Chapter 319 Eagerly Awaiting
The Mars landing was imminent!
After such a long wait, the curiosity and anticipation of global viewers were ignited once again!
They poured into the live stream like a surging tide, and the number of viewers climbed exponentially!
Everyone was eagerly looking forward to witnessing a historic moment.
Musk stared fixedly at the screen, his gaze revealing a hint of solemnity!
The technicians beside him were also nervous, their fingers tapping rapidly on the console as they continuously verified the data.
President Biden felt a tightening in his chest and asked anxiously, "What is the situation?"
Musk said in a low voice, "Mr. President, the situation is a bit tricky; our spacecraft arrived at Mars earlier than expected."
President Biden knew that in spaceflight, every action affects the whole; any deviation from the plan could hide crises, so he hurriedly asked, "What exactly is going on?"
Musk sighed helplessly and revealed the truth: "That is not the most fatal part; the key is that the astronauts' food reserves are not enough!"
"Since this is the first landing on Mars, we lack experience in material supply, and the space food we purchased had problems—nutrient loss, spoilage, and damage occurred frequently. This has greatly shortened the time the astronauts can perform tasks on Mars!"
"We thought we were well prepared, but we didn't expect to have missed a detail."
President Biden was anxious and asked, "Then how much longer can they stay?"
Musk calculated and said with a bitter face, "According to Earth time, at most ten days. After that, they must return, otherwise, their lives will be in danger!"
"In these ten days, there is too little that can be done; plans really can't keep up with changes."
President Biden weighed the options and gritted his teeth, "That is enough! I don't ask them to achieve great feats; as long as they can step onto Mars and let the whole world witness the strength of our USA!"
Musk nodded heavily, "Alright then, just watch; we will definitely shock the world, and even the Dragon Kingdom will have to look at us with new eyes!"
At this time, the viewers waiting for the Mars landing had been looking forward to it for a long time; for this moment, they had endured a long six months!
The barrage of comments flew like snowflakes, filled with anxiety and longing.
"I heard we can see the spacecraft land today. We've been waiting for so long, please don't mess it up! We've waited for six months, just hoping for this moment to be a complete success."
"Watching the Mars scene live for the first time, my little heart is about to jump out from excitement. Please don't have any accidents! If it lands successfully, it will be another great milestone in human space history!"
"By the way, will there be Extraterrestrials on Mars? If we really run into them, it would be so exciting! What are alien civilizations like? How high is their technological level? Just thinking about it makes me so excited I can't sleep!"
"Extraterrestrials? Stop daydreaming. We should be thankful if it lands successfully! The universe is so big, how could we be so lucky to run into Extraterrestrials? Let's just focus on the task at hand first."
Internet users worldwide watched the live stream with piercing eyes. The USA spacecraft, like a giant steel bird, slowly swept across the thin orange-red atmosphere of Mars and entered the landing sequence.
The process was as slow as a snail crawling, and every second tugged at everyone's heartstrings. The flames ejected from the engines intertwined with the dust raised from the Martian surface, creating a scene full of science fiction and thrill.
Under the friction of high heat, the spacecraft's shell glowed with layers of red light, like a burning meteor falling toward the Martian surface.
Until the spacecraft landed steadily and kicked up a large cloud of dust, the command center instantly boiled over. The enthusiasm of the USA citizens was completely ignited; cheers and applause intertwined, as if to lift the roof off.
President Biden and the Secretary of State looked at each other, their eyes turning red and glistening with tears, their voices choked with excitement: "We succeeded! We succeeded! This day is destined to be recorded in history and carved into the glorious chapter of human civilization!"
President Biden raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a cold sneer: "The Dragon Kingdom is so arrogant, but I didn't expect that it would still be our USA that creates history!"
The Secretary of State also echoed, "Indeed, those guys in the Dragon Kingdom are probably furious. Now we can finally hold our heads high!"
The spacecraft hatch opened slowly, and the three astronauts linked arms and stepped out with their left feet together, setting foot on this mysterious and scorching land.
That light footfall seemed to land on a milestone of human exploration of the universe, of extraordinary significance.
President Biden stood up, clapped vigorously, and shouted hoarsely, "The three astronauts share the great achievement of being the first humans in history to step onto Mars!"
The Secretary of State was also full of pride and sneered, "Our USA has three people stepping onto Mars at the same time, while some superpower with over a billion people hasn't even set foot there yet. How pathetic and lamentable!"
After saying this, a burst of uproarious laughter erupted in the command center.
The surface of Mars was magnificent and eerie, with rocks covered in erosion patterns.
Due to iron oxides, the soil appeared orange-red to reddish-brown, loose in texture, and often raised dust storms that blocked out the sky under the howling winds.
The landforms were diverse, with impact craters of various sizes scattered like stars, scarred like the surface of the Moon, yet uniquely Martian.
The polar ice caps shimmered with a cold light under the sunlight, with water ice and dry ice changing with the seasons.
At this moment, the good news of the USA's successful landing on Mars was like a bombshell!
After being widely publicized by the media, a massive number of viewers flooded into the live stream again.
"Wow! So this is Mars. It can't be fake special effects, right? How is it so realistic!"
"This color, this landform, it's simply like a scene from a sci-fi movie. It's so stunning!"
"It's a live broadcast throughout, how could it be faked? The USA really has some skills; the Dragon Kingdom is probably nowhere near catching up!"
"This is a solid achievement. The Dragon Kingdom only knows how to do superficial things; they have no real ability."
"Hurry and film more of the Martian scenery so we can feast our eyes and experience the exotic extraterrestrial atmosphere! I really want to know what other mysterious things are on this planet!"
"By the way, will we run into Extraterrestrials? If we have a third-kind encounter, that would be so exciting!"
Under the urging of the netizens, the three astronauts carefully stepped out of the landing module. The sand and wind hit their faces, blocking their vision. They dared not travel far and only observed cautiously in the surrounding area.
Suddenly, the netizens' barrage of comments became like frantically jumping musical notes, and the chat exploded instantly.
"Holy crap! What is that? I didn't see it wrong, right? Look behind!"
"Could it be... That's impossible, how could this thing be on Mars!"
President Biden noticed the anomaly in the barrage, frowned, and looked closely. In the next second, he was so shocked his jaw dropped, and everyone in the command center seemed to be under a freezing spell, stunned.
The astronauts also became alert, followed the reminder in the barrage, turned around to look, and their scalps instantly went numb, breaking out in a cold sweat.
They saw that on a distant hilltop, an architectural dome stood abruptly. Against the orange-red background of Mars, it was exceptionally conspicuous. Its smooth lines and precise construction were definitely not natural products; it was undoubtedly the masterpiece of intelligent beings.
"Holy crap!!! Alien... architecture??"
"!! Could there be Extraterrestrials???"
"Headquarters, what should we do???"
The astronauts' voices trembled, filled with fear and confusion, as they asked for help from Earth through the communicator.
The camera focused on the building; although only the dome was visible, it was enough to arouse endless imagination in the world.
The live stream instantly boiled over, and the barrage filled the screen frantically.
"See, see, I told you there were Extraterrestrials! This is going to be lively! An alien civilization is right before our eyes, and we are going to witness history! Maybe we can start a new era of interstellar communication!"
"Hurry and look, what do the Extraterrestrials look like? Are they the legendary little gray men? How advanced is their technology? Will they welcome us, or will they treat us as invaders? I'm so nervous!"
"Will the Extraterrestrials attack us? Mom, it's too exciting and too scary! We aren't prepared to deal with an alien civilization, what should we do!"
The Secretary of State looked at President Biden and asked anxiously, "Mr. President, the astronauts are asking for instructions on how to act, what should we do?"
President Biden was now flushed with excitement, his hands clenched into fists, his body trembling slightly from euphoria, and his eyes flashing with a fanatical light: "To be able to build such a building on Mars and have it stand firm after meteor impacts, this civilization's technology must be above ours. If we can make contact and acquire their technology, the position of hegemon of Earth will be within our grasp!"
"This is a god-given opportunity that must not be missed, otherwise it would be disrespectful to God!"
The high-level officials of the USA nodded one after another upon hearing this, as if they saw the dawn of regaining hegemony, unable to suppress their excitement.
"The President is right. This is a god-given opportunity that must not be missed, otherwise it would be disrespectful to God! We must take the initiative to establish contact with the alien civilization; maybe they can help us suppress the Dragon Kingdom and return to the peak!"
Everyone agreed immediately and ordered the astronauts to initiate a third-kind encounter with the Extraterrestrials.
Upon receiving the order, the astronauts took a deep breath, suppressed their inner fear, and walked with trembling yet firm steps toward the mysterious building, their figures gradually moving away into the Martian sandstorm!
Global viewers also held their breath, staring fixedly at the screen, eagerly awaiting.