The moment they entered the storm, Xu Qing's heart nearly leaped out of her throat. Her vision was filled with nothing but boundless dust and smoke.
Only when she looked up did she realize the visibility within the storm wasn't as low as she'd imagined. She could still see a hazy sky above, but as the fighter jet descended, the sky was instantly replaced by dust and smoke.
The current feeling was akin to two people in a submarine sinking into the deep sea; besides each other, there was only endless darkness and unknown dangers.
However, she heard no whistling wind, nor the sound of sand particles hitting the fighter jet. If not for being inside it, everything outside the craft seemed nonexistent.
Ou Zhanpeng was also a little nervous, as life and death were involved. But most of his attention was focused on piloting the fighter jet, leaving him no extra thoughts for idle musings.
"Visibility 2400 meters, wind speed 110 meters per second!" Xu Qing looked at Ou Zhanpeng in confusion, "Why don't I feel anything?"
"This is the upper layer of the storm. The air is even thinner than on the ground, so it's normal not to feel anything." The base had thoroughly explained the situation on Mars, and Ou Zhanpeng knew this very well. But knowing was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was entirely another.
It could only be said that the situation was much better than anticipated!
As the fighter jet continued to descend, the wind speed outside increased. However, Xu Qing never felt any turbulence or shaking. This simply rewrote her understanding of flight, making her look at Ou Zhanpeng's piloting skills with newfound admiration.
In reality, it wasn't that complicated. With such low air density, any impact would be minimal. Who had ever heard of high-altitude air currents at 30,000 meters affecting flight safety?
They continued their journey without incident or danger, smoothly reaching low altitude.
It was only then that the storm began to show its true power, but it only caused the fighter jet to sway slightly. There was no need for Ou Zhanpeng to intervene; simply activating the aircraft's automatic stabilization system, the onboard system automatically adjusted the attitude, counteracting the jet's rocking.
That's it? They called this a great storm? Then what were typhoons on Earth?
Xu Qing suddenly felt her worldview being overturned.
However, she also knew that making horizontal comparisons between different planets was too unfair. The solar system had plenty of super storms; Jupiter had the Great Red Spot, Saturn had the hexagonal storm, and Neptune had the Great Dark Spot. In comparison, Earth's super typhoons were merely a breeze on the cheek, child's play.
Because the first drone had obtained a large amount of precise data, as they approached the ground, Ou Zhanpeng adjusted the fighter jet's attitude in time, positioning its nose up and tail down, ready. When it reached the appropriate altitude, he immediately activated the thrusters to slow the aircraft down.
Xu Qing finally heard the roar from the tail of the craft, but the sound was very faint.
Before long, the fighter jet landed smoothly on the ground, coming to a stop with a slight jolt.
With the engines off, the wind replaced the roar.
It was noon, but outside the cabin, it was a hazy gray, like dusk under dense clouds.
Xu Qing tried to contact Earth: "Base, Star Falcon has landed successfully on Mars. We are preparing to exit the cabin!"
After speaking, she couldn't help but smile: "The landing plan was prepared for so long, and in the end, it all benefited you."
Ou Zhanpeng checked his equipment under the long-lost gravity: "Why not you?"
As he spoke, he stepped aside and gestured towards the cabin door, "Come on, let's witness this historic moment!"
Xu Qing couldn't help but laugh: "You're still in the mood for this?"
"Why not?" Ou Zhanpeng activated the camera equipment and entered the airlock, "We can go. Are you ready?"
Xu Qing first gave Ou Zhanpeng a hug, then walked towards the cabin door, opened it, and stepped out.
Suddenly feeling playful, she lowered her voice and said in a particularly deep tone, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind... Oops, wrong, let's try again!"
"Haha!" Ou Zhanpeng was amused by her antics. The two closed the cabin door and started over.
This time, it went smoothly. As the outer hatch opened, the howling dust and smoke immediately swirled into the cabin, instantly destroying all the atmosphere.
Just as Xu Qing was about to step out, she suddenly stopped and turned back to call Ou Zhanpeng: "Come on, let's do it together."
"Together?"
"Yes, together!" Xu Qing said.
Ou Zhanpeng couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, let's do it together then!"
He walked over and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xu Qing.
"Ready?" Xu Qing asked.
"Ready!"
"Three, two, one, ready— go!"
The two faced the storm, stepping out of the cabin simultaneously.
Xu Qing said in a deliberately lowered voice, "This is one small step for us individually, but one giant leap for mankind!"
After speaking, both feet landed at the same time, gently touching the solid ground of Mars.
"How is it?" she asked.
"Very good!" Ou Zhanpeng replied.
"It would be great if the storm stopped," Xu Qing said with regret. "When the weather clears up in the future, we'll take another set of photos!"
"Okay, then we'll take a whole series of photos, very fashionable ones!" Ou Zhanpeng said with a laugh.
"Alright, then it's settled!" Xu Qing also smiled.
They both knew that landing on Mars was not an easy feat, and it would be incredibly difficult to set foot on Mars again, let alone take photos.
But what did it matter? At this moment, happiness was more important than anything else.
Xu Qing jumped a couple of times in place, savoring the moment. Suddenly, she sighed, "It's not that different, is it? Earth, Phobos, Mars – this is already the third celestial body I've experienced!"
Ou Zhanpeng was amused when he heard this: "I've been to the Moon in addition to yours!"
"Who cares!"
Ou Zhanpeng suddenly realized something was wrong: "Hey, hey, I've been recording all along!"
Xu Qing was instantly dumbfounded: "Oh no, oh no, quickly delete this part!"
If someone else had landed on Mars, they would surely have been profound and put on a show, but how did she completely let loose and reveal her true nature, rambling on about so many useless things?
"It's impossible, it's all been transmitted!" Ou Zhanpeng said regretfully.
"Ou Zhanpeng!" Xu Qing became anxious, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Her image, her entire image was ruined!
"I was just too excited and forgot!" Ou Da Shao explained, then quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, don't worry, the base definitely won't transmit it. Let's stop messing around and get down to business."
Xu Qing wanted to say that this was the business, but fortunately, her reason was still intact. She braked in time and put herself in the right place, changing the topic forcefully: "Where are the supplies?"
"In that direction," Ou Zhanpeng pointed into the gray darkness, "1200 meters in a straight line."
"So far?" Xu Qing was stunned on the spot, "How are we going to move them?"
They had been in orbit for half a year. If not for Mars' lower gravity, it was questionable whether they could even move, let alone transport supplies. Relying solely on carrying them on their backs, how long would it take to load the fighter jet?
"Easy!" Ou Zhanpeng said, "Watch me!"