215: Chapter 215 Ancient Ice Layers on the Moon

"One strike, two halves," Chu Ge said, gesturing with his hands. Commander Wang understood now and was momentarily stunned.

"This... do we need to ask for instructions from superiors?"

"Ask for what? Even though quantum signals won't be cracked, with the signal going back and forth, any fool would know it was us. It's better to do it stealthily. Let Soul Blade take a long detour. They'll only be able to stare helplessly and guess blindly; there'll be no evidence. Haha."

Chu Ge's mind raced, and he already had his excuses ready, planning to shirk all responsibility. How could he allow others to sleep beside his bed? Besides, I don't need you to supervise me.

Commander Wang was still hesitating. Attacking another country's satellites in space was no small matter. At best, he'd get a scolding; at worst, it was hard to say...

"Don't worry, we'll act first and report later. You should report what you need to, just follow our normal communication frequency. As for those two satellites, they'll be gone before they can photograph anything..."

"A dark night with high winds?" Commander Wang seemed to understand and made a humorous remark.

"Haha, yes, yes, yes. That's an appropriate and reasonable metaphor."

Seeing that Commander Wang agreed, Chu Ge immediately walked over to the flight officer.

"Call Soul Blade."

"Yes!"

In an instant, Soul Blade's voice came through the loudspeaker.

[General Chu, what are your instructions?]

"How are things on your end? I told you to find an ice cap, and you've been out for half a day without reporting back. Are you just having fun out there?"

[I found it. I am currently measuring its depth, width, and composition.]

"There really is one? Great job. How much longer?" This was a pleasant surprise. Chu Ge looked up at Commander Wang, who was also excited and gestured for him to continue.

[Within 5 minutes.]

"Put that aside for a moment. I have another mission. In a bit, the aerospace carrier will transmit the orbital data of two lunar satellites to you. Sneak up behind them and use your light blade to 'snap' them."

[Snap?]

"Destroy them! Be careful not to let them capture your trajectory. The cameras on these satellites are usually at the front or back of the ecliptic plane; above and below are their blind spots."

[Understood!]

"Go!"

Chu Ge cut off the communication after speaking. He felt like he had finally done something meaningful; it was quite uncomfortable just standing around in the Flight Control Center with nothing to do.

"There really is an ancient ice layer here. I just don't know if it's suitable for our direct use." Chu Ge said, looking at Commander Wang. Commander Wang nodded and then looked at Chu Ge suspiciously.

"You're asking me? I returned all that knowledge to my teachers long ago."

"This problem must be solved. Water is very important in our plan. Otherwise, we'll have to pull two transport ships to constantly shuttle back and forth. Oh, right, I know who to ask. Connect me to Yan Tianhao of the Astrophysics Group in the Research Department."

"Yes," a flight officer in charge of communications nearby quickly replied.

"Yan Tianhao, it's Chu Ge."

"Academician Chu, hello. What made you think of calling me? Is it time to go out and move around on the moon?"

"In your dreams. I haven't even gone down yet. Let me ask you a question: if a celestial body like the moon has water, where does it usually come from and what is its composition?" After Chu Ge finished asking, he began to think about the question Yan Tianhao had just asked.

"If there is water on the moon, or water in a broader sense—namely the hydroxyl group -OH—it could come from several sources: cometary water left by comet impacts, water injected by solar winds, or magmatic water produced by degassing during lunar volcanic eruptions."

"As for the composition, it's just made of two elements: hydrogen and oxygen. Of course, from a microscopic perspective, water is composed of water molecules."

"I guess you're referring to water in the sense we're used to calling it. Strictly speaking, it's a solution of acids, bases, salts, and other substances, not pure water in a scientific sense. The composition of water in different regions of Earth varies greatly, mainly in terms of its internal substances, minerals, and pH levels..."

Yan Tianhao began his performance again. Chu Ge's scalp felt numb listening to him. He stole a glance at Commander Wang, whose face had turned dark.

"Uh, wait a moment. I just want to know if there's an ice layer on the moon, can it be used for drinking, industrial production, scientific experiments, and the like?"

Chu Ge couldn't take it anymore and interrupted directly.

"That requires specific testing. It's best to have an ice layer sample so we can detect the nature of the substances it contains, its pH level, and so on..."

"Alright, thanks. Goodbye."

Chu Ge cut off the communication. Commander Wang seemed to be in a daze and only reacted after a while.

"Where did you find this freak? He's practically a living Baidu," Commander Wang remarked from the bottom of his heart.

"Yeah, he's from the Research Institute. I usually call him the Encyclopedia."

"Interesting, haha."

As the two were talking, the navigation officer reported that Soul Blade was requesting a call.

[Reporting to General Chu, the mission is complete. Are there any further tasks?]

"No. Go back and finish measuring the data for that ice layer, then bring back a sample. When you return, contact the bridge's navigation officer directly, give the sample to Yan Tianhao in the Research Department, and tell him I'm waiting for the test report on this ice sample."

"Yes!"

"Let's go, Commander Wang. There shouldn't be anything else for us here. Let's go get some energy."

Chu Ge checked his watch after cutting the communication and spoke to Commander Wang. Commander Wang nodded, and the two walked side by side toward the aerospace carrier's cafeteria, chatting as they went.

This was their first lunch after landing on the moon. For Chu Ge and the others, they were quite looking forward to it.

The aerospace carrier's cafeterias were distributed across various sections of the hull. Each deck had several cafeterias, and their size varied depending on the number of personnel in each section.

Chu Ge and the others walked into the cafeteria closest to the Flight Control Center. This cafeteria had a circular layout. At the moment, many crew members were already dining inside. It was bustling, and at first glance, Chu Ge thought he was in the Research Institute's cafeteria.

The interior of the cafeteria was also simply decorated. Most of the dining tables were connected in the center in an elliptical shape, giving a feeling similar to eating at a conveyor belt hot pot restaurant.

The round stools were a bit like the bar stools in front of a bar counter, except the material was entirely metal. Chu Ge tried to push one; they were all fixed, though the height could be adjusted.

Then there were the seats by the portholes on both sides, which were the prime spots of the entire cafeteria. On Earth, it would be a sea-view or scenic restaurant; here, it was also scenic. Through the portholes was the barren moon, covered in impact craters. Sitting here and eating felt quite novel.

"This scenery will definitely affect one's appetite over time. It's too lacking in romance," Chu Ge complained as he took a mouthful of rice.

"Not at all. I think it's quite interesting. This scenic restaurant of ours is the only one of its kind in the world."

"Sure, Commander Wang. I hope you'll still give me the same answer two months from now."

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