On the fourth day of his vacation, Jiang Chen ended the scheduled seven-day holiday ahead of time and boarded a helicopter back to Coro Island.
Everything was because of an email that temporarily changed his vacation schedule…
The evening of April 4th.
A black helicopter’s propellers roared, approaching a small island on the equator that was heavily guarded, it descended on the tarmac with flashing green lights.
The helicopter did not come to a full stop yet but Jiang Chen, who was in casual outfit, jumped on the tarmac and walked to Kelvin. He had been waiting here for a long time.
This is the original site of the Space Launch Center. After the establishment of the Space Department, it was renamed the Celestial Trade Ground Command Center. It is the headquarters of the most extensive space department.
Walking side by side on the way to the command center, Kelvin said with a serious look.
“The night before, the astronomical observation team of our Mars Colonization Project made an optical observation of the C1201 channel during the astronomical data analysis of the Mars route, and then discovered the thing. It is unbelievable…”
“Is the information controlled?” Jiang Chen asked without stopping.
“Everything has been controlled,” Kelvin said solemnly.
Jiang Chen nodded. “The confidentiality level is listed as S Class, and the relevant personnel have to be temporarily isolated.”
Kelvin took a deep breath and nodded. “I understand.”
The Mars Colonization Project team, established for the purpose of Mar Colonization, was designed to address all the difficulties that may arise from the colonial ship’s departure to the colonizer’s life after landing on Mars. The ecosystem could be built by the Garden of Eden project from the apocalypse, but other troubles were not small. Even if it absorbed the technology from the apocalypse, many places must be personally involved in the design by modern worlds’ researchers.
In the timeline of the apocalypse, for various political and diplomatic reasons, until the war, no one from the three ideologies successfully built a colonization ship to Mars or achieved a breakthrough in scaling space activities.
According to Lin Lin, there were indeed colonies of CCCP, NATO, and PAC on Mars, but they were basically scientific in nature, and the scale was naturally quite limited. After they could not achieve a ecological cycle, after the space elevator was destroyed, three colonies that depended on the supply from Earth were forced to be abandoned.
It is not difficult to launch a spacecraft onto Mars. NASA did it a long time ago. But to build a colony that maintained a stable exchange of goods with the Earth, rather than letting Mars become a one-way ticket, was not just as simple as launching a spacecraft.
Mars and the Earth have always maintained relative movements, with distances ranging from 5,500 to 40,000 million kilometers, ensuring a stable route from Earth to Mars was the key to achieving the Mars Colonization Project. This work was done by the astronomical observation team.
Their daily work revolved around confirming the navigation channel calculated by the quantum computer. Using optical, spectral and other observation means to examine if there were obstacles such as meteorites and asteroids on the path. However, when observing the channel number C1201, they found something similar to a UFO.
The two stopped in front of an aluminum alloy door with the Mars Colonization Project logo. Kevlin pulled out the graphene card and swiped it on the card reader at the door.
When the door opened, Kelvin quickly walked to the holographic screen in front of him, and the project leader immediately gave up his spot. Kelvin reached out and clicked on the operation interface. Then he patted the chair of the front row staff and ordered. “Align the Celestial Trade No.1 telescope to the number C1201 channel.”
“Roger.” The staff member nodded and typed on the touchscreen.
The astronomical telescope on the far away Celestial City slightly tilted, and the lens began to zoom.
Soon Jiang Chen saw that there was a dark shadow in the center of the holographic screen. The shape of the shadow was similar to the regular sphere, and the surrounding space was distorted by waves similar to wrinkles, exuding an ominous feeling.
His pupils contracted, and Jiang Chen instantly tensed up.
“By spectral analysis of the elements, the target titanium content is above 61%,” Kelvin did not notice the change in Jiang Chen’s expression. He called out another orange-red spectrum diagram and explained the parameters to Jiang Chen.
When he heard this sentence, he slowly relaxed his tightened fists.
Although he was uncertain whether the unknown civilization used metal to arm itself, at least one thing was certain. Since the technology of Harmony shifted to organism, the carbon content must be more than 50%.
Slightly settling his emotions, Jiang Chen raised his chin and focused on the black sphere in the holographic screen.
“What is that?”
“We don’t know,” Kelvin’s expression was extremely odd, it contained excitement and doubt. “We guess it might be a UFO… from another civilization.”
Another civilization?
Jiang Chen processed the information and frowned.
“Zoom in on it.”
“Can’t do it.” Kelvin shook his head.
“Can’t do it?”
Kelvin did not explain but chose to show why. He patted the chair of the staff member sitting in front of him, and gestured to adjust the focal length of the telescope to focus on the UFO.
What happened next made Jiang Chen widen his eyes.
As the lens zoomed in, the image of the UFO in the center began to tear. When the distance reached a certain limit, the dark UFO started to blur, and finally disappeared from the picture.
Yes, it disappeared.
Silence lasted for a while, and when the staff zoomed out, Jiang Chen spoke abruptly.
“Optical invisibility.”
“Yes,” Kelvin said, nodding. “We think so too.”
From this point alone, it completely ruled out the possibility that the spacecraft was launched by the former Soviet Union or the UA. At present, only Celestial Trade and Future Group have mastered the mature optical invisibility technology.
“This UFO can be optically observed. Our technology temporarily is unable to analyze what mechanism is behind it. But one thing is certain, this function should be damaged for some reason, otherwise we should not see it at all. We definitely shouldn’t be able to see a black shadow at a certain distance, as it is now.”
Kelvin paused for a moment and explained his own speculation.
“If this interpretation is true, then the only possibility is that this should be the wreckage of a UFO.”
Looking at the black shadow on the screen, Jiang Chen meditated for a long time, then spoke.
“Is there any way to retrieve it?”
Kelvin shook his head as an ugly expression appeared on his face.
“It’s too far away. It’s 30 million kilometers away from us based on a straight-line trajectory. Our Stingray X-1 series spacecraft has a cruising radius of only one million kilometers. It is simply not suitable for flight outside the Earth-Moon system, let alone have it retrieve something.”
“Just go up and have a look.” Jiang Chen looked at Kelvin. “We at least have to know what it is.”
At least we must know before other countries know what it is.
After debating for a long time, Kelvin sighed.
“In theory, the RM-400 ion propulsion engine used by the Stingray X-1 series spacecraft already has the capability of interplanetary navigation. With the ejection port of the space elevator, it is not difficult to accelerate to the second cosmic speed and get out of the Earth-Moon system. But the key is the battery of the Stingray X-1. According to the calculation of the quantum computer, its energy is just enough for one round trip. Forcibly carrying out this mission will have a high probability of being a one-way trip.”
Once it is impossible to return, it’ll float forever in the universe and be equivalent to a death certificate.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Chen made a decision.
“Select volunteers from active pilots in Celestial Trade.”
“The rank of the individuals who participate in this top-secret mission will automatically rise by three levels, whether the individual returns alive or not.”
“Install hibernation chambers in the Stingray X-1. If it is determined that it is impossible to return, allow the hibernation procedure to start and send our volunteers to the future.”
