Zhang Fan assigned the task of food rationing to "Phoenix." Food was selected based on the principles of being nutritionally rich, small in size, and lightweight, in order to cram as much food as possible into the payload bay.
After Phoenix calculated the food list, Zhang Fan took the list to the warehouse of the automated restaurant, counted, packed, boxed, and loaded it onto the Firefly Mars rover. He then transported it to the location of the DF3 weather rocket, stuffed the food into the payload bay, and secured it.
This is physically demanding work, not difficult in itself, but difficult in the pre-flight inspection procedures.
After the modification, the DF3 weather rocket can perform most of its self-checks by the Phoenix rocket, but some procedures still require Zhang Fan to do them personally, step by step.
Zhang Fan used an X-ray imager to inspect the interior of the payload chamber. X-ray imagers are very useful inspection devices; they allow you to see inside machines and find cracks, damage, and other defects invisible to the naked eye.
Zhang Fan kept a close eye on the X-ray imager's monitor, making sure the payload bay was free of any problems. If the payload bay developed a crack, at best the flight trajectory would deviate, and at worst the rocket would self-destruct and disintegrate during launch. In either case, all their efforts would be in vain, so he dared not be careless.
"Mr. Zhang Fan, is that packaged fruit salad?" Yui's voice came through the spacesuit's headset.
"Yes."
"Wow, I love fruit salad! I haven't eaten any vegetables or fruit in six months..."
Zhang Fan was a little embarrassed. This girl must have included the five months of hibernation during interstellar flight in half a year.
Yui Ishihara would always find excuses to chat with Zhang Fan. There was no other way; they were the only two humans on Mars, so who else could she talk to besides Zhang Fan?
Yui Ishihara also showed a proactive sense of urgency, sleeping for the past few days to reduce her body's consumption of food.
But there were times when she couldn't sleep and was bored, so she could only talk to Zhang Fan. Only when she could talk to Zhang Fan did she feel safe.
During meals, the two would video chat. Yui would drool as she squeezed the "toothpaste" in her hand while watching Zhang Fan eat steak and fruit salad.
"Hey Yui, maybe we shouldn't video chat right now." Zhang Fan felt a little guilty looking at Yui drooling. He was enjoying a feast while she was slurping liquids.
"It's alright, Mr. Zhang Fan. Watching you eat makes the food in my hands taste even better! And the thought of being able to eat this food tomorrow fills me with energy!"
Zhang Fan couldn't do anything about it; it was the other party's request, so he could only become a food vlogger.
Yui was glued to the screen, staring longingly at Zhang Fan. Every time Zhang Fan took a bite of steak, Yui would lick her "toothpaste" (the steak's texture).
This is too cruel.
"Go to bed early after you finish eating. Tomorrow is an important day, so don't oversleep."
"Okay, Mr. Zhang Fan, good night."
"good evening."
Zhang Fan turned off the video call, put his spacesuit back on, went outside, climbed onto the "Firefly" Mars rover, and drove towards the rocket launch pad in the pitch-black night.
The launch time is 8:08 AM tomorrow, a very auspicious number. At that time, the Soyuz Joint Mars Space Station will be flying over the "Bird's Nest" base. If this time is missed, the next launch window will be a week later.
While there was still time, Zhang Fan wanted to check the DF3 weather rocket one last time.
Climbing onto the launch pad, Zhang Fan plugged the data cable from the arm monitor into the data interface on the rocket. The arm monitor is essentially a portable mini-computer, serving as a small terminal display connected to the "Phoenix" rocket.
Zhang Fan checked each and every piece of data about the rocket one by one to ensure that everything was perfect.
As the sun rose over the red desert, Zhang Fan stepped off the launch pad, sat with his back against the rover's massive wheels, and looked up at the rocket.
Zhang Fan had also considered putting himself on a rocket and flying to the Soyuz.
Being alone on Mars is incredibly lonely.
However, Zhang Fan knew he couldn't break through the 500-kilometer limit. Weather rockets weren't manned, and even if he forced himself into one wearing a spacesuit, he would likely die from the immense G-forces during takeoff, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Alas, a life of shamelessness and carefree abandon is out of the question.
"Oh ho ho, Mr. Zhang Fan." Yui's voice came through the earpiece, and Zhang Fan turned on the arm monitor.
Good morning, Yui.
"Did Mr. Zhang Fan sleep well last night?"
"It's fine." Zhang Fan had been inspecting the rocket all night and hadn't slept at all.
Actually, Yui was so excited that she didn't sleep all night, but she was afraid of disturbing Zhang Fan's rest, so she refrained from talking to him.
"One hour until launch." Zhang Fan glanced at the arm monitor. "I need to head back to base. Yui, are you ready?"
“Yes, yes, I’ve memorized every single point Mr. Zhang Fan made.” Yui Ishihara nodded.
In fact, Yui's job is very limited. The DF3 weather rocket will push the payload capsule into the predetermined orbit. After entering the target position, the robotic arm of the Soyuz Mars Joint Space Station will automatically capture the target according to the established program and put the target into the internal cargo compartment of the space station.
Yui's job is basically just to open the hatch and bring back the supplies.
Zhang Fan returned to the main control room of the "Bird's Nest" base. The large screen in the center displayed the live footage of the DF3 weather rocket standing on the launch pad. On the left side of the screen were various real-time parameters of the rocket, while on the right side, lines of dense code scrolled continuously—this was the "Phoenix" performing its final self-check before launch.
At this moment, in various human survival points on Earth, humanity is once again deeply aware of the power of technology.
Almost simultaneously, people temporarily put aside their work at this moment in order to watch the live broadcast of the DF3 rocket launch.
Although the launch site is not on Earth, but on Mars, it is still a relic of past human civilization. In a deeper sense, this will be the first time since the "New Age" that humanity has attempted to launch man-made objects into outer space.
The launch countdown on the big screen is 60 seconds...
"Mr. Zhang Fan, thank you."
"Why thank me?" Zhang Fan stared at the live footage of the rocket launch.
"If it weren't for you, I might be dead."
Launch countdown: 40 seconds...
"Hey, what are you talking about? It's just some food. I have more than I can eat."
"No, it's not this. Without you, I would die even if there was food. I'm afraid to be alone." In the vast universe, all alone, Yui Ishihara had countless thoughts of suicide.
Zhang Fan remembered that he had also thought about dying at the beginning. The last virgin in the solar system... Sigh, never mind, it's too depressing.
Launch countdown: 10 seconds.
9, 8, 7, ...
"Mr. Zhang Fan, if we ever meet again, I will definitely repay you properly..." The voice trailed off.
"No need to... uh?" Zhang Fan sensed something was off about the other person's tone. "What do you mean?"
6, 5, 4...
"Hey? Don't leave things unsaid!"
3, 2, 1...
"I can't hear you! Speak louder! I can't hear you!"
0.
emission!
"Wuhu! Take off!"
"Go! DF3!"
"Charge! Our goal is the stars and the sea!"
At various survivor sites around the world, crowds in front of their screens were shouting wildly, many with tears streaming down their faces. People watched the rocket's trail across the sky, hugged each other, and wept together.
In the difficult days after Earth suffered its misfortune, humanity was so overwhelmed by the pressure of survival that it almost forgot that it once had the dream of gazing at the stars.
On this day, humanity rediscovered the memories of its once glorious civilization.
From this day forward, humanity will no longer be preoccupied with the mundane matters of daily life, but will once again look up at the stars...
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