Chapter 306: Frozen Frontiers and Cosmic Challenges

Hoffman led his team to the North Pole in record time, knowing that the company had already begun developing Mars real estate. With a massive wave of Earth’s inhabitants set to migrate to Mars, water would be among the most critical resources.

Even though Dream Technology’s ecosystem technology could recycle water efficiently at living bases, a portion would inevitably be lost.

This meant that water supplies had to be replenished periodically, even if the intervals were relatively long.

It was precisely because of this that Du Qiu approached remote space missions with caution. Of course, unmanned spacecraft fully controlled by intelligent robots were already venturing to every planet in the solar system.

Deep space exploration, overseen by Artificial Intelligence Stardust, was proceeding in an orderly fashion, with the furthest probe now reaching the Kuiper Belt at the solar system’s edge.

At Dream Technology’s current pace—a spacecraft averaging 3,000 kilometers per second—a trip from Earth to the edge of the solar system would take just 17 days.

The existing exploration craft, a streamlined version of the Winged Dragon fighter, had been christened the Kunpeng Scientific Exploration Aerospacecraft.

Stripping away most of its weaponry in favor of scientific instruments, it used Metallic Hydrogen as fuel, granting it roughly a 60-day endurance.

In contrast, the Mammoth-class Transport Lander boasted an endurance far superior to these aerospace fighters, with its reserve of Metallic Hydrogen sustaining it for years.

Within the confines of our solar system, fuel exhaustion was hardly a concern.

As for breaking out of the solar system to embark on intergalactic voyages, Du Qiu had no plans until humanity overcame its lifespan limitations.

After all, an expedition fleet that built new lives and passed on generations during a journey spanning several light-years would already have changed beyond recognition by the time they arrived.

Such an expedition meant nothing to Du Qiu.

Just imagine—at current speeds, reaching the nearest neighboring star system, some 4 light-years away, would take about 400 years. How many generations would that be?

Rather than launching such a fleet, it made more sense to invest in two key research areas: speeding up spacecraft and extending human lifespans.

Only when a balance was struck between the two could meaningful intergalactic exploration begin.

Du Qiu was confident about advancements in both areas. With his understanding of a fourth-level civilization, he believed spacecraft speeds had enormous potential to be improved.

Based on current developments in biological research, extending human lifespans was not an impossible goal either.

In the latest wave of a global recruitment drive, Dream Technology placed special emphasis on biomedical talent—there was no limit on numbers, as long as applicants met the required standards.

Of course, a certain level of expertise was expected; they couldn’t just accept anyone.

At Mars North Pole, after more than an hour of frantic work, Hoffman’s team had finished surveying the open-air salt mine.

Everything matched Hoffman’s instinct: this salt mine was inextricably linked to frozen water.

Covering roughly 20,000 square meters and stretching five meters deep, the salt deposit was substantial.

During their survey, Hoffman’s team detected clear signs of water flow. Following that trail north for 100 kilometers, they reached a basin.

There, the air was noticeably more humid than elsewhere.

This indicated that water vapor was seeping into the atmosphere.

Excited, the team sprang into action. Soon, engineering robots bored through the ground to extract a nearly 100-meter-long core sample.

When the core sample was retrieved, cheers erupted among the crew.

A long, slender core revealed a section of unmistakably pure, frozen water!

This segment extended a full 30 meters, capped by over 10 meters of permafrost, meaning there was an ice layer stretching 30 meters deep beneath more than 10 meters of frost.

It seemed that this thick permafrost layer had protected the underground ice, preventing it from evaporating.

Of course, the relentless -120°C temperatures at Mars North Pole ensured the ice remained permanently frozen.

Hoffman ordered that all the ice cores be stored in sealed, refrigerated containers, and then the team resumed surveying the basin.

Ultimately, they discovered that beneath the entire 5 square kilometers of the basin lay layers of frozen water of varying depths.

The deepest ice layer measured a staggering 70 to 80 meters, while the shallowest was around 10 meters deep.

These field survey data completely corroborated the earlier results from the United States space agency’s remote sensing satellites.

There was no question that frozen water existed at Mars North Pole.

Combined with previous findings from the open-air salt mine, Hoffman deduced that this area had once been an ocean, which, for some unknown reason, had evaporated.

The salt from that ancient sea had concentrated into open-air salt deposits, while in the lower basin, remnants of seawater were preserved in permanent frost.

It was reasonable to speculate that the frozen water might harbor remnants of ancient Martian marine life. Whether they were primitive organisms or more evolved beings would require further study.

That was the task for the biochemical research team, but Hoffman remained cautious—any collected ice samples needed to be handled carefully.

If any viral agents were present, they could trigger a full-blown biochemical crisis in the sealed living bases.

Fortunately, the company had long established a rigorous alien biohazard protocol to ensure that during planetary exploration outside of Earth, humanity could safely encounter extraterrestrial environments.

Zhao Mingchuan exclaimed excitedly, “Teacher, this really looks like an ancient ocean. The only mystery is when it disappeared.”

He continued, “But with this frozen water layer, humanity could potentially thrive on Mars for a long time.”

A stern voice retorted, “Don’t celebrate too early. These ice samples need to go through strict safety procedures to ensure no unknown microorganisms or viruses are present. Remember, safety protocols come first—don’t let a breakthrough cloud your judgment.”

Zhao Mingchuan immediately shouted back, “Understood!”

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Earth • Southeast Asia • Sumatra Island

November 29, 2022, 7:00 AM

On a quiet, peaceful morning in a seaside fishing village on Earth, early risers had already eaten breakfast, prepared their boats, and set sail.

The warm sunlight bathed the coastline as children, after the morning low tide, raced along the shore, exclaiming with delight every time they found a particularly fine piece of seafood.

At 7:12, the ground suddenly trembled violently for about 19 seconds.

The epicenter was at Badong County by the sea, where nearly all the houses collapsed in that brief time.

Almost simultaneously, in Star Country, 460 kilometers northeast of Badong County, the entire city felt an earthquake so intense it toppled flimsy buildings in an instant.

In Star Country’s dazzling central business district, a towering building of several dozen stories tilted and collapsed onto a neighboring structure, causing it to lean dangerously—a precursor to a potential collapse in subsequent aftershocks.

Such a fierce earthquake was unprecedented in Star Country’s history.

Previously, even a level-7 quake on Sumatra Island would merely cause high-rises in Star Country’s CBD to sway momentarily.

This time, entire buildings were knocked down, confirming that the 19-second quake had a magnitude far exceeding 7.

Meanwhile, in Jugang—the capital of Sumatra Province—located 530 kilometers southeast of Badong County, the damage was even more catastrophic than in Star Country.

Sumatra Island was no stranger to earthquakes, frequently rattled by level-6 or -7 tremors, and its buildings were generally designed to withstand them.

Hence, locals were less afraid of the tremors themselves and more concerned about the tsunamis that often followed, prompting them to seek higher ground after each quake.

However, this time was different. The earthquake’s epicenter was not in the sea, and it was only 6 kilometers beneath the surface.

Moreover, its seismic waves traveled farther than any previous quake and lasted for a full 19 seconds—almost rivaling the tremors before the submergence of the Japanese Archipelago.