Ou Zhanpeng and Ling Xiao’s leave was officially canceled.
It wasn't just the two of them; the entire army was on standby, and everyone's leave was canceled. This was an unexpected event beyond human control, and no matter how many thoughts or grievances they had, they could only endure it.
However, with their vacation gone, returning to space wasn't as simple as wishing it. Launch plans were already booked two years out, with fixed schedules for when launches and returns would occur.
The lunar campaign had thrown the original launch schedule into utter chaos, and the repercussions were still ongoing. In plain terms, cargo capacity was strained, and while it was easy to come down, going up was difficult. The two of them had to wait until their leave ended to board a spacecraft and ascend according to the original plan.
The result was a ruined vacation, coupled with the inability to return to space, leaving the two of them in a rather awkward predicament.
Or so they felt.
For days, the two engaged in various recovery exercises, constantly adjusting their physical condition to be fully prepared for their return to space.
Over the next month, sea monster attacks occurred in multiple regions worldwide. Although much smaller in scale than the incident in Hu Xiong City that night, they caused widespread panic across the globe, with doomsday theories running rampant.
News linking the giant creatures to Japan spread globally at lightning speed. Instantly, countless civilian organizations and小伙伴s stepped forward, vehemently condemning Japan while also demanding compensation.
Japan naturally ignored these civilian groups, but their overseas branches suffered greatly. Having paint and waste thrown at them was considered minor; things escalated to the point where people had to be extremely cautious when going out, lest they be severely beaten without warning.
Because of this, Japan lodged multiple protests with other小伙伴s daily and was forced to close some of its representative offices.
Every time Ling Xiao saw such news, he would purse his lips and scoff, "What kind of people are these? They're so spirited now, but where were they when Japan discharged wastewater back then?"
"It's none of their business, so they stand by; they don't know pain until the shoe is on their own foot," Ou Zhanpeng replied. "Let them make a fuss. It would be great if Japan were annihilated."
At the end of March, the official holiday period finally concluded. Both of them had adjusted to their peak condition and were ready to return to space at any moment.
However, the base remained silent, leaving them in a state of uncertainty, unsure of what was happening.
After several days of delay, as another spacecraft launched into orbit, they started to grow restless. Just as they were about to find someone to inquire, they received a notification from the base, summoning them to Dan Qiuyu's office.
Upon receiving the message, Ling Xiao frowned deeply. "They don't look for us early, and they don't look for us late, but they choose this critical moment. It can't be good news."
"We'll know once we go," Ou Zhanpeng said, leading the way and knocking on Dan Qiuyu's office door.
They saluted, and Dan Qiuyu gestured towards the sofa. "Sit, wait for me for a moment."
He signed his name on a document, put it aside, and stated directly, "According to higher arrangements, neither of you will be returning to space. In a while, new assignments will be arranged for you."
The two were stunned. Ou Zhanpeng was flustered. "Director, we are astronauts. What else can we do if not go to space?"
He secretly wondered if they were being kept on the ground forces because of the previous incident.
It wasn't that ground forces were bad, but having grown accustomed to looking up at the stars, it was difficult to lower their gaze to look at the earth as equals.
"That's right, Director. The country spent so much effort training us. It would be such a waste if we weren't astronauts," Ling Xiao added.
Dan Qiuyu twitched the corners of his mouth. "The personnel adjustments are the superiors' arrangements; there's no use talking to me about it. But I can tell you that you are still astronauts, though detailed information will only be available later."
He picked up another document. "Alright, you can go back and wait with peace of mind."
Ou Zhanpeng and Ling Xiao exchanged glances and could only salute and leave.
As soon as they were outside, Ling Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Ou Fei, what do you think this is all about?"
"Who cares? We'll just wait patiently," Ou Zhanpeng replied.
His heart was not as calm as his outward appearance suggested, but personnel adjustments were organizational decisions with no room for negotiation.
In the following days, the two subtly noticed unfamiliar faces appearing at the base, leading to much speculation.
April 5th, a perfectly ordinary day, the two good buddies received a notification and immediately headed to the conference room.
The conference room was already filled with people. Dan Qiuyu arrived a step late. After entering, he scanned the room. "Is everyone here?"
Xu Qing immediately stood up. "Everyone is present."
"The meeting will now begin," Dan Qiuyu said, surveying the room. "Most of you here are from the space forces. You're all aware of the incident that happened last October, right? Anyone who isn't clear, raise your hand!"
After a brief pause, no hands were raised.
"Excellent!" Dan Qiuyu tapped his personal terminal, projecting a bird's-eye view of the solar system onto the screen. A blinking dot appeared between Earth and Mars' orbits. "This dot represents the aliens' escape pod. Based on three months of continuous observation by the Cloud Palace, it has been confirmed that the aliens' destination is Mars."
He tapped the screen, and Mars flashed twice.
"When the aliens departed the moon, it was not Earth's launch window to Mars. Based on their relative positions at the time and the escape pod's speed, we've concluded that the aliens will reach Mars around late June or early July."
The screen froze. Dan Qiuyu turned around, placed his hands on the table, and looked down at everyone. "This is the basic situation. I believe some of you have already guessed the reason for gathering everyone here: the superiors have decided to deal with these aliens!"
He slammed his fist onto the position of Mars. "Up to now, our understanding of the aliens remains very limited. However, superior analysis suggests that with their technological level, it won't take long for them to establish a foothold on Mars. Once they develop on Mars, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, we absolutely cannot give the aliens time and opportunity to develop!"
"Based on the superiors' estimation of alien technology levels, combined with Mars' environmental analysis, the absolute safe period after landing is only six months, with a relatively safe period within ten months. If the landing time exceeds one year, the aliens' danger level will explode geometrically. By then, it might not be us solving them. Therefore, our warships must reach Mars before January of next year, and no later than April of next year."
"Currently, only two of our warships have survived. The Mountains training ship is excluded first, and the Arctic is a near-earth combat ship, barely capable of long-distance operations. Therefore, the superiors have decided to build a new warship, and you will pilot this warship to Mars to cleanly and thoroughly eliminate these aliens!"
Silence filled the conference room.