Leaving their footprints on Mars, Ou and Xu returned to the fighter jet. The drone went online again, circling the fighter jet, one lap, then another.
The drone was too light and small, tossed about by the violent airflow, but fortunately, the impact wasn't too severe.
With each lap, the range expanded, and the surrounding terrain was meticulously recorded by the fire control system and precisely compared with previous data. Any change was flagged by the system.
In a short while, the screen was densely covered with dozens of anomaly markers, mostly changes caused by the storm.
After just three to five minutes, a tall, dark shadow suddenly appeared on the screen. Ou Zhanpeng immediately maneuvered the drone towards it. A tall, tower-like spacecraft entered the frame.
Continuing the observation, several more haphazardly placed modules were found nearby.
The return module, tail-down and head-up, was thick at the bottom, thin at the waist, and narrow at the head. With just a signal, it could be launched into space immediately.
The reason for needing to land was that the return module was just a spacecraft, capable only of flying from the Martian surface to orbit. All fuel and supplies were stored in other modules.
This was why landing was essential.
"Found it!" Xu Qing exclaimed, a mix of surprise and joy in her voice.
Ou Zhanpeng's gaze was heavy as he continued to pilot the drone, meticulously scanning the area around the landing site inch by inch. Only when he was certain there were no issues did he show a look of surprise.
Xu Qing couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking for?"
Ou Zhanpeng shook his head, "I just feel that after the alien species arrived on Mars, they must have scanned the entire planet. With such a large spacecraft standing there, it's impossible for them not to have seen it. Even out of curiosity, they should have sent someone to investigate, right? But look, all the modules are in their original positions, untouched. Does that seem reasonable to you?"
Spacecraft were technological products. Even if the alien species followed a different path than humans, they could instantly recognize that a spacecraft was not a natural formation and easily guess the origin of these artificial objects. Anyone normal encountering such a situation would instinctively investigate. Even if there was no danger, they would destroy it to prevent future trouble.
But what about the alien species?
Before the Martian storm, there were no unusual movements from the enemy. But who could guarantee that the enemy remained inactive after the dust obscured the Martian surface?
Xu Qing was not a thoughtless ornament. She immediately understood Ou Zhanpeng's meaning. Her thoughts raced, but in the end, she said nothing.
When it came to combat, Ou Zhanpeng was far more experienced than her.
As the drone expanded its search range and confirmed no anomalies near the landing site, Ou Zhanpeng immediately activated the fighter jet. The thruster flames erupted, propelling the jet into the air.
Xu Qing was a bit bewildered. Why the sudden 180-degree turn from a state of high alert?
"Did you find something?" she asked.
Ou Zhanpeng shook his head, "I was thinking too much just now. The escape pod is small and can't hold many alien species. They also have three bases, so their manpower must not be abundant. Even if they intended to set a trap, they wouldn't keep people stationed here all the time, would they?"
Xu Qing suddenly realized, "That makes some sense."
"So, we must hurry!"
As he spoke, the fighter jet had already flown over the landing site and was slowly descending near the return module.
Ou Zhanpeng leaped out of the jet, pointing at a module lying on the ground and shouting, "Quick, quick, that module! Open it and move them out!"
"Received!" Xu Qing didn't dare to delay and rushed over, entered the password, and opened the hatch, revealing intact packages.
Each package was about a meter square. She could carry one in each hand without much impact on her speed. She placed them securely in the tail compartment of the fighter jet before starting the second round of transport.
Speed wasn't just about tossing things; securing and transporting had to be done simultaneously. If they were just thrown into the tail compartment, it would affect the fighter jet's balance, and a forced takeoff could even lead to a crash.
Ou Zhanpeng's movements were even faster. He found a module, fiddled with it for a moment, and two pairs of wheels appeared underneath. He drove the module near the fighter jet like driving a convertible, pulled out a hose, attached it to the fighter's refueling port, secured it, and began to continuously inject fuel into the jet.
After filling the fuel tank, he drove it to the other side and added the remaining fuel to the return module.
While refueling, he didn't slack off. Like a diligent worker ant, he shuttled back and forth, carrying heavy packages with long strides and placing them into the return module.
Before long, the fighter jet was loaded. Just as Xu Qing was about to come and help, Ou Zhanpeng suddenly received an alert from the fighter jet.
It was an alert from the drone. Something unexpected must have happened!
His heart tightened, and he quickly opened his terminal. He immediately saw several giant creatures moving in the dust.
Just as he feared!
Ou Zhanpeng threw the package on his back into the return module. Without bothering to secure it, he yelled, "Xu Qing, get in the plane, quick!"
"Received!" Xu Qing didn't waste a single word and turned to get into the fighter jet.
Ou Zhanpeng closed the cabin door, removed the fuel hose, threw a grenade into the fuel tank, and ran back, praying in his heart, "Hope the fuel is enough."
He sprinted into the fighter jet, threw himself into the pilot's seat, and without even fastening his seatbelt, he immediately started the jet.
The numerous packages in the tail compartment added significant weight to the fighter jet, making it noticeably more sluggish to maneuver. "Where is the drone?"
Xu Qing immediately checked the data. "Three kilometers to the northeast, visibility 600 meters!"
"What's the enemy's speed?"
"Unknown, no drone signal received. It was likely shot down by the enemy."
Ou Zhanpeng gritted his teeth. "Got it. Brace yourself!"
He slowly pushed the throttle to the maximum. With a roar, the fighter jet slowly lifted off the ground, rising higher and faster.
As soon as the fighter jet took off, Xu Qing sent the ignition signal. The return module let out an even more muffled roar and also took to the sky.
Shortly after the return module took off, a dozen giant creatures appeared near the landing site. But they were ultimately too late, only able to fire at the return module in the sky in vain.
However, as soon as they raised their arms, with a muffled boom, the grenade detonated the fuel tank. Tons of fuel and oxidizer mixed, rapidly spreading into a massive fireball. The shockwave spread outwards at a speed far exceeding the storm, stirring up sand and stones wherever it went, obscuring the sun and moon.
In an instant, all the giant creatures were engulfed in flames. The various modules left at the landing site were also destroyed in the explosion, leaving behind only scorched, twisted steel and a dozen completely silent giant creatures.
A moment later, the flames spread into a giant, squat mushroom cloud. Even the fighter jet and the return module in the air were affected by the explosion, experiencing violent tremors.