After the sampling was completed, the long drill rod was quickly pulled out of the ground as the motor rotated in the opposite direction.
The first five meters were uneventful.
The drill rod surface was covered with reddish-brown rock fragments.
But what happened next was a little different.
A deep red.
Seeing the obvious color difference, Bai Yixuan's eyes revealed a hint of unease.
Being on a foreign planet and facing such an unknown situation, anxiety and worry are extremely common psychological phenomena.
Not only Bai Yixuan, but the other five teammates also showed some worry on their faces.
"Captain, this..."
Xia Wanyi's voice came through the radio.
"Calm down," Bai Yixuan said softly, taking a deep breath. "Let's see how things go after all the drill rods are out."
There was complete silence on the team's radio channel.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the drill rod in front of them.
The motor stopped.
Bai Yixuan and Hong Fan, being the two closest to the drill rod, were the first to notice the problem.
"Wet?" Hong Fan stared blankly at the drill rod in front of him.
Bai Yixuan subconsciously reached out and gently touched the drill rod, then rubbed it lightly between his fingers.
"No, to be precise, it should be damp."
...
Mars City No. 1.
"The soil is damp five meters underground?!"
Lu Yongchang stared in disbelief at the holographic image before him.
"Professor, it must be damp Martian dust stuck together," Zero meticulously corrected Lü Yongchang's slip of the tongue.
"That's not important!"
Lu Yongchang waved his hand dismissively, his brows furrowed.
"The point is, how could it be wet? How could it possibly be wet?!"
"Zero, what is the current surface temperature of Mars?"
Zero quickly responded to his question: "It is currently noon in Gale Crater, and the surface temperature is 10 degrees Celsius. Due to the influence of the sun, the temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius higher than the same period in previous years."
Lü Yongchang frowned.
At 10 degrees Celsius, the possibility of liquid water does indeed arise.
What is the temperature at night?
"Last night, the surface temperature in Gale Crater was -25 degrees Celsius, which is about 15 degrees Celsius higher than the same period in previous years."
Lu Yongchang shook his head solemnly: "No, this is not right."
"Such a temperature is absolutely insufficient to melt the ice layer five meters underground!"
"Could it be the effect of underground magma?" Just as Lü Yongchang was struggling with this question, a familiar voice came from the doorway.
Lu Yongchang trembled slightly, clearly startled by the sudden sound.
He quickly looked up and headed towards the door.
"Brother Xu?"
"Why are you here?" Upon seeing the visitor, Lü Yongchang's eyes showed a hint of surprise. "No, when did you arrive?"
Fang Xu skillfully pulled out the chair in front of his desk and greeted the robotic arm beside him: "Zero, make me a cup of tea."
After seeing the robotic arm start moving, he turned to look at Lü Yongchang: "You've only been here a short time, probably around the time you were worrying about the surface temperature of Mars."
A cup of hot tea was handed to Fang Xu.
He reached out and took the teacup, nodded his thanks to the robotic arm, and continued, "I'm here about the medical pod."
"Medical pod?" Lu Yongchang frowned even more deeply. "What's wrong with the medical pod?"
Fang Xu shrugged: "Academician Mao said that the basic functions of the medical module have been almost fully researched, and it is estimated that it will be able to be truly realized soon."
Upon hearing this, Lü Yongchang's tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed considerably.
This should be the first good news since arriving on Mars.
Breakthroughs in medical pod technology will significantly extend the average human lifespan.
Although a lifespan of a hundred years or so is not much for an interstellar civilization, a breakthrough is always a good thing.
"So, what you just mentioned about underground magma activity?"
Lu Yongchang steered the conversation back on track: "There is no longer large-scale magma activity on Mars, you should know that."
“You said it yourself, there’s no large-scale magma activity,” Fang Xu said while sipping his tea. “I’m just giving you a guess; perhaps there’s still some magma activity beneath Gale Crater.”
Lü Yongchang nodded silently.
Perhaps this is the only reason that can explain the existence of liquid water.
"Professor, the complete report on the drilling samples is ready."
As the sound of zero rang out, a report appeared in front of Lü Yongchang.
"Sedimentary rock?!"
"There are obvious signs of water erosion and sedimentation?!"
Looking at the data in front of him, Lü Yongchang's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Indeed, Mars was once a habitable planet!"
Fang Xu put down his teacup and looked at the test data provided by Zero with a surprised expression.
This is a revolutionary discovery!
"If there is water flow, then the variety of minerals on Mars might be greater than we imagine?" Fang Xu asked softly.
“That makes sense.” Lü Yongchang nodded quickly.
"However, it still can't compare to Earth."
Of the more than 4,400 known minerals on Earth, more than 2,900 are related to biological activity.
“These minerals are obviously not possible on Mars.”
As he spoke, Lü Yongchang turned his head and gave the order to Zero.
"Zero, have Bai Yixuan and the others pilot the Xuan Nu II to conduct a complete survey of Gale Crater."
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