On June 22, 2065, the military held a simple, secret launch ceremony for the Expeditionary Force. Subsequently, the warship Expeditionary Force accelerated its departure, gradually increasing its orbital altitude.
On the 26th, as the launch window approached, the warship separated from Earth. Forty-eight of the most elite soldiers, shouldering the mission to save humanity, piloted the warship towards Mars.
Groups B and C ultimately did not get the chance to ascend, but this training was extraordinary, recorded prominently in everyone's files.
Many years later, most of them became the backbone of the space force, but every time the Mars expedition was mentioned, there was a hint of regret in their words.
Some people and some things, once missed, are a lifelong regret. For the members of the training team, not being able to fly to Mars with the Expeditionary Force was their greatest regret in life.
Onboard the Expeditionary Force, everyone's mood had long since shifted from the excitement of departure to a profound calm. Or rather, as high-spirited as they were at the start, they were now equally lost and sorrowful.
No one knew what the outcome of this journey would be, but everyone was determined to give their all.
The warship did depart successfully, but the long voyage was more troublesome than expected.
First was accommodation. As arranged by the military, the 48 people were divided into four groups. Besides the first group maintaining combat readiness and staying awake, the other three groups entered the sleep pods in rotation over three days.
This was done for two reasons: first, the warship's automation was extremely high. Twelve people could handle most situations. Only in case of a full-scale engagement would everyone need to be on deck.
Second, since cryogenic sleep technology was not yet mature, each person's longest sleep time was only a little over seventy hours. This meant that after sleeping for three days, they had to wake up, attend to personal matters, and spend some time exercising before going back to sleep.
Simply put, it was three days awake, one day asleep, until after a month, then the next group would go into hibernation while the second group was on duty.
This rotation would continue until they reached Mars.
The three groups entering the pods on different days meant they would also wake up on different days, avoiding overcrowding and sudden emptiness.
Ou Zhanpeng couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder everyone had to become a jack-of-all-trades. This is what they were preparing for!"
Secondly, it was about food. The on-duty group had no issues; they could eat normally. But the three groups in hibernation could not. The only thing they could eat was high-energy nutrient paste.
It wasn't that ordinary food couldn't be eaten. However, because cryogenic sleep reduced the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and impaired digestion, any food consumed would begin to decompose and spoil in the stomach and intestines before it could be digested, ultimately leading to various health problems.
Who would willingly invite illness if they could stay healthy?
Unexpectedly, Ou Zhanpeng was appointed as the leader of Group Three.
Ling Xiao's performance was also good, but due to his overly lively personality, he was not assigned a management position.
This outcome left Ling Xiao quite dejected, and he was still grumbling incessantly even before entering the sleep pod.
The on-duty group was not idle either. Every day, just like at the base, they had to load simulation data and conduct drills using the actual ship as a simulation.
Of course, this was in a pure simulation mode that did not involve the control systems.
After all, there was gravity on the ground, but not on the warship. Simply adapting to zero-gravity was only the first step. How to adapt to combat in a zero-gravity environment was a new challenge facing everyone.
On July 14th, Ou Zhanpeng woke up for the eighth time.
Climbing out of the sleep pod, the first thing everyone did was wash their faces, brush their teeth, and attend to personal hygiene.
Because it was sleep and not freezing, all physiological functions were merely slowed down, not paused. Therefore, the oil in their hair, the dead skin on their bodies, and the breath in their mouths were all the same as when they woke up on a normal day.
It was just that in a zero-gravity environment, attending to personal hygiene was also a significant hassle.
However, the warship had a cramped space and poor air circulation. If personal hygiene was not maintained, various body odors would turn living people into mobile biochemical bombs. Therefore, whether it was a space station or a space warship, maintaining personal hygiene was not just a matter of cleanliness; it was also a matter of the shared living environment for everyone.
Ling Xiao, while poking his finger around in his mouth, complained vaguely, "When will we get artificial gravity?"
Ou Zhanpeng swallowed the toothpaste in his mouth and replied, "We'll wait. We'll have it someday."
This was not baseless. According to authoritative information obtained before departure, researchers at the Luojian Mountain Base had found a set of equipment in an alien warship that was likely used to generate artificial gravity.
As long as that device was thoroughly studied, the day artificial gravity was realized would not be too far off.
"Let's hope so!" Ling Xiao swallowed the toothpaste with a grimace, turned, and floated into the bathroom, attaching the face mask and initiating the shower program. The water sprayed from above flowed over his entire body, carried by the air.
Soon after, Ling Xiao, feeling refreshed, dried himself and put on a jumpsuit before floating out of the bathroom. In a zero-gravity environment, jumpsuits were standard attire. Wearing them this way avoided the various troubles and embarrassments caused by clothes flying around.
Also to avoid trouble, many female soldiers had cut their hair short, and some had even shaved their heads completely.
If one saw a beautiful figure in the warship with an electric shaver moving back and forth on her head, shaving off stubble, do not be surprised; it was a female soldier grooming her freshly grown hair.
To be honest, at first, everyone was a little unaccustomed to it. But it was merely a novelty. Once they got used to seeing it, it was actually quite acceptable.
As a result, more female soldiers shaved their heads. The male soldiers who kept their short hair were at a loss. They couldn't all have flowing long hair, could they?
And there wasn't enough time!
The cabin door opened, and Luo Tu floated in. "Ling Xiao, where's Ou Fei?"
Ling Xiao gestured with his chin. "Still in the bathroom!"
Originally, only he called him Ou Fei, but strangely, nicknames were always more popular than real names. As a result, few people knew Ou Zhanpeng, but Ou Fei was known to everyone.
"Still not out?"
Luo Tu turned and floated out. "Then tell him for me, the alien species' escape pod has already started orbiting Mars. If nothing unexpected happens, it should land today."
"Alien species" was the term used by the people on the moon. The entire training team, only Ou Zhanpeng and Ling Xiao called them that. It was just that over time, everyone was slowly influenced by the two of them.
After all, whether those alien creatures were actually human was still debatable.
Ling Xiao was stunned. "Today? That's a coincidence!"
Luo Tu smiled happily. "It is quite a coincidence. You guys are lucky to catch it!"
"Hurry, hurry, let's go see!"
Those who had finished grooming responded immediately. Those who hadn't hurried to finish. By the time Ou Zhanpeng floated out of the bathroom, most of them had already left, with only Ling Xiao waiting for him.
"What's going on?" Ou Zhanpeng asked.
"The alien species is about to land," Ling Xiao said.