Katerina Gagarin—there are probably very few people in the world who don't know this name now.
She holds dual doctorates in aerospace science and nuclear physics from Ross University, holds the rank of Air Force Major General, and at the young age of 32, she was already a national hero and meritorious astronaut of Ross. She was awarded the Order of Lenin twice, and received the United Nations Peace Medal. Countless other countries around the world have bestowed upon her honorary titles, and a crater on Mars is named after her.
More importantly, Katerina is also a beautiful astronaut, which makes her a media darling with high exposure on television and in newspapers.
Unfortunately, Katerina retired from the Rossiya Space Agency (RKA) two years ago due to injuries that rendered her unfit for spaceflight, and she subsequently pursued a career in scientific research. Media attention on her has since cooled somewhat.
So why is she on Mars now?
"Miss Katerina, what are you doing here?"
"Just call me Katerina. I know that 'Miss' is not a compliment in your country."
"Well……"
"Sir, shouldn't you help me get out of this filthy place first? It's very rude of a lady to speak in such a dirty place."
"Huh? Okay, Katerina." Zhang Fan put on his helmet and turned on the oxygen supply.
The air inside the "Number 5" living module was absolutely terrible. It smelled like a mixture of feces, sewage, sweat, urine, and rotting flesh, fermented over a long period of time.
He was already in so much pain outside the hatch, it's hard to imagine how a woman could survive here for six months.
Zhang Fan used hydraulic shears to climb down the bulkhead. The lower he went, the more filth he saw. Although he couldn't smell it, the sight of it made him want to vomit. Zhang Fan could only grit his teeth and endure it; he couldn't very well vomit inside his helmet.
Upon reaching the bottom of the living quarters, Zhang Fan found himself standing in half a foot of sewage. This viscous, black sewage, resembling soft mud, reminded Zhang Fan of the putrid black silt along the polluted riverbanks of the old industrial city.
“Sir, how are you feeling? Hehehe…” Katerina squatted on a one-meter-wide platform by the cabin wall and let out a hoarse laugh at Zhang Fan below.
"What are these?" Zhang Fan used hydraulic shears to cut open the mechanical lock on Katerina's foot and pointed downwards. There shouldn't be so many unidentified objects in the living quarters.
"My excrement."
vomit--
Zhang Fan really did vomit.
Damn it! I threw up in my helmet!
"Hahahahahahaha—"
Amid Katerina's unrestrained laughter, Zhang Fan scrambled out like a madman. Seeing his hands and feet covered in black slime at the hatch, he felt nauseous again.
Zhang Fan immediately threw off his helmet, took off his spacesuit, and ran like a madman to the base's shower room as if he had seen a ghost.
Katerina's laughter grew even more unrestrained from behind.
"Hehehehehe—"
What? The most beautiful woman in Russia? What? The pearl on the Volga River? What? An angel descended upon the Ural Mountains?
I find her even more disgusting than Qiu Qianchi.
Zhang Fan scrubbed his body several times in the shower. Actually, the spacesuit is very airtight, so there's no need to worry about external pollutants coming into contact with the astronaut's body.
However, spacesuits cannot protect one from mental pollution. Zhang Fan feels he cannot be clean unless he scrubs himself clean.
After taking a shower, Zhang Fan threw his spacesuit into the sterilizer, found a new set of work clothes to wear, and then waited in the lounge outside.
He heard the sound of water coming from the shower room next door, number 2; it must be Katerina taking a shower.
Zhang Fan waited outside for a full three hours, but Katerina still hadn't appeared.
That's been way too long!
I'd heard that it takes women a long time to go out and meet people, and today I've witnessed it firsthand. The period drama "The Martian" had already been played once on the TV in the lounge, and now it's being replayed.
This is ridiculous; it seems like every Mars base plays this movie.
While Zhang Fan was training at the Blue Star base, he watched this film intermittently dozens of times in various places around the base. This isn't how you use "classic"—it's almost common knowledge that potatoes can be grown in Martian poop.
Tired of waiting, Zhang Fan simply leaned back in his chair in a "Ge You slouch" and dozed off.
"Fan, do you know that's very rude of you?"
While still half asleep, Zhang Fan smelled a rich fragrance that instantly woke him up.
When Zhang Fan opened his eyes, the beautiful figure he saw struck him like an electric shock.
This isn't some green-eyed, golden-haired lion king at all; it's a stunning blonde beauty with blue eyes!
Zhang Fan experienced the feeling of a "cultural desert" for the first time because he couldn't find the words to describe Katerina at that moment.
It was the first time he had ever seen a woman wear an ordinary spacesuit so sexily, with every curve of her body perfectly proportioned.
No amount of flowery language could adequately express the amazement Zhang Fan felt at that moment; he felt that only the crudest language could convey his thoughts.
Holy crap! A foreign woman!
This was the most fitting compliment Zhang Fan could think of at that moment.
A magnificent foreign horse that makes you want to ride it and gallop freely between heaven and earth.
"Sail? Sail? Sail! MRZhang!"
Katerina had called out many times before Zhang Fan finally reacted.
As a gentleman, Zhang Fan dared not stand up to greet Katerina, as this would easily expose the abnormal state of a certain part of his body at that moment.
"Katerina, is this the scent of 'Red Moscow'?" Zhang Fan could only continue sitting, using the perfume to change the subject and cover up his embarrassment.
"Fan, it seems you understand women quite well despite your young age." Katerina smiled and sat down opposite Zhang Fan, it was unclear whether she was referring to perfume or had something else in mind.
"'Red Moscow' was a symbol of fashion in my country in the last century, and every woman wanted to own a bottle." Zhang Fan smiled and continued the conversation about perfume, assuming that Katerina was also talking about perfume, and didn't care.
"Alright. Fan, tell me everything you know about Mars," Katerina said, getting back to the main topic.
"That's a long story."
Zhang Fan thought for a moment, and then began his story from the moment he received the message from Professor Su Muran, informing him that Blue Star had been struck by an asteroid and that humanity had perished, until he arrived at the "Peace Station".
However, Zhang Fan omitted details about the Soyuz space station, as he did not intend to tell the other party about Yui for the time being.
Katerina listened quietly the whole time, occasionally asking a few small questions, but mostly letting Zhang Fan do the talking.
"Wait for me a moment." Katerina got up and went to the main control room.
Zhang Fan made himself something to eat and continued to wait in the lounge.
Half an hour later, Katerina returned to sit down opposite Zhang Fan.
“What you said is true, humanity on Earth has indeed become extinct.” Katerina rested her chin on her right hand, rubbing her temples with her fingers.
Zhang Fan admired her a little. She was able to accept the fact that humanity was extinct in such a short time. He thought about how it took him several days to come back to his senses. He even thought about suicide along the way, and it wasn't until he met Yui that he recovered.
“But you’re wrong about one thing. There are more than just the two of us on Mars.” Katerina looked at Zhang Fan, pointed to the sky, and her eyes were filled with anger.
Zhang Fan's heart skipped a beat. Had the other party discovered that he had been keeping it a secret from Yui?
“There’s still one person…” Zhang Fan panicked, unsure how to say it.
"There's still one person in orbit around Phobos!" Katerina grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it on the ground, shouting angrily.
"That damned woman, Ivanka!"
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