Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

Chapter 646: The Martian Released

Shh~ Bang!
As the old year departs amidst the sound of firecrackers, the Spring Festival of 2019 falls in February. As the capital of China, Beijing has implemented a year-round ban on the setting off of fireworks and firecrackers for many years.

However, certain special locations are not subject to this restriction.

For example, the newly built [Galaxy Park] is still open for business during the Spring Festival, and there will be a unique fireworks display in the evening.

In addition, the newly added Spring Festival decorations inside the park have further enhanced the festive atmosphere of the entire Galaxy Park.

Therefore, Wang Hao and Xinghe Pictures specially held the premiere of "The Martian" in the "Aerospace Theme Area" of the park.

Due to venue and equipment limitations, there was no premiere screening at the event. However, there were many other activities, and many celebrities from all walks of life, including the film and television industry, attended the event on the evening of February 4th.

The fact that some official leaders were there to endorse such a film was astonishing to many people present, demonstrating Wang Hao's influence and importance in the current Chinese cultural sphere.

After the premiere ended, and with the grand fireworks show that began at 10 o'clock in the park, cinemas throughout Beijing and even major cities across the country started advance screenings of the movie "The Martian".

On New Year's Eve, countless eager movie fans, holding tickets they had snapped up from Taobao Tickets, flocked to cinemas with their families.

"Dad, hurry up, the movie's about to start!"

"Why are you running so fast!"

In Shanghai, Deng Shuang, supporting her elderly father, was also among the crowd flowing into the movie theater.

Looking at his son who was rushing ahead, he couldn't help but scold him loudly, displaying the authority of the head of the family. At the same time, he told his wife to quickly pull their son back to prevent him from being pushed and trampled by the crowd.

As the third-in-command of a multinational company in Shanghai, although he had no work scheduled for the Spring Festival holiday, he didn't really want to go out and watch any domestic science fiction movies at this time.

As a middle-aged intellectual who studied abroad at a young age, Deng Shuang's thinking and cognition have always been very fixed.

In his view, domestic science fiction films are inferior to Hollywood films in every aspect, whether in terms of concept, special effects, or acting skills.

Especially as a senior executive of a multinational corporation, after having enough contact with those European and American elites, he became even more disdainful of all aspects of domestic affairs.

However, he didn't want to watch it, but his son was a true sci-fi fan and loved the "StarCraft Cinematic Universe." His mother had taken him to "StarCraft Theme Park" twice already.

Moreover, his elderly father, who had long since retired from the aerospace research institute, also expressed a desire to watch the movie, for reasons unknown.

Unfortunately, since he was going to watch it anyway, Deng Shuang could only use his connections to get a few advance screening tickets for "The Martian" and choose to watch it at this time.

After all, tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year. As a middle-level manager in the company, he will have more things to do and more management leaders to visit, so he may not have time to spend with his family.

After Deng Shuang helped her father to his seat in the theater, the theater went dark shortly afterward, and the movie officially began.

It's the same new series of opening animations from Galaxy Pictures, and the same familiar dragon logo. However, this time the opening animation for "The Martian" is a little different. In the rotating Trisolaran system, there are no longer three suns, but three huge red stars.

As the opening credits end, the camera zooms in rapidly on a red celestial body, swooping down from space and sweeping across red plains and rolling mountains. A sense of desolation and vastness washes over the viewer, instantly captivating countless viewers and moviegoers, especially with the IMAX screen.

【Asidaria Plain】

A line of small text appeared on the big screen, then the camera continued to zoom in on the ground, followed by a series of electronic sounds processed by a communicator.

"Alright, the mission is almost over. Everyone, please be careful and stay within sight."

"How's the situation, Captain?"

"Not bad, the soil in areas 14-28 is very coarse."

"Captain, the soil here is quite fine!"

……

During this dialogue, the camera pans closer to the Martian landscape, and after crossing a mountain, the people whose voices had only been heard appear on the big screen.

They are busy at a Mars base, dressed in new, futuristic-style, agile red and white spacesuits with the Chinese flag emblazoned on their chests.

【Yinghuo Base】

A line of small print appeared next to the Mars base, and through the banter between the astronauts, the audience learned that they were Chinese astronauts carrying out the "Zhurong-4" Mars exploration mission.

This marks their 47th Martian day on Mars. Today, the six astronauts are tasked with collecting rock samples to prepare for the subsequent expansion of the "Zhurong Outpost."

Just as team leader Zhang Beihai was placing a piece of sulfur-containing crystal into a sample bottle, Cheng Xin (played by Jing Tian), a logistics technician, suddenly called out nervously over the communication channel:

"Captain, you need to come in and take a look at this!"

The astronauts who had been scattered outside immediately returned to the base, where the weather monitoring instruments were emitting sharp alarms.

An unprecedentedly powerful sandstorm is approaching their base at a speed of up to 175 kilometers per hour.

The sandstorm, which blotted out the sky, swallowed the horizon like a red tsunami and rolled over the entire [Zhurong Outpost Base] like a mountain range.

The terrifying scene, enhanced by the powerful special effects technology of Starlight Magic Company, made the audience watching this scene in the movie theater feel terrified.

Should we leave?

Should we stay?

Less than five minutes into the movie, the audience faced the same choices as the Chinese astronauts.

There's no way around it; the film's realistic texture, the familiar faces and languages, and the tense pacing and atmosphere instantly draw everyone in, immersing them completely in the movie.

The situation at this time was that this super-large sandstorm was something they had never encountered before.

Although Mars experiences frequent super-large dust storms due to its thin atmosphere, their power is less than a fraction of that on Earth.

However, even with a sandstorm of this magnitude, there's no guarantee that no accidents might occur.

"Go evacuate the spaceship and await further orders!"

As the commander-in-chief of this Mars scientific expedition, Zhang Beihai decisively issued the order, and the team members rushed to the evacuation capsule.

However, outside the Mars base, a sandstorm had already descended. In the pitch-black storm, countless grains of sand rushed towards them, obscuring their vision.

They could only hold hands and line up in a row, groping their way forward according to the directions they remembered.

However, amidst the chaos, Zhang Beihai, the team leader responsible for covering the rear and inspecting equipment, was pierced in the abdomen like a javelin by a communication antenna that had broken due to the strong wind.

The communication dish that slammed into him carried a tremendous impact, throwing him deep into the sandstorm. "Captain!"

In the midst of the raging wind, Cheng Xin noticed that his captain behind him had encountered an accident. However, the signal from the vital signs monitor disappeared, and Zhang Beihai remained silent in response to their calls through the communicator, which chilled the hearts of his team members.

"We have to go save the captain!"

"That's too late!"

"But Captain!"

"Obey orders! The mission comes first, that's what the captain said before we set off!"

Cheng Xin, who temporarily took over the captain's position, was still unable to contact Zhang Beihai despite her best efforts. As the tilt angle of the return rocket became larger and larger due to the storm, she had no choice but to reluctantly order the spacecraft to start and evacuate from Mars in order to avoid greater losses.

As tears streamed down Cheng Xin's face, outside the porthole, the spaceship, its exhaust plume shooting out, pierced the darkness and shot into space like an arrow from the thick, inky sandstorm.

As they watched the Martian landscape recede into the distance, all the astronauts observed a moment of silence for their captain, Zhang Beihai.

Under those circumstances, the disappearance of Zhang Beihai was essentially a death sentence.

Even if he was still alive at that time, under those circumstances, without rescue and stranded on Mars, he would not have been able to return to Earth alive.

The camera pans out to show the spaceship taking off, then zooms in on Zhang Beihai, who is buried in the storm. The screen goes black, then comes back on, showing a hospital corridor.

This certainly doesn't mean that the injured Zhang Beihai has returned to Earth and is receiving treatment.

At this moment, he was wearing a special new-style military uniform, carrying some nutritional supplements, and walking down the corridor of the inpatient department.

The camera focused on Liu Ye's face, and in his calm eyes, there seemed to be a hint of sorrow and confusion.

"dad!"

Zhang Beihai arrived at a ward, gently pushed open the door, and called out to the inside.

In the room, on a single hospital bed, Mr. Zhang, with his gray hair, looked better than expected. He leaned against the pillows, half-lying and half-sitting, and the golden afterglow of the setting sun outside the window tinged his face with a bit of color, making him look less like an old man who had reached the end of his life.

Zhang Beihai hung his general's hat and coat on the coat rack by the door and sat down by his father's bed.

He didn't ask about his father's illness, but simply said in a very ordinary tone:

"Dad, the country is preparing to establish a space force."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhang turned to look at him. Without the glow of the setting sun, everyone could finally see what Mr. Zhang looked like on the big screen.

This face... it looks so familiar. It seems like I used to see it all the time on some military channels.

He's "Director Zhang," who once said that seaweed can be used to defend against submarines!
Some viewers almost burst out laughing when they saw that familiar face, but they were quickly captivated by the atmosphere of the story and Zhang Beihai's magnetic voice, and continued to immerse themselves in the plot.

"You're right. The higher authorities have decided to build a space fleet based on the navy, as they believe that the navy's combat mode and theory are closest to space warfare."

Of course, in the initial stages, the Space Force will also draw some personnel from the space sector.

"this is correct."

Mr. Zhang nodded, his voice tinged with weakness.

"I'm going to join the Space Force, Dad."

Zhang Beihai stroked the button with the Space Force insignia on his shirt cuff as he looked at his father and spoke.

Mr. Zhang looked at him and smiled—a smile that Zhang Beihai rarely showed.

"very good."

In the past, his father was always serious and rarely smiled, even at home.

This made Zhang Beihai laugh as well:

"Dad, I still remember when I joined the fleet as a junior captain after graduating with my master's degree, you said to me:

'Beihai, you still have a long way to go. I say this because I can still easily understand you now.'

If I can understand you, it means your thinking is still simple and not deep enough. You'll only truly grow up when I can no longer understand you, but you can easily understand me.

So Dad, is there anything you want to tell me now?

"You need to think more," said Mr. Zhang, turning his head to look at the setting sun outside the window.

"Think more."

A familiar voice seemed to ring in his ears, waking Zhang Beihai from his coma.

At that very moment, when the news had reached Earth and everyone thought he had died a heroic death, Zhang Beihai was buried under tens of centimeters of sand and dust.

Blood seeped from the wound in his abdomen, and the oxygen supply system of his spacesuit emitted a faint alarm. Fortunately, the new spacesuit had a built-in puncture-proof function. The special gel that swelled and dried at the damaged area not only sealed his wound but also prevented further oxygen leakage.

However, he seemed to have been unconscious for quite some time, and at least the oxygen in the gas cylinder was running low.

Zhang Beihai struggled to his feet, looked around to get a clear picture of the surroundings, and began to slowly move toward the "Zhurong Outpost Base" not far away.

Having an antenna about the thickness of a chopstick stuck in his stomach must have been an unpleasant experience, not to mention the pain of the wound pulling when he moved.

Fortunately, Zhang Beihai was a soldier after all, and despite the intense pain, he still managed to enter the "Zhurong Outpost Base".

However, this was just the beginning. In the next part of the story, the audience watched with furrowed brows and unbearable expressions, and some timid children even closed their eyes in fear.

On the big screen, Zhang Beihai pulled out the antenna inserted into his abdomen, then quickly took off his spacesuit, cut open the lining, and lay down on the operating table in the medical pod.

As a well-established Mars research team, there are naturally personnel who are proficient in medicine and surgery, but at this moment, they should be in the spaceship in the sky.

Fortunately, Zhang Beihai and his team had received various training before going to space and were all-rounders. Although they were not as skilled in medicine as specialists, fortunately, the storm on Mars was not very powerful, and the broken satellite antenna did not penetrate too deeply to damage his internal organs.

So Zhang Beihai used the instruments and tools in the medical cabin to perform an emergency wound suture on himself with trembling hands.

The pale face and bloodless lips from blood loss and pain, the rapid breathing and the soft moans that came out involuntarily from the pain—all these, through Liu Ye's superb acting skills, deeply moved everyone in the movie theater.

(End of this chapter)