I live in the Martian wilderness!

"Since the plan is sound... Xuan!" His eyes held an unwavering resolve. "Before the window of opportunity closes, draft a top-priority reply immediately!"

"First, I, Gu Yu, a Chinese astronaut and commander of the advance team of the Fire Seed Project, solemnly reject the 'Kuafu Chasing the Sun' one-time interception plan!"

"The Kuafu spacecraft is the cornerstone of the nation's deep space strategy and a vital national asset for the future! I absolutely refuse to accept the sacrifice of this national treasure in deep space for the sake of rescuing myself!"

"Second, please inform command that the rescue plan must be switched to 'full-function round-trip' mode! The Kuafu must retain its full orbital braking capability and return fuel!"

Even if it means I have to wait here for another six months!

"Third, regarding the resulting food shortage..."

Gu Yu paused, his voice becoming deep and powerful, filled with irrefutable persuasiveness.

"Now, I am formally submitting my self-rescue plan to command – codename: [Shennong]."

"I have located the water source. There is a huge water ice layer 18 meters below my feet. I expect to establish a stable water source within 72 hours."

"The food I carry with me in the 'Seed Vault of Hope' contains dormant spores of high-protein spirulina and oil-producing Haematococcus pluvialis."

"I will build a fully enclosed, temperature- and pressure-controlled 'photobiochemical reaction greenhouse' inside the lava pipes of the shelter."

"Finally, I will irrigate with Martian water, use Martian atmosphere as carbon fertilizer, and construct a closed-loop nitrogen cycle with my own excrement."

"I will build humanity's first Martian farm on this desolate wasteland!"

"According to my calculations, I will harvest my first batch of food in 7 days. In 15 days, I will achieve complete self-sufficiency in protein and fat!"

Gu Yu paused, then his tone became even more forceful.

"I don't need anyone to feed me. What I need is a complete flagship that can lead humanity to deeper space!"

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through sixty million kilometers of void, looking directly at the people on Earth who were worried about him.

"Please trust my professional judgment and ability to survive."

"Save the spaceship! Save the money for a greater expedition!"

"I will be alive on Mars, waiting for you to arrive!"

"—Gu Yu."

"send!"

"Captain..." Xuanjian hesitated for a moment, "The tone of that reply is too strong and goes against the command's original intention of sparing no expense. I suggest it be revised..."

"No polishing! Not a single word changed! Publish now! There are less than three minutes left in the window!"

[Command confirmed. Encoding in progress... Burst transmission... Sending complete.]

Gu Yu seemed to have all his strength drained away in an instant, leaning heavily against the back of the chair, panting heavily.

He knew what he had just done.

He risked his life for the next few months, defying orders and stopping the expensive trigger the country was about to pull to save him.

"Hundreds of billions..." Gu Yu looked at the starry sky outside the window, a stubborn, even somewhat crazy, smile curving his lips. "My life isn't that precious."

He slowly sat up straight, the weariness in his eyes replaced by a do-or-die spirit.

"Xuan, the pledge has been made."

"To avoid being proven wrong, to avoid starving to death..."

"We need to go dig a well!"

......

[Earth·BJ Space Flight Control Center]

"Snapped!"

A sheet of A4 paper, fresh from the thermal printer, was slammed onto the mahogany conference table.

The command center, which had been filled with hushed conversations, fell completely silent in an instant.

Dozens of eyes were fixed on the few lines of short but arrogant text that were being translated simultaneously on the big screen.

Refuse rescue efforts to save the spacecraft.

They want to grow their own land on Mars.

"Nonsense! Absolutely nonsense!"

A former logistics support department director angrily exclaimed, "This is playing with his life! Does he think Mars is his backyard vegetable garden, where he can just plant whatever he wants?"

Beside him, the chief expert from the School of Life Sciences quickly added, "Exactly! Spirulina? Theoretically, it's edible, but that's in a constant temperature and humidity laboratory environment!"

"What kind of place is Mars? Strong radiation, drastic temperature differences, and low atmospheric pressure! What if the temperature control system breaks down for an hour? All the algae will die! What will they eat then? Dirt?"

"That's a full two-month food gap! 60 days! The human limit for not eating is 7 days! This is gambling with your life!"

"I object! I strongly object to changing the plan! We must proceed with the original plan of Kuafu chasing the sun! Spaceships can be rebuilt, and as long as there are people, we can rebuild them even if we have to sell everything we own! But if people die, they're truly gone!"

The meeting room erupted in chaos.

But amidst this wave of opposition, dissenting voices also emerged.

"I think...this kid has some guts."

Academician Wang Tianyuan took off his glasses, wiped them as he looked at the screen, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"If he really can be as confident as he says in successfully extracting groundwater ice, then this microalgae project is indeed feasible from a thermodynamic and biological perspective."

"And, everyone, that's the Kuafu spacecraft," Academician Wang sighed. "If we can return, it won't just be a disposable delivery box, but our first nuclear-powered space station in this galaxy. Its strategic value..."

"Strategy my ass!" the old minister roared, spittle flying from his mouth. "Human lives are at stake! The photos were just published the day before yesterday; the whole nation is watching! If we let heroes starve to death on Mars just to save a ship, how can we face history?!"

Arguments rose and fell, trust and doubt, reason and emotion, radicalism and conservatism clashed fiercely here, like a reactor about to go out of control.

"Shut up, all of you!!!"

A furious shout, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly drowned out all the noise.

Zhang Jianguo suddenly stood up, the chair scraping harshly against the floor. His hawk-like gaze swept across the room like a blade.

The noise vanished instantly, leaving only the hum of the equipment and the heavy breathing of the crowd.

Zhang Jianguo strode to the main screen, put his hands behind his back, and stared intently at Gu Yu's words, "Please believe in my ability to survive, motherland."

After a long silence, he turned around, his voice low and powerful, as if suppressing some surging emotion:

"Everyone, haven't you forgotten something? He has superpowers!"

"We can't judge him by ordinary standards. Since he dared to make this pledge, dared to risk his life for the future of this spaceship, then we have no reason not to support him!"

Zhang Jianguo paused, then looked at the strategic planning team in the corner: "How long is the launch window for the Kuafu?"

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief! Fueling and final assembly will take another 3 days. Ignition will not be possible for at least 4 days."

"Fine!" Zhang Jianguo slammed his hand on the table. "Then give him four days!"

"For the next four days, I want you to keep a close watch on Tianwen-1 24/7! Gu Yu is required to report on the progress every 33 hours."

"I want to see his spirulina grow! I want to see him dredge up the water!"

"If his progress is even slightly slower than the last, or if any uncontrollable risks arise during these four days..."

Zhang Jianguo's eyes instantly turned incredibly fierce. "Then I don't care about any of that bullshit strategic value. Launch the Kuafu immediately! Do you understand?!"

"yes!!!"

The atmosphere in the meeting room finally settled down.

Zhang Jianguo took a deep breath to calm himself. His gaze searched the crowd, finally settling on a young figure.

"In addition, given that communication will be a long-term process in the future, we need a person with special responsibilities."

"Dr. Qin Nuannuan".

"arrive!"

"The Mars Alliance Special Mission Group has been officially established. I heard that Captain Gu Yu and you are friends..."

"Then you must know him better. You will be in charge of this special task, so that he can feel the familiar voice from Earth."

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Nuannuan gave a standard military salute, her voice clear and firm.

"Rest assured, Commander! We guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"