"Mr. Zhang Fan, are you really leaving?" Yui looked a little unhappy.
“Yes, everything is ready.” Zhang Fan nodded. He had told Yui about his idea of going to the north of the “Bird’s Nest” base a week ago. But for the past week, Yui had been asking him several times a day if he really wanted to go.
Zhang Fan didn't want to leave Yui alone to conduct the investigation in the north, but there was no other way. The food delivered to the Soyuz space station by the DF3 weather rocket was limited, and even if Yui cut back on her own food, it would only last for a week at most.
The "Bird's Nest" base no longer has the means to transport supplies to the space station, and Zhang Fan doesn't want to watch Yui die of hunger in front of him.
For the sake of Yui, even if there is only a sliver of hope, they must try. Therefore, Zhang Fan must go north to see what is in that light and pray that a miracle will happen.
To implement this plan, Zhang Fan began modifying the "Firefly" Mars rover a week ago.
Zhang Fan completely cut off the cargo compartment of the "Firefly" and then hoisted and welded a living compartment into the original position of the cargo compartment.
The hatch of the living quarters connects to the rover's cockpit. To exit the living quarters, one must first pass through the cockpit, which functions as a depressurization chamber. The water circulation system is located on the left, while the solid waste recycling unit is on the right. Solar panels are mounted on top to charge the rover's battery packs during the day.
The modified "Firefly" has been transformed into a Martian mobile home.
Zhang Fan carried two weeks' worth of food in the living pod, but there was no need to bring too much. Regardless of the investigation results, he would have to return in a week.
"So we won't be able to video chat as often anymore?" Yui asked, sounding a little disappointed.
“The Firefly’s built-in communicator has limited power. If it’s too far from the base, it might not be able to contact you,” Zhang Fan comforted her. “It’s only for a week.”
"This means I won't see you for a whole week, and I'll be all alone again... Waaaaah 555..." Yui was crying again. They hadn't even set off yet, and she had already cried several times this week.
"Yui, you can use the space telescope outside the Soyuz. Although you can't speak, you can still see me."
The space telescopes outside the Soyuz spacecraft are mainly used to observe other celestial bodies and asteroids, so switching to observe the surface of Mars is naturally no problem. However, space telescopes are optical telescopes, so they can't see anything at night.
"Really?" Yui smiled through her tears, but her face quickly fell again. "I don't know how to use a space telescope..."
“How about this,” Zhang Fan suggested. “You hand over control of the space telescope to ‘Xiao Feng,’ and I’ll have ‘Xiao Feng’ set the telescope to automatically track targets, so you can see me anytime.”
"Okay! Mmm!" Yui was happy again. "Where's Bob? I can't see him!"
“It should be running wild in the central garden right now; I built it a new ‘doghouse’ there.”
Bob dislikes the "space edible animal experiment pod" and has been living in Zhang Fan's living pod ever since he reunited with Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan felt that this silly dog was too clingy, but as the only animal that accompanied him, Zhang Fan could understand its feelings, so he let it be.
But starting yesterday, Zhang Fan made Bob sleep in his new doghouse in the central garden. Worried that no one would take care of him after he left, Zhang Fan even dismantled the automatic feeder from the experimental chamber and installed it next to the new doghouse.
However, Zhang Fan realized that he had been worrying for nothing. Bob had already learned to use his ID card to swipe and pick up food at the automated restaurant.
Holy crap, is this thing really a gorilla? I have a feeling it'll outlive me.
"Brother, keep a close eye on the house. I'll try my best to find you a female gorilla."
"Gurgle, gurgle!"
Everything is ready.
"Mr. Zhang Fan, you must come back safely." Yui was about to cry again.
"Yes, I will. There's a little white rabbit at home waiting for me to eat it, and I can't bear to part with it." Zhang Fan didn't like this tearful feeling, but this time he really didn't know if he would have the chance to see it again. Every chance to joke around was one less chance he could have.
"A little white rabbit?" Yui was stunned. "Besides Bob and 'Little Phoenix,' there are rabbits here?"
"Yes, there are two." Zhang Fan nodded seriously. "Two lively white rabbits."
"Where is it?" Yui asked curiously.
"On the Soyuz Joint Space Station on Mars."
"At the space station? I don't have any rabbits here... Ugh! I'm ignoring you." Yui suddenly realized Zhang Fan's implication and her face turned bright red.
"Hehehe." Zhang Fan laughed happily. These days, teasing Yui has become his way of relieving stress, and Yui's blushing face when teased is really cute.
Especially when she tells dirty jokes, the shy look on her face is truly pleasing to the eye. This is what they mean by "beauty is food for the eyes". You can eat two extra bowls of food while watching Yui.
But when she tells dirty jokes, why does this girl both shyly cover her face and listen intently?
That little slut!
You better not get caught by me, or I'll let you experience the surging emotions of twenty-two years in one go.
The "Firefly" started up, slowly leaving the "Bird's Nest" and heading towards the distant north.
In the morning sunlight, Mars takes on a unique rose-red hue.
Unlike Mercury, which is covered in craters, Mars has a much wider variety of terrain compared to other planets in the solar system, including towering mountains, vast plains, steep canyons, and endless gravel deserts.
The north is a low plateau filled with lava, while the south is a highland full of meteorite craters. Volcanic terrain is interspersed throughout, and numerous canyons formed by flowing water are also scattered throughout the area. Polar caps composed of dry ice and water ice are embedded in the North and South Poles, shimmering with dazzling brilliance under the sunlight.
The entire planet shimmers with a novel beauty.
That's Mount Olympus.
While the Firefly Mars rover was still receiving good communication signals after leaving the "Bird's Nest" base, Zhang Fan drove along and introduced the scenery along the way to Yui.
"Olympus Mons is a shield volcano on Mars and the largest volcano in the solar system. You can imagine that Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth, is 8,848 meters above sea level, while the summit of Olympus Mons is 100 meters above the Martian datum. Everest looks like a dwarf next to it."
"That's Sailor Valley over there in the distance."
"'Marine Valles' is a rough geological 'scar' on Mars. It is a huge fault zone composed of several parallel and intersecting trenches, and its length is comparable to the distance from New York to Los Angeles."
...
The narration throughout made it seem like just an ordinary hiking trip. Zhang Fan tried to downplay it, and Yui also appeared very optimistic, as if Zhang Fan was just going out for a normal trip and would be back tomorrow.
Zhang Fan deliberately downplayed the sadness of parting, but the moment of parting would eventually come.
The video signal received by "Firefly" is getting weaker and weaker because the Soyuz space station's orbit is about to pass below the Martian horizon. By the time the Soyuz passes over the "Bird's Nest" base again, "Firefly" will have already left the range where the base can receive signals.
"Yui, I hope you'll promise me one thing," Zhang Fan said at the end of their farewell.
"What did I promise you?"
"If, and I mean if, I don't come back in a week and there's no word from me, you have to figure out how to keep going."
"I promise you everything. I won't give up until I receive news that you're dead!"
"Okay! Yui, see you later."
"Have a safe journey and come back soon."
...
Viewed through the Soyuz space telescope, the moving "Firefly" looked like a beetle crawling across the Martian desert, leaving a long trail in its wake. Zhang Fan, wearing his spacesuit, appeared only the size of a mung bean in the footage.
Phoenix has gained partial control of Soyuz. She is retransmitting the real-time images obtained by the space telescope to Vulcan, and also, as part of its mission, sending them to distant locations...
Zhang Fan's trip has also touched the hearts of all mankind.
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