Jinling launch site.
The second batch of colony capsules and various equipment that would be sent to Mars was being packaged and sent to the space shuttle.
The list of the second batch of scientific expedition teams to Mars had not yet been announced, and the outside world was ignorant of Lu Zhou’s upcoming journey. Lu Zhou insisted for this plan to go through.
Even though Chang’an Avenue had hoped that he could be more cautious, considering Lu Zhou’s own insistence, the relevant departments ultimately did not make a tough decision to retain him on Earth.
However, the budget for this launch plan had been doubled. Many pieces of equipment that were originally scheduled for the third batch of launches to Mars were advanced forward.
Although in Lu Zhou’s opinion, putting his own safety issues as a priority felt somewhat pretentious, seeing how persistent the relevant departments were, he didn’t say much and quietly received this kindness.
On the third day of preparations for the launch, Director Li brought a person to the Jinling launch site.
Lu Zhou looked at Schultz standing in front of him. He had a weird look on his face. The two of them stared at each other with their eyes wide open; they didn’t even say hello to each other.
Director Li felt the awkwardness of the atmosphere. He gave a dry cough and spoke while looking at Lu Zhou with a strange expression.
“Let me introduce to you. This is the representative from Germany. Professor Schultz from the department of mathematics at the University of Bonn… Forget it, I guess you know each other, so I’ll shut up.”
Lu Zhou: “Why are you here?”
Schultz sighed. “It’s a long story… I didn’t want to come.”
Schultz spent about five minutes briefly talking about what happened in the past few days. What happened with Professor Faltings, and how the Federal Ministry of Education and Research director came to see him personally. After that, officials from the European Union also came to harass him, hoping that he could travel to Mars on behalf of the European Union.
Schultz would also oversee whether China would fulfill their promises and convey the “correct message” to the extraterrestrial civilization on behalf of human civilization.
Lu Zhou hesitated for a while and said, “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to force yourself… Going to Mars is quite dangerous.”
Schultz shook his head and spoke.
“I am a German first, then a mathematician. If my country needs me, I’m in no position to refuse.”
He had a helpless smile on his face and shrugged his shoulders.
“Besides, don’t you plan to go as well? If you are not afraid of accidents, I have no reason to back down.
“I’m just a lonely person, without children and family…”
Lu Zhou went silent.
He suddenly felt that this statement was a bit selfish. Although he did not have a family, he definitely wasn’t alone. He had his parents, Xiao Tong, and he was going to marry Chen Yushan at the end of the year… There were so many people and things that he couldn’t just let go of.
If he got into an accident, many people would feel sad for him.
“Enough enough, can you stop talking about such unlucky things?” Director Li coughed and said, “Let’s talk about the positive things. I said that the United Nations is discussing the establishment of a political alliance to deal with the extraterrestrial civilization, right? The Americans finally agreed to join.
“The name of the organization is “Federation of Human Alliance”, or Human Alliance for short. The first chairman of the board is our former Minister of Foreign Affairs. The charter of Human Alliance is currently being drafted. You guys are going to Mars representing the Human Alliance…”
Compared with the United Nations, the Human Alliance was a looser political alliance. It was a bit like the “homeowner association” of a suburb and had a certain amount of executive power.
Its main function was to coordinate countries and organizations with different political systems, cultures, and religions around the world, to establish a unified voice, and to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations on behalf of the overall interests of mankind. As well as to exercise such power such as the declaration of war, peace talks, and open trade.
After all, there were more than 230 countries and regions and more than 2,000 ethnic groups on Earth. It was unrealistic to expect aliens to figure out the differences between Chinese and Americans, Christians and Buddhists, Nigerians and African Americans.
Having a unified voice was a must.
Then there were the words used for communication, the production of “postcards” that showcased Earth’s civilization, technology, and culture. As well as the formulation of diplomatic strategies.
This was quite a tedious process.
Looking at Lu Zhou’s face, Director Li could see that he was having a headache. He thought Lu Zhou was worried that this trouble would fall on his head, so Director Li smiled and comforted him.
“Don’t worry, this is not your responsibility. We have professionals who will handle these things. You only need to give some suggestions in your field of expertise.”
Lu Zhou sighed and spoke.
“I’m not worried about this… Forget it, so what you’re saying is, there are a few people visiting the extraterrestrial civilization?”
Director Li smiled and said, “That’s for sure. After all, we have gained a lot of benefits from the establishment of the Human Alliance. We have to show our sincerity.”
Lu Zhou: “Alright. Who else?”
Director Li: “Not much. In addition to you and Professor Schultz, who represents the European Union, there is also a British archaeologist, an American astrophysicist, and an aerospace engineer from Moscow. As well as Dr. Fan Tong, a researcher at the Mars Scientific Research Station who had been there once, and a bodyguard who will be responsible for your safety. There are only seven people in total.”
Seven people…
Lu Zhou’s eyebrows twitched fiercely when he heard this number.
This is not f*cking much?!
What do you mean?!
He took a deep breath and spoke.
“I have a request!”
Director Li immediately said seriously, “Please go ahead!”
Lu Zhou sorted out the thoughts in his mind and spoke to Director Li.
“In order to avoid irreversible accidents, I hope that this diplomatic mission is led by me personally.
“I hope that the higher-ups can give me the highest on-site command. Other members must strictly obey my orders. For those who ignore my orders, I will kick them out of the team.”
Director Li hesitated for a while and said, “You have the highest on-site command authority. It is certain that you are going to lead the team. But kicking people out of the team… I’m afraid I have to ask about this. It may become a diplomatic issue.
“But I promise that I will give you a satisfactory answer as soon as possible!”
Lu Zhou looked at Director Li’s sincere expression.
He simply nodded and ended the conversation.
“Thank you then!”
Schultz, who was standing aside watching them converse in Chinese, scratched his head confusedly.
Why do I feel like…
My trip to Mars is not going to end well…
