I live in the Martian wilderness!

Above the heavy, round hatch, a bowl-sized [environmental interaction port], usually sealed by a metal cover, automatically spun open.

"hiss--!!!"

A visible heat wave, mixed with white steam, gushed out from that port like a high-pressure fire hose, continuously blasting into the darkness of the backyard space!

This is the "main artery" reserved for Oasis One—an industrial-grade interface specifically designed for rapid pressurization or environmental replacement of external compartments or large equipment.

The air pressure reading on the screen started jumping wildly!

【0.05 atm……0.15 atm……0.3 atm……】

Meanwhile, the temperature sensor readings in the backyard were also climbing rapidly!

-60℃... -40℃... -20℃...

Three hours later.

"bite--"

A crisp notification sound rang out in the command center.

The air pressure reading on the screen remained steadily at [0.82 atm], and the ambient temperature miraculously rose to [18℃].

"Pressure complete." Gu Yu looked at the stable data and issued a new command, "Xuan, disconnect the external air intake of the Sky Shuttle and switch to 'internal air circulation heating' mode."

"Understood, Lieutenant Colonel."

As the command was given, the air intake grille on the outside of the Tissot slowly closed, but the roar of the turbine fan did not stop.

Instead of drawing in new gas from Mars, it began an internal circulation via the Multi-Functional Fluid Transport Cable attached to Oasis 1.

This thick, black umbilical cable is not hollow inside; rather, it uses a coaxial tube design, which is very common in industrial fluid and gas transmission.

The inner channel, now acting like a vacuum cleaner, draws the gradually cooling air from the backyard back into the Tissot's heating module.

The outer ring-shaped channel carries scalding hot air, which is instantly heated to 80°C by nuclear waste heat, back to the backyard along the outer wall of the inner tube.

This is equivalent to attaching a super central air conditioning unit that never goes out to this huge 600-cubic-meter ice cellar.

Hot and cold air pass each other on different "lanes" of the same pipeline, exchanging heat efficiently.

"The temperature is dropping very quickly, and we must deploy a permanent heat source before the walls cool down completely."

After Gu Yu finished speaking, he walked to the airlock leading to the backyard. He was only wearing a light dark blue cabin suit.

"Lieutenant Colonel, although the air pressure and composition are suitable for you, the current room temperature is only 18 degrees Celsius, and the heat is being rapidly absorbed by the rock face. We recommend that you wear an insulated inner liner."

"No need, it's a good opportunity to go inside and cool off."

Gu Yu stretched his body, which had been restrained all day, and pressed the open button.

"laugh--"

As the internal and external air pressures balanced, the heavy hatch slid silently to the side.

A slightly cool but warm wind, full of carbon dioxide, blew in, accompanied by the loud roar of a fan.

Gu Yu took a deep breath.

The feeling of that high concentration of carbon dioxide rushing into his lungs was like drinking ice water in the desert; every cell in his body was cheering with joy.

He stepped inside. The basalt ground beneath his feet was cold, but the biting chill in the air was gone.

Looking at the tall black wall he had built with his own hands, and then at the two running track pools in the distance waiting to be filled with water, an indescribable sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart.

"It's getting late, Xuan. We can't keep dragging this on like this. I need to hurry up and set up a permanent heat source, and then get a good night's sleep."

With a hint of testing in his voice, Gu Yu asked with a smile, "You're so smart, guess how I plan to solve the heating problem for this 600-cubic-meter space?"

"We are currently working on the deduction based on the optimal engineering logic..." Xuanjian's reply was as fast as lightning, and a detailed plan was immediately projected onto Gu Yu's HUD.

"The proposed solution is as follows: You will use the Divine Craft Module to print three more Zhurong No. 1 heating rods. Install them in the runway pool and fill the pool with water."

"Using the enormous heat capacity of water as a buffer, the space is heated through long-wave infrared radiation and convection."

Gu Yu nodded: "This is a good solution; it saves electricity and is stable."

"But it has a fatal flaw."

"water vapor."

"Once we open the tap to boil water, this place will quickly turn into a sauna with 100% humidity. The walls will be covered in condensation, and the air will be full of fog."

"Ordinary lights are fine, but the GZ-05 full-spectrum lighting module's drive circuit and heat sink are not designed for high-humidity environments."

"Prolonged operation can lead to severe light decay at best, and short circuits and burnout at worst. We can't just blind the 'sun' that sustains spirulina's life for the sake of air temperature, can we?"

Xuanjian was silent for two seconds, and the lifespan degradation curve of the light module under different humidity levels immediately popped up on the HUD, completely confirming Gu Yu's concerns.

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel. Your concerns are very valid. High humidity can indeed cause irreversible damage. But..."

"So," Gu Yu's lips curled into a confident smile, "we need a dry heat source."

"Think again, what other emergency supplies related to heating are we carrying in our cargo hold number two?"

This question caused Xuanjian to pause for a moment, as if he were rapidly searching through the list of supplies.

A few seconds later, a model of a military green metal box, highlighted in bold, popped up.

"We are prioritizing your request... Are you referring to the [Candlelight-III Type Isotope Heat Source Unit], designed to prevent astronauts from suffering hypothermia in the wild and used for emergency escape in extreme situations?"

"Bingo!" Gu Yu snapped his fingers.

Xuanjian immediately pulled up the detailed parameters of the device, as if to confirm the feasibility of the plan.

[Candlelight-III Type Isotope Heat Source Unit]

Technology origin: It is based on the iterative development of isotope battery technology by the China Institute of Atomic Energy since the 80s, with strontium-90 as the core material.

Principle: The target material is bombarded with beta particles released during the decay of Strontium-90, generating stable and lasting heat. It is completely passive, requires no electricity, and is absolutely reliable.

Structure: It uses multi-layer tungsten alloy and ceramic matrix composite material for radiation shielding, and the outer shell is covered with graphene-reinforced heat dissipation fins, which are designed for efficient heat dissipation in the air.

Individual specifications:

Weight: 10 kg (20 jin).

Thermal power: 10 kilowatts.

Effective lifespan: 2.5 years (although the half-life is long, the heat output will decrease year by year, and after 2.5 years it will be less than 80% of the design value).

Inventory: 2 units.

"Lieutenant Colonel," Xuanjian's voice rang out, this time not as a question, but as a confirmation.

"According to thermodynamic model calculations, in this 600-cubic-meter space without insulation, it is necessary to withstand the surrounding rock temperature of -60℃ and maintain the room temperature stably at 20℃."

"We need at least 18-22 kilowatts of continuous thermal power."

"The two 'Candlelight' units have a total power of 20 kilowatts, which falls right within the demand range," Xuanjian confirmed. "They can fully meet our heating needs for the first phase."

"Lieutenant Colonel, we just..."

"Then let's get straight to the point and get moving!"

Xuanjian: ...