I live in the Martian wilderness!

As early as when the "water collection tree" was installed, Gu Yu had already pulled out a ten-meter-long "DW-IV type electric heat tracing and insulation hose" that was only the thickness of a thumb from the main output valve at the wellhead.

One end was precisely connected to the docking valve marked "External Water Supply" on the side wall of the command cabin.

Despite being only as thick as a finger, it integrates four layers of intricate structure:

The innermost layer is a corrosion-resistant Teflon water channel; the outer wall of the channel is tightly wrapped with a layer of heating wire, forming an "active electric heat tracing system".

In the middle is a 5-millimeter-thick "nano-aerogel insulation layer" that is an upgrade from the same technology used by the Zhurong Mars rover, and on the outermost layer is a wear-resistant Kevlar protective skin.

Now, the surface temperature of the silver-gray pipeline lying on the ground is gradually rising to a safe 15°C.

"Buzz—"

The submersible pump in the well started, and the pipeline connected to the outer wall of the command compartment suddenly vibrated!

Gu Yu didn't even need to look; he could clearly hear the clear spring water from 20 meters underground being pumped into his home through that warm "umbilical cord of life."

He immediately went back to the water treatment subsystem inside the cabin and filled a cup directly from the "source water sampling valve".

The liquid in the glass was crystal clear, and even still carried a trace of lingering warmth.

He slowly took off his helmet, and without hesitation, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Sweet and pure.

There is no odor whatsoever, only the most primal, nourishing scent of water molecules.

"Xuan," he put down his cup, "set the spectral analysis report from earlier to the highest priority for release."

"Add a line to the content: Oasis One has obtained a stable source of high-purity liquid water that can be directly consumed."

"The next step will be to start spirulina cultivation and carry out large-scale water source expansion. Don't worry about anything else."

"Once the 14-minute launch window for Tianwen-1 appears, no matter what I'm doing, launch it immediately."

The instruction has been confirmed.

Gu Yu put his helmet back on, and the weight on his heart finally lifted.

He didn't go to sleep. After tasting the first sip of the sweet spring water, a grander and more ambitious plan took shape in his mind.

"Xuan, keep heating up." His voice regained the engineer's composure. "But 20 kilowatts is just our starting power."

"I need to know, if we increase the water volume at the bottom of the well from the current tens of liters to 10 tons, enough to support a small base, how would we calculate our energy costs?"

"Excellent question, Captain. This is precisely the core difference between industrial production and laboratory manufacturing."

Xuanjian immediately constructed two completely different energy consumption models on the screen.

"Currently, we are in the 'expansion phase.' Most of the 20 kilowatts of power is used to provide the enormous 'latent heat of phase change' needed to melt the new ice."

"At this stage, our water production efficiency is the highest, but the energy consumption is also the highest. According to calculations, the total water volume needs to be expanded to 10 tons."

"We need to put in about 1600 kilowatt-hours of electricity to heat the room at a power of 20 kilowatts for about 80 hours—that is, more than three Martian days."

Gu Yu frowned: "Three days and nights of high-load operation? Can the Tianshuo reactor withstand it?"

"Absolutely, but this is only the initial 'infrastructure investment'."

Xuanjian switched to the second model, and the numbers on it instantly became more pleasing.

"Once we have completed the storage of 10 tons of water, the bottom of the well will become a huge 'thermal storage pool.' Water itself is the best insulation material."

"At that time, we will switch from 'production mode' to 'maintenance mode'."

"In 'maintenance mode,' it is only necessary to replenish heat to counteract the slow heat loss from the well wall to the surrounding permafrost."

"Based on the perfect performance of your carbon nanotube insulation, the insulation power required to maintain 10 tons of liquid water will drop dramatically from 20 kilowatts... to approximately 3-5 kilowatts."

Gu Yu's eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately understood the key point.

"In other words," he quickly did some mental calculations, "we now have to run the 20-kilowatt high-power system for 10 hours a day to produce water, consuming 200 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day."

"And in the future, we'll only need to run the 5-kilowatt low-power system 24 hours a day for heat preservation, consuming only 120 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day?"

"Correct, Captain. This is definitely a profitable deal."

"10 tons of water can not only completely solve your survival problems, but also lay a solid foundation for energy-water-heat tri-generation for future greenhouses, equipment cleaning, and even hydrogen-oxygen production."

"Then there's nothing to hesitate about."

Gu Yu looked at the small hot spring that was constantly expanding in the well, his eyes burning with a flame called "ambition".

"Xuan, maintain 20 kilowatts and keep burning! Before we reconnect to Earth, I want to burn a lake for myself underground on this red planet!"

……

[Mars Day 9, 07:00 AM]

What woke Gu Yu was not an alarm clock, but a notification sound from Xuan Jian, tinged with excitement.

"Good morning, Captain. I suggest you come and check on the situation down the mine."

Gu Yu rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat down in front of the control panel.

He instantly snapped back to reality when the live feed from the underground camera was switched to the main screen.

On the screen, the dripping water droplets that made a "drip-drop" sound last night were no longer there.

The entire camera was completely submerged in a clear, shimmering liquid!

Through the refraction of the water, he could see countless tiny bubbles rising from the surface of the heating rod, forming a small, boiling hot spring at the bottom of the well!

"Xuan, report the fluid level!"

"Reporting, Captain, after 11 hours of continuous heating overnight, the water depth at the bottom of the well has reached 2.5 meters, with a total storage capacity of approximately 1200 liters!"

Gu Yu stared at the astonishing number, once again awestruck by this brutal yet efficient industrial magic.

"Start the submersible pump!" His voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Pump up our first pot of gold!"

"Understood! Switch the pipeline to the shelter supply valve!"

"Buzz—"

The pipelines connected to the outer wall of the command cabin jolted violently.

Gu Yu immediately rushed to the water treatment subsystem inside the cabin and opened the observation window of the main water tank.

"Splash—!!"

A clear liquid, still slightly warm, gushed out of the supply port like a burst dam, directly into the shelter's main water tank!

[This pumping operation pumped 1000 liters. The main storage tank is full!]

[Remaining water in the well: approximately 200 liters, which will be used as the "bottom water" for the next cycle.]

Gu Yu slowly took off his helmet and walked to the water tank that was bubbling with heat.

He opened the water valve and filled a full cup with warm, pure water from the ancient Martian ocean.

From this moment on, survival will no longer be a problem.

He was about to truly live on this red wasteland.