Volume 1 Chaos Comes Chapter 7: Mass Extinction on Mars
Unlike Observer No. 1 who had a special fondness for the Earth, Observer No. 2 has been keeping an eye on Mars since arriving in the solar system.
After taking a basic scan of Mars, he made a bold hypothesis.
"Urgent application: Electromagnetic wave tracking of Planet Four."
The technology tracks specific electromagnetic waves emitted from an area to study the history of that location, in other words, to watch replays. This is an extremely energy-intensive operation, so each use requires approval from the bureau.
“Notify the reasons for the application.”
"Suspected discovery of wreckage of the Aurora."
"The application is approved."
The Aurora is a huge modern interstellar battleship, or a shared "body".
After all, for metal creatures like Observer 1 and Observer 2, whether it is a spacecraft or the current observatory, they only need to connect their brains directly to it to operate it. If they want to go on a spacewalk, they can just change to another specialized body.
Since they shared the same body, the conversation between Observer 1 and Observer 2 did not require much energy, provided their emotions were stable. However, Observer 1 seemed to be very excited the whole time.
The Aurora was the largest warship lost in the previous war and one of the highest priority targets for all observers to find because it contained something that could not be discovered by other civilizations.
There are two reasons why No. 2 suspects that there are its remains on Mars. First, the high concentration of iron on Mars is relatively abnormal in the solar system. Second, the surface morphology of Mars has undergone major changes, and after scanning, it can be determined that this change is not entirely caused by meteorites. This planet may have a history of being hit by a giant spacecraft.
He read the replay carefully, his spirits gradually rising.
If converted into visible light images that humans can see, a fully charged giant spaceship broke through the then-dense Martian atmosphere, breaking into powder as programmed while burning fiercely.
Seen from Mars, the entire sky is filled with light more dazzling than the sun, as if billions of fireworks are blooming at the same time.
After losing power, the giant ship was captured by the gravity of Mars, cutting the surface of the planet into a huge scar. The rocks and soil splashed out, drew parabolas in the sky, and then hit the ground heavily. Today, humans have named the deep groove created by the impact the Mariner Valley to commemorate the Mariner 9 satellite.
The collision caused Mars to deviate from its original orbit and permanently changed its rotation and revolution periods, turning it from a vibrant Earth-like planet into the cold hell it is today.
The surface of Mars was ablaze with light, and the violent atmospheric circulation caused by the pressure difference blew the powder in all directions, causing the entire planet to be slowly devoured by a scarlet sea of fire. This hellish scene was just as described in its name.
The flickering firelight is confusing and disorienting.
After a high-intensity oxidation reaction, the wreckage of the spacecraft almost consumed all the oxygen on the planet's surface. The sudden decrease in air pressure caused the original rivers and oceans to boil violently, leaving only the remains of dried-up waterways. The carbon-based organisms that originally covered the planet's surface were baked by the high temperature, and the carbon dioxide produced constituted the main part of the Martian atmosphere detected by humans.
Observed from the universe, the burnt-out Mars is covered with black iron oxide, like a piece of rotating coke.
After a long period of time, the ferrous ions in the black powder were gradually oxidized again, draining the remaining gases on the surface and forming today's thin Martian atmosphere and red soil.
This is also the main reason why the iron content on Mars is much higher than that on Earth.
Observer No. 2 was stunned by the shocking scene and immediately uploaded all the information to the headquarters. In fact, he did not think that the Aurora could be found at first, but he reported it simply to get the approval of the bureau as soon as possible.
"The probability of finding survivors is zero."
Oxygen is the source of life for carbon-based organisms, but a deadly poison for metal-based organisms.
I wonder how many secrets the solar system still holds for this observatory.
I had one last discussion with Teacher Jie before the Chinese New Year. He gave me a textbook and asked me to try to finish it before school started. I knew it was unlikely that I could do it, but I still agreed.
Just like last year, Mai Ge and I took the same sleeper train home. In fact, the high-speed rail from school to home has been opened for a long time, but he wanted to save money and I didn’t want to sit on the chair for too long, after all, I usually sit in the same posture.
In fact, the extra time that this sleeper train has compared to the high-speed train is basically at night, so the efficiency is similar.
Mai Ge's family is not short of money. His parents are both senior technicians in local state-owned enterprises and their income is not low. But Mai Ge needs money very much because he has a hobby : photography. It was also from him that I learned that the smaller the number of a camera, the more expensive it is. For example, the best camera is 1D. He has a 5D4, which is said to be worth tens of thousands of yuan with the lens.
He would occasionally climb up the mountains in the suburbs to take pictures of star trails, and it was said that he had won some award for his photos.
"Is the Ai Bishui you met last time in the same laboratory as me?"
I brought up the topic while we were eating instant noodles at the small table.
"Huh? Are you flirting with her? By the way, how did you get a date last time? I heard that a senior was pursuing her before, but she ignored him."
"Are you two really in the same lab?" I deliberately ignored his question.
"No, she's in the group next to ours, and her work is more physical, while our group's research is more applied."
Mai Ge bit open the sausage packaging, picked up a fruit knife and cut the meat piece by piece into the instant noodle paper bowl.
"So do you guys usually have much contact?"
"Normally. Our two labs are in the same corridor and we have some cooperation. I often ask her questions about theories. It's much more convenient to talk to her than to ask a teacher. She explains things more clearly than in class."
I often ask questions...
"So what do you think of her?"
I am not qualified to examine or judge him, but it is difficult to control my desire to know more about her.
"What a talented girl! She is much better than those who got in through competitions. She can do anything she learns. It seems that even doctoral students are working with her on some projects."
After saying that, Mai Ge began to slurp the noodles, his head moving up and down with the movement of his mouth.
"Yes, I've experienced this. I can't understand her efficiency at all."
"I think... it's not a question of efficiency , but her interest in physics. Do you like her because she's good at studying? Or is it because of her looks?"
He pondered for a while after he finished speaking.
"Tsk, you're not such a face-chaser, are you?"
"Well, I didn't like it... I was just curious."
As he was talking, Maige had almost finished the bowl of instant noodles.
"I think it's going to be difficult for you to pursue her. She doesn't care about ordinary people at all."
The world she sees must be different from mine, and I can’t imagine it.
"But you're also a big scorer. Honestly, how did you get all A's this semester?" He is jealous of my scholarship now. Although he has one, it's much less than mine. Our school has many types of scholarships, and you can basically apply for one or two during your undergraduate studies.
"That's my luck... I don't want to chase, I'm just curious. In fact, we are currently working on the same project..."
I remembered how I practiced juggling every night after I took the soccer class. I really worked hard for my GPA in the past few months. However, there are so many hardworking and smart people in this university. I think my good grades this time are really the blessing of God, no, the teacher.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm lucky, it's almost done." Every time Maggie asked me about my grades, I said it was because of luck. He probably didn't bother to pay attention to me anymore, he drank half of the last instant noodle soup, threw away the paper bowl and went to bed for a nap. I sat there alone, propped up my chin and looked out the window at the North China Plain speeding by.
