I live in the Martian wilderness!

Ma Guoliang, on the other end of the screen, was stunned for a moment. He had known Zhang Jianguo for twenty years, and this was the first time he had heard this steely man utter the word "fear."

"Mars just teleported away like that, without any warning! What if Mars jumps to Neptune's side right after Qin Manying and the others land?"

Zhang Jianguo's eyes were bloodshot. "We must perfect the plan, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, we must leave the children a way to live!"

"Absolutely! We must never again allow astronauts to be stranded on alien planets like abandoned pawns!"

He sighed, his tone softening: "Fortunately, Gu Yu has good genes."

"That's why he doesn't have to worry about gravity and oxygen like ordinary people do... If it were an ordinary person, even with a Sky Shuttle, they would probably have died in that wasteland long ago."

"If something really happens to him," Zhang Jianguo's fingers dug deeply into the armrest, "I would be held responsible even if I lost my life!"

Ma Guoliang was silent for a moment, then said with a reassuring tone, "This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. Gu Yu is indeed remarkable; he actually thought of contacting Earth by reviving the Zhurong ship from twenty years ago!"

"And they actually succeeded! In just over ten days, they managed to create an oasis in that godforsaken place, solving the long-standing food problem."

"Old Zhang, this also proves that your project team's rigorous training has paid off; you've built a very solid foundation!"

The two exchanged a wry smile, and the atmosphere eased slightly.

As if suddenly remembering something, Ma Guoliang lowered his voice and asked, "By the way, speaking of this... have you received the letter? The 'Global Genetic Engineering Status Assessment Report'."

"There's been too much going on lately, I've been busy rescuing people, I haven't had time to look closely yet." Zhang Jianguo shook his head. "What happened? Something went wrong?"

"This is serious." Ma Guoliang's expression turned solemn. "The report mentions that there has been a major, unusual breakthrough in 'supernatural ability research' in Japan."

"As you know, so-called superpowers are nothing more than benign mutations of genes under extreme conditions. Theoretically, superpowers are a kind of genetic mutation."

"But even with today's quantum AI computing power, attempts to perfectly replicate or edit a genome that can generate superpowers will still encounter various inexplicable bugs."

"Genes are fucking amazing. They're like a piece of code—sometimes they look like they're full of bugs and a mess, but they run incredibly smoothly."

"Some of them look perfect and bug-free, but they crash and freeze as soon as they are run."

"The United Nations learned through special intelligence channels that Japan has been trying to mass-produce Awakened beings through artificial intervention. However, it has been failing and many test subjects have died."

"Given the current situation, gene programming will be the next strategic trend after controlled nuclear fusion."

Zhang Jianguo was somewhat surprised, his brow furrowed: "Has Japan already reached such a cutting-edge level? They can already program genes directly using AI?"

"It's not all about technological breakthroughs." A hint of disgust flashed in Ma Guoliang's eyes. "They're going down the wrong path. They're using clones, people in a vegetative state, and even people with disabilities for live experiments."

"There are also indications that they've extended their reach to Southeast Asia, buying some infants..." Ma Guoliang spat angrily, "Damn it! A leopard can't change its spots! They should have..."

"Old Ma!" Zhang Jianguo immediately interrupted him, "Watch your words. This is a confidential line, but we also need to be mindful of the implications. Peace is very important."

"Sigh, fine... I'm just so angry." Ma Guoliang took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

A brief silence fell between them. Neither of them dared to bring up the naive question of "why the UN didn't intervene," nor did they vent their pointless indignation.

At their level, they have long seen through the essence of international politics—a web full of compromise and exchange.

Human experimentation is certainly against human ethics, but in the face of the fierce competition for "super genes," the moral defenses are often thinner than paper.

As long as such crimes do not directly infringe upon the core interests of the country and do not cross the line, then on the diplomatic table it is merely an issue that is "worthy of attention but not enough to cause a complete breakdown in relations."

Moreover, Japan is not the only country that abandons morality in pursuit of evolution.

Once Pandora's box is opened, desires cannot be contained.

This is reality, cruel and real. All they can do is uphold their principles and protect their own people.

"Anyway, Lao Zhang, I have high hopes for Gu Yu. As an old comrade-in-arms, I'd like to give you some advice—"

Ma Guoliang's voice became extremely solemn: "If we can bring him back, we should bring him back as soon as possible. It's not just for saving lives, but also for the country."

"The genetic code he carries may be more important for scientific research than building a hundred bases on Mars."

Zhang Jianguo remained silent for a long time, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "I know...of course I know. Sigh, back then, after the Mars jump, it was only 100 million kilometers away from Earth."

"According to the original plan, Gu Yu used the Sky Shuttle engineering vehicle to help the Fire Seed Squad build the landing pad. After the handover was completed, he could take the return capsule back to Earth."

"Who would have thought Mars would make another jump! It completely blocked the path!"

A fire reignited in Zhang Jianguo's eyes. "Therefore, to prevent this from happening again, we immediately prepared this rocket!"

"It's not just a communication base station, nor is it just a backup spacecraft. It's a rescue spacecraft we've reserved for Gu Yu!"

"Once the Spark team successfully lands and establishes a launch site, the Long March 9 rocket in orbit can change course and maneuver at any time, working in conjunction with the ground ascent unit to carry out an emergency evacuation mission."

After saying this, Zhang Jianguo's chest heaved violently a few times, a release of emotions under long-term pressure.

On the other side of the screen, Ma Guoliang looked at his old comrade's graying temples and slowly nodded, his worry turning into admiration.

"It's good that we have this plan." Ma Guoliang sighed. "The Mars jump is a miracle that defies the common sense of physics. We still can't predict when it will happen again, or even if it will happen at all."

"But when faced with such unforeseen circumstances, it's always good to be prepared. Having a backup plan keeps you calm."

Zhang Jianguo gave a wry smile, sat back down in his chair, and picked up the thick document on the table—it was the mission statement for the second Long March 9 rocket.

"Yes, you need to have cards in your hand." He gently stroked the cover of the document, his voice low, "But this card is too heavy."

"You know what, Lao Ma? After the news of launching the second Long March 9 rocket spread, my desk was piled high with applications to join the mission in just one morning!"

"Especially those young reservists, they all came to me with red eyes, volunteering: 'Commander! We'd take any mission to Mars, even if it's a one-way ticket!'"

At this point, Zhang Jianguo's eyes reddened slightly, but his gaze hardened like steel.

"But I rejected them all; I didn't approve a single one."

Ma Guoliang fell silent; he understood the weight behind this rejection.

Zhang Jianguo's voice was resolute, "This Chang 9 can only be an unmanned cargo version! There are too many variables on Mars. Gu Yu is already trapped there, and Qin Manying and the other four are jumping into the fire pit."

"Those are the lives of six top talents! They are the nation's priceless treasures! With the situation still unclear and the leapfrog mechanism not yet fully understood, I cannot gamble with the lives of my soldiers."

"Even with a 99% success rate, I can't gamble on that 1% chance of failure!"

"If it's a machine, it's fine if it explodes; we can just rebuild it. But if it's a person..."

Zhang Jianguo didn't continue, he just shook his head.

"I understand," Ma Guoliang said in a deep voice. "That's what a responsible commander is. A merciful commander cannot lead an army, but a benevolent commander will not take lives lightly."

Ma Guoliang stood up. "Old Zhang, don't worry. I'll personally oversee every single screw on this ship. I'll ensure it's perfectly safe before it leaves the moon!"

"Once it reaches Mars orbit, it will be a protective umbrella hanging over the Fireseed Team, and a stabilizing force planted in that red wasteland!"

Zhang Jianguo looked at the figure on the screen, who was also no longer young, and solemnly saluted.

"Please, old buddy."

"For the children, and for the country."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(P.S.: Finally, the true nature of superpowers has been revealed! I didn't mention this earlier to filter readers; those who couldn't accept it by the second chapter left. I thought some readers would comment on the "genetic programming" point earlier, but surprisingly, none did... Maybe the book is just too unpopular.)