Mars.
It took a full half-month for the return capsule to finally reach its designated altitude.
The date was February 11th, the seventeenth day of the first lunar month.
They could have actually been faster, but to facilitate the transport of supplies, they had to carefully coordinate altitude and speed. Thus, the return capsule needed to retain sufficient emergency fuel, forcing a sacrifice in speed.
Although the journey was long, the process was smooth. There were neither ground-based alien species obstructing them nor aerial alien species intercepting them.
Ou Zhanpeng had long been prepared for confrontation with any incoming enemies. The fact that nothing unusual occurred left him wondering if the alien species on Phobos had chosen to endure or if they were truly wiped out.
Regardless, the issue of supplies was finally resolved. The days of not daring to eat or drink were a thing of the past. They no longer had to rack their brains to conserve resources. The feeling of seeing a glimmer of hope after enduring hardships was something those who hadn't personally experienced it could never imagine.
With the crisis averted, everything returned to normal. The two of them entered a cycle of sleep and awakening every three days. Although most of the time they could only glimpse each other's sleeping faces through the capsule hatch, in the cold, silent void far from Earth, their two lonely hearts drew closer, warming and comforting each other, eventually becoming each other's reliance.
Time flew by, and it was already June. It had been a full year since the Endurance set out. The rescue ship finally arrived at Mars and entered an orbital path.
Ou and Xu first received instructions from the ground, then controlled the ship to enter the designated orbit, and finally, the fighter jet docked with the ship.
The moment they stepped into the ship, Xu Qing let out a loud cheer, like a delighted child. The first thing she did was rush into the shower and take a long, thorough bath.
Finally, they were out of the cramped fighter jet!
Although they still had plenty of supplies, and despite the fact that both of them were meticulous about cleaning, after seven months of orbital flight, the fighter jet had inevitably become cluttered. Just the issue of how to bathe had given them considerable trouble.
There was no way around it. The fighter jet had limited space, making it impossible to install bathing facilities. Moreover, the fighter jet didn't have enough water; while there was enough for drinking, there wasn't enough for a leisurely bath.
They could only use wet wipes to clean themselves, pretending it was a bath. For astronauts, bathing, like personal hygiene, was a problem that couldn't be openly discussed but also couldn't be ignored!
However, substitutes were just substitutes; they couldn't achieve the effect of a real bath. One or two days might be tolerable, but over time, Ou Zhanpeng could still endure, but Xu Qing felt as if something were crawling on her skin, extremely uncomfortable. It even escalated to the point where she didn't want Ou Zhanpeng to get too close.
The Mars spaceship was different. It was designed to carry eight to twelve people and had several bathrooms and restrooms.
After an hour in the bathroom, Xu Qing felt much lighter and refreshed, convinced she had scrubbed off at least three pounds of dirt.
Ou Zhanpeng impatiently entered the bathroom. He was much quicker, taking only forty minutes in total.
Both feeling refreshed and looking at each other's revitalized appearance, they suddenly burst into laughter simultaneously.
Like parting the clouds to see the moon, after waiting for a full seven months, they had finally received their ship. From this moment on, they could return to Earth at any time.
However, being able to leave was one thing; being able to leave was another.
After several months of buffering, the intensity of the Martian storm had significantly weakened, but the dust covering the globe showed no signs of dissipating.
It was important to remember that this storm had been raging from November of the previous year until now, lasting for a full seven months!
During this period, the Martian surface remained hidden beneath the dust. They, stranded in orbit, could only stare at each other, completely unable to see what the alien species were doing beneath the dust.
It was no exaggeration to say that, at this very moment, they were humanity's last and only firewall on Mars. Returning home was easy, but the missiles remaining in orbit could not launch automatically. If they left, it would play directly into the hands of the alien species, and the situation on Mars would inevitably collapse.
This was not a matter of whether they could bear it, but doing so would mean Mars, and the entire human world, could not afford it.
Therefore, the ship had arrived, but it only brought supplies and improved their living conditions. The return journey remained a distant prospect.
What was even more worrying was the extent to which the alien species had developed.
Ou Zhanpeng believed that when the dust dissipated and the Martian surface reappeared, the alien species would give all of humanity a huge surprise.
By then, let alone having only four weapon modules in orbit outside Mars, even several more warships might not be able to do anything to the alien base.
These thoughts had long been in Ou Zhanpeng's mind. A strong sense of crisis had always loomed over him, but he hadn't voiced it to avoid worrying Xu Qing.
Deep down, he desperately wanted to send Xu Qing back to Earth and stay behind alone. But this idea was completely unrealistic. They were both soldiers, carrying out the same mission. If Xu Qing returned and he stayed, what would headquarters think? How would others view them? Could Xu Qing ever hold her head high for the rest of her life?
These combined factors held Ou Zhanpeng and Xu Qing firmly in orbit around Mars. They could not leave until the alien species was dealt with.
If they could endure with only one fighter jet, there was no reason they couldn't persevere now that they had a spaceship.
After a brief discussion, the two quickly reached a consensus and immediately reported this decision to headquarters, receiving high praise.
To be honest, headquarters hadn't intended for them to return so soon. They would have at least waited for the storm to end, or at the very least, be able to claim they couldn't find the alien species on the surface.
If they had immediately returned without regard, once the news got out, Ou Zhanpeng and Xu Qing would instantly become public enemies.
However, that wasn't to say they absolutely had to wait for the storm on Mars to end.
Previously, the fighter jet lacked the necessary equipment to scan the situation beneath the dust. The Mars spaceship was different. This vessel was specifically built for landing on Mars and was equipped with all sorts of instruments related to Martian exploration. A little dust? A piece of cake!
Under ground command, the two immediately began operating, activating various detection equipment to comprehensively scan the situation on Mars.
The remote sensing equipment could not only scan the surface but even penetrate it, detecting anomalies at a certain depth underground. According to the original plan, this technology was intended for prospecting mineral distribution on Mars, not for searching for alien bases.
Although the purpose differed, the principle was the same, and the process was very similar.
With all preparations complete, when the equipment was activated and the scan results appeared on the screen, both of them were astonished.