September 16, 2067, after a long journey of five months, Expedition Two finally returned to Earth!
Although the return journey was much faster than the outbound trip, the expedition team was eager to get home. As they watched the blue planet growing closer outside the window, their excitement mounted.
They had been away for over two years. Returning to Earth felt like a lifetime had passed.
The male soldiers were already planning where to relax and which long-lost friends to meet for a drink; the female soldiers were inviting each other for shopping sprees, intending to buy all the clothes, shoes, and bags they had missed out on for the past two years!
The Moon was ahead. The cratered lunar surface now looked so familiar.
A familiar voice came from the radio: "Expedition Two, this is Gong Yiding from the Lunar Base. On behalf of the Luojiangshan Scientific Research Base, I extend a warm welcome to the returning warriors. Comrades, you have worked hard!"
For some reason, upon hearing these words, scenes from the expedition flashed through Ou Zhanpeng's mind like a movie. His nose stung, and he almost shed a tear.
Ling Xiao turned his face away and grumbled discontentedly, "What era is this? Still using the same old lines!"
Even though he said that, the slightly off-key tone betrayed his true feelings.
When personally experiencing everything, it was tough and tiring, but there was always a spirit within that supported him to keep going. He kept telling himself to grit his teeth and persevere; he would get through it.
But no one was a masochist. Who would choose to stand on the ground if they could lie in bed?
Although it was just a very ordinary greeting, at this moment, the loneliness and helplessness from far away, the heaviness and powerlessness when facing strong enemies, seemed to finally receive the understanding and acceptance they deserved.
The male soldiers could hold back, but many emotional female soldiers had already burst into tears, as if to release all the hardships, fatigue, and grievances of the journey.
After so many twists and turns, everyone's heart had accumulated many insights, which would not dissipate with time but would only slowly ferment.
Liu Wenwen's eyes widened, and she forcefully suppressed all her vulnerability: "Thank you for your concern and greetings, fellow comrades. We have returned!"
Her voice carried across the airwaves. Just two seconds later, another voice emerged: "Expedition Two, this is Shan Qiuyu. The celebration banquet is ready, and I'm waiting for your return!"
"Thank you, Director. We will do our best to return to the base as soon as possible and definitely attend the celebration banquet you've arranged!"
"Haha, absolutely, absolutely!" Shan Qiuyu laughed heartily, immensely pleased.
"This is Yun Gong Two, welcome home!"
"We are the United Federation, welcome back to Earth!"
"Tovarishch, Здравствуйте, Ura..." (Found online, not sure if it's correct. Brothers who know, please advise.)
Suddenly, the radio became chaotic. Greetings from various companions erupted one after another. The clumsy Chinese and the completely garbled foreign languages made everyone dizzy, completely ruining the touching atmosphere from moments ago.
The warship officially flew past the lunar orbit. Ou Zhanpeng shifted his gaze and accurately located Luojiangshan.
With his super vision, he zoomed in on the lunar surface and suddenly noticed a crater with a very regular edge on the side of Luojiangshan. It wasn't deep. It didn't look like a meteor crater, nor did it look like a bomb crater. If he had to describe it, it was like a mischievous child had used a plate to scrape off a thin layer of sand from a smooth beach.
He didn't dwell on it, just glanced at it and then looked away.
He wondered how the base's research was progressing. Unfortunately, he never had those dreams again.
Expedition Two continued its journey, gradually moving away from the Moon.
The warship suddenly received a signal from Yun Gong Two. The blue and white Earth occupied half of the screen. Above the horizon, an expedition warship was quietly suspended in orbit.
"Expedition Three!" a gasp from the bridge revealed the identity of the warship.
"This is the launch site of Expedition Three!" Liu Wenwen said.
Everyone's gaze fell on the warship simultaneously.
Compared to Expedition Two, this warship was longer and wider, but it retained its simple appearance, still featuring a large area of solid-smoke hull, with only the tail section made of metal.
"Booster ships in position!"
With a command, six strangely shaped spacecraft moved in and attached themselves tightly to the surface of Expedition Three in a hexagonal formation.
Their length was a third of the warship's, and their diameter was about a third of Expedition Three's. Each booster ship had a huge thruster at its rear.
The situation was quite clear: these strange spacecraft served the same purpose as booster rockets.
As expected, a moment later, the spacecraft officially ignited. However, the exhaust from the spacecraft themselves was minuscule, almost like a decoration.
The six booster ships were different. Six blue-green exhaust plumes erupted with a roar, their length almost five times that of Expedition Three!
The warship moved forward slowly, its acceleration incredibly fast.
Witnessing this scene, everyone understood that it wouldn't take long for Ship Three to reach Jupiter.
The reason was simple: the faster the initial velocity, the shorter the time it took to traverse the void.
Why did Expedition Two only take five months to return to Earth?
The most direct reason was that the spacecraft had to reach a speed of 59.5 kilometers per second to escape Jupiter's gravity. Traveling back to Earth at such a speed, it was bound to be fast!
After orbiting Earth for only half a circle, the six booster ships had exhausted their fuel. However, Expedition Three had already gained enough speed and would soon break away from Earth to head towards distant Jupiter.
At this moment, Ou Zhanpeng suddenly felt like an old father.
Expedition Three, which was accelerating, also sent greetings to Ship Two. Liu Wenwen immediately reciprocated with blessings.
According to military arrangements, Expedition Two headed for Yun Gong Two. Two relying on another Two sounded quite amusing.
As they approached, they discovered that Earth's low-orbit was unexpectedly busy. There were as many as five warships docked at Yun Gong Base alone.
Under the bow of one of them, a line of peculiar foreign characters was clearly written.
Although they didn't recognize the word, upon seeing the distinct letters, everyone immediately identified it as belonging to a language from Da Mao (Russia).
The crucial point was that this warship was identical to the other friendly warships docked at the base. All warships had solid-smoke hulls, and apart from the color, there were almost no other differences.
Many people had similar thoughts: What's going on? Is solid-smoke so popular now?
Upon entering the base, they learned that not only their own warships were docked at Yun Gong, but also those from Da Mao, Laomi (USA), and Ou Luobada (Europe).
However, regardless of which partner's warship it was, all were sold by Yanjing. They were technologically advanced, with excellent design, and had actual combat experience against alien species. Not only were they affordable, but they were also highly practical, making them a sought-after bestseller among Earth's partners.