Super Copy of Great Power Technology

"Wow—, is this Mars? What a desolate land!" came an astronaut's exclamation over the team's communication channel.

"Yes, it's deathly quiet everywhere, there's no life at all, it looks so depressing."

"It's alright, we're here now. Wherever we Chinese set foot, we will surely be able to revitalize ourselves, even the desolate Mars is no exception." Captain Duan Ming encouraged everyone with a few words, then waved his hand and led the team members and the stand-in robot down the gangway until they set foot on the Martian surface.

Meanwhile, about 40 to 50 meters away on another landing ship belonging to Ruida Aerospace, a similarly equipped team of astronauts finally opened their hatch and descended the gangway. The two planetary landing ships entered the Martian atmosphere almost simultaneously, their flight trajectories were nearly identical, their landing times were almost the same, and even their extravehicular activity (EVA) procedures were exactly the same. The reason Ruida Aerospace's astronaut team opened their hatch at this later, at least ten minutes later than the official team, was intentional. After all, the opposing team belonged to the official Chinese team, and under the spotlight, it wouldn't be good to steal the limelight from the officials. They'd rather let them have the honor of being the first to land on Mars. Ruida Aerospace just needed to stay behind the national team, quietly develop, and reap the benefits of Mars development.

Before the eyes of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, Captain Duan Ming's feet touched the Martian surface for the first time, leaving a pair of uniquely human footprints on the soft earth. At that moment, the entire nation of China erupted in jubilation. In the live broadcast studio, the hosts and guests excitedly stood up and applauded. In the flight control center, thousands of staff and media reporters cheered loudly, clapped vigorously, or hugged each other, expressing their excitement. Meanwhile, online live broadcast rooms were even more lively, with colorful bullet comments flying everywhere, and a deluge of virtual gifts and special effects. In some areas where fireworks and firecrackers were not prohibited, a large number of fireworks, cannons, and double-bangs were launched and exploded in the sky, creating a spectacular scene.

"Haha, we humans have finally successfully landed on Mars! We've taken another giant step closer to interstellar civilization! Congratulations!"

"I told you, China's space program will definitely succeed. Look, our astronauts have successfully landed on Mars."

"Let's just say, weren't the first group of astronauts to land on Mars a little too calm, without saying anything inspiring, like 'This is one small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind'?"

"Our Chinese astronaut team doesn't talk about heroism, and they wouldn't say such pretentious things. Giving a speech about landing on Mars might be arranged later, but it will definitely not be this kind of childish and immature talk."

"I remember there were two spacecraft landing on Mars together this time, so why is the live broadcast camera focused on this one? Could it be that the astronauts on the other spacecraft haven't exited the capsule and landed on Mars yet?"

"Here they are. Look at the markings on their spacesuits; they belong to the Ruida Aerospace team. No wonder they didn't get much screen time."

……

The domestic live stream was filled with jubilation and excitement, the celebratory atmosphere almost overflowing the screen. But in the international live stream, it was a completely different story. "It's fake! It's all fake! This Mars landing live stream is all AI-generated footage! Our great, ugly country, with such advanced technology, doesn't even have the capability to send people to Mars. What makes you, a developing country like China, think you can?!"

"Here's a corny joke: China, the world's largest economy by GDP, is actually a developing country—can you believe it!"

"No matter how good the special effects technology is, it is impossible to film such a realistic Martian surface, let alone live. There is almost no possibility of faking it."

"Yes, China's aerospace technology has already taken the lead in the world. Acknowledging the gap and striving to catch up is what our Ugly country should do next."

“I won’t listen or believe it. Unless I see it with my own eyes, it’s fake.”

"Your Ugly Country is actually doing quite well; your space technology is definitely second to none. With a little more effort, sending a few astronauts to the moon is certainly achievable. Unlike our White Elephant Country, which has been working on manned spaceflight for decades and still hasn't figured it out. Our latest manned spacecraft has lost contact again, and the rocket launch department and the tracking and control department are blaming each other and shifting responsibility. At this rate, when will we ever catch up with China's space technology?"

"Our White Bear Country is not lacking in manned spaceflight technology, and even sending astronauts to the moon is not a big problem. Unfortunately, our country's economy is not good, and we simply don't have the money to invest in space projects."

……

Just as the Chinese astronauts successfully landed on Mars, and the whole nation was celebrating, on the streets of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, far across the ocean, an elderly man in a black hoodie, his body hunched over, turned his gaze from the live broadcast screen and muttered to himself, "Humans on Earth are so clever; their technology has developed so rapidly. No, we can't let them continue like this. Otherwise, when my motherland initiates its interstellar migration plan, humans on Earth will become the biggest obstacle. The human extermination plan must be launched ahead of schedule, at all costs."

Of course, the above is a translated version; in reality, the hunched old man was speaking a language that had never existed on Earth before. The passersby who had stopped to watch the large screen vaguely heard the old man's words, but couldn't understand a word he said. However, no one thought much of it. Ciudad Juárez is Mexico's largest immigrant city and a major transit point for those entering the U.S., so there are countless Black, White, and Asian people speaking various languages; hearing a strange language now and then is perfectly normal.

The old man walked with strange gaits, stepping out of the crowd and into the darkness beyond the reach of the streetlights. An American muscle car approached from the opposite street, its LED headlights instantly illuminating the area. Blinded by the high beams, the old man raised a hand to shield his eyes, revealing a deformed hand with only four fingers, covered in scales. Through the gaps between the fingers, one could vaguely see the old man's eyes, hidden beneath his hood, reflecting a stark yellow light—eyes that were clearly not human. Sadly, this was all fleeting, unnoticed by anyone. The blond-haired young man driving the muscle car swerved, driving past the hunched old man, hurling a few curses starting with "F," unaware that he had missed the last chance to save himself, his family, his country, and even humanity. If he hadn't swerved to avoid the old man, but instead floored the gas and rammed him, perhaps the subsequent horrific biohazard that wiped out over 70% of the Earth's population would have been averted. The car drove past, and the hunched old man vanished back into the darkness. (End of this chapter)