The cloud of despair that had enveloped Ou and Xu dissipated upon learning of more supplies on Mars. Their previous dejection and hopelessness transformed into brightness and hope.
Over the following month, under the guidance of the base, the two individuals undertook extensive preparatory work. They not only gained a comprehensive understanding of the landing site conditions but also meticulously studied the preparations for the Mars landing plan. They knew exactly where the supply module was, where the return module was, and where the living module was.
This was merely the foundation. Ou Zhanpeng even meticulously documented the contents of the supply module, detailing the locations of provisions, water storage, fuel reserves, the return module's payload capacity, and the designated landing positions for the fighter jet.
As the saying goes, to do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools. Every piece of information related to the Mars plan was crucial and could not be overlooked.
Time flew by amidst these final preparations, and it was suddenly January 21st of the following year.
In the cockpit, Xu Qing was practically glued to the screen, reviewing the detected data again and again, only to sigh in disappointment.
Ou Zhanpeng drifted into the cockpit, asking, "How is it? Has the wind speed slowed down?"
Xu Qing shook her head with a grimace, "It's still the same."
Although there was no direct evidence, it had become a consensus among everyone that the alien species were interfering with the Martian dust storms.
Ou Zhanpeng handed her the heated lunch. Xu Qing took a bite, "How much provisions are left?"
"Enough for another half a month. We can't wait any longer; we must land soon."
Suddenly, Xu Qing found the food in her mouth unappetizing, "It's too dangerous. Let's wait a bit longer."
Ou Zhanpeng's expression was solemn, and his tone was equally despondent, "We can't wait any longer. We need to leave enough time for maneuvering."
Xu Qing chewed silently, and after a while, she asked, "When do you plan to start?"
"There's no time like the present. Let's do it today," Ou Zhanpeng replied.
While it was easy to say, actually landing on Mars was not that simple.
With the preparations almost complete, after lunch, the two stuffed all unnecessary supplies and equipment into the external pods, leaving only a few days' worth of provisions in the fighter jet.
At this point, all preparations were concluded. The fighter jet separated from the external pods and descended towards Mars.
Throughout this period, Ou Zhanpeng had strongly wished that Xu Qing would not join him in the adventure. His initial idea was to leave Xu Qing in orbit and land alone.
However, upon careful consideration, he realized it was impossible!
The Star隼 (Xīngsǔn) had been accompanying Phobos, with an orbital altitude of over 9300 kilometers. It would take a full four days just to reach a low orbit near Mars.
Coupled with the landing, transferring supplies, taking off again, and regaining altitude, each process required a considerable amount of time. All in all, it would take at least several days.
After the fighter jet departed, only the external pods would remain as temporary shelter in orbit. For three to five hours, it would be fine, but hiding in the external pods for seven to eight days… no, just the basic necessities like eating, drinking, and waste disposal would drive Xu Qing completely mad.
The cave on Phobos seemed like a good option. As long as there were enough provisions, living there for a lifetime wouldn't be an issue.
However, after careful consideration, Ou Zhanpeng rejected this idea.
That cave was, after all, the territory of the alien species. What if there were residual giant species inside? Xu Qing would be walking into a tiger's mouth.
After much deliberation, acting together was the most reliable option. Otherwise, Ou Zhanpeng worried about Xu Qing's safety in orbit, and Xu Qing worried about Ou Zhanpeng encountering any accidents during the descent.
On the afternoon of January 25th, the fighter jet arrived in Mars's low orbit without incident, with a real-time altitude of 144 kilometers.
Mars was no longer a sphere beneath their feet but a vast curved surface occupying half of their field of vision. With the naked eye, they could see air currents in different directions, laden with dust, colliding fiercely. Occasionally, a fleeting electrical spark could be seen within the storm.
The fighter jet flew to the side and above the landing site. Ou Zhanpeng quickly pressed a switch, "Drone One, launch!"
A drone immediately detached from the fighter jet. After a short while, it officially entered the Martian atmosphere, transmitting various data from its path back to the fighter jet.
"4.97 meters per second, speed continuously decreasing, attitude stable, visibility good, 56 kilometers to the storm's upper layer!"
The drone was originally designed for purely military purposes and was equipped with many sensors, but lacked any non-military detection functions.
To adapt to the requirements of landing on Mars, the base repeatedly modified the drone's control program, giving it more comprehensive detection capabilities.
The drone was extremely fast. The two watched as the dust stirred up by the storm rapidly enlarged on the screen. In just over twenty seconds, the drone plunged into the upper layer of the storm, and the lens was suddenly obscured by swirling dust.
"3.79 meters per second, continuing descent, attitude unstable, visibility unknown!" Xu Qing continued to report the data.
The speed was a bit too fast. Ou Zhanpeng adjusted the drone's flight attitude, and its speed rapidly decreased.
This time, it took more than a minute before Xu Qing reported again, "0.78 meters per second, altitude unknown, visibility unknown, estimated altitude 5 to 10 kilometers!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a solid landmass suddenly appeared in the blurred lens. Ou Zhanpeng's heart tightened, and he hurriedly controlled the drone to decelerate with full force. However, his actions were a step too slow. The landmass in the lens rapidly enlarged, eventually filling the entire screen. Subsequently, the fighter jet lost contact with the drone.
Xu Qing's final report was, "0.72 meters per second, altitude 0, visibility 600 meters."
Ou Zhanpeng exhaled softly, "Not bad, much better than expected."
Hearing this, Xu Qing felt much more at ease, "Are you confident?"
"Yes!" Ou Zhanpeng replied.
While he said that, how could such a matter have a hundred percent certainty? But the situation had reached this point, and there was no room for alternatives. Even with a slim chance, they had to take the risk.
Real-time altitude: 127 kilometers.
After circling Mars for two weeks and adjusting the fighter jet's position, Ou Zhanpeng suppressed the agitation in his heart and carefully controlled his tone, "Are you ready?"
"Ready!" Xu Qing replied, her heart pounding like a drum.
"Here we go!" Ou Zhanpeng gently nudged the control stick. The orbital altitude continued to decrease. Before long, the inverted fighter jet officially entered the Martian atmosphere.
At this point, the fighter jet was still in the upper layers of the Martian atmosphere, far above the storm's altitude, and visibility was excellent.
The fighter jet descended extremely rapidly. Flashing indicator lights and beeping alarms filled the cockpit. Ou Zhanpeng did his best to control the fighter jet, but the limited fuel had to be saved for the most critical moments. At this stage, they had to rely on the aerodynamic design to decelerate the fighter jet.
However, the Martian atmosphere was thin, and the air resistance was pitifully small.
Before long, the fighter jet had descended tens of kilometers. Seeing that the storm's upper layer was just below, Ou Zhanpeng lightly pressed a button. Darkness flashed beneath the fighter jet, and another drone detached, plunging into the raging winds to scout ahead.
Just two seconds later, the Star隼 plunged into the storm.