mars City One, a holographic image lit up, and Zero's virtual image appeared in front of him.

Upon hearing Zero's question, Lü Yongchang looked up from the pile of documents in front of him and blinked his slightly bewildered eyes.

"Lunar New Year's eve……"

After realizing what had happened, a hint of dejection and anxiety flashed in his eyes.

"So fast, another year has passed?" Lü Yongchang muttered to himself, "Is there less than nine years left for humanity...?"

Nine years, and that's an optimistic estimate.

In reality, humanity only has about six years left to utilize.

The reason is simple.

According to model calculations, the sun will experience a helium flash in 2045.

At the moment of a helium flash, humans must escape to a sufficiently far distance to survive.

Calculations indicate that the Kuiper Belt, located outside Neptune's orbit, is a safe region.

Therefore, the destination of the 380 Luan Bird Type I starships, carrying a total of 3.8 billion humans, was the frigid Kuiper Belt!

Therefore, taking into account the time for stockpiling supplies and interstellar travel, humanity now has only six short years left to develop technology and build interstellar spacecraft!

"Six years..." Lu Yongchang murmured to himself, a hint of sorrow flashing in his eyes again.

"Professor, I have good news." Zero seemed to sense Lü Yongchang's bad mood and quickly said, "The escape fleet has sent word."

"None of the 380 Phoenix I starships experienced any malfunctions, and all crew members arrived in the Kuiper Belt."

"These 380 starships are now on standby and can be activated again at any time!"

Lü Yongchang's spirits lifted immediately!

"good!"

This was the best news he had heard since arriving on Mars!

"Zero, tell the Speaker of the Council this news. It's the New Year, let's make him happy too!" Lu Yongchang's face showed a hint of joy.

He had barely finished speaking when he raised his hand to interrupt Zero: "Wait! Never mind, I'll go to the Speaker of the Council myself!"

...

The entrance to the Speaker's office.

Just as Lü Yongchang was about to knock on the door, he saw the door quietly open.

In the office, the old man smiled at him and nodded gently: "Yongchang, come in."

"Zero said you have good news to tell me?"

Lu Yongchang was stunned for a moment, then glanced lightly at the holographic image beside him.

"Hahahaha!" The old man clapped his hands and laughed, seemingly having noticed Lü Yongchang's little trick.

"Yongchang, has it achieved a breakthrough in mining-type nanorobot technology?"

Upon hearing this question, Lü Yongchang's lips twitched, and his expression immediately darkened.

Seeing Lü Yongchang's instantly changing expression, the old man sighed softly.

"Still not successful?" he asked softly.

“Sigh…” Lu Yongchang sighed deeply, slowly shook his head, and looked somewhat lost. “There is a problem that I have been unable to overcome.”

"It feels like I'm stuck in a dead end."

The old man remained silent for a while.

Then, he pushed off the desk in front of him with his hand and said, "Let's go!"

"Leave?" Lü Yongchang stared blankly at the old man. "Where to?"

“Go outside.” The old man’s eyes softened. “Since you came to Mars, I haven’t seen you leave the lab or the office.”

"Scientific research isn't something you can do behind closed doors; you need to go out and change your mood every now and then, right?"

As he spoke, the old man stretched out his withered but extremely warm hand, grabbed Lü Yongchang's arm, and pulled him toward the door without saying a word.

Faced with the councilor's "stubborn" actions, Lu Yongchang could only smile wryly, relax, and follow the old man slowly forward.

...

Mars City Port 1.

Seeing the councilor skillfully donning his spacesuit, Lu Yongchang was stunned.

"Speaker, you..."

The old man's face was full of smiles.

"What? Surprised?"

“Although this Martian city is large, compared to Earth, you can’t see the sky, which is too depressing.” The old man’s eyes showed a hint of nostalgia. “Therefore, in the past year or so, these researchers have come up with a way to relieve stress and relax.”

As he spoke, the old man pointed to the hatch: "Mars may not be as good as Earth, but at least we can see some scenery, especially lately."

A hint of doubt appeared in Lü Yongchang's eyes.

"Scenery? Recently?"

"What kind of beautiful scenery could there be on Mars...?"

The old man ignored Lü Yongchang's words and simply pointed to the spacesuit beside him.

"Here, put them on first."

Seeing the determined look on the councilor's face, Lü Yongchang had no choice but to swallow his words of resistance and reluctantly reached for the spacesuit beside him.

More than ten minutes later.

Looking at Lü Yongchang, who was fully armed, a satisfied smile appeared on the old man's face behind the mask.

"Come on, I'll take you out for a good walk!" The old man skillfully operated the radio inside his spacesuit and spoke to Lü Yongchang via the team's radio.

Then, he pressed the button next to him.

...

"The pressure has been balanced."

As the warning sounded, a green indicator light lit up on the airlock door, signifying that it was safe.

The old man refused Lü Yongchang's help and laboriously turned the last door of the airlock.

"No need for help!"

"I told you, this is my way of taking you out for a stroll to relax," the old man said cheerfully as he turned the cabin door. "Just enjoy yourself."

Looking at the old man's slightly thin back, Lü Yongchang fell silent.

The hatch opened quietly.

A plume of crimson sparks, carried by a gentle breeze, drifted into the airlock and lightly brushed against the masks of the two men.