"We're here! They're right below!"
Katerina's shout came through the communication headset: "Apollo has shut down its main engines and is hovering in the air using its auxiliary thrusters. The cargo hold door is slowly opening, and Zhang Fan jumped in without hesitation, holding a portable underwater thruster."
After falling about 100 meters, the elastic safety rope behind me was tightened, and I was bounced up a short distance like in a bungee jump, and then continued to fall a further distance before finally plunging straight into the water.
The underwater area was filled with bubbles, making it impossible to see anything. Even after surfacing, visibility didn't improve. Wiping the water droplets from my spacesuit helmet, my vision remained completely obscured by rising steam, making it impossible to discern directions.
The isotope radiation detector worn on his left eye had started working. Through the lens of the detector, Zhang Fan saw a bright spot of light in front of him to the left, which looked like a bright disco ball above the disco.
Zhang Fan activated the underwater propulsion device in his hand and swam towards the light. He dodged and weaved, avoiding many "whales" blocking his way, and finally reached the side of the manned cabin.
Zhang Fan attached another buckle of the safety rope on his back to the handle on the top of the manned cabin.
"Go! Go! Go! Found it!" Zhang Fan shouted into the communicator.
The cable in the Apollo cargo hold began to turn, the safety rope was gradually tightened, and Zhang Fan and the manned cabin were pulled away from the water.
After Zhang Fan and the manned cabin were taken into the cargo hold, the hatch closed again, and the surrounding pressure valves began to pressurize and release gas into the cargo hold.
Katerina piloted Apollo away from Antarctica, then activated autopilot to fly towards the Soyuz space station. She also left the cockpit and headed to the cargo hold.
Zhang Fan entered the manned cabin, unfastened Ivanka's body harness, and together they transferred her out and placed her in the hibernation pod.
"How is it?" Katerina asked Zhang Fan.
“I don’t know.” Zhang Fan looked at Ivanka in the hibernation pod. “Theoretically, frozen human bodies can be awakened through hibernation, but that’s only in theory. After all, the conditions in the manned pod are too primitive. We’ll have to wait until we get back to the ‘Firebird’ to see.”
The Apollo spacecraft successfully docked with the Soyuz space station. Zhang Fan had just transferred to the space station when he received a communication from Yui.
"Fan-kun, how is it?" Yui asked anxiously over the communication channel. "We felt the earthquake at the 'Bird's Nest.' Did you succeed? How is Ivanka?"
"We don't know yet. We're taking Ivanka to thaw and wake her up." Zhang Fan and Katerina pushed the hibernation pod toward 'Firebird' together. "Don't worry too much. We'll let you know as soon as we have any news."
After arriving at the medical pod of the "Firebird," Zhang Fan officially initiated the awakening procedure for the hibernation chamber.
The hibernation chamber begins to inject wake-up gas into it.
Zhang Fan and Katerina stood on either side of the hibernation pod, quietly watching Ivanka inside through the glass.
Ivanka looks like she's just asleep, but she's actually been asleep for six months.
Time passed slowly, and Katerina unconsciously walked to Zhang Fan's side and took his arm:
"She should wake up, right?"
"I don't know." Zhang Fan stood there staring at the hibernation pod.
Katerina and Ivanka lived together at the Peace Station Mars base for two years. Although Katerina once wanted to kill her, the bond that develops between two people living together on Mars for two years in this desolate place, where they are each other's only companions, is unimaginable to outsiders.
When people are lonely, they might even talk to a volleyball, develop feelings for it, and cry when it leaves. This is even more true when the other person is a living, breathing human being.
Therefore, even when Katerina first emerged from underground, she was the one who hated Ivanka the most, but she was also the one who least wanted Ivanka to die.
The two people in the world who least want Ivanka to die are now standing beside her.
Crack—
The hibernation chamber lid has been opened.
Zhang Fan's heart was in his throat. As the waking gas gradually dissipated, Ivanka remained lying there quietly.
"Ivanka?"
"Ivanka?"
Neither of them responded to their calls.
Zhang Fan took Ivanka's hand. Her hand was still a little cold, but it had warmed up and her skin had become soft.
Katerina placed her hand on Ivanka's chest and then brought her face close to Ivanka's nose.
"Although it's relatively weak, it still has a heartbeat and is breathing."
"Ivanka?"
"Ivanka?"
The two shook Ivanka's body a few more times, but there was still no response.
"Transfer him to a hospital bed and connect him to the life support system!"
After Zhang Fan finished speaking, he carried Ivanka to the bed next to him, and Katerina immediately helped to connect Ivanka to various instruments and equipment such as an oxygen mask and electrocardiogram.
Ivanka's heart rate was low and her breathing was slow, which is normal for people who have just come out of hibernation. However, based on past experience, if a person does not wake up within 24 hours of coming out of hibernation, they may never wake up again.
The next 24 hours are crucial.
"You go and rest first, I'll keep watch," Katerina said. Zhang Fan hadn't rested well during his previous mountaineering trip, and he hadn't rested at all since going to the Martian South Pole ice sheet.
"If Ivanka wakes up, I'll call you. If she hasn't woken up yet, I'll call you over to relieve her."
"Okay, I'm going to take a nap first." Zhang Fan nodded, he really couldn't hold on any longer. "I'll be right next to you, just call me if you need anything."
Zhang Fan went to the living quarters to get a sleeping bag, then returned to one of the research and experimental modules, hung up the sleeping bag, and crawled inside to sleep.
This scientific research experimental module is called the "Space Breeding Experiment Module". It is closest to the medical module and contains many green plants used for space experiments, but the box for houttuynia cordata is empty.
The environment here is quite nice, with greenery everywhere. Zhang Fan thinks it's better than the living quarters, as it doesn't remind him of the terrifying things that happened here.
Zhang Fan was really exhausted. He hadn't been able to rest properly these past few days, and he would fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.
...
"Sail, sail?"
In a daze, Zhang Fan opened his eyes and found Katerina standing beside him, calling his name.
"How long have I been asleep?" Zhang Fan asked, rubbing his dry eyes.
"It's been a full twelve hours."
"Oh, it's time for the shift change." Zhang Fan crawled out of his sleeping bag, surprised that he had slept for so long. "How's Ivanka?"
“It’s still the same.” Katerina shook her head.
"Okay." Zhang Fan nodded, this was already expected. "You should get some sleep too, I'll go keep an eye on her."
"Fan, what if Ivanka never wakes up?"
“Then let her stay here. I’ll come up to see her once a week. I’ll figure out how to solve the fuel problem.”
"You...you like her?" Katerina suddenly asked.
"Maybe," Zhang Fan replied frankly.
"when?"
"Maybe, maybe in Antarctica? I don't know." Zhang Fan thought for a moment and said, "It should be in Antarctica, she was under the ice and I was on the ice, when we were chatting together."
"Looks like you're a jerk too."
"Hehe." Zhang Fan laughed, trying to ease the somber atmosphere, and joked, "I'm not being a jerk, I just want to share love with more girls."
"Tch." Katerina rolled her eyes and said, "Did you hear that? How long are you going to keep hiding?"
"What?" Zhang Fan was completely baffled by these words.
Hehehe.
A girl's laughter came from outside.
A girl peeked out of the cabin door, covering her mouth and giggling.
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