I live in the Martian wilderness!

Mars, Utopia Plain, the landing site of the Candle Dragon 1 probe.

As the last stage of the buffer engines shut down, an electronic announcement sounded inside the landing module.

[Gravity anchor secured. Internal and external air pressure balanced. Hatch unlocked. Welcome to Mars, Captain Gu Yu.]

The magnetic boots emitted a soft suction sound, and the fitted nanofiber combat suit accentuated his tall and straight figure.

He walked to the porthole, and through his deep eyes behind the space helmet, he saw the magnificent spectacle that had only existed in his imagination a year ago!

Above the vast, boundless red wasteland, hangs a planet with an apparent diameter far exceeding that of a full moon—Earth!

It was larger and brighter than the moon, its blue-white halo cascading down and casting its light upon the red wasteland of Mars.

A year ago, an unknown event, defined as a "celestial anomaly," illogically pulled Mars out of its original orbit.

Then, Mars jumped to an orbit only 100 million kilometers away from Earth, splitting the starry sky above humanity in two!

On one side is the familiar "yellow moon" 40 kilometers away, and on the other side is a huge and unfamiliar "red moon"!

...

"Xuan, connect me to the supreme command center," Gu Yu ordered the AI. He knew that billions of his compatriots were waiting for his voice in front of their screens!

The signal traveled across a vacuum of millions of kilometers almost instantaneously to reach the Earth command center.

On the giant screen in the command center, the resolute face of Commander-in-Chief Zhang Jianguo was clearly displayed, with countless excited and nervous staff members behind him.

"Reporting, Commander! 'Candle Dragon One' has successfully landed in the designated area, in perfect condition. I have set foot on Mars!"

Zhang Jianguo's voice, brimming with barely suppressed excitement and pride, resounded throughout the command center and echoed to every corner of the globe:

"I received it, Captain Gu Yu! The whole world received it! You've made history!"

"You were the first human to set foot on this red land, the first 'Martian'! And you made China the first country to bring humans to Mars!"

The moment the leader finished speaking, the global internet exploded. Countless live streaming platforms flooded the screens with a deluge of comments.

[It's 2047! We've witnessed history! The first Martian! We really are the first!]

[The climate change occurred just one year ago! Only our country has achieved this! And the speed remains the same!]

[Congratulations from Youzhou Fusion City, the No. 1 Fusion City!]

[Congratulations from Cloud Fusion City, the fourth fusion city!]

【Fusion City No. 2...】

[Fusion No. 6...]

...

On the screen, Zhang Jianguo calmed himself down, his eyes becoming extremely solemn.

Instead of continuing his public speech, he sent an encrypted audio message to Gu Yu's communication channel.

"Captain Gu Yu, congratulations. You represent not only the nation, but all of humanity, as you become the first to set foot on Mars. But the mission for our motherland has only just begun."

"As you know, the transformation has presented us with an unprecedented opportunity. In the past year, we have built the Candle Dragon I."

"Its cargo hold is not large, containing only one national treasure, the Tiansuo Multifunctional Engineering Vehicle, and one ton of precious scientific research and survival supplies."

"Captain Gu Yu, you and this batch of equipment are a key part of the entire Fireseed Project. Your mission is to complete the most important preparations for the main force that is about to arrive."

"The other six astronauts and the Long March 9 heavy cargo spacecraft, carrying hundreds of tons of supplies and base construction materials, are expected to arrive in Mars orbit two days from now!"

He then shifted his focus, highlighting Gu Yu's role: "It will be remotely controlled by Earth for a soft landing, but the 'seven minutes of terror' will still exist, making the landing a gamble."

"So, Captain Gu Yu, you are our only 'navigator' and 'ground crew' on Mars!"

"Before the Long March 9 arrives, you must complete data calibration and deploy guidance beacons. The safe landing of the entire force depends entirely on your work over the next few days!"

"Now, I declare! The first phase of the 'Spark Project' is officially launched!"

"Captain Gu Yu, begin your exploration mission immediately! Establish a safe landing path for the Long March 9 heavy spacecraft!"

"Your first task is to immediately drive the Mars rover Sky Survey and, using its ground-penetrating radar, survey and mark a flat, solid landing site within the designated landing area!"

"Once the Long March 9 lands safely, you will work with Earth's remote engineering team, utilizing the Sky Shuttle engineering vehicle and the building materials delivered, to construct our permanent base: Zhurong Station!"

"Captain Gu Yu, do you understand the responsibility you bear?"

"Understood!" Gu Yu replied in a deep voice.

A surge of pride and a sense of urgency welled up within him! He was not fighting alone, but with the entire nation standing shoulder to shoulder with him!

"Go, let us make our mark on this battlefield..."

Sizzle~~~

Suddenly, Zhang Jianguo's face on the screen was replaced by a black screen, and the communication signal stopped abruptly!

Gu Yu's heart tightened; this was definitely not ordinary signal interference.

[Warning! Warning! Severe spatial fluctuations detected! Losing Earth signal source... Signal interrupted!] In his mind, Xuan Qing's clear voice carried an urgent alarm for the first time.

Gu Yu suddenly turned around and looked out the porthole, his heart skipping a beat.

That huge, beautiful, azure-blue planet that hung in the sky—Earth—has disappeared!

Instead, there was endless darkness and a single, slightly bright star in the distance.

......

Inside the landing module of the Candle Dragon One, a deathly silence fell. Gu Yu stood in front of the porthole, motionless like a statue, as if time had frozen.

I don't know how much time passed; it might have been six minutes, or it might have felt like an eternity.

[...Beep... Residual delayed signal received... Decoding...]

A series of fragmented audio clips rang in Gu Yu's ears.

Zhang Jianguo's voice was hoarse, but he tried his best to remain calm, each word sounding like it was shouted out with all his might:

"Gu Yu! Can you hear me? Mars... Mars' orbit has undergone a second jump!"

"It...it has returned to its original solar orbit...no! It's farther away! Currently, it's...60 million kilometers from Earth! Repeat, 60 million kilometers from Earth!"

"Captain Gu Yu! Abandon all existing plans! Repeat, abandon all existing construction plans!"

"Your only task is to survive! Use every resource at your disposal to protect yourself! This is not a request, this is an order! Repeat, this is an order!"

The commander's voice trembled with pain, but it was quickly replaced by an iron will:

"We are now separated from you by a hundred million kilometers of deep space... The planned arrival at the 'Long March 9' spacecraft... has been postponed indefinitely..."

"But please believe that we will never abandon you! The nation will never forsake any of its people!"

"We're trying to find a way...we'll definitely come...to bring you home! Until rescue arrives, please...take good care of yourself..."

The last sound was drowned out by the increasingly loud cosmic background noise, leaving only a few fragmented words:

"...Please don't worry...wait for...rescue..."

Shila-

The audio has completely ended.

When Gu Yu opened his eyes again, the shock and confusion had faded, replaced by a kind of determination after being driven to the brink of despair!

He is no longer a pioneer of the Fireseed Project, but the first carbon-based life form in human history to be trapped on Mars.

The landing module was filled with a deathly silence more suffocating than the vacuum of space.

[Warning! Complete loss of contact with Earth Command.]

In Gu Yu's mind, a clear and melodious girl's voice broke the silence.

This is the super AI "Xuanjian" that the nation created specifically for him!