213: Mars Trip

Mount Olympus on Mars is the highest peak in the Solar System, and it's also where the Martian atmosphere is thinnest and the view is most expansive.

Once, this was a dead wasteland where only thin carbon dioxide winds howled past.

But now, a magnificent floating palace rotates slowly around the mountainside of this ancient volcano. It is the headquarters of the Mars Business Federation—a loose alliance formed by dozens of conglomerates that rose after the fall of the Nikola Group.

Through the palace's massive high-strength glass curtain wall, one could see the planet below, which had completely changed its appearance.

The crimson desert was patchily covered by vast stretches of dark green lichen and coniferous forests. Once-dry riverbeds flowed with liquid water again, and in the distant southern hemisphere, the New Tethys Sea, created by Project "Heavenly Flood," reflected the faint sunlight like a sapphire set on red velvet.

The atmosphere inside the conference room was far from pleasant.

Seated on both sides of the long conference table were the most powerful people on Mars. Among them were energy tycoons who controlled Helium-3 refineries, real estate giants who monopolized underground city properties, and transport oligarchs who controlled interstellar logistics hubs.

Usually, a single word from these people could determine the livelihoods of millions of Martian workers or cause fluctuations in Earth's futures markets.

But at this moment, they were all as quiet as cicadas in winter, their gazes wandering, none daring to look directly at the very young-looking man sitting at the head of the conference table.

Lei Wen.

He was dressed in casual clothes, holding a cup of Martian specialty Red Sand coffee, leaning back in his chair in a relaxed posture, looking just like a tourist on vacation.

"Everyone, my purpose for coming here has already been made very clear in the email."

Lei Wen set down his coffee cup. The crisp sound of the porcelain hitting the table made several of the tycoons present flinch.

"The era of laissez-faire on Mars is over."

His voice wasn't loud, but no one could fail to hear the will behind it.

"The Human Federation is about to enter a phase of full integration; even national borders on Earth have been eliminated."

"But Mars still remains like an isolated island forgotten by the new era, retaining this disgusting system of exploitation."

"This is not in the interest of the Federation, and even less so in the future direction of Human Civilization."

A white-haired old man sitting at the head of the left side stood up.

His name was Kruger, the chairman of the Mars Heavy Industry Group and the spokesperson for this Business Federation.

He took a deep breath, trying to maintain his final shred of dignity.

"Director Raven, we acknowledge the power of Paradox Technology and respect the authority of the Earth Council, but..." Kruger pointed out the window, "Mars was built by generations of our people. While we were laying pipes in storms and mining ore under radiation, those gentlemen on Earth were still drinking champagne."

"Private property is sacred and inviolable; that is written in the constitution. Although the buyout plan you're proposing now seems to have a fair price, it is essentially a forced deprivation of our industries! This will stifle the economic vitality of Mars!"

"Vitality?" Lei Wen sneered, interrupting him.

"You mean letting tens of millions of workers carry debts they can't pay off in a lifetime, living in capsule rooms where they can barely turn over? Is that what you call vitality?"

"Mr. Kruger, times have changed."

Lei Wen stood up, and a holographic projection expanded behind him—it was a massive interstellar navigation chart.

"The reason you can throw your weight around here is because Mars used to be the only planetary-scale heavy industrial base in the Solar System, and the necessary path for using the gravity assist effect to reach the outer Solar System."

"But what about now?"

"Warp Engines have become common, the resources of the New Sun System are a hundred times richer than Mars, and the extraction costs are lower. Human colonial ships are heading toward Sirius and Barnards Star."

"Mars's strategic position is being marginalized."

"If you continue to be stuck in your ways and insist on that logic of exploitation, Mars will become a giant slum and abandoned industrial park within twenty years. I wonder how much your assets will shrink by then?"

Lei Wen's gaze swept over everyone.

"I didn't come here today to negotiate with you, but to give you one last way out."

"Accept the Federation's buyout plan and hand over control of infrastructure, energy networks, and key industries. In exchange, Paradox Technology will open up some commercial franchise rights in the new star systems to you."

"You can form new trade fleets and do business in the New Sun System or even further reaches of space. There are countless planets waiting to be developed and countless business opportunities waiting to be unearthed."

"Go from being vampires monopolizing a planet to traders traversing the sea of stars."

"If you refuse, by tomorrow morning, Paradox Technology's cargo ships will cease all high-end component supplies to Mars."

"The [Apocalypse] mainframe will cut off the connection between Mars and Earth's financial markets."

"The Interstellar Affairs General Bureau will list Mars as a high-risk investment zone and prohibit any Federation citizen from going to Mars for work."

"Your factories will come to a standstill, your stocks will become scrap paper, and your workers will riot because they can't get paid."

"When the time comes for me to clean up the mess, it won't be a buyout anymore, but a bankruptcy liquidation."

The conference room fell into a deathly silence.

This was a slaughter without smoke.

Lei Wen didn't even need to use a single soldier; merely relying on Paradox Technology's absolute control over the interstellar economic lifelines was enough to suffocate these tycoons who once ruled Mars.

Kruger's face was pale. Looking into Lei Wen's bottomless eyes, he knew the other man wasn't joking.

This young man had destroyed the Nikola Group, suppressed the governments of Earth, and conquered alien civilizations.

To oppose him was like striking a rock with an egg.

"Do we... still have a choice?" Kruger asked bitterly.

"Yes," Lei Wen smiled and sat back in his chair. "Choose to embrace the future, or choose to become the dust of history."

Ten minutes later, a "Mars Asset Restructuring and Federalization Agreement" was signed.

The capital barriers of Mars completely collapsed on this day... Having finished these headache-inducing official matters, Lei Wen walked out of the conference room and gave a long stretch.

"Finally settled."

He loosened his tie, and the oppressive feeling of controlling everything instantly dissipated.

"Next is private time."

"Grey Wind!"

Following his call, a silver ripple appeared in the air.

Countless nanoparticles gathered in the corridor, instantly coalescing into the familiar figure of the silver-haired girl.

Today, Grey Wind wasn't wearing that serious military uniform; instead, she had changed into a Bohemian-style dress full of summer vibes, with a wide sun hat on her head and an exaggerated pair of sunglasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Done? Did those old geezers turn green with fear?" As soon as Grey Wind appeared, she leaned close to Lei Wen, took his arm, and asked with a grin.

"Pretty much," Lei Wen gave her a doting look. "Let's go, I promised to take you for a good tour around Mars."

"Yay! Let's go!"

...Their first stop was the summit of Mount Olympus.

Lei Wen had just been meeting in the floating palace on the mountainside, but the real scenery was at the top.

The two of them took a small anti-gravity tour boat over the 21-kilometer-high volcanic cliffs and arrived at the caldera of the Solar System's highest peak.

This place was already beyond the coverage of the Martian atmosphere. The sky appeared a deep dark purple, and the stars were clearly visible even during the day.

And beneath their feet was a magnificent sea of clouds.

"Look! That's Valles Marineris!"

Grey Wind excitedly pointed below the sea of clouds at the massive fissure that looked as if it had split the planet in half.

The 4,000-kilometer-long, 7-kilometer-deep Valles Marineris was no longer a dry gully.

With the increase in atmospheric pressure and the establishment of the water cycle, the bottom of the canyon had gathered rivers, forming a series of long, narrow lakes.

White mist drifted through the canyon, and the red cliffs on both sides looked like burning flames under the sunlight.

"Two hundred years ago, this was still a dead land," Lei Wen remarked. "I remember back then, Elon, who had just landed on Mars, was racing down there and ended up flipping his car."

"Haha, I have that video saved! I take it out to enjoy from time to time!" Grey Wind said with a mischievous grin. "But seriously, your human ability to terraform a planet is clumsy, but it's also quite romantic."

"Clumsy?"

"Of course! If it were the Faleim People, they'd just set up an Atmospheric Processor over there and put in a few large Matter Converters. It would be done in less than ten years. You guys could only come up with some Impact Project and get yourselves all covered in dust."

"But that's where the fun is, isn't it?"

The tour boat dove down, entering the canyon.

The two of them traveled between the two walls, looking at the moss and lichen growing tenaciously on the cliffs, and the viewing platforms and settlements built on the edges of the precipices.

Human vitality is just like this moss; as long as there's a tiny crack, it will stubbornly take root and then spread... After seeing the scenery at the summit, they arrived at the New Tethys Sea.

This was the place Lei Wen wanted to see most.

Hellas Planitia, this once-massive impact crater, had now become a vast inland sea.

When the tour boat hovered over the sea, even Lei Wen had to admire this beauty.

The seawater appeared a strange blue-green, the result of dissolving a large amount of minerals and algae. The sea surface sparkled, and man-made tides lapped against the red beach.

"Water temperature 12 degrees, salinity 3.5%, suitable for cold-resistant algae and improved fish species to survive," Grey Wind recited the data. "Look, there's a group of people surfing over there!"

Lei Wen looked in the direction she was pointing, and sure enough, on the beach there were not only tourists on vacation but also many surfing enthusiasts.

Since the temperature on Mars was still relatively low, they wore thermal wetsuits and stood on surfboards, gliding through the Martian waves.

"Let's go down for a walk."

The tour boat landed on the beach.

Lei Wen and Grey Wind walked barefoot on the red beach. This man-made sand was a bit coarse, but the real sensation made Lei Wen feel incredibly relaxed.

"You know, Grey Wind," Lei Wen bent down and picked up a red stone that had been rounded by the sea's wash.

"Fifty years ago, there wasn't even a single drop of water here."

"When I made that decision back then, many people called me a madman, saying I would destroy Mars, that the impact would cause massive earthquakes and kill everyone."

"But now..."

He looked at the few white homemade sailboats on the sea in the distance.

"This is the result I wanted."

Grey Wind looked at Lei Wen, a flash of tenderness in her eyes.

"You're a strange dictator," she said softly. "Other dictators only think about conquest and possession, while you... always think about farming and digging holes."

"This is the self-cultivation of a farming-style player," Lei Wen laughed.

Grey Wind suddenly crouched down, her fingers dipping into the seawater.

Countless silver nanoparticles flowed from her fingertips, merging into the sea.

"I'll show you a magic trick!"

In the next second, dots of fluorescence suddenly appeared on the sea surface.

Those nanoparticles rapidly multiplied and arranged themselves in the water, actually constructing a pod of glowing "dolphins" on the sea surface.

They leapt out of the water, tracing graceful arcs in the air before falling back, splashing up a field of light points.

The surrounding tourists gasped in surprise, pulling out their devices to take photos.

"How was it? Good effect, right?" Grey Wind raised her head proudly.

"Very beautiful," Lei Wen praised sincerely.

The two of them strolled along the beach like this until the sun set.

Martian sunsets are different from Earth's.

Because of the tiny magnetite dust suspended in the atmosphere, when the sun sinks below the horizon, the sky doesn't stay yellow-orange; instead, a dreamlike blue appears.

Blue sunset, red beach, green ocean.

These three colors intertwined to form a breathtaking oil painting that belonged only to Mars.

Lei Wen and Grey Wind sat on a reef by the sea, quietly watching the blue sun slowly set.

"It's so quiet," Grey Wind leaned on Lei Wen's shoulder, rarely staying silent.

"Yeah," Lei Wen put his arm around her shoulder.

"It's too noisy over on Earth, everyone is shouting for this or that; it was too bitter here on Mars before, everyone was struggling just to survive."

"Only now, when all the dust has settled, when the shackles of the system are broken, when the environment has been improved..."

"Can we sit here and quietly watch a sunset."

Lei Wen looked at the gradually fading sky, where the first star had already lit up.

That was Earth.

"Grey Wind."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for always staying by my side."

"Pfft, stop being so mushy," Grey Wind snorted, but she snuggled closer into Lei Wen's arms. "I swore an oath to serve you for five thousand years; it's only been a bit over a hundred years, there's a long way to go."

"But..."

She looked up, her azure eyes sparkling in the twilight.

"We should come on vacation often in the future, okay?"

"Okay," Lei Wen promised. "In the future, we'll visit every single one of the most beautiful places in the entire Milky Way."

"It's a deal!"

Night fell, and Phobos and Deimos rose into the sky like two incomplete eyes, illuminating this newborn ocean.