Super technology leader

In the days leading up to the Mars landing, as the Spore approached Mars and entered its orbit, all ten astronauts were busy preparing.

It's like taking a long-distance bus: things only get chaotic before departure and upon arrival, when you can observe the myriad aspects of human life. Once on the highway, everyone sits quietly in their seats, with nothing much to see.

But as the destination nears, passengers start calling for pickups, packing their bags, peering through the windows at the bustling station, putting on coats, tidying up trash, and eagerly standing up with their backpacks, ready to disembark.

With the passengers' activity, the long-distance bus seems to come alive, becoming extremely lively.

The Spore was naturally the same. As the landing time approached, the astronauts became more active, and this increased activity naturally became more enjoyable for the Earth audience to watch.

As the Spore moved farther and farther away from Earth, live broadcasts became less meaningful due to the significant delays in information transmission, making real-time interaction impossible.

Moreover, live broadcasts affected video clarity and smoothness. Therefore, after a certain distance, all footage became processed videos.

Everything was in 4K ultra-high definition.

Of course, everyone wanted to watch the landing live, even if the footage was a few minutes old and there were occasional stutters, frame drops, and unstable clarity.

People just wanted to see the first-hand landing video!

But before that, some of the Spore's "hidden content" was enough to thrill the Earth audience.

"Day sixteen since the Spore left, I miss it."

"The Spore is finally approaching Mars! There are so many videos being sent back recently that I can't keep up."

"Hey, hey, did you guys see? There's a surprise in the latest restaurant footage! I actually saw an induction cooker and a wok, meaning they can actually stir-fry dishes in the spacecraft!!"

"What? No way! How can they stir-fry in a spacecraft?! I thought there wouldn't be anything new this time since I saw the restaurant demonstration video before, so I didn't watch it. I have to go check it out now!"

"It's true! The 0.5G simulated gravity is enough to keep the dishes from floating around. The astronauts can really eat freshly stir-fried dishes in the spacecraft!"

"Ah, so that's why one of the astronaut's skill descriptions specifically mentioned excellent cooking skills. That's what they were preparing for."

"Thank goodness this mission is unusual. If it were a traditional Mars landing or permanent residency mission, they would probably need to bring a nutritionist and a chef, right?"

"I feel like you guys aren't focusing on the main point. While the induction cooker and wok are important, the collection device above them is clearly more important. If I'm not mistaken, that's the polluted air recovery and separation device that Pathfinder was developing before, right?"

"They made it so quickly? I thought they would leave after eating and vent the air into space, then replace it with a new batch."

"Your idea could work, but... it's too wasteful. Imagine, replacing the air in the restaurant after every meal. The astronauts would probably suffocate if they ate too many times."

"Hahaha..."

The kitchen's "new gadgets" were just one part of it. Although Pathfinder had previously showcased the interior and exterior of the Spore spacecraft, some areas were shown clearly, some were shown in passing, and some weren't shown at all.

This time, everything was revealed.

After watching, people felt that the Spore was even more "sci-fi" than they had imagined. Except for not having nuclear fusion power, gravity generated by a gravity generator, or a protective shield, it was just like a sci-fi spaceship from a sci-fi movie.

Even the current design and technology would have been considered "near-future sci-fi" a few years ago. But when "sci-fi" becomes reality, is it still sci-fi?

Before people could discuss this question in detail, the appearance of a new gadget almost blew their minds.

If everyone had glasses, that is.

"Good heavens, military green, hard armor, power assist system, fully enclosed, it's General's power armor!"

"That's right, I think it must be the Thor's Hammer power armor. The slightly different appearance is just a matter of model differences, but the essence is definitely the Thor's Hammer power armor!"

"Ah, I'm dying! I have no regrets seeing it in this lifetime."

"It's just a protective suit, something similar to a spacesuit, just with a different name. Green is more visible in the red Martian world, making it easier to mark locations."

"You can't say that. If you want to be more visible on red Mars, you should use light green or flashy green, not a deep military green. This is clearly military equipment!!"

"That's right, I said, how could Pathfinder go to meet aliens without bringing any gear? The Americans even brought guns, so Pathfinder was waiting for this. Well, they're almost on Mars, so Earth's laws definitely can't reach them."

"Actually, any existing laws are inapplicable to humanity's first contact with aliens. The personnel on-site should be given as much autonomy as possible."

"I think so too. Of course, some basic agreements, such as not easily starting conflicts and not declaring Martian sovereignty, can be followed, but the people on-site must have the right to make independent decisions. The communication delay between Mars and Earth is very large, so we can't delay things."

"I think that's why Tang Chao is going. Whether from the perspective of identity or technology, the weight of his words is definitely enough. After all, the spacecraft they are on is his."

"It's a pity that the Americans brought weapons, and Pathfinder Aerospace brought super protective equipment. It would be great if the two sides could combine. And Tang Chao is still conservative. With his ability, it would definitely be no problem to develop some weapons. The aliens even destroyed his company's equipment, and he plans to go empty-handed..."

Okay, as they talked, no one said anything, because the Spore was up to something again.

After the protective suit training was completed, it was time for the weapon training.

Then people saw electromagnetic rifles.

Sure enough, since they even brought power armor, how could they lack weapons?

Many people had this awareness, but they were still a little dumbfounded when they saw another standard feature of sci-fi—electromagnetic rifles.

However, the astronauts were on the spacecraft after all, so they didn't test the electromagnetic rifles. They just listened to Tang Chao's explanation and put them in the cabinet.

Judging by the level of Tang Chao's explanation, he must have practiced a lot before.

Because of the appearance of "sci-fi" weapons, people became even more curious about this Mars landing, so when the landing live broadcast started, a large number of viewers gathered around.

They watched the astronauts put on their power armor, then take the electromagnetic rifles from the weapon cabinet, and follow Tang Chao into the Mars lander.

Tang Chao and the co-pilot sat in the driver's seats, while the four power armor soldiers with guns went downstairs and sat in the passenger seats. Because they were carrying guns on their backs, the seats were not in the general passenger mode, but the seat backs were flipped forward, and they sat directly on the steel frame seat backs.

This design was specially prepared for power armor passengers.

After they were seated, mechanical devices on the ceiling pressed directly onto the shoulders of the power armor, securing them in place.

From putting on the power armor to this step, it felt very much like future warriors heading to the battlefield.

As the altitude gradually reached zero, and then with a slight jolt, the Mars lander steadily landed at the landing point guided by the landing probe.

Chapter Two 11 PM