I live in the Martian wilderness!

"We will now immediately conduct an orbital maneuver and make an emergency landing at the Moon Palace research station."

"In the low gravity environment of the moon, our bodies can be buffered and recover while maintaining their adaptation to low gravity. We don't need to return to Earth!"

"The only thing Earth command needs to do is immediately launch an unmanned cargo spacecraft to replenish the propellant we need for our return from the moon."

"After resupplying, we will take off directly from the moon and fly to Mars!"

"180 days?" Qin Manying sneered. "That's assuming it's launched from Earth."

"Right now, everything Gu Yu needs is readily available to us! All we need is fuel!"

"Furthermore, starting from the moon, we can take a higher-energy transfer orbit. I estimate we could reach Mars in 160 days!"

She paused, then said the most crucial point: "Commander, this means we can continue with the Spark Plan."

"These 160 days are enough for Gu Yu to use the Sky Shuttle to develop a sufficiently safe and flat landing area within the designated landing zone!"

"The 'seven minutes of terror,' fraught with uncertainty, is no longer a risk!"

In the conference room, all the experts gasped.

This plan is crazy, audacious, but also... flawless.

Zhang Jianguo stared at the woman on the screen with her resolute eyes, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, he slowly closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again.

"I agree in principle. Immediately organize all experts to conduct a final review of the plan!"

Orbital experts, propellant experts, aerospace medicine experts... everyone was frantically calculating the feasibility of Qin Manying's audacious plan.

Ten minutes later, the preliminary conclusions were presented to Chief Zhang, but the results were not optimistic.

"Sir," Zhang Zixuan, chief engineer of the launch system, said with a grave expression, "the theoretical framework of the plan is sound. But the biggest bottleneck lies in delivering propellant to the moon."

He pulled up a complex launch window diagram.

"We need to transport a massive amount of liquid oxygen and methane, enough for the Long March 9 rocket to fly from the moon to Mars and then land safely, to the moon."

"We need to take into account the time required for launch preparation, Earth-Moon transfer, and unloading and refueling on the lunar surface... The entire resupply process will take at least 35-45 days."

Another orbital expert added, "Including the 80 days of resupply time, plus their 160-day journey from the moon, the total time reaches about 240 days."

"This is even slower than our conventional 180-day launch plan from Earth!"

The atmosphere became heavy again.

Qin Manying's plan was ingenious, but it seemed to be hampered by the most basic problem: logistics.

Just as everyone fell silent, thinking the plan was about to be rejected—

A calm and powerful voice entered the meeting directly through the main communication channel.

"Perhaps... we don't need to transport fuel from Earth."

Everyone turned around sharply to look at the source of the sound—it wasn't coming from some corner of the conference room.

Instead, it came directly from the highest-authority communication screen next to Chief Zhang Jianguo.

On the screen appeared an elderly man wearing a dark blue work uniform, but the background was the lunar mission's main control room.

His name tag reads: "Chief Commander of the Lunar Research Station, Ma Guoliang".

Commander Ma looked at the astonished eyes in Conference Room No. 3 and smiled proudly.

When Chief Zhang Jianguo saw him, a knowing glint flashed in his eyes, and he gestured for him to continue.

"Comrades, before proceeding with the next report, in accordance with the 'National Deep Space Strategic Security Regulations,' I would like everyone present to immediately sign a special confidentiality agreement."

As soon as he finished speaking, a document popped up simultaneously on every personal terminal in the conference room, with the title marked in bright red "Top Secret," representing the highest level of classification.

A suppressed commotion arose from the crowd.

"Project Xihe"?

No one had ever heard of this name, but the mere act of signing a confidentiality agreement on the spot was enough to suggest that it was a shocking secret that would overturn all understanding.

Those present were all seasoned experts; without asking any further questions, they immediately completed the task on their respective terminals.

"The confidentiality agreement has been signed by all parties." The system notification appeared one minute later.

Commander Ma nodded, a proud smile appearing on his face.

"Thank you for your cooperation. This news was not announced to the entire system. But now, the situation has changed."

"Three months ago, the lunar energy independence project codenamed 'Xihe,' which was commanded by us on the ground and executed by lunar personnel, achieved a decisive success."

The large screen behind him switched images, no longer showing the data stream from the main control room.

Instead, it was a real-time video, transmitted by a drone from the lunar base, filled with awe-inspiring industrial footage—a massive underground industrial facility!

"From 2035 to 2047, over a period of twelve years, we have built a medium-sized 'Helium-3 fusion demonstration reactor' beneath the lunar surface."

"With virtually unlimited energy..." Commander Ma's voice was filled with barely suppressed pride, "we have naturally accomplished the ultimate goal set by the nation back then."

He pointed to a huge device in the picture that was separating water ice from lunar soil.

"We have achieved large-scale extraction of water ice and established a 'lunar in-situ propellant factory' through water electrolysis and the Sabatil reaction."

Commander Ma paused slightly at this point.

He looked at the utterly shocked crowd on the screen, his gaze seemingly piercing through the screen, through the dome of the conference room, and looking into the deeper starry sky of history.

He recalled the seemingly unattainable vow made by aerospace engineers decades ago when they launched Chang'e and Yutu: "Our journey is to the stars and the sea!"

And now, at this very moment! The starting point of that vast universe has been completely opened up through twelve years of hard work and wisdom!

Ma Guoliang's voice was no longer just proud, but carried a solemn tremor.

The conclusion is—

"From today onward, the moon will no longer be just a satellite for people to look up to, nor will it be just a scientific research outpost that needs life support from Mother Earth."

"It possesses its own energy source and its own fuel. It has become a veritable refueling station in space! The first and most solid springboard for humanity to step into deep space!"

The moment the words fell, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence that lasted for more than ten seconds, filled with a huge amount of information.

Then, thunderous and prolonged applause erupted!

Everyone, from elderly academicians with gray hair to young technicians, was overwhelmed by a wave of "historical witnessing"!

They knew that what they were witnessing was not just a turning point in a rescue plan, but the beginning of a new era!

Qin Manying's seemingly insane plan, which was stalled by "logistics," was now completely revitalized by another, even more insane and deeply hidden national trump card!

Commander Zhang looked at the old man on the screen, whose hair was white but whose eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's, and slammed his fist on the table in excitement.

"Good! Good! Good!" he said three times, his eyes even turning a little red.

He walked to the communication screen, and solemnly gave a standard military salute to Ma Guoliang on the screen.

"Commander Ma, on behalf of the 'Mars Exploration Special Mission Team' and Captain Gu Yu, thank you!"

"Thank you and all our comrades stationed on the moon for your twelve years of working anonymously, laying this decisive foundation for us and our country!"

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P.S.: I was revising as I wrote, and I didn't expect that our country would produce so many successful experimental technologies by the end of the year... such as generating electricity using carbon dioxide.