Chapter 287 Expedition Plan

Beijing, National Space Administration.

The conference hall was packed. Leaders from the Space Administration, military representatives, heads of major research institutes, plus Lin Mo's team, totaled over sixty people. The symbol of China's space engineering stood in the center of the long table, and the lights made the projection on the white wall exceptionally clear.

Lin Mo sat in the first row, next to Chen Xueming and Li Xiao. Zhao Gang sat in the back row, in a crisp military uniform, his major general insignia gleaming under the lights.

At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, Zhou Yuanqing, director of the Space Administration, walked onto the podium.

"Comrades," he scanned the room, "today's meeting is very important. I have gathered everyone here to announce something."

He paused, his gaze falling on Lin Mo, then moving away.

"The State Council and the Central Military Commission have officially approved—the China Mars Exploration Program, codenamed 'Expedition'."

The conference room instantly fell silent.

Everyone knew this day would come, but when they actually heard the words, their hearts still skipped a beat.

Zhou Yuanqing turned on the projector, and a large line of text appeared on the screen: "Expedition Plan—China Manned Mars Exploration Project."

"The core objective of the plan is singular," his voice was steady and powerful, "launch an unmanned probe in 2042 to conduct Mars landing and resource reconnaissance; in 2045, achieve the first Chinese landing on Mars."

The projection switched, revealing a detailed timeline.

2040-2042: Unmanned probe launch, detailed Mars environment survey, landing site selection

2042-2044: Manned spacecraft construction, astronaut selection and training

2045: Manned spacecraft launch, Mars landing, scientific Expedition

From 2046: Mars Base construction, In-situ Resource Utilization

"Time is tight," Zhou Yuanqing looked at the audience, "from now until the manned launch, we have a mere four years and nine months. Within five years, we must send Chinese people to Mars."

Low murmurs arose in the venue.

Some were excited, some anxious, and some were calculating the feasibility of this timeline.

Zhou Yuanqing raised his hand to quiet them, and after the sound subsided, he continued: "Comrade Lin Mo will serve as the chief designer of the project."

All eyes turned to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo stood up, nodded slightly, and said little. This appointment was no surprise—from the sky ladder project to mech research and development, from Nuclear Fusion to Plasma Engine, he had paved every step of this path to Mars.

"The deputy chief designer," Zhou Yuanqing glanced at the list, "Comrade Chen Xueming."

Chen Xueming suddenly looked up.

He hadn't known beforehand.

Applause erupted in the conference room. Chen Xueming stood up, looking a bit dazed, and instinctively looked at Lin Mo. Lin Mo nodded slightly, with an expression that said, "You deserve it."

Chen Xueming took a deep breath and straightened his body.

"I will not fail the trust of the organization," his voice was a bit strained, but every word was clearly articulated.

Applause resounded again. This time, it was more enthusiastic.

Li Xiao sat beside him, clapping vigorously, her palms turning red.

Zhao Gang, in the back, broke into a silent smile.

The meeting lasted four hours.

Technical solution discussions, budget decomposition, task assignments for each unit... each item was meticulously detailed to the point of being mind-numbing. Lin Mo spoke little throughout, only interjecting a few words at critical junctures, but each remark hit the nail on the head.

"The thrust of the Plasma Engine still needs to be increased by 30%, otherwise the flight time from Earth to Mars will be too long, and astronaut radiation exposure will exceed limits."

"The Mars modification plan for the mechs must be developed in parallel with the manned spacecraft, with Chen Xueming in charge, and there can be no delays."

"The landing site selection will be decided after the data from the unmanned probe returns; no presumptions will be made now."

Every problem pointed to the same core—time.

2045, this number weighed like a mountain on everyone's hearts.

After the meeting, people gradually left.

Lin Mo remained in his seat, staring at the timeline on the projection screen. Chen Xueming and Li Xiao also stayed. Zhao Gang walked over from the back row and stood beside them.

"Feeling the pressure?" Zhao Gang asked.

Lin Mo didn't answer, instead asking, "What about your side? Has the security plan been finalized?"

"Not yet," Zhao Gang sat down beside him, "This time it's Mars, three hundred million kilometers away. There will be more people trying to cause trouble than with the sky ladder project. I need to redesign the entire security system."

Lin Mo nodded: "Fang Lin will cooperate with you."

"I know," Zhao Gang paused, "Old Lin, is five years really enough?"

Lin Mo finally turned to look at him.

"For Room-Temperature Superconductivity Pilot-scale production, we took three months; for Lithium Extraction from Seawater, from project initiation to mass production, half a year; for Nuclear Fusion, from blueprint to ignition, two years; for the space elevator, from drawings to completion, three years," he counted them off, "Five years is enough to do many things."

Zhao Gang was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Alright, you're the boss."

Li Xiao spoke up from the side: "Director Lin, for orbital calculations, I need more data on Mars' gravitational field. If the precision isn't enough, the entire flight window will be off."

Lin Mo looked at her: "Once the unmanned probe reaches Mars and transmits back on-site measurement data, the precision will be sufficient. Your current task is to design an algorithm that can correct orbits in real-time—during flight, solar winds, cosmic rays, and gravitational disturbances will all affect the trajectory. You can't rely on ground commands; communication delays are too long."

Li Xiao nodded, pulled out her notebook, and jotted it down.

Chen Xueming hadn't spoken the entire time. Even after everyone else left, he remained in his seat.

"What's wrong?" Lin Mo asked.

"Deputy chief designer," Chen Xueming gave a wry smile, "Old Lin, you didn't tell me beforehand?"

Lin Mo looked at him: "What, you don't want to do it?"

"It's not that I don't want to do it," Chen Xueming scratched his head, "I'm afraid I won't do it well. The Mars program, hundreds of billions in investment, tens of thousands of people in the team, I..."

"What 'I'?" Lin Mo interrupted him, "Why weren't you afraid when you were stationed at the Nuclear Fusion base for three months solving the Divertor problem? Why weren't you afraid when you saved people on the platform during a typhoon? Why weren't you afraid when you calculated orbital parameters for three days and three nights without sleep?"

Chen Xueming opened his mouth.

"You're not afraid of failing to do it well," Lin Mo stood up and looked at him, "You're afraid of the immense responsibility, that if something goes wrong, you'll let down the country and the team."

Chen Xueming fell silent.

Lin Mo walked up to him and patted his shoulder: "I'm afraid too."

Chen Xueming looked up.

"Every day when I wake up, I think—what if I judged wrong, what if a link goes wrong, what if someone sacrifices because of my decision," Lin Mo's voice was calm, "But fear cannot solve problems. Only doing everything to the best of our ability can solve problems."

He looked into Chen Xueming's eyes: "Xueming, you've been proving yourself all these years. From the Divertor to the space elevator, from mechs to the Mars exploration plan, you haven't dropped the ball once. This position of deputy chief designer isn't something you begged for; it's something you earned."

Chen Xueming's eyes were a little red.

"Don't be sentimental," Lin Mo withdrew his hand, "Go back to work. The Mars exploration plan is due next month; you don't have much time."

Chen Xueming stood up and took a deep breath: "Understood."

He turned to leave, then stopped.

"Old Lin."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you," Chen Xueming didn't look back, "Thank you for always believing in me."

Lin Mo didn't speak.

Chen Xueming strode out of the conference room.

Li Xiao was waiting for him in the corridor.

"Director Chen, congratulations," she said with a smile, "Deputy chief designer, that's quite a title."

Chen Xueming gave a wry smile: "What 'quite a title'? It's responsibility."

"That's as it should be," Li Xiao became serious, "Without you, the mech plan wouldn't have taken shape so quickly. For Mars exploration, you are the most suitable candidate."

Chen Xueming looked at her: "What about you? Do you want to go to Mars?"

Li Xiao was stunned for a moment.

"Once the manned spacecraft is built, orbital calculation experts will be needed," Chen Xueming said, "Do you want to sign up?"

Li Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then smiled: "My battlefield is on the ground. You go to Mars, and I'll calculate your orbits from Earth."

Chen Xueming also smiled: "Alright, it's settled then."

The two walked out side by side. The sun was just right outside, several military vehicles were parked in the courtyard, and workers were moving equipment in the distance.

"Director Chen," Li Xiao suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think is on Mars?"

Chen Xueming stopped, looking up at the sky. He couldn't see Mars during the day, but he knew it was there—that slightly reddish planet, hiding too many secrets.

"I don't know," he said, "But soon, we will."

That evening, Lin Mo returned to his office and saw a new message on the system interface.

["Expedition Plan" launched]

[National Space Engineering Milestone Achieved]

[Reward research points: 5000]

[Unlock Deep Space Technology Tree: Interplanetary Spaceship, Mars Base, In-situ Resource Utilization]

Lin Mo looked at the screen, silent for a long time.

Five thousand points—this was the largest reward the system had ever given. But the greater significance was that this plan was not given to him by the system; it was given to him by the nation, earned by countless people with their sweat and wisdom.

He closed the system interface and opened the window.

The night breeze poured in, carrying the chill of early autumn. The city lights in the distance were brilliant, like an ocean of light.

He remembered that night seven years ago when the system activated. Back then, he was just an ordinary Ph.D. Student, his biggest wish to publish a few good papers and find a stable job after graduation.

He remembered Wang Zhenguo's words on his sickbed: "I won't live to see it, you go and see it for me."

He remembered Chen Xueming's tearful confession at the celebration banquet: "In my life, I've never truly admired anyone."

He remembered Zhao Gang's words to the young soldiers on the training ground: "In the future, you will pilot 'Kuafu' to Mars."

He remembered Li Xiao staying up late coding in the Data Center, and Master Liu's words every time he brought a thermos: "Child, eat more."

He remembered all the failures, setbacks, doubts, and suppressions of the past seven years—and every time he stood back up.

Mars.

A place humanity had never set foot on, even at its closest, fifty million kilometers from Earth.

There was no oxygen, no liquid water, no life there.

But there was a future.

Lin Mo closed the window, returned to his desk, and opened the technical document for the "Expedition Plan."

The first page stated the core philosophy of the project:

"Not for planting flags, not for hegemony, but to find a backup for humanity. Earth is humanity's cradle, but humanity cannot stay in the cradle forever."

At the bottom of the page, he typed a line:

"Target Mars. Depart."

Save, close.

Outside the window, the red planet was slowly rising.