Chapter 324 Top-Tier Overt Scheme
Looking at the spaceship in front of them, battered beyond recognition by the meteorite and reduced to a pile of wreckage.
The three astronauts felt the world spinning; their legs went weak, and with a "thud," they collapsed onto the scorching soil of Mars, their faces ashen.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, as if they had been thrust into an ice cellar!
A chill spread from the depths of their hearts throughout their entire bodies, their eyes filled with despair and helplessness!
Like trapped beasts fallen into a dark abyss, they could not see a glimmer of survival.
"It's over! The spaceship has been destroyed, how are we supposed to go back???"
One of the astronauts said in a hoarse voice, choked with sobs, helplessly pulling at his hair; his eyes were red-rimmed, tears swirling in his eyes, yet he fought hard to keep them from falling.
"Are we going to be stuck on Mars forever?"
Another astronaut muttered to himself, his voice filled with endless confusion and fear, as if he had already foreseen the tragic ending of being trapped on this strange planet until his life faded away.
"You're overthinking it; our food supply is only enough for us to survive a few months!"
Another person gave a bitter smile and shook his head in despair, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he was refuted by his companion:
"You're the one overthinking it. The ship is destroyed, and you're still thinking about food? We won't even have enough oxygen for much longer. We're either going to starve to death or suffocate—there's no way out!"
The fear of death surged like a tidal wave, instantly drowning them completely; the suffocating sense of despair seemed to drain them of even the strength to struggle.
Meanwhile, the audience in the livestream also clearly saw their miserable state through the lens, and there was an immediate uproar of sighs, with the bullet comments scrolling endlessly.
"This is just too unlucky! They managed to dodge the meteorite impact, but unfortunately, the ship didn't. Now they're really in a desperate situation."
"Without the ship, they're done for. Truly, the world is unpredictable! It's a pity their ship doesn't have the advanced anti-meteorite system that Dragon Country has, otherwise it wouldn't have been smashed to smithereens by the meteorite!"
"Now that they don't have a ship, they can't come back even if they want to. Let's see what Eagle Sauce does about this; they can't just sit by and watch their own astronauts die on Mars!"
Inside the Musk Aerospace Company command center, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like it could drip water. The high-level officials of Eagle Sauce were completely numb, sitting blankly in their seats with hollow eyes, as if they had lost their souls.
They never expected that the Mars landing mission, which they had meticulously organized with great effort, vast amounts of funding, and a long period of time, would encounter such a devastating disaster on the very first day. The spaceship was mercilessly destroyed by the meteorite, and all their hard work and expectations vanished into thin air.
"Good grief, this means we've basically just given Dragon Country a chance to show off. We wanted to hold our heads high and look glorious in front of the whole world, but instead, we've become the laughing stock of the world. Our faces have really been slapped hard!"
A high-level official complained through gritted teeth, his face full of annoyance and unwillingness.
Everyone's eyes fell simultaneously upon President Biden, their gazes filled with both expectation and helplessness, as if waiting for him to come up with some way to turn the situation around.
The Secretary of State looked even worse, his brows tightly locked, his lips trembling slightly; he hesitated for a long time before asking:
"Mr. President, what do we do now? We can't just watch them get trapped on Mars and wait to die!"
President Biden pondered for two seconds, then said:
"It looks like we have no choice but to seek help from Dragon Country!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned for a moment, then, as if grabbing onto a lifeline, their eyes instantly lit up.
"That's right! Dragon Country's colony is right next door. Asking them to help our astronauts shouldn't be a problem, right!"
"Let our astronauts stay there for a while first, while we rush to build a new spaceship on our end, and then we can just go pick them up. That's a feasible plan!"
"Yes, yes, that's a great idea!"
Everyone echoed in agreement, feeling that this was indeed the only way to solve the urgent problem at hand, and President Biden's proposal was passed unanimously.
But for President Biden to shamelessly go and ask Dragon Country for help, he really couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, the two countries had been competing fiercely in the aerospace field, neither willing to give an inch. Now, asking him to lower his head and beg them felt incredibly awkward.
After much thought, he decided to let the astronauts ask Dragon Country for help themselves. Besides, they were currently broadcasting to the whole world. Dragon Country had always presented itself as humanitarian on the international stage, so he assumed they wouldn't dare to openly refuse; he wasn't worried that they wouldn't agree!
Thus, the three astronauts, following President Biden's instructions, bit the bullet and requested help from Dragon Country. Their words were filled with pleading and expectation, gazing longingly at the soldiers of Dragon Country, hoping to receive an affirmative reply.
However, to everyone's surprise, Dragon Country refused their request without hesitation, their attitude firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
This reaction instantly caused an uproar in the livestream, with netizens from all over the world starting a serious condemnation mode, and the bullet comments scrolling crazily like cannonballs.
"What??? Dragon Country actually refused to provide help? Haven't they always proclaimed themselves to be benevolent and kind? What's going on now? Their military strength has increased, so they've started getting arrogant, is that it? So disappointing!"
"Isn't this Dragon Country refusing to help those in danger? If they don't provide help, won't these three astronauts die on Mars? These are human lives after all, how can they be so cold-blooded!"
"Exactly! Is it that hard to help? For today's Dragon Country, it's just a simple favor! They have huge plantations on Mars, enough for the three astronauts to wait until Eagle Sauce launches a rocket to bring them home! If that doesn't work, they could even let the three astronauts work in the plantations; that's better than refusing to help someone in danger!"
"Dragon Country is truly cold-blooded! I used to think they were quite humane, but now it seems it was all just an act!"
Watching these bullet comments from netizens condemning Dragon Country, President Biden couldn't help but sneer, secretly feeling smug.
In fact, having the astronauts ask Dragon Country for help was his top-tier open scheme. In his view, if Dragon Country agreed, it would naturally be a happy outcome for everyone: the astronauts would save their lives, and he would be able to get out of this awkward predicament!
But if Dragon Country didn't agree, it would play right into his hands. Then, Dragon Country's humanitarian label would collapse, and they would certainly be condemned by netizens, just like now. Everything seemed to be going according to the script he had envisioned.
Among the three astronauts, there was a woman. At this moment, the cute image of her child at home waiting for her triumphant return involuntarily appeared in her mind, and a great surge of courage welled up in her heart.
She raised her head and looked at the Dragon Country soldier who had just refused them, her gaze filled with a trace of stubbornness and unwillingness, and asked:
"Why can't you help us? This should be easy for you! And we can cooperate; we won't let you help for nothing. As long as we can survive, any terms can be negotiated!"
At this moment, the site's person in charge, Gu Yun, walked over. He stood tall and straight, like a pine tree, with a well-groomed beard that was very stylish and distinctive. His subordinates affectionately called him "Brother Beard" behind his back.
Gu Yun looked at the female astronaut, his eyes calm and deep, and said in a steady tone:
"You ask me why? Fine, I'll tell you why."
"Does your country remember the Wolf Amendment you introduced over a decade ago?"
"The treaty clearly states that my Dragon Country cannot participate in or join any international aerospace projects involving your country, including but not limited to cooperation!"
"That is the reason!"