Days later, at Luojian Mountain.
A new scientific research station had its foundation laid and was under tense construction. Engineering personnel carried heavy prefabricated components up and down, each like a Hercules injected with chicken blood, their efficiency astonishingly high.
A transport shuttle descended from the sky, hovering at the mountain pass. A ground crew member waved a fluorescent baton, guiding the shuttle to slowly land on the makeshift landing field.
The hatch opened, and Ou Zhanpeng leaped out of the shuttle, his feet landing steadily. He then stamped his feet.
Hmm, the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet was much more comfortable. Even with the lower gravity on the moon, it was much better than being in a spaceship with complete weightlessness.
Xie Yu, who had been waiting here, immediately greeted him, "Ou Zhanpeng, Ou… Whoa, Lieutenant? Did you get promoted ahead of schedule?"
Ou Zhanpeng chuckled, "I also got a first-class merit citation, already recorded in my file."
Xie Yu's eyes reddened. That was a first-class combat merit; any soldier wouldn't envy it?
But upon closer thought, it wasn't surprising. It would be an exaggeration to say Ou Zhanpeng single-handedly scared away the aliens, but saying he played a decisive role in the process was not an overstatement at all. What was wrong with a special promotion? He earned it with his life, and others might not even be able to achieve it even if they tried.
"Where's that kid Ling Xiao? Why are you alone?" Xie Yu skillfully changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the disheartening topic of military merits.
Without comparison, there was no pain. Even now, the higher-ups were still discussing whether his command had any issues. It would be good if he wasn't disciplined, let alone receive military merits. What a joke!
Ou Zhanpeng looked back, just as Ling Xiao emerged from the transport shuttle. "See, isn't he right here?"
Ling Xiao obediently climbed down the ladder and greeted Xie Yu.
His military rank had also changed to Second Lieutenant, but standing beside Ou Zhanpeng, he felt a sense of defeat as if he were half a head shorter.
They joined the army together, selected for the orbital assault team together, and entered the flight training class together. They had always been evenly matched. How did the distance suddenly widen?
It was unjust!
This was when the rear hatch of the transport shuttle opened, and a group of researchers in full EVA suits stumbled out, looking like a flock of spasming ducks.
Seeing their comical postures, Xie Yu knew immediately, "First time in space for all of you, right?"
Ou Zhanpeng nodded, "Precisely. I heard they were experts urgently summoned from the capital, all very accomplished. The higher-ups were eager for results and sent them up after only a few days of training, they can't even properly wear the EVA suits."
"Really?" Xie Yu was beside himself. "Who is responsible if something goes wrong?"
He understood the capital's eagerness, but aerospace was a very rigorous science, and the slightest carelessness could lead to casualties. Sending a group of elderly men who hadn't even received basic training, what were they trying to do?
Ling Xiao sighed helplessly, "Aren't we here to be nannies?"
He had deliberately moved a step slower than Ou Zhanpeng to check if these elderly gentlemen had properly put on their EVA suits.
If there were casualties due to EVA suit depressurization, he couldn't bear that responsibility.
Xie Yu sighed, "The capital is really investing heavily!"
"Isn't that the truth!" Ou Zhanpeng said, then proactively approached the expert team. "Gentlemen, for safety's sake, let's first adapt to the environment. It won't be too late to look at the alien warship after we get used to it!"
Ling Xiao called out loudly, but there were few respondents. The experts' eyes were already fixed on the cracked, broken ship. They unwillingly hopped a few times in place to adapt, completely ignoring Ling Xiao's heartfelt plea. Like runaway rabbits, they bounced towards the broken ship, only to be stopped by Gong Yiding.
Upon hearing that the assault team had captured the alien warship, Station Chief Gong immediately put down his research, gathered his personnel, and rushed to Luojian Mountain. He used his authoritative position to take control of the broken ship, acting as the chief steward.
He carefully verified everyone's identity information and made detailed records. Only after confirming everything was in order did the satisfied Station Chief Gong open the passage, ushering the eager expert team into the broken ship.
Due to their lack of adaptation to the weightless environment, the expert team had endured hardships. But the moment they saw the broken ship with their own eyes, all their fatigue and hardship vanished.
This was an alien warship!
They had studied the data of the broken ship on the way and were already familiar with its internal structure. They immediately split into several groups, heading to different locations.
Some remained outside to examine the composition of the hull, trying to cut off a piece to take back for research. Others wandered around, carefully exploring the ship's structure. Still others specifically sought out large compartments, intent on finding various equipment left behind by the aliens.
No matter how damaged or broken the ship was, it was still alien technology, possessing great reference value for humanity.
Ou Zhanpeng let out a long breath and asked curiously, "Captain Xie, have there been any discoveries in the past few days?"
"Oh, there have been many." Mentioning this, Xie Yu's spirits immediately soared. "There are several thrusters alone, over eight meters in diameter, as big as rockets. They are now arranging for people to dismantle and survey them. I heard they plan to reverse-engineer them."
"Hmph, hmph!" Ling Xiao couldn't help but curl his lips. "Just you wait. It's not me being a wet blanket, but alien technology, it's not that easy to copy. Who knows how long it will take!"
"Who says not!" Xie Yu also felt a bit melancholic. "In addition, two large pieces of equipment were discovered. One is connected to the thruster and is likely a power core. The other is directly connected to the power core. Some say it's a power component, while others say it's an independent device. They've been arguing for days without a conclusion, waiting for the experts."
"It's all alien technology. The experts aren't much better than us!" Ou Zhanpeng said.
"I like hearing that!" Ling Xiao, uncharacteristically, agreed.
"You actually hit the nail on the head!" Xie Yu gestured towards the broken ship. "There are specialists responsible for everything – power, pipelines, materials, weapons. But yesterday, they discovered several warehouses filled with food, clothing, daily necessities, all sorts of miscellaneous items, piled together. They have no idea what they are for."
"Warehouses?" Ou and Ling looked at each other, their minds a bit bewildered.
"Not neatly sorted and packaged?" Ling Xiao asked.
They were all soldiers. Sorting, packaging, and neat placement were deeply ingrained in them. They simply couldn't imagine how the aliens' logistics management could be so chaotic!
"No!" Xie Yu said. "There's too much stuff, and they're short on people here, so there's no time to sort through it. It's all still piled up in the warehouses. Don't think that the aliens took away a lot; they also left behind quite a bit, enough for us to be busy for a while."
Ling Xiao suddenly said, "Is this considered picking up some alien leftovers?"
Ou and Xie were stunned, then both laughed at Ling Xiao's remark.
Come to think of it, it really was the case!