The phoenix flew swiftly through the dense atmosphere of Titan.
The weak AI quickly analyzed the information transmitted from the camera and various sensors.
"drop!"
"The ocean has been discovered!"
A stiff, electronic voice echoed in the starship's cockpit.
Zhao Zijie perked up and quickly looked up at the holographic image in front of him.
In the image, the surface of an ocean composed of liquid methane shimmers.
The coastline meanders and stretches towards the horizon.
This is the largest ocean on Titan.
Kraken-Marey.
It covers an area of 400,000 square kilometers and reaches a depth of 300 meters at its deepest point.
Although it cannot compare to the oceans on Earth, it is already amazing enough for a small satellite!
After confirming the data, a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes: "First, release the probe and find a suitable landing site."
"Received, searching for a landing site."
As soon as he finished speaking, a small hatch opened in the belly of the Luan Bird Starship, and a series of drones flew out in an orderly fashion.
Then, the Luan Bird Starship traced a graceful curve in the air and flew towards the coastline.
...
On the shores of Kraken-Marie, there is a relatively flat piece of land.
An 800-meter-long starship, its bottom glowing with a faint blue light, slowly descended to the ground.
The high temperature generated by the Hall thruster instantly vaporized some of the remaining liquid methane on the ground.
However, the methane then liquefied again into tiny droplets at the surrounding temperature of -179.15 degrees Celsius, which were suspended in the nitrogen-filled atmosphere.
From the outside, a thick white mist suddenly rose around the starship, and a black phoenix could be faintly seen in the mist.
Combined with the pale orange atmosphere and the shimmering sea under the dim light, it instantly creates a stunning alien landscape.
"Alright, we should get back to work!" Zhao Zijie turned his gaze away from the porthole, unbuckled his seatbelt, and stood up.
"According to calculations, Titan will experience an eight-day night in two days."
"We'd better get all the work done within two days."
(A complete day and night on Titan lasts 15.9 days.)
Several tens of minutes later, the hatch on the side of the phoenix slowly opened.
Two starship pilots, dressed in full-body spacesuits, slowly stepped off the starship and onto the frozen ground.
"...So beautiful."
Looking out at the seemingly endless sea of methane, Zhao Zijie murmured over the team's radio frequency, "It's hard to believe this is just a tiny satellite."
Gao Yang, who was operating the moving equipment, nodded in agreement with Zhao Zijie's words.
Compared to the helium-3 extraction machines in Jupiter's orbit, the extraction equipment on the Luan bird is like a newborn baby.
Even so, it still took the two of them a lot of effort to drag the two-meter-diameter extraction pipe to the ocean several hundred meters away.
"Zijie, where should the extraction device be placed?"
With the help of several robots, a huge piece of equipment was moved out of the starship's cabin.
Zhao Zijie turned his head to look at the surrounding terrain, and then opened his wristwatch to examine it carefully.
Then, he pointed to a flat rock several dozen meters away that was about two meters higher than the surrounding rocks.
"Just leave it there."
"According to Yi's calculations, the oceans here also experience tides due to the gravitational influence of Saturn."
"That should be a relatively safe location."
Although this liquid methane will not affect the suction equipment in any way, it can even help with heat dissipation.
However, when you're on a strange planet, it's always good to be safe.
Gao Yang nodded noncommittally and beckoned to the robot following behind him.
...
After installing all the equipment, the two returned to the Luan Bird Starship.
Looking at the gradually darkening scenery outside the porthole, Zhao Zijie slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
As he pressed the switch on the suction device, he lay back in the chair and said, "Just wait."
"We can go back to Mars to rest in a month."
"I heard that the next shift of personnel will be Bart's group."
One month later, a [Taotie] Nebula-class supply ship will come to "pick up the goods".
And they can also take this opportunity to go back to Mars to rest.
"How boring..." Gao Yang sighed and slumped back in his chair.
"Be content," Zhao Zijie said, giving his teammate a disgruntled look.
"How about you continue mining in the asteroid belt?"
Gao Yang shivered slightly.
Unlike the Luan bird, the Hummingbird's cockpit is extremely small, allowing only one starship pilot to live there.
A cramped living space means greater psychological pressure and a more boring life.
"No, no, no, I suddenly think that collecting methane on Titan is a pretty good job!" Gao Yang said, waving his hands repeatedly.
Silence fell over the cockpit once again.
"Speaking of which..."
Just as Zhao Zijie squinted his eyes, half asleep and half awake, Gao Yang's faint voice came from the side.
"Could there be life on Titan?"
"..." Zhao Zijie suddenly shivered, his sleepiness vanishing instantly. "No, that can't be, right?"
"What kind of creature can survive in this -179 degree Celsius environment?"
As he spoke, he looked out the porthole.
The searchlights around the Luan Bird Starship were already turned on.
The methane ocean was lapping at the ground with tiny, broken waves, and the surrounding land was nothing but gravel and liquid methane.
Gao Yang was startled by Zhao Zijie's actions and also sat up straight from his chair to look out the porthole.
After scanning the area, he chuckled and scratched his head.
"I just mentioned it casually."
"Think about it, Titan looks pretty much like Earth."
"With an atmosphere, rivers, lakes, and oceans, who knows what kind of life might have emerged?"
Zhao Zijie rolled his eyes and stood up from his chair.
"Alright, I'm going to sleep now. You can keep dreaming."
Upon seeing Zhao Zijie leave, Gao Yang hurriedly scrambled up from his chair.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
"Our bet about that bag of spicy strips isn't over yet!"
Zhao Zijie didn't turn around, waved his hand, and left with a single sentence.
"A bet? What kind of bet?"
"All I know is first come, first served."
As he spoke, he quickened his pace and hurried toward the lounge.
Upon seeing this, Gao Yang immediately became anxious.
"this!"
"Captain! Captain, you can't do this!"
...
The voices of Gao Yang and Zhao Zijie gradually faded into the distance.
Under One's control, the lights in the cockpit slowly went out.
Bright searchlights around the starship silently dispelled the surrounding darkness.
Under the lights, the waves on the Kraken-Malay Sea appeared to be larger.
The sea level has also begun to rise slowly.
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