Chapter 250: Scavenged an Alien s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After several days of sailing.
The Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens approached the low orbit of Mars. Under Nuwa’s control, the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p gradually decelerated and descended into the thin Martian atmosphere.
Various scanning instruments were deployed, sweeping through the Martian terrain.
In the alien’s diary, there was a page, containing a draft that was marked with a red dot, located at approximately 43 degrees north lat.i.tude and 120 degrees east longitude. The Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens swiftly found the location, situated on a large vermillion hill.
This hill was vast, spanning over hundreds of square kilometers. The terrain’s perimeters were elevated with its middle area in a slight inward depression, identical to a basin. It may be a structure formed after the impact of the meteorites.
The mysterious alien’s agent s.p.a.cecraft should be lying around the hills or in the large crater in the middle.
Nuwa who controlled the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens conducted a throughout scan of the vicinity. Including optical scans, ground radar scans, magnetic induction scans… everything could be scanned evidently from the surface to ground structures dozens of meters down under.
Undoubtedly, the main focus was placed on the image scanned by the magnetic induction device. Most s.p.a.cecrafts were mainly composed of metal, with lots of metallic equipment residing in within. Under the influence of the planet’s magnetic field, those would be magnetized after a long period of time. For that reason, metallic objects could easily be detected by the magnetic induction device.
With the sensitivity of the magnetic induction device the “Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens” was equipped, even a fist sized metal could be displayed crystal clear. However, scans were repeated three times, going back and forth in the nearby area of the coordinates.
Nuwa reported, “Negative, master. No trace of mysterious alien s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps was found.”
“There’s nothing at the coordinates?” Chen Jin asked.
“Yes. But after deploying the probe vehicle, the soil distribution in the central area of the basin infers that large objects once resided in this basin.”
Nuwa transmitted a computer simulated diagram.
A contour of a large object was generated according to soil traces at the bottom of the pit. It was of a round structure roughly 50 meters in diameter.
“UFO?” A term popped up in Chen Jin’s mind.
“It should be a disk-shaped aircraft. s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps of this kind are more common due to its many advantages.”
“But since now that it’s gone, does this mean that another alien spy flew it off Mars?” Chen Jin said.
“There’s a probability that it was as so. But we can’t be a hundred percent sure unless we scan through the whole planet.”
“How long would it take to complete a full scan?”
“Around three days. Should I conduct a full scan?”
“Yes, of course! Better be safe than sorry.”
Chen Jin nodded. The disappearance of the mysterious alien s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p at the coordinates does not imply that the aliens were surely gone. The possibility must be ruled out completely.
“Yes master.”
Nuwa drove the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens to an elevation of around 100 kilometers and initiated the scanning process.
Mar’s diameter was only 53% of planet Haierfa’s. The planet’s surface area was 145 million square kilometers and bears only a mere 11% of planet Haierfa’s ma.s.s.
All the widespread rumors that “there were once intelligent lifeforms on Mars” were basically a fraud. They were all forged for the sole purpose of click baiting.
In fact, you don’t even need your brains to think about it. On Mars, there was no volcanic activities. Its atmospheric density was only 1%. Water was nonexistent in most areas. How was it even possible for this planet to nurture intelligent lifeforms?
The so-called ‘Martians’ was only a concept for entertainment.
Of course, it was still good as a colonial planet. In Haierfa’s history, there was once a heatwave of migrating to Mars. At its peak, the number of Martian immigrants exceeded one million.
But after the heatwave frazzled, migrating to Mars was not something cool anymore. Due to the planet’s harsh environment, scarce water supply, lack of entertainment and hefty cost of living, many Martian immigrants gave up their s.h.i.+p of living on Mars and returned to Haierfa.
In addition, due to the inability to make ends meet, countries slashed their spending’s on Mars’s development. Dozens of Mars immigration bases were all abandoned, and the once lively Mars reverted to its former quietness.
When Nuwa was in the process of scanning the Martian surface, lots of capsule houses, abandoned cars and equipment’s were spotted.
Chen Jin shook his head and said, “Nuwa, it seems that there are quite a lot of iron ore on Mars. If they so mine large amounts of Iron and s.h.i.+p them back to Haierfa, or maybe transport some of the more valuable resources back, won’t these provide them with some lucrativeness… why can’t Mars colonization go on? ”
“The cost is too high.”
“According to statistics, the cost of mining 1 kilograms of iron ore on Mars is 1730 times than that in planet Haierfa. Even if it were to be rare earths, the mining costs will also be 260 times than mining on planet Haierfa and more than 20 times than mining on the moon…
“Unless new technological advancement is achieved and interstellar mining is made profitable, only by then we can truly enter the interstellar colonial era.”
“But for us, we can mine and use all the mineral resources on the moon, Mars, asteroids and other planets… we don’t have to think about cost-effectiveness. What we need is more resources.” Nuwa said.
Chen Jin nodded. Indeed, in his context, the difference between mining minerals from nearby and faraway was only about using less or more power and having low or high efficiency… it doesn’t actually make much a difference, minerals was all that matters to him.
Nuwa continued scanning operations.
In about two days later.
Scanning at about the Martian south pole.
Coming across a large immigrant base, Nuwa abruptly decelerated and turned over!
She targeted all the scanning equipment’s at the central area of the immigrant base, aimed at a large disk-shaped object standing in the center of the open s.p.a.ce.
She transmitted a message immediately:
“Master, Nuwa has a great discovery!”
“I’ve discovered a suspected alien aircraft.”
“It may be an alien s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p!”
10 minutes later.
Chen Jin bolted back to the Base of Operations and replied via the communication instrument, “Nuwa, is it true?”
“It is true master!”
Nuwa send across a large number of photos, videos and presented them to Chen Jin.
The disk-shape object in the images had a similar diameter of around 50 meters. Its height was about 30 meters and was coated in silver-grey. It looked somewhat like a hat.
“Are there aliens inside?”
Chen Jin asked subconsciously with a highly vigilant look.
“I’m uncertain. From the dust on the surface of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, it seems that it hasn’t move for quite some time. For security reasons, we can take two measures. First, we could raze it to the ground with our weapons. Second, we could first place our weapons around the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, then conduct investigations to collect some intelligence. Once there is a threat, immediately detonate the weapons!”
The Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens was bringing along 10 nuclear weapons with an equivalent ma.s.s of 10 thousand tons. The ten-thousand-degree temperature generated at the core of their blast can destroy all matter.
The two alternatives presented before Chen Jin was to destroy it without checking the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p or to plant nuclear bombs around the disk-shaped s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p and deploy robots to approach the vehicle to collect some intelligence, after affirming that detonation could be performed at any unspecified time.
“Go for the second one, give it a check!”
Although it seemed that something was off, but Nuwa already said that the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p had been dormant for a long time and moreover, there were many big footprints around the aircraft. Besides, there were no lights flas.h.i.+ng on the surface of the aircraft and there was no radiation of electromagnetic signals, indicating that it may be in a power failure state.
Straight up demolition would cut off the possibility to discover more intelligence.
“Yes master.”
Hence, all the nuclear bombs were planted around the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. They could be detonated remotely at any time.
Latterly, a squad of robots was deployed.
In about 30 minutes later.
The messages sent over by Nuwa made a phrase emerge in Chen Jin’s mind: Scavenged an alien s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.