Xie Yu suddenly recalled some news: "Hey, have you two heard about this?"
"Heard what?"
Xie Yu looked mysterious: "Commander Gong said that Luojian Mountain is a very high-quality iron ore deposit. If you dig a few shovels anywhere in the mountain pass, you can find iron ore. He also said that the aliens landing here wasn't an accident, but intentional. They might want to use the local resources to repair their warships, or even build a base and rise again."
Ou Zhanpeng was immediately stunned: "Is there such a thing?"
Ling Xiao looked as if to say, 'Don't tell me you know me': "The whole fleet knows, and you're the only one who doesn't?"
"Why didn't you mention it to me?"
"When did I not? I told you yesterday that they planned to mine on the moon, have you forgotten so quickly?"
Ou Zhanpeng slapped his forehead: "I remember now. You also said something about building a base, right?"
"Yes, yes!" Xie Yu nodded repeatedly, a sense of infinite emotion suddenly arising in his heart. "It won't be long before Luojian Mountain becomes our first mining base on the moon, and then a smelting base. If we can digest the alien technology, we might even be able to set up a warship factory!"
At this point, the three of them burst into laughter, imagining powerful warships appearing one after another, filling the lunar surface. They were filled with boundless longing.
"I have some news too," said Ou Zhanpeng. "About the aliens."
Xie Yu's interest immediately piqued: "Tell us."
"The fleet has been tracking the alien escape pod, and they say it's heading towards Mars, possibly intending to settle there," Ou Zhanpeng said. "I was hoping the aliens would leave the solar system altogether, but now that I think about it carefully, an escape pod probably doesn't have the ability to fly into interstellar space. So, they have to find a place to settle within our system. It seems they've chosen Mars."
Xie Yu's smile immediately vanished: "No way? What does the command say about that?"
Mars, after all, was one of the eight major planets. Although not comparable to Earth, it possessed superior conditions that other planets couldn't match. If the aliens were truly allowed to establish a foothold on Mars... the mere thought sent a shiver down his spine.
"I don't know," Ou Zhanpeng said. "They haven't arrived yet, and it's still uncertain what they're looking for."
Ling Xiao interjected: "If you ask me, there's no need to worry about it. Let the aliens go wherever they want. If the sky falls, the tall ones will bear it. Command knows much better than us how to deal with them. It's not our place to worry needlessly, right?"
To strengthen his point, he even made a gesture with his little finger.
Xie Yu began to understand: "Hey, hey, Ling Xiao, why are you so down today? You're spreading negativity with every word you speak. What's wrong? Did your confession fail, and you've given up?"
"That's not true!" Ling Xiao boasted, tilting his head back at a forty-five-degree angle. "I'm too busy rejecting people to confess! What a waste of time!"
Xie Yu became even more curious: "Then something is definitely wrong. What kind of setback have you suffered?"
"Ignore him, this guy has his days every month. Let him have his meltdown," Ou Zhanpeng forcefully steered the conversation back on track. "Personally, I think it's a good thing for the aliens to stay on Mars. At least we know where they are, and we'll know where to find them when it's time to act. If all else fails, we can build a bunch of missiles and drop nukes on Mars, and we can definitely kill those sons of bitches."
Xie Yu laughed when he heard this: "I like the sound of that. Once the new warships are built, we'll just take them and push over there and kill them."
"I'm just afraid that the aliens' objective isn't Mars," Ou Zhanpeng said. "If it were me, I definitely wouldn't choose that damn place called Mars."
This was not difficult to understand. Although Mars was a planet, once they landed, it would be difficult to take off again. If they built a base on Mars, it would be like handing over their lifeline to humanity. As long as humanity had the capability, they could be subjected to a fatal strike at any moment.
Conversely, if they abandoned Mars and dispersed into the asteroid belt or even further away, then they would truly have the freedom of the sky and sea.
In such a vast solar system, they could easily hide in any obscure corner, and it would be incredibly difficult to find them.
If they were to hide in scattered locations, it would be even more troublesome. If such a day were to come, the situation would completely tilt in favor of the aliens. Earth would still belong to humanity, but the entire solar system, apart from Earth, would belong to the aliens. How could they fight this war?
Simply put, this was the interstellar version of surrounding the cities from the countryside. Just thinking about it gave Ou Zhanpeng a splitting headache.
"Alright, you're just a maid, why are you worrying like a princess? Command has definitely considered things more thoroughly than we have. As long as we do our jobs well, we're contributing to the elimination of the aliens."
While they were chatting aimlessly, someone suddenly delivered a heavily wrapped object. It was quite large, and they specifically asked Ou Zhanpeng to sign for it.
Ou Zhanpeng casually asked: "What is this mysterious thing?"
"This, it's either a hibernation pod or a cultivation tank," Xie Yu said. "When this thing was discovered, there were still some small giant specimens soaked in several of the tanks. Everyone thought this must be a good thing, but no one knew how to use it. Guanghan Station took one back yesterday, and this one is being sent to the warship first, and then it will be sent back to the ground."
Upon hearing this, Ou Zhanpeng counted on his fingers. The known information alone was an unimaginably great harvest. If they could fully understand the functions and uses of all alien artifacts, especially the technology for using them, they would truly soar to unprecedented heights.
The pod was large, and it took them considerable effort to get it into the transport through the tail hatch.
They even had to temporarily remove two rows of seats, causing the transport's center of gravity to shift significantly backward, making it obviously top-heavy.
Ou Zhanpeng could already imagine how unstable the fuselage would be when it took off.
"This won't do, we need ballast!" Ling Xiao said.
Without question, Xie Yu immediately made arrangements. They retrieved some cabin panels from the broken ship and managed to barely weigh down the front of the transport.
After a few more exchanges, Ou Zhanpeng received orders from the fleet to immediately return the cultivation tank.
"Then we'll be going now," Ou Zhanpeng said, taking his leave.
Xie Yu looked regretful: "The conditions are limited now, so we really can't entertain you properly. Once the research station is repaired, we'll definitely host you well!"
Ou Zhanpeng sighed dejectedly: "By the time that happens, it won't be me coming."
Xie Yu was stunned: "What's wrong?"
"Command has spoken with me and plans to transfer me back to Yun Gong Base. They said there's too much debris in orbit, all left by the aliens, and they need a large number of people to clear the orbit as soon as possible."
"Is that so!" Xie Yu sighed. "Then we'll meet again!"
"Until we meet again!"