I live in the Martian wilderness!

A long two-hour wait.

Tissot's energy reading dropped by a full 15%, the price that must be paid for forcibly converting one substance into another.

As the pressure relief valve opened, the hatch of the Shen Gong module slid open silently.

The high-pressure nitrogen gas inside the cabin expanded and cooled rapidly upon contact with the thin Martian atmosphere, turning into a cloud of white ice mist that dissipated.

Gu Yuneng could see through the helmet's thermal imaging function that inside the molding chamber, the newly created object was emitting dazzling infrared radiation—that was residual heat from a temperature of several hundred degrees.

But the biting cold winds of Mars are the most efficient coolant. In just twenty minutes, the masterpiece had completely cooled down, and a thin layer of frost had even formed on its surface.

"This is the Martian version of quenching." Wearing regular black armor gloves, he reached into the cabin and grabbed the hard, bulky thing.

"rise!"

Gu Yu used his arms to lift the enormous object out of the remaining pile of powder.

It was no longer a simple U-shaped tube.

Its main body is a U-shaped black iron rod that is two meters long and about three centimeters in diameter, and its entire body is covered with a smooth ceramic glaze.

At both ends of it are two cables, each over twenty meters long and also encased in a thick ceramic shell, all integrally formed, with two brass-finished terminals at the ends.

The entire creation looked like a black cane with two long chains.

Gu Yu placed it heavily on the ground, raising a cloud of red dust.

He took a multimeter out of his toolbox and plunged the probe hard into the two brass terminals.

"drop--"

[Heating element resistance: 2.5Ω]

"Perfect." Gu Yu nodded. Driven by Tissot's 220V industrial voltage, it will unleash nearly 20 kilowatts of thermal power.

He then inserted one probe into the terminal block and rubbed the other repeatedly against the ceramic casing.

Insulation resistance: ∞

"Not a drop leaks."

Xuanjian's voice rang out in the channel, carrying a hint of admiration that even the data couldn't conceal:

"The structure is intact and the electrical performance meets the standards. Captain, this is the first 'multifunctional industrial product' in human history to be manufactured outside of Earth using alien raw materials."

Gu Yu gazed quietly at the black "scepter," his eyes, visible through the helmet, complex and profound.

This heavy creation is more than just a heating rod.

It is the first step for humankind on this red planet from using local materials to manufacturing locally.

It was humanity's first fang bared as it ventured into the Martian wilderness!

"Xuan, name this big guy—Zhurong No. 1 Electric Heater." Gu Yu's voice carried a hint of satisfaction after completing his masterpiece.

"Now, let the real protagonist make his appearance."

[Command confirmed. Switching to mount point three – 'Dragon Explorer' deep drilling module.]

A heavy, precise mechanical sound came from the rear of the Tianshuo vehicle. The Divine Craft Module was released by the electromagnetic lock and slowly slid into the vehicle body.

What is presented is a drilling rig that exudes industrial power, resembling a battleship turret.

On that sturdy drilling rig, instead of a single long drill rod, were rows of neat, two-meter-long tungsten carbide-diamond composite drill rods, like missiles ready to be launched.

In aerospace engineering, any "clumsy, bulky, and crude" design that exceeds structural limits is merely the fantasy of laymen; segmented and modular designs are the only way forward.

As Gu Yu watched the drilling rig slowly emerge from the turret, he couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing feelings, thoughts, and reflections).

He recalled that back in 2030, the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission used this "multi-rod continuous deep drilling" technology.

That was the first time in human history that an attempt was made to retrieve samples from deep underground on another planet.

He still remembers the exciting video footage from his textbook back then:

On the distant Utopia Plain on Mars, the Tianwen-3 lander's slender robotic arm aimed a drill rod only half a meter long at the ground beneath the lander.

Drilling, stopping, removing the rod, taking the new rod, reconnecting... every action requires signal delays of hundreds of millions of kilometers, and repeated confirmation by engineers on the ground.

It was a magnificent feat, full of waiting and uncertainty, much like "embroidering from a distance."

Seventeen years later, it has become the "Dragon Drilling Rig" component on the Tissot multi-functional engineering vehicle.

[Mars Day 8, 12:00 PM]

Gu Yu chose to begin this arduous project at the hottest time of day.

The pale Martian sun hung high in the sky, barely raising the surface temperature from over -80 degrees Celsius at night to -25 degrees Celsius.

Although it is still extremely cold, this is already the warmest moment on this planet.

"Xuan, based on the previous ground-penetrating radar data, mark the best drilling point."

"clear."

On Gu Yu's HUD interface, a green crosshair was precisely marked on the ground less than five meters away from the shelter's airlock.

The optimal drilling point has been identified. A layer of high-purity water ice exists 18-22 meters below this location.

"Deploy the hydraulic spade and lock the vehicle body," Gu Yu commanded, his voice steady and powerful.

[Understood. Deploy the spade... Pressure locked... Vehicle attitude stabilized.]

"Captain, the drilling plan has been generated. Please give your final confirmation," Xuanjian's voice rang out.

On the holographic screen, two side-by-side options popped up, each accompanied by a detailed 3D animation demonstration.

Option A: The "Tianwen" Mode

"The plan will strictly replicate the segmented core drilling process of the Tianwen-3 mission."

"We will use hollow drill bits to drill and extract samples simultaneously. Every two meters of drilling, we will lift the entire drill string up to obtain a core sample."

"This method can guarantee the highest quality geological stratification data, but it is less efficient and is expected to take 4-5 hours."

Option B: The "Infrastructure" Model

"This solution adopts the traditional 'pilot hole' operation."

"We will first use a solid drill bit to drill a pilot hole to the predetermined length in one go before taking the core."

"This method cannot obtain layered rock cores, but it is fast and efficient, and is expected to take 1.5-2 hours."

Gu Yu looked at the two proposals and hesitated almost without hesitation.

"Our goal isn't to write a geological report; I just need a hole deep and wide enough to insert my heating rod. Execute Plan B."

Xuanjian immediately switched the operating program.

The infrastructure development model has been confirmed.

[The first pilot drill pipe is in place. Drive shaft connection... High-frequency vibration activated.]

[Drilling begins. First stage: 10 cm pilot hole drilled.]

Without ultrasound, sound waves can hardly propagate in the near-vacuum environment of Mars.

All that remains are axial high-frequency mechanical impacts, with a frequency of hundreds of times per second.

As the drill bit rotates, it also performs a violent "churning" action.

It slowly rotated and descended, finally touching the Martian permafrost that appeared soft but was actually as hard as rock at low temperatures.

There were no sparks flying, nor any earth-shattering noise.

Under the combined action of rotary cutting and high-frequency impact, the hard frozen soil particles were instantly loosened and crushed.

Red powder, like volcanic ash, was continuously carried out by the auger drill pipe, piling up into a small cone around the wellhead.