Fang Xu pondered for a moment, then reached out and opened the public communication channel on the control panel.

"Attention all reconnaissance teams."

"Based on our comprehensive considerations, the hematite you discovered is highly likely to have originated from the moon, Gamma."

"However, this is only a conclusion based on the current information."

"I need you to conduct a deep drilling sampling operation immediately."

"And send the drilling and sampling results to [Earth]."

"Repeat: Initiate deep drilling and sampling immediately. This task has the highest priority!"

After saying that, Fang Xu cut off the communication and then turned to look at Feng Yuanliang beside him.

"Now, let's patiently wait for the drilling results from these exploration teams."

Feng Yuanliang nodded slightly and murmured, "I hope this is the result."

If the actual drilling results don't match the predictions, then things could get really messed up!

...

Dawn Star.

The atmosphere inside the planetary landing vehicle was extremely heavy.

"Ding-dong."

A crisp reminder sounded in the cabin, and a line of faint text slowly appeared before everyone's eyes.

Current outside wind speed: 20km/h

A hint of disappointment flashed in Hong Fan's eyes.

This is not the information he wants to see.

While wind speed information is also crucial, the mystery of hematite is currently the focus of all team members' attention.

"Captain Hong, do you think there might be something on this planet...?"

Bruno's voice came from behind Hong Fan.

Before Hong Fan could answer, a series of static noises came through the communication channel.

Because of the short distance and minimal signal interference, the fleet continued to use the simplest electromagnetic wave communication to communicate with the surface.

In less than a second, the static faded rapidly, and Fang Xu's voice came through the communication channel.

"...from Gamma."

"..."

Communication ended.

The planetary lander was completely silent; Hong Fan could even hear his own heartbeat.

"...blanch".

Someone let out a soft sigh.

Like a signal, this exclamation instantly ignited the atmosphere inside the planetary lander.

"So it was all a false alarm after all, right?"

"You have no moral principles, you come to steal and cheat this comrade who is over a hundred years old!"

"..."

Listening to the complaints around him, Hong Fan couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.

He never expected that the answer would be the bright moon above his head.

Although he really wanted to complain, as the team leader, he could only suppress his impulse.

He even needs to pour cold water on his teammates who have let their guard down.

"Ahem!" He coughed lightly, silencing the murmurs in the cabin. "Quiet down, everyone."

"Didn't you hear what Academician Fang just said?"

"As of now, these are all just speculations, and there is no conclusive evidence to prove them."

Hong Fan's cold water gradually cooled the "enthusiastic" atmosphere inside the planetary lander.

"Do we need to conduct drilling sampling now?" Xia Wanyi's voice came from the side.

Hong Fan's expression instantly became more serious.

“Of course.” He nodded. “This is a top priority task.”

"It's just... a matter of choosing the right person."

“Deep drilling and sampling requires at least two people to complete.”

The atmosphere inside the planetary lander became even more tense.

Humans cherish their lives.

“I’m in charge of the drill rod section.” As the team leader, Hong Fan naturally spoke first, “but I need someone to help me start the drilling machine.”

“I’ll go.” Andrew grinned. “Captain Hong, I know this thing like the back of my hand.”

Hong Fan: "..."

Unpleasant memories are flooding back!

When searching for life on Mars, Andrew was in charge of controlling the drilling rig!

And he was naturally in charge of the drilling rod part of the job.

Although it was a bit dirty and tiring, the drill rod was the most important part of the entire drilling operation.

Before the People's Union was established, Hong Fan dared not let Andrew and his team touch such an important component.

Of course, this combination will remain even after the establishment of the People's Federation and the completion of the Mars City project.

The reason is nothing more than practice makes perfect.

"OK."

Hong Fan didn't say much. He greeted them and got up to walk towards the cabin at the back of the planetary landing vehicle.

...

More than ten minutes later.

The planetary lander's hatch opened again.

Fully armed, Hong Fan and Andrew came out carrying simple drilling equipment.

The sensation of his feet sinking into the fine yellow sand heightened Hong Fan's vigilance to its peak.

He glanced at the planetary landing vehicle behind him.

On the roof, the muzzles of two small laser cannons gleamed with a faint, eerie blue light.

Inside the car window, Xia Wanyi gave him an OK sign.

Hong Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief, and his tense muscles relaxed considerably.

He randomly chose an area, squatted down, and began assembling the drill rod bit by bit.

Unlike the drilling equipment used on Mars, today's deep drilling equipment has undergone several "evolutions".

While being more lightweight, it also greatly improves drilling efficiency.

"Captain Hong, what is the initial drilling depth?"

Andrew asked in the team's communication channel.

Hong Fan pondered for a moment: "The command center didn't give specific instructions."

"Let's try a depth of one meter first. If there are any problems, we can lengthen the drill rod."

Andrew nodded and bent down to operate the drilling machine beside him.

...

A few minutes later.

The drilling equipment has been assembled.

At Hong Fan's prompting, Andrew carefully pressed the drilling button.

The drill rod rotated rapidly and sank into the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Looking at the various data in front of him, a hint of surprise flashed across Andrew's face.

"Captain Hong."

"The drill rod experiences very little resistance."

Looking at the drill rod that had sunk fifty centimeters into the ground, Hong Fan asked with a serious expression, "What is the preliminary determination of the material?"

At this point, the drill rod was still rapidly penetrating deeper.

"It is most likely fine sand and gravel that has been compressed by gravity."

The moment the words left his mouth, the drilling rod began to sink at a rapid pace.

Andrew's eyes flickered slightly: "We must have hit a rock now."

"...Wait, something's not right!"

Seeing the notification on the monitor, Andrew's voice suddenly became excited: "Not just rocks! There's also elemental iron ore!"

"Captain Hong! Besides the nearby rock walls, there's probably a lot of metallic iron existing in its elemental form underground!"

A hint of joy also appeared in Hong Fan's eyes.

In the early stages of infrastructure development, the demand for iron ore was enormous.

If this iron ore deposit, existing only in elemental form, is a rich mine, it would undoubtedly be great news for current human civilization!

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

The drilling equipment gradually stopped operating and emitted a short warning sound.

[Preset depth reached, drilling complete]