220: Chapter 220 Exploration

"There's no rush on this matter. You can discuss it amongst yourselves first, then see if there are any other better solutions. We'll make a decision at this time tomorrow, how about that?"

Chu Ge didn't want to be a dictator; he needed everyone to brainstorm. If there was a better plan, that would be for the best, but if everyone felt this plan was feasible...

...then Chu Ge wasn't going to waste any more time. He would proceed directly to the next step, entering the specific research phase of the plan. Speed is the essence of war...

After a full day of discussion and repeated verification, on the afternoon of the second day, Chu Ge finally received the joint draft opinion from the team leaders.

They agreed to enter the substantive research phase of Chu Ge's plan.

With a stroke of his pen, Chu Ge assigned this project directly to Professor Li's team.

Consequently, in accordance with Professor Li Jingyi's request, the second wave of material transport included several more tracked lunar exploration vehicles.

They needed to conduct on-site surveys and determine the location of the rough processing plant based on the distribution characteristics of the ice layer.

The orbital route also needed to be fully surveyed to determine an optimal transport route.

The uneven surface of the moon certainly posed certain challenges to construction.

However, compared to some of the towering mountains and mighty rivers in the southwestern region of Huaxia, this was clearly relatively easier.

Chu Ge didn't need to worry about the rest; he returned to his daily routine of being a hands-off manager.

...

Time quickly passed, and seven days later,

the construction of the bridge crane terminal was completely finished. With the help of 10 bridge cranes, the second batch of supplies was also quickly unloaded.

This batch of supplies included many self-propelled tracked engineering vehicles, and at this moment, they were already busy working on the planned foundation of the Lunar Base.

According to Chu Ge's wishes, the Lunar Base had no set footprint; it was planned according to need. If it wasn't enough, they would keep digging trenches, blowing away soil, filling with sand, and burying gravity and gravitational devices.

All functional centers were uniformly single-story buildings, including the dormitories for the researchers who would move into the base in the future.

Chu Ge finally experienced the joy of claiming land. Earth, where every inch of land is worth an ounce of gold, was simply too crowded; the moon was much more spacious...

Once everything was ready, Chu Ge prepared to go explore the new world.

He changed into a new outfit today, putting on the space protective suit from the System Big Brother individual combat system set.

It was time to take a stroll on the lunar surface. It was truly too boring on the aerospace carrier. The only joy had been watching the [Soul Blade] slice watermelons, but even that had stopped now—there were too few watermelons...

Aside from possessing a series of functions found in modern spacesuits, this protective suit from System Big Brother...

...the biggest highlight was its lightweight nature. Chu Ge tried jumping in place a few times; his mobility was completely unrestricted.

"Commander Wang, I'm heading down now. I'll leave the aerospace carrier to you."

Chu Ge teased, looking at the gloomy Commander Wang at the boarding ladder entrance.

"Um, General Chu, logically speaking, you are the Commander-in-Chief of this fleet. You shouldn't be doing this dirty and tiring work..."

Commander Wang wanted to make one last effort.

"Stop right there. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. The two of us cannot perform a lunar walk at the same time; that's a rule set by the military. As the fleet's primary military officer, you need to lead by example."

"..."

"Fine, then you must be careful. I'll be watching you all from the Flight Control Center. Call me anytime if there's a situation."

Chu Ge had placed a heavy burden of responsibility on Commander Wang, leaving him momentarily unable to find a rebuttal. After sputtering for a good while, he had no choice but to accept the reality.

Watching Commander Wang's conflicted expression, Chu Ge almost laughed out loud. He patted Commander Wang on the shoulder, then immediately put on the helmet of the individual combat system.

After putting on the helmet, Chu Ge pressed a button on the side, and the helmet automatically lowered the protective visor. With a "click" sound, the bottom of the extended visor connected to the protective suit.

A few seconds later,

[Full protective gear has been equipped. Life monitoring system, oxygen supply system, pressure system, temperature control system, and environmental monitoring system are all normal. Now beginning squad communication test.]

The report from the protective suit's self-check system sounded in Chu Ge's ears.

Then, the display on the special glass of the visor showed a column of green indicator lights on the communication icon bar, representing that communication was normal.

Chu Ge's squad consisted of 20 people. In addition to Chu Ge, Yan Tianhao, Zheng Jun, and Captain Gong, there were 6 geological and environmental scientists.

The remaining 10 were security personnel carrying heavy weapons.

In the boarding ladder, Chu Ge glared at Captain Gong.

"I'm telling you, Captain Gong, this is the moon. Is it really necessary? You're all fully armed like you're preparing to fight aliens?"

"There's no choice. This is my mission. Wherever you are, I go."

"As for the weapons, it's not like Earth out here. They don't weigh much; they can even serve as walking sticks."

Captain Gong said, testing the meter-long Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle in his hand.

Chu Ge stopped talking.

After the boarding ladder traveled a certain distance, the door opened. Chu Ge and his team walked into a large white room; this was the small hub connecting the aerospace carrier to the moon.

Here, they first had to release the internal pressure. In the lunar environment, if this step wasn't performed, the massive pressure difference would blast you out like a cannonball.

Chu Ge stared at the exit indicator light, "Red, red, yellow, yellow, green, green." As the green rotating indicator light turned on, the hub door finally opened, and Chu Ge stepped out first.

Although the protective boots were thick, the texture of the lunar surface was still transmitted through them—it felt soft, like walking on fine sand at the beach.

This was the thick layer of lunar regolith on the moon's surface, mixed with gravel. Chu Ge tried walking a few steps, but the tactile sensation was far less comfortable than walking on a beach.

However, walking was not difficult at all; it was light and airy, making you float to the point where you couldn't control your posture.

No wonder they always hop around in such environments in science fiction movies. Chu Ge finally understood this time; it provided better leverage and made it easier to control one's posture.

On one side of the aerospace carrier, an exploration team was already standing by. They would accompany Chu Ge to explore that anomalous area.

After waiting for everyone to get enough of a feel for this novel environment, Chu Ge waved his hand.

"Alright, you all look like children. Board the vehicles; we're heading to our destination."

"Yes, General Chu."

Captain Gong and his team immediately began boarding. These tracked exploration vehicles, specifically used for transporting people, looked like armored personnel carriers. Chu Ge gauged the size and chassis; they should be the same size.

However, they had been heavily modified here; the driver's cabin was separated, looking more like a car's cabin, and the height had also been increased.

This made it more convenient to observe road conditions, and the visibility was better.

Chu Ge sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and pressed himself into the seat. The team members behind also boarded one after another.

Chu Ge took a look at the monitoring system, and seeing that everyone was ready, he decisively gave the order to depart.

Before boarding, Chu Ge had glanced at the convoy. Including their 3 tracked exploration vehicles, the entire convoy totaled over 20 vehicles.

The largest among them were the 2 self-propelled tracked drilling vehicles. They looked to be over 20 meters long and were very wide, nearly 3 times the width of the regular personnel-transporting tracked vehicles that Chu Ge and his team were in.

Chu Ge's vehicle was the fastest, and it soon rushed to the very front of the convoy. Following the flashing red marker on the driving screen, they led the way, and the convoy headed straight toward that mysterious area...