In addition to mining and refining ore as usual every day, Zhang Fan has also had Katerina and Yui send a communication signal to "Firebird" every two hours.
However, no response was received from "Firebird," and the receiving equipment at the "Bird's Nest" base also did not receive any information waves from "Firebird."
The Firebird moved slowly through space.
Three days later, Firebird successfully docked with the Soyuz space station, something that made Zhang Fan nervous for a while.
However, after the docking was completed, Firebird remained silent and unchanged.
Zhang Fan kept a close eye on the Firebird, but there was no sign of any astronauts engaging in extravehicular activity. Analyzing the data from the Soyuz space station, he also found no evidence of any astronauts entering the space station from the Firebird.
In conclusion, no signs of human activity were found on the Firebird.
A week has passed, and Firebird is still docked at the Soyuz space station, its landing module still hanging there quietly.
Zhang Fan couldn't hold back any longer, and he decided to take the initiative to go up to "Firebird" to take a look.
“We don’t have much more information than you,” Liao Changtian said on the communication screen at the Bird’s Nest base. “After the New Era, we lost contact with it. The Firebird Mars probe carried out the 203rd Mars exploration mission. It had an unmanned automatic docking procedure with the Soyuz space station, so it doesn’t mean anything.”
“I know all of this; I’m from there,” Zhang Fan said. “And I also know that, at least for the first month after the start of the new era, there were still astronauts on the Firebird.”
“But now a year has passed since the new era began,” Liao Changtian said. “If the 10 astronauts were still active a month after the new era began, then the food on board should have been used up in the first month.”
“According to the original mission plan…” Zhang Fan said, “Eight astronauts will enter hibernation, and two astronauts will take turns on duty. There will be enough food for five months of interstellar flight. If we change it to one person on duty and nine people in hibernation, it can also last for a year.”
“I think you’re being a bit too optimistic,” Liao Changtian shook his head and said. “If humanity is considered extinct, and an astronaut enters hibernation, the decision to wake him up rests with the conscious astronaut. I don’t think anyone would willingly hand over the control of their life to someone else in that environment.”
Isn't your thinking too pessimistic?
“After experiencing the ‘chaotic era,’ I feel that I was overly optimistic about the extent of human depravity. Or, to put it another way…” Liao Changtian thought for a moment and said, “If the study of human nature is a discipline, then before the ‘chaotic era,’ I was just a kindergarten student.”
"..."
"So you still don't know how high your position is in the hearts of mankind right now." Liao Changtian laughed. "Even if it's a coincidence, you did end the 'era of chaos' with your own hands, and now you are continuing to lead mankind into the 'era of heroes'."
"That's an exaggeration!" Zhang Fan rolled his eyes. "Director Liao really knows how to joke."
"No, no, no." Liao Changtian shook his head. "Because you don't understand the current state of Earth. Let me give you a few simple examples to give you a general impression of the current situation on Earth."
“In churches all over the world, your statue is placed next to the Son of God, Jesus.”
"In South America, your image is printed on people's clothes, just like Che Guevara's."
"In Hindi, their worship of you is equal to that of Gandhi."
"In Goryeo, people believe that your ancestors were Goryeo people."
"And in the United States, someone has already proposed a bill to the coalition government to change the image on Mount Rushmore... to yours."
"Moreover, judging from the current situation, this proposal has a high probability of being passed..."
"No, no, no!" Zhang Fan shook his head in horror. "This is the only one that won't do! Please help me refuse them."
“That’s no problem, you have a veto.” Liao Changtian nodded. “Now you have a sense of your status on Earth, right?”
"Uh..." Zhang Fan scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"By the way, television programming on Blue Star has been restored to a certain extent," Liao Changtian said with a hint of sarcasm. "Do you know what the highest-rated program on Blue Star is right now?"
"What is it?" Zhang Fan felt a little confused.
"I can play you a short clip," Liao Changtian said, and the communication screen switched to a video feed from the survivor point square.
The square was packed with people in front of the television screen. On the screen, in a desolate wilderness, a pitiful miner was struggling to dig for ore.
Because he was wearing a spacesuit, his movements were somewhat distorted. His arms, holding the pickaxe, couldn't reach around the huge helmet, so he could only swing it down in front of him, the pickaxe tip striking the rocks. The movement looked a bit like a chicken pecking at rice, which was quite comical...
"Hahaha." Laughter erupted in the square in front of the television screen.
"I could watch Zhang Dada mining all day long without getting tired of it, hahaha."
"I watch it every day, and I really want to give him a like and send him rockets. I haven't logged into my Bilibili level 6 account in a long time."
"If you can get on the show, can you give Zhang Dada a like, comment, and share?"
"Next time for sure! Next time for sure!"
"Getting something for free makes me happy!"
"Next time, Piding!"
"Holy crap, I didn't know I had so many Bilibili pros around me."
"I love slow hands!"
"Long live Douyin!"
"Are you two looking for a fight?"
"Why do you look down on my voice and my hands?"
"Yes, why?"
"Do you two live in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang? There are so many murals there."
...
Zhang Fan was sweating bullets. Was this some kind of virtual cryptocurrency mining session? And this show was number one in ratings?
"You might not believe it." The scene switched back, and Liao Changtian laughed. "You are now a superstar on Blue Star. Many companies and enterprises are eager to have you as their spokesperson. For this reason, we had to open a special account for you as a channel to collect endorsement fees such as image usage fees."
"Of course, this account is currently managed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). If you return to Earth in the future, or if you need it, you can access the funds at any time. You may not know the current figures in the account..."
"Forget it, I'm not interested in that." Zhang Fan waved his hand. Money is just a number on Mars, meaningless. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading to 'Firebird' today."
“Actually…” Liao Changtian hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “We don’t think you need to go. We don’t know what the situation is up there. You are too important to us; we can’t lose you. Even the UN Human Rights Organization advises you not to go.”
Is this what you really think? Or is it something someone else wants you to tell me?
"Hehe." Liao Changtian laughed.
"Alright," Liao Changtian sighed, "I hope you go."
"Why?"
"Because of my curiosity, I really wanted to know what exactly happened on the 'Firebird'."
"That's right, I'm just as curious as you are."
Zhang Fan turned off the communication screen, left the "Bird's Nest" stadium, and headed towards the "Apollo" spacecraft.
Human curiosity will always inspire us to move forward.
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