I live in the Martian wilderness!

As the thunderous shout subsided, the massive war machine of the nation's most elite forces began to operate with unprecedented efficiency.

The experts were in a hurry, racing against time in their respective positions.

The people in the conference room gradually dispersed, leaving only a few core members still digesting this huge amount of information.

Qin Nuannuan did not leave; she walked up to Zhang Zixuan, the chief engineer of the transportation system.

"Teacher," her voice was soft, but tinged with barely concealed worry, "my aunt... will she be back soon?"

Zhang Zixuan was looking at the launch plan for the Long March 9 rocket when he heard this. He looked up, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Yes. After confirming that Zhulong-1 had lost contact and that Mars had jumped again, the command immediately issued a return order to them."

He pointed to a trajectory diagram on the screen: "Judging by the dates, the heavy-duty Long March 9 rocket they're on should be landing at the landing site this afternoon."

Qin Nuannuan looked at the blue track line that symbolized a safe return, but she did not relax at all; instead, she became even more worried.

"Teacher, I heard... that the other five members of the Fire Seed Squad don't know the truth about Gu Yu's stay on Mars..."

"Yes." Zhang Zixuan sighed. "We will continue to control their information until we establish a stable connection with Gu Yu."

"But, my aunt..." Qin Nuannuan's voice carried a hint of urgency.

"You know her personality! If she comes back and finds that everyone has been keeping it from her, and that Gu Yu has been left alone on Mars..."

Zhang Zixuan fell silent, his expression instantly turning serious.

He was all too clear.

If it weren't for that damned second Mars jump, Qin Manying and her Fire Seed team would have arrived on Mars two days later and reunited with Gu Yu's Candle Dragon One.

But now, fate has played a cruel joke.

She was forced to return to Earth safely. But her other teammate was left alone on that wasteland forever.

Zhang Zixuan thought of that woman—Qin Manying, 30 years old, the youngest female colonel in the history of the Chinese Astronaut Corps, a woman as sharp as a drawn sword.

She was once the most dazzling star at the space center, and also the most audacious female astronaut.

Zhang Zixuan still remembers that thrilling competition.

Qin Manying heard from somewhere that Gu Yu and her niece Qin Nuannuan were getting close.

He then blocked Gu Yu at the entrance of the training center and challenged him in front of everyone.

The competition was simple: an endurance test under 15G ultra-high overload.

The bet was simpler: if Gu Yu lost, he had to stay away from Qin Nuannuan. If she lost, she wouldn't concern herself with his relationship with Qin Nuannuan.

Gu Yu, both amused and exasperated, explained that he and Nuan Nuan were always together simply because they both loved the beef noodles downstairs, but Qin Manying didn't believe him at all.

In her eyes, her niece, who had just come of age and was entrusted to her care by her sister, was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper.

She can date, but absolutely not with astronauts, especially top-tier men like Gu Yu, who are destined to spend their future years conquering the stars.

The final result of that competition was that both sides were severely injured, and it was also a shocking event.

Both broke historical records and both awakened superpowers by exceeding human physiological limits.

Gu Yu awakened the [Carbon Sequestration Breathing] ability, and immediately suffocated to the point of near death.

At that critical moment, Qin Manying, whose face was also pale, struggled to rush over and kissed Gu Yu with all her might.

The carbon dioxide she exhaled was exactly what Gu Yu needed at that moment.

Later, they kissed for an hour under everyone's gaze until Gu Yu was urgently transferred to an oxygen-free laboratory.

Qin Manying's awakened ability was classified as a top-secret information.

Looking at Qin Nuannuan, whose gentle appearance was completely opposite to that of her aunt, Zhang Zixuan felt a great sense of unease.

"Nuan Nuan, have you noticed something?"

"I think... Auntie seems to have already guessed it." Qin Nuannuan bit her lip, her eyes filled with worry.

"During our routine call, she mentioned Gu Yu three times. Although she didn't ask about anything related to the mission, but..."

"But given my aunt's abilities... I'm afraid she's already sensed something... Do you think she might...?"

Before Qin Nuannuan could finish speaking, the internal communicator on Zhang Zixuan's wrist suddenly vibrated rapidly.

[Commander-in-Chief's Order: All core members, immediately proceed to Confidential Conference Room Number Three.]

Zhang Zixuan's expression changed, and he immediately said to Qin Nuannuan, "Wait for me here."

After saying that, he strode towards the heavy alloy door.

……

The atmosphere in the No. 3 confidential conference room was extremely tense.

Zhang Jianguo and several high-ranking leaders were already seated in the main seats.

The moment Zhang Zixuan walked in, the huge holographic screen in the center of the conference room lit up.

On the screen appeared five resolute yet slightly weary faces, with the technologically advanced bridge of the Long March 9 heavy spacecraft in the background.

Leading the group was Colonel Qin Manying, who wore a blue cabin uniform, had a heroic face, short, neat hair, and sharp eyes.

Thanks to the younger age of the astronauts, behind her are four young core members of the "Spark Team":

Wang Yang (32 years old, Lieutenant Colonel): Chief Geologist and Drilling Engineer.

Guo Peng (30 years old, Major): Power systems and nuclear energy expert.

Wang Qing (29 years old, Major): Mechanical Engineering and Equipment Maintenance Expert.

Lin Yishui (26 years old, major): Medical officer and biologist.

They were supposed to reunite with Gu Yu within two days of his arrival on Mars.

"Commander-in-Chief," Qin Manying said without any preamble, "I need an explanation."

"Explain what?" Zhang Jianguo asked expressionlessly.

"Stop acting." Qin Manying's gaze seemed to pierce through the screen. "Gu Yu, has something happened?"

The conference room was deathly silent.

Zhang Jianguo remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"We originally planned to wait until you arrived safely on Earth before sharing all the information."

"Although Zhulong-1 successfully landed, it experienced a second Mars jump, leaving Captain Gu Yu alone, stranded on Mars, 60 million kilometers away."

He recounted the entire process of Gu Yu waking up the Zhurong ship and sending back photos and a self-rescue plan in the most concise language.

On the other side of the screen, apart from Qin Manying, the other four astronauts all wore expressions of disbelief, shock, and grief.

Qin Manying, however, remained unusually calm, frighteningly so.

She listened quietly, then said in an unquestionable tone, "I understand."

"Commander-in-Chief, I request that we halt the return flight and continue with 'Operation Fireseed'."

"What?!"

"The rescue mission for Captain Gu Yu will be carried out by our Fire Seed Team as originally planned."

Zhang Jianguo frowned: "Comrade Manying, this is no child's play. Your spacecraft is already on its return trajectory."

"But we did not enter the final Earth braking window," Qin Manying immediately retorted.

"Our Long March 9 heavy version carries a complete landing system and ascent vehicle, as well as all the equipment needed to establish a base on Mars."

"This was originally our team's mission; we came here specifically for this mission!"

She scribbled rapidly on the tactics board in front of her, and a bold new plan was projected onto her!