The training base was vast, with the expeditionary team occupying only a small corner.
Training was intense, yet the team members followed a strict three-point routine: dormitory – simulation cabin – mess hall.
Likely for ease of management, all forty-plus members of the expeditionary team, regardless of gender, resided in the same dormitory building. The first floor was for men, the second was empty, and the third for women. All rooms were standard doubles.
Soldiers generally didn't prioritize such comforts; exhausted, they could sleep soundly even on a dirt floor. However, these individuals were astronauts, and their accommodations were naturally of a higher standard.
Ou Zhanpeng and Ling Xiao lived in room 107. When they left in the morning, the entire floor had only occupants up to 109. But upon their return at noon, the two were astonished to find a group of strangers now occupying rooms up to 120.
Training continued in the afternoon, and by evening, the situation was even more exaggerated. The floor that had been largely empty that morning was now full, and the second floor was also half-occupied.
Ling Xiao took a stroll and brought back the latest news: the third and fourth floors were essentially full!
Ou Zhanpeng did a quick calculation: wow, the entire building likely housed over three hundred people!
According to further news from Ling Xiao, these individuals hailed from various units across the entire army. Upon receiving their orders, they were only told to report to the base, with no indication of their specific purpose.
Ou Zhanpeng suddenly felt he was smelling a conspiracy.
As expected, in less than a day, over three hundred people arrived at the base to report. Dan Qiuyu couldn't even wait until the next morning; that very night, he gathered everyone to announce the formal establishment of the Mars Expeditionary Group and divided them into three training teams: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
Team Alpha, naturally, included Ou Zhanpeng and Ling Xiao, and was the team upon which Dan Qiuyu pinned his highest hopes.
Teams Beta and Gamma were more complex. According to Ling Xiao's intel, their members came from various army units, and some even from outside the military, with a wide array of professions. However, upon closer analysis, all could be assigned to corresponding positions on the warship.
"I only need 48 people. From now on, the expeditionary group will implement a bottom-tier elimination system. The capable will advance, the incompetent will be removed, ensuring fair opportunities and healthy competition," Dan Qiuyu stated.
"Why are they in Team Alpha, and we are in Teams Beta and Gamma?" a dissatisfied voice inquired.
"The members of Team Alpha are primarily drawn from the space forces, most having extensive experience with long-duration orbital missions. They are not only familiar with the work but also adapted to the microgravity environment of space. In this regard alone, you cannot compare," Dan Qiuyu replied unhurriedly. "I don't wish to categorize people into strict hierarchies. To be blunt, while your abilities may be sufficient, your physical conditioning is another matter."
"Note that when I speak of physical conditioning, I mean the ability to adapt to microgravity. Don't assume going to space is easy. Such sudden environmental changes can induce a series of physiological and psychological discomforts. Determination and willpower alone are not enough to persevere. In this aspect, Team Alpha has a natural advantage. I can responsibly say that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the vast majority of you will ultimately be mere participants, with only a select few making it into the expeditionary group. My task is to sift through the crowd and select the most suitable individuals."
The actual situation was, of course, not as simple as stated. The military naturally preferred an expeditionary team composed entirely of experienced astronauts, as this would minimize human-induced variables.
However, selecting only one group was too risky. If any individual experienced an accident, it would directly impact the expedition's mission.
Therefore, the military intended to prepare sufficient backups for each position on the warship. Even if the entire Team Alpha was unable to participate due to a launch failure or any other reason, Teams Beta or even Gamma could immediately step in.
Perhaps to add more layers of contingency, Team Beta had over a hundred members, more than double that of Team Alpha. Team Gamma was even more exaggerated, with a total exceeding two hundred.
While there were enough people, a problem arose that troubled Dan Qiuyu: the base only had one simulation cabin, and priority for training time had to be given to Team Alpha.
To address this, he devised a detailed training plan, where Team Beta and Gamma could only train after Team Alpha had finished, and their timing was uncertain. Typically, Team Alpha would be engrossed in training within the simulation cabin, while Teams Beta and Gamma would be waiting outside, gazing with longing.
Moreover, these two backup groups were initially parallel, but after only a few days, Dan Qiuyu transferred all the most suitable personnel to Team Beta.
The issue with the simulator severely hampered the training effectiveness of Teams Beta and Gamma.
However, don't assume that the lack of simulators would dampen the training enthusiasm of Teams Beta and Gamma.
Talent was never in short supply within the military. Several individuals with relevant specialties quickly networked dozens of computers and collaboratively developed a simplified training system.
Apart from the absence of a panoramic large screen, everything else was identical to the official simulator, capable of partially replacing its function.
Why only partially?
Because without the panoramic screen, a significant portion of immersion was lost. Dozens of people, each engrossed in their own computer, lacked any sense of the life-or-death stakes.
Those who knew it was simulated training might mistake it for a group of internet-addicted youths having a lively time together.
The simplified simulation system not only saved considerable funds but also saved a vast amount of training time for the expeditionary group, receiving unanimous praise from the base and higher authorities.
As training continued, unexpected situations became commonplace for Team Alpha, and their training performance steadily improved.
However, Dan Qiuyu was clearly not content with the achievements made; he soon introduced new twists. Positions were no longer fixed but were randomly drawn. Whoever was assigned a role had to perform that duty, and if they drew their original role, it didn't count; they had to draw again.
This caused Team Alpha to collapse again, with members groaning in unfamiliar positions.
Ou Zhanpeng was fortunate; within just over ten days, he had tried out every position on the ship. He served as captain seven times, leading the Kunpeng to brave battles, destroying enemy bases four times and being sunk by aliens three times.
Ah, the Kunpeng was just a ship name the group jokingly chose, purely for entertainment, not officially recognized.
Besides that, there were Ling Xiao's Indomitable, Luo Tu's Dauntless, Xu Qing's Starry Sky, as well as the Valiant, the Long March, the Vanguard, and several other versions.
Almost every captain had a different ship name, but who could remember so many? Ultimately, names were misplaced and mixed up.
However, some things remained orderly. Dan Qiuyu remembered not only each ship name and its corresponding person but also the outcome of each battle.
His objective was very simple: he wanted everyone in the team to be a versatile operator, not confined to a single role. From Earth to the moon, the journey spanned several months. If any unforeseen incident occurred midway, they couldn't afford to have key positions vacant with others helplessly standing by.
It was brutal, yet realistic.