Chapter 4: Jupiter II Landing

The historic moment arrived. Under Captain Angela's command, Saturn left Jupiter II's north pole and arrived at the central part of the moon, searching for what they dubbed the cross-region.

The terrain of Jupiter II's surface was a chaotic one. Plains, mountain ridges, crevices, and all other terrains mingled together, creating a chaotic topography. Yet before these features could solidify into permanent features of the landscape, they would shift again. All in all, they made for a challenging terrain to land on.

The so-called cross-region was an area with a bulge on the ground that might form during the closing and opening of the many red cracks on the moon. Compared to the chaotic landscape elsewhere on the moon, such a bulge would create a wide and relatively level surface area that was suitable for landing.

Jupiter II was about the same size as Blue's moon. With the latest laser radar technology, we were able to quickly locate a cross-region at the upper middle part of the moon. In exact coordinates, the location was 108°20′E, 31°56′ N. From the analysis of the area's air undulations, we found that there were relatively few geysers there. The area's terrain was also rather stable and was less prone to frequent alterations than the other parts of the moon.

"Here," Captain Angela's voice rang out. The advance party was gathered for one final meeting.

Everyone gathered in the command room. The head technician, Maerdo, was the first to speak, "The headquarters has pledged the highest level of technical support they can for our mission. Apart from improved morph-capable equipment, the advance party will also be equipped with laser guns and micro-cluster bombs for self-defense against any unknown life form that we might or might not encounter.

"We might encounter an ocean beneath the ice layer, and the temperature down there might be even lower than the -200 to -163 degrees of the surface. According to our speculations, if the moon's core is incapable of producing heat like Blue, the seabed might even reach -1,000 degrees in temperature. Thus, the improved morph gears will serve as both defensive equipment and temperature regulators, allowing for a variance of 1,000 degrees in temperature."

"No way. What if the temperature changes by 1,001 degrees? Wouldn't I be dead then?" I muttered.

Maerdo seemed to have heard me. He looked at me and said, "For morph-capable suits, a variance of 1,000 degrees is the limit of our current technology. If anything unexpected happens, I can only advise that you welcome your sacrifice for the sake of the league."

"Looks like the league is already prepared to lose us," grumbled Zhang Bao'er.

"Additionally, the morph-capable suit's energy consumption has been optimized as well. It can provide illumination for up to 36 hours. Our equipment has also been optimized for underwater movement, allowing us to move rapidly in water. Similarly, this function will last up to 36 hours."

"Only 36 hours? Isn’t that too short?" grumbled Zhang Bao'er.

"Also, everyone will be equipped with a gamma flare. This is a unique Gliesen technology. You can't communicate with it, but the gamma rays' powerful penetrative capability will transmit your signal to the headquarters. They will thus be aware of your survival and send a rescue team for you in the event of an accident. This flare has saved the lives of countless explorers thus far. These are all the individual protective gears we will get for the mission," Maerdo finished and studied everyone's expression.

"All the equipment for the advance party is ready. Saturn's shuttle ship, Mimas I, will be transporting the team to the surface. Prepare yourself, everyone. We'll be setting off in three hours," Maerdo ordered.

Then, Maerdo shifted his gaze to Captain Angela.

The captain nodded and said, "Warriors, this might not be a major operation for the league, but it is important enough that the headquarters is paying attention to us. All these explorations are conducted to obtain resources that will benefit both planets of the league. These resources are necessary for our long-term growth. For the league and the common good, everyone must assume a spirit of sacrifice and a sense of responsibility. Team Leader Chen is an experienced explorer, among the first explorers of Mercury. For the future of the Milky Way Galaxy, obey him and ensure the completion of our mission. Alright, go get ready."

"Oh boy, and now we're fighting for the common good of the entire galaxy, it seems," I mused to myself. In truth, I did not feel much from the captain's words. Like Zhang Bao'er and Old Du, my heart had long departed my mortal body for Jupiter II.

Back in our dorm, there wasn't much preparation to be done. The morph-capable suit was worn on our left arms. Upon activation with our fingerprint or eyes, we will be outfitted automatically. Zhang Bao'er stood before the window and gazed at the beautiful white sphere in excitement, studying the red streaks running across the icy moon.

"Are those really iron?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

Nobody answered his stupid question. If we knew the answer, what was the point of the exploration mission? After all, that was why we were here: to ascertain whether those red streaks were iron.

"Put this on," said Old Du as he handed something to me and Zhang Bao'er.

"What's that? Some kind of lucky charm?" I joked.

"What lucky charm?" Old Du seemed confused. "This is an emergency survival tool given to me by my father. It utilizes laser transmission technology, giving you a one-time boost of 12 hours of energy to your gears. This thing is very valuable. Only a duke can get one."

‘A tool for dukes is unsurprisingly useful,’ I thought to myself.

"The energy of this thing was extracted from a unique substance obtained from my mother sun, Gliese. Because our sun is a red dwarf star, an old star, it won't be able to provide much of this substance anymore. This thing also comes in a set of three. It has been in my family inheritance since my ancestor's generation. Since fate has brought us three together, we'll have one each," said Old Du.

"You're wonderful, Old Du," both Zhang Bao'er and I said at the same time.

What a precious item. It was true that like technology, people of the society were also treated differently based on their positions. They clearly had a way of extending our equipment's functionalities by 12 additional hours, yet we weren't provided any despite the important mission we were on. It did not make sense at all. But in truth, we had misunderstood them. This thing given to us by Old Du was simply too valuable to be given out so easily.

Old Du proved himself a loyal friend by giving us such valuable tools. Alien technology like this could only be obtained through import. We were touched by Old Du's action of giving each of us something so valuable. Even the bad impression we had of all Gliesens changed somewhat. We communicated through our eyes, and our friendship grew even stronger.

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The three hours given to us were over before long. All preparations were completed. Under Team Leader Chen's lead, the advance party saluted Captain Angela and the other personnel. As of that moment, a sense of pride rose in my heart. I was going to represent a high-tier race and explore the universe in search of new living spaces for humanity. Finally, my dream of exploring the universe was going to be fulfilled.

All of us boarded Mimas. At present, Saturn was about 50,000 meters away from the moon. The main vessel was keeping its distance in case the moon exploded. 

When the time arrived, Mimas departed for Jupiter II. With the assistance of Team Leader Chen, Dodo the android acted as the pilot of the ship. As we approached Jupiter II, the unexplored moon became clearer before us.

"Watch out for the ice spikes," said Maerdo.

Towering, sharp blades of ice dominated the landscape, acting as obstacles to our landing. Dodo hurriedly calculated the landing trajectory. The cross-region we aimed to reach was located in a spacious and empty zone in the midst of the ice spikes. To reach there, we needed to get around these spikes. The moon's famous red streaks also became clearer as we approached. It was as though streaks of clay were running across the moon's icy surface. We would have to actually land before we could get some samples of the red streaks.

While the ship was moving, Dodo suddenly said, "A stream of air has been discovered beneath the ice spike ahead of us."

"My god," I yelled.

We were here to avoid the plumes, but surprisingly, a smaller variation of the geysers existed at the bottom of the ice spikes as well. Although these plumes weren't too high, the ground was nevertheless dotted with numerous holes where the icy vapors were spouting out. A reddish substance was present among the streams of air. As the vapor sprayed out, they would gradually turn into pieces of ice that slowly fell to the ground.

From the sky, we could see that the clay-like streaks of the moon were actually some sort of red substance floating in the air. Due to their concentration, they were able to cover the ground beneath them. From this, one could judge that the inner part of the moon should have a higher temperature than the outer part.

"Why weren't these geysers detected during the probe?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

"Their altitude is too low. As for our radar, the signals have been interrupted by the much taller ice spikes, resulting in a mistake in our analysis. However, according to our data, there will still be a cross-region," said Dodo.

"Those useless technicians," grumbled Zhang Bao'er.

"An inaccuracy of up to 50 percent in data analysis during interstellar exploration is common. After all, the universe is filled with unknown quantities, things that do not abide by the rules of known physics and molecular theories. If you're interested, I can suggest some reading material," said Jiajia. 

"Shut up! Silence, please!" I interrupted Jiajia before the robot could continue with a long-winded explanation.

Now was not the time for a lecture. Chen Qiang was busy looking for a suitable landing site as our ship, Mimas, slowly moved amid the mountainous ice spikes.

"Found it!" Dodo suddenly said. "Three kilometers ahead of us is an area without any spraying plumes."

We hurriedly looked out the window. A glossy and sleek surface could be seen beneath the ice spike before us. The ice surface seemed as clear as a mirror, forming a clear contrast with its messy surroundings. It was so clean that it looked almost unnatural. According to the laser probe, this area's ice layer was thinner than its surrounding areas at only around 50 kilometers. It was an excellent spot for drilling as well.

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"Prepare to land," said Team Leader Chen.

Controlling the ship's five landing mechanisms, we descended at a slow speed of five kilometers per hour. With a thump, the ship landed smoothly.

"Good!" I gave Zhang Bao'er a high-five. "Looks like everything is progressing smoothly," I said to Zhang Bao'er and Old Du.

Suddenly, with a clang, the ship rolled aside by 30 degrees. The landing mechanisms kept the ship stable, but everyone in the ship was shocked by the sudden change.

"What's going on?" Old Du cried out.

Maerdo and Jiajia started analyzing the data available to them. However, everything from the air temperature, pressure, and environment to the ice layer outside the ship seemed to be completely normal. They couldn't figure out the reason for the ship's sudden movement.

The unknown was the most worrying. Team Leader Chen Qiang commanded Dodo to scan our surroundings with our infrared scanner. Even so, they found nothing abnormal. The ship was in a completely stable position. It seemed like we would have to solve the mystery after leaving the ship.

"Everyone, get ready. We will be leaving the ship in 10 minutes. Jiajia will stay inside to provide us with technical support. Everyone else, get ready with your equipment. Set the Kangaroo down on the ground," commanded Team Leader Chen.

Old Du, Zhang Bao'er, and I knew that this was the start of our challenge. Excitement welled in our hearts.

‘Jupiter II, your conqueror, Li Canyue, has arrived! The universe itself will remember my feats today! Hehehe!’ This was the excitement in the heart of an explorer. Everything was real and thrilling.

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