Chapter 1 Mars

　　—The discovery of ancient civilization ruins upon Mars brought humanity not hope, but the very beginning of despair.

　　In the year 2069 AD, the spaceship Kuafu, carrying eight members of the scientific expedition, departed from Mars on its return voyage to Earth.

　　Aboard were eight in total. Among the crew: Captain Yang Zhiyuan and First Officer and Engineer Zhou Ke. The expert contingent comprised Archaeologist Wang Yue, Biologist Dong Yifeng, Anthropologist Zheng Ya, Geneticist Bao Mingkai, and Linguist Su Ziqi. In addition there was Huamei, the firstgeneration bionic robot developed by a certain nation.

　　Of these, Su Ziqi was the youngest—barely past twenty, unmarried, born into a lineage of linguists; her father was a renowned Assyriologist.

　　Zheng Ya and Wang Yue were of similar age, both in their thirties and both mothers of two children.

　　Yang Zhiyuan and Zhou Ke were in their early forties. Yang possessed extensive experience in interstellar navigation, having piloted spacecraft on numerous missions. Zhou was a celebrated expert in mechanics and aerospace propulsion, intimately acquainted with every structural detail of the vessel.

　　Dong Yifeng and Bao Mingkai were somewhat older, around fifty. Dong was a distinguished biologist, passionately devoted to the discovery and study of new species. Bao served as Chief Medical Officer of a prominent pharmaceutical enterprise and was an authority in molecular genetics.

　　By the 2060s, humanity had already established bases upon Mars.

　　The Kuafu spacecraft was equipped with warpdrive technology capable, at maximum, of completing a round trip between Earth and Mars within a single day.

　　Zheng Ya was Su Ziqi’s senior from Harvard University; the two were exercising in the ship’s fitness chamber.

　　The vessel’s facilities were comprehensive, employing gravity technology to simulate terrestrial conditions, so that the astronauts lived in comfort aboard.

　　They were sweating heavily upon the treadmills, burning calories.

　　“Ziqi, that jade pendant of yours is most striking. What bird is carved upon it?”

　　Zheng Ya had noticed the ornament suspended about Su Ziqi’s neck—a semicircular piece of red jade fashioned in the likeness of a soaring bird. Swaying with the rhythm of her running, it seemed to infuse her with an extra surge of vitality; under the lights it radiated a brilliant crimson glow, resembling a fiery phoenix spreading its wings in flight.

　　“Sister Ya, this is a phoenix. My father presented it to me as a birthday gift when I was three years old.”

　　Su Ziqi’s father had once taken part in archaeological work in the Mesopotamian region and had somehow obtained this red jade, which he gave to her.

　　“A red phoenix symbolizes auspicious fortune. It must be this that has brought us such luck. Our voyage has been smooth, our expedition richly rewarding; our discoveries are certain to astonish the entire world!” Even though they were already upon the return journey, Zheng Ya’s joy remained irrepressible.

　　“Mm, who could deny it?” Yet Su Ziqi was not so elated; her brows were furrowed. The many inexplicable questions raised by this Martian expedition caused her thoughts to drift back to the origins of the affair.

　　One morning two months earlier, Su Ziqi, a linguistics expert at the University of Foreign Languages, received a notice requiring her immediate attendance at a meeting in the office of the National Aerospace Center.

　　In the conference room she was astonished to find experts from diverse fields assembled. The meeting was presided over by Director Wang of the National Aerospace Center.

　　Director Wang first introduced the attending specialists, many of whom had made outstanding contributions in biology, anthropology, genetics, and linguistics.

　　“Comrades, I have convened this gathering today to announce a major discovery. First, I ask that everyone strictly observe the principles of confidentiality and enforce the secrecy regulations.”

　　Director Wang ordinarily wore the benevolent expression of a Maitreya Buddha, yet at this moment his face was stern, creating a sense of incongruity among those present.

　　“It must be some significant cosmic discovery. Could they be about to announce the discovery of extraterrestrials?” Su Ziqi murmured inwardly.

　　“The circumstances are these: one month ago, personnel at our Martian base, while conducting underground mining, inadvertently discovered an ancient subterranean tunnel.

　　“They followed this lengthy tunnel to its extremity and came upon a vast lava cavern whose stone walls bore several murals. Please examine the projection.”

　　All eyes turned as a threedimensional image appeared upon the podium: an immense cavern hall with walls polished smooth, surrounded by smaller caves, some of whose surfaces displayed vividly colored murals.

　　“According to the base staff who entered, a golden sarcophagus was discovered within the hall. Out of curiosity they attempted to open it and found inside a humanoid skeleton. Regrettably, the instant it was opened the remains crumbled into powder.

　　“This was likely because the remains had long remained sealed; sudden exposure to air caused rapid oxidation. Fearing the murals might suffer a similar fate, the personnel swiftly photographed the site, withdrew, and sealed the cavern.

　　“Esteemed experts, this constitutes a major archaeological discovery by terrestrial humanity upon Mars, signifying that a highly advanced civilization once flourished upon ancient Mars.” Director Wang could not conceal his excitement; his face flushed crimson and the flesh of his belly trembled.

　　“These murals are vivid and extraordinarily realistic. Observe this one.”

　　In the painting stood a figure clad in a long robe, left hand upon the hip, radiating an imposing aura of dominance, right hand gripping a scepter tipped with an object resembling a pinecone.

　　It was clearly a depiction of a giant standing well over two and a half meters in height. The giant’s head was hairless yet bore two large horns, creating a startling impression.

　　His eyes bulged, his ears hung to his shoulders, and he possessed a curly beard. Most extraordinary of all was a prominent vertical eye of emerald green painted upon his forehead.

　　“Comrades, this mural has given me a new understanding of extraterrestrials,” Director Wang remarked, recovering his usual manner and halfjoking. “I had always imagined Martians as little green men; I never expected threeeyed giants with horns upon their heads and full beards.”

　　“The nation has decided to dispatch a scientific expedition to Mars. All of you present are candidates; after selection a team will be formed to proceed.”

　　In the world of 2069, humanity’s technology had advanced markedly across many domains; in aerospace, manned spacecraft equipped with warp engines had already been developed.

　　At that time Mars, under human transformation, was gradually acquiring vitality.

　　In 2050 humanity launched a massive artificial moon into nearMartian orbit.

　　Composed of three enormous reflective mirrors, it directed sunlight upon the poles, melting subsurface ice and creating oceans, lakes, and rivers upon the surface.

　　Through the greenhouse effect vast quantities of carbon dioxide were released, densifying the atmosphere.

　　Magmatic activity in the planetary core intensified, producing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, while the magnetic field gradually recovered.

　　Humanity cultivated cyanobacteria, constructing an ecosystem analogous to Earth’s and converting atmospheric water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen essential for human life.

　　After years of effort the oxygen content approached half that of Earth’s; it was believed that within a few more decades Mars could become fully habitable.

　　Su Ziqi was visiting Mars for the first time. Cosmic radiation still exceeded human tolerance, and atmospheric oxygen remained insufficient; survival required protective suits.

　　The once entirely red planet now bore a faint tinge of green. Cyanobacterial systems upon the surface, like arrays of solar panels, absorbed carbon dioxide and released oxygen.

　　In summer an atmospheric circulation system formed and rainfall occurred; torrential downpours could even produce floods.

　　Mars was like a newborn infant; every cry it uttered filled Su Ziqi with a special sense of novelty and intimacy.

　　The tunnel lay within a vast meteorite crater only two kilometers from the base. Equipped with lighting devices, the expedition members followed base personnel into the long passage.

　　After approximately an hour they reached the entrance to the lava cavern.

　　A massive stone door stood there, seamlessly integrated with the rock wall; when closed, not the slightest seam was visible—craftsmanship that inspired awe.

　　The door was thick and heavy, requiring several strong individuals working in concert to push it open. Beyond lay the main hall.

　　Once the lighting illuminated the space, the first thing to meet the eye was the mural of the threeeyed giant.

　　Although the group had previously seen this image upon Earth, encountering the original still elicited considerable astonishment.

　　Su Ziqi examined it carefully and found it differed greatly from prehistoric terrestrial murals. It was extraordinarily realistic; the figures seemed almost alive, standing before them.

　　Upon the ceiling appeared a star chart depicting twelve celestial bodies: a central star surrounded by eleven planets.

　　One planet was marked with an arrow; counting outward, it was the fifth in orbit.

　　“This chart resembles those upon the cuneiform tablets of Sumerian civilization, both showing twelve bodies. Could the marked planet be Mars?” Su Ziqi pondered. “Yet Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun; how could it be the fifth?”

　　Upon the floor lay a massive golden sarcophagus, already opened, containing white powder—the residual traces, according to Director Wang, of the oxidized skeleton.

　　Measurement revealed the sarcophagus to be 2.6 meters in length; one could scarcely imagine the stature of its occupant in life.

　　Inside were exquisite puregold ornaments engraved with animal and human figures.

　　Most astonishingly, the coffin itself bore finely crafted designs: a triangular spacecraft within which a figure sat at the controls, seemingly preparing for takeoff.

　　Around it were patterns resembling writing. The craftsmanship of the coffin and ornaments was exceptionally refined, attesting to the advanced level of the civilization.

　　Many smaller caves showed clear traces of habitation, indicating that some form of life had once dwelt within them.

　　Murals in certain caves depicted strange halfhuman, halfanimal figures—bullheaded humanoids, humanheaded horsebodied creatures, and winged eagleheaded monsters.

　　Others portrayed peculiar animals and plants: creatures with green faces and fangs, horns upon their heads; others of immense size with wings and gaping maws soaring through the sky.

　　The expedition preliminarily concluded that these were the remnants of a high civilization upon Mars. Carbon14 dating indicated the golden coffin and other relics were at least ten thousand years old—an undeniably historically significant discovery.

　　“Ziqi, what are you daydreaming about?” Wang Yue entered the fitness room, interrupting Su Ziqi’s reverie.

　　“Nothing, Sister Yue. Is it mealtime already?”

　　“Yes, everyone is waiting for you two. You two beauties, with such graceful figures, still exercise so diligently—how am I, with my rather full form, supposed to bear the comparison?”