It was July, and after a busy day, a group of people were having dinner in the mess hall. Ou Zhanpeng couldn't help but complain, "Half of 2068 has passed, and there's still no news!"
Xie Yu said without looking up, "It's likely there won't be any news."
Alas!
Ou Zhanpeng sighed, suddenly feeling like he had missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right before his eyes.
He turned his sorrow into appetite and ate several large mouthfuls.
Just then, his personal terminal vibrated gently, and a line of text slid across the screen: Urgent notice, assemble in the conference room immediately!
Xie Yu opposite him also looked up at that moment, glancing at his personal terminal.
The two simultaneously realized something was wrong and stood up in unison, then dashed towards the conference room.
Quite a few people in the mess hall received the notification, mostly officers of colonel rank or higher. In a flash, dozens of them ran out, leaving a group of uninformed officers and soldiers staring at each other bewildered.
What was going on?
Rushing into the conference room, Gong Yiding was already waiting. Upon seeing everyone, he didn't say a word but, with a grim face, pointed to the seats.
Everyone sat down, feeling a bit apprehensive.
Gong Yiding was usually a very easy-going person, but now he had a look of impending storm. If things were out of the ordinary, it must mean something big had happened!
Xie Yu counted, and everyone was present. Gong Yiding immediately said, "As we've previously announced, the Mars storm has reappeared. As of yesterday, the storm has covered the entire globe. We've just received news that at approximately 4 PM today, an alien fleet took off under the cover of the storm and attacked the Mars space station."
Before he could finish speaking, the room erupted in an uproar.
"Quiet—" Gong Yiding roared, silencing the chaotic noise. "After the Mars space station detected anomalies, it mounted a fierce resistance. However, due to being outnumbered and running out of ammunition, the two astronauts stationed there ultimately activated the self-destruct system, taking the enemy with them."
His face had become so grim it looked like it could drip water. "This is the flash captured by the observation system."
On the screen behind Gong Yiding, an image of the starry sky appeared. The luminosity of one bright spot suddenly increased but immediately returned to normal.
The officers qualified to sit there had all undergone systematic space training and recognized Mars at a glance.
"Also, this is the last message the space station sent back," Gong Yiding said.
The image on the screen shifted, showing a male and a female astronaut floating in the air, their hands clasped tightly. "I am astronaut Shen Mo."
"I am astronaut Lin Jiayi."
The camera then panned outside the window, where a fleet of rudimentary alien fighters zipped past.
Turning back, Shen Mo's expression was grave. "We've been surrounded by the alien species. Our missiles are all gone, our turrets are destroyed. The enemy isn't attacking further, likely intending to capture us alive."
As he spoke, he gazed affectionately at Lin Jiayi.
Lin Jiayi managed a smile that looked worse than crying. "We have no way out. Either we die, or we fall into the aliens' hands... I don't want to die."
As she said this, her tears could no longer be held back, gushing out like a dam burst, instantly blurring her vision.
Shen Mo held her tightly. "To fall into the hands of the alien species would be worse than death. We have no other choice. Goodbye, my dear comrades, goodbye, my family, goodbye..."
His voice choked up as he spoke. The two embraced and wept.
The conference room was silent. Everyone was a soldier and could understand the despair of being in a hopeless situation. A feeling of grief and indignation that couldn't be described in words gradually permeated the room.
Even though they knew the Mars space station had exploded and that these two individuals had sacrificed themselves, everyone still felt an urge to rush to Mars immediately and rescue their two comrades.
The image suddenly began to shake violently. The two immediately stopped crying. Shen Mo said urgently, "There's no time, Jiayi... I'm sorry..."
The two kissed deeply, and then the image blurred and froze.
Gong Yiding closed his eyes tightly. After a while, he slowly opened them. "I didn't want to say too much, but there is one thing I believe you must know... From what I understand, Lin Jiayi was already more than two months pregnant. The superiors were preparing to replace them, but... we missed our chance."
There was a strange, glistening sparkle in his eyes.
Ou Zhanpeng suddenly understood what Shen Mo's apology meant. Uncontrollable anger surged in his mind, and he slammed his fist on the table with a bang.
No one was surprised, nor did anyone blame him.
Gong Yiding glanced at Ou Zhanpeng. "The superiors have ordered us to fully prepare for war. From now on, we will prioritize the construction of Expedition IV. The progress of the new warships must also be accelerated. The repair work on the severed ship is to be suspended. That is all I have to say..."
Before he finished speaking, his personal terminal emitted a loud notification sound, a special alert for receiving important news.
Gong Yiding immediately clicked it open. Upon seeing the message on the terminal, his already extremely grim face twisted. "New news from the Jupiter direction. Earlier today, a group of alien warships took off from Callisto. Expedition III was outnumbered and, after expending all its ammunition, was forced to increase its orbital altitude. Although the ship was saved, the aliens occupying Jupiter IV have lost control. Some alien ships took the opportunity to fly into Europa and Ganymede, while several ships accelerated to leave Jupiter."
"Also, space telescopes have discovered that ships have also departed from the Mars direction."
As he spoke, he looked up, his eyes carrying extreme gravity.
If hearing about the Mars incident was grief, then the changes in the Jupiter direction were horrifying.
With anomalies occurring simultaneously on Mars and Jupiter, it was definitely not an accident, but rather a coordinated simultaneous offensive.
Ou Zhanpeng desperately wanted to say that they absolutely could not allow the alien species to leave Jupiter, but Expedition III had already used up all its reserves. Fighting further would only lead to mutual destruction.
However, even when Expedition III was fully equipped, it couldn't suppress the alien species. At this point, destroying the ship would be meaningless and would only worsen the already out-of-control situation.
He couldn't help but ask, "Station chief, what's the use even if Expedition IV is built? It will be too late for both Mars and Jupiter."
Gong Yiding shook his head. "Whether it's useful or not is not for you or me to decide. This is an order from the superiors. We don't need to think too much; just execute it... Meeting adjourned."
This was the real adjournment. Everyone's mood was extremely low. Ou Zhanpeng was distracted, constantly pondering in his mind what the alien ships leaving Mars and Jupiter intended to do.
Attack Earth? Or continue a multi-pronged offensive?
Humanity's space military strength was already very weak. If the aliens were to spread out, what would humanity use to deal with aliens everywhere?
The previously relatively clear situation had suddenly become confusing and unpredictable. Earth and humanity were bound to go through an extremely difficult period.