It was over!
Though they knew it was just a simulation, the final outcome left everyone feeling somber. There was no cheering, only silence and gravity. Some individuals' confidence began to waver, and they considered withdrawing from the expedition team.
All eyes involuntarily turned to Shan Qiuyu.
Director Shan sighed and said with great feeling, "First, I have no intention of belittling anyone's courage, nor do I fail to acknowledge everyone's efforts. While this mission was successful, and the operational process was commendable, Luo Tu, your final decision was indeed heroic and successfully destroyed the enemy's base. But did you ever consider, could there be aliens hiding outside the base? How can you guarantee that no enemies survived?"
Luo Tu no longer wished to speak. No matter how hard he tried, this man could always find a multitude of issues. Besides, the matter of heroism was irrelevant; even he himself was unsure if he would have the courage to make such a decision if it came down to it.
However, Director Shan's tone this time was much gentler than the previous two instances, which could be considered a significant improvement.
Shan Qiuyu continued his critique, "You must all understand that in a short period, we do not have the capability to build more warships. The warships you are piloting might be the sole hope for everyone… mark my words, I mean all of humanity! Therefore, I personally believe that ramming into the enemy base was highly unwise. Luo Tu, tell me yourself, was there no other way?"
Luo Tu thought for a moment. "We could have separated Phobos and Deimos and used them to collide with the alien base." Anyone could have filled his role.
Though he was reluctant to admit it, he had indeed been caught up in the heat of the moment. Now that he had calmed down, he immediately thought of a better solution.
Shan Qiuyu nodded. "If throwing two satellites down still couldn't destroy the enemy's base, then ramming it with a warship would not have been too late. Of course, I personally strongly discourage this method. Firstly, I do not wish for anyone here to become a martyr, and secondly, this might not even solve the problem. You could have simply waited in Mars orbit, monitoring the aliens' every move until reinforcements arrived—you don't seriously believe that delivering a batch of supplies is harder than building another warship, do you?"
The already oppressive atmosphere became even more silent. Luo Tu suddenly sank into an inescapable self-doubt: Was he truly qualified for the position of vice-captain?
He was far from the only one harboring similar thoughts.
Shan Qiuyu added, "That being said, this expedition is a highly dangerous mission. Many of you are not psychologically prepared, or you have other concerns. I am stating this now: regardless of the reason, you can privately approach me to express it. Hesitating now and voluntarily withdrawing will have no negative repercussions. However, hesitating when the moment arrives will affect the safety of all of humanity!"
His gaze was more severe than ever before. "Please, examine your hearts carefully and patiently, without any coercion. If you falter, it is a minor issue for yourselves, but if you delay the expedition mission, both you and I will become sinners in the annals of human history."
"Alright, that's all for today. We'll continue tomorrow!"
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and dispersed in small groups.
The sun was still bright, and the weather was pleasant, but everyone's mood had been thoroughly unsettled by Shan Qiuyu.
Ling Xiao lowered his voice and muttered, "If you ask me, he's doing this on purpose."
Ou Zhanpeng feigned casualness. "Oh, I was about to say that myself. When did our great Young Master Ling start using his brain today?"
Ling Xiao shot him a sidelong glance. "What do you mean by that? I'm giving you an opportunity to show off!"
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Ou Zhanpeng laughed playfully before returning to the main topic. "I think this training team is like a process of sifting through the sand. The few who remain in the end will undoubtedly be a very small minority."
Ling Xiao suddenly stopped. "What are your plans?"
"Me?" Ou Zhanpeng thought for a moment. "I haven't decided yet. But this is a rare opportunity. If humanity is about to go extinct..." He looked up, squinting his eyes towards the blue sky, his voice suddenly becoming ethereal, "I want to go out and see the scenery."
Ling Xiao was stunned. Just to see Mars with his own eyes?
From that day on, the expedition team entered a period of high-intensity simulated training. Every day they faced different scenarios, and the alien bases constantly changed their tactics, sometimes scattering, sometimes gathering, sometimes on the surface, sometimes underground, and even abandoning landing altogether to occupy a satellite.
The combat methods were also diverse, with aerial reconnaissance and anti-air superweapons being the simplest and most common. During the most severe simulation, their spaceship lost control without even seeing the enemy, and within half an hour, it was deemed a failure, marking another devastating defeat after the first simulation.
They later learned that the aliens had used nanobots.
Ou Zhanpeng remarked with deep emotion that this was not just about fighting aliens; it was as if all the villains from every science fiction work in human history had been transplanted onto the aliens!
Furthermore, they were also rehearsing the military's combat plans, which exhausted everyone.
The team members privately joked: To deal with so many enemies with only one warship, our task is truly arduous and our journey is long.
What was even more disheartening was that no one had a clear understanding of the aliens' true methods. The outcome was that the simulations might have been spectacular, but when they actually reached Mars, they might find that the aliens' methods were entirely unprecedented.
It was precisely with this consideration in mind that the military decided to go through all possible enemy scenarios, just in case a lucky break occurred. Even if it didn't, the constantly changing enemies would significantly enhance the expedition team's adaptability.
Doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate—one had to do their human best before they could leave it to fate, right?
In the following days, new members began reporting to the base, and the simulation team was officially divided into three groups: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, implementing a meritocratic system of promotion and demotion.
The competition based solely on the system itself was not the main issue. The critical point was that the Alpha team had only forty to fifty members, while the Beta team had over a hundred, more than double the Alpha team. The Gamma team had as many as two hundred people, and they were still being continuously supplemented, putting immense pressure on all Alpha team members.
In Shan Qiuyu's words, the primary reason the Alpha team was the Alpha team was that its members were all drawn from the space force, familiar with the operations and adapted to the environment.
The Beta and Gamma teams, however, came from various units across the entire military and even outside the military. While their abilities might be sufficient, their physical conditioning varied, and their ability to adapt to zero-gravity environments was also a question.
Don't assume that going into space is easy. The sudden environmental changes can trigger a series of physiological and psychological discomforts. It's not just about having determination and perseverance; one must be able to endure it.