Chapter 719: Mars Base (Part 1) (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

"Mariner Canyon?"

Sun Cheng's thoughts stirred, and all the information about Mars that he had collected and stored in his memory chip quickly surfaced.

He soon found information about Mariner Canyon and began reading.

Mariner Canyon, also known as Mariner Valley or Mariner Canyon.

In the year 1971 AD, the United States launched the Mars exploration satellite Mariner 9, which discovered and captured images of Mars' largest canyon, resembling a massive wound on the surface of Mars. Mariner Canyon earned its name from this discovery.

Mariner Canyon isn't just the largest canyon on Mars. According to observations by Earth's satellites exploring various planets in the solar system, this vast canyon, with a length comparable to the distance from New York to Los Angeles and a width exceeding 600 kilometers at its widest point, also ranks as one of the largest canyons in the entire solar system.

Although Sun Cheng didn't specialize in geography, he had studied some basic knowledge during middle and high school. He quickly spotted an issue and furrowed his brow, asking, "Shouldn't the winds in the canyon be stronger when a storm arrives?"

"Indeed, they are stronger, but relatively so," Adam replied crisply. "When superstorms form on Mars, they can cover an area of up to a billion square kilometers, almost blanketing the entire Martian surface. According to our data extrapolated from Earth, the wind speeds in Mariner Canyon are indeed greater during storms, but it's also because of the canyon's obstruction. The bottom of the canyon receives far less of the storm's impact compared to other regions on Mars."

Prometheus chimed in suddenly, "Furthermore, according to Earth's speculation, there's likely a substantial amount of minerals hidden within Mariner Canyon, making it an ideal location for our base to conduct nearby mining operations."

Adam was slightly annoyed that Prometheus had cut him off, but he nodded and continued, "Yes, once our base is established, we can explore the natural terrain inside Mariner Canyon's underground caves, relying on the canyon's cliffs to expand both sideways and underground."

"When it reaches a certain scale, we can even produce heavy robots and large structures that can withstand Martian storms. This way, even if storms strike in the future, we can continue mining and production operations."

Sun Cheng's skeptical nature prevented him from easily trusting others' words.

After Adam and Prometheus explained their viewpoints, he merely nodded slightly and seemed lost in thought as he sat in the driver's seat.

The two Decepticon engineers were taciturn, not speaking and quietly observing him.

Meanwhile, Sun Cheng's Core was operating rapidly.

He had connected to Earth's internet network multiple times and downloaded numerous e-books uploaded by universities, libraries, and other institutions from various countries on Earth. Most of these e-books ended up in a small corner of his memory chip, but whenever he had the time or a need arose, he would retrieve them for targeted selection. He would then pick out the knowledge he could use and employ Frenzy's Body's formidable computational power for aggressive, immersive learning.

This was something Sun Cheng had always felt was the most domineering and unreasonable aspect of the Cybertronians.

The Core brains of the Cybertronians possessed computational power far superior to any supercomputer on Earth. So, no matter how complex and mysterious Earth's knowledge might appear, once it was categorized by the Cybertronians, all levels of knowledge, from the most basic to the most intricate, would be copied into their Cores.

Then, they could use the terrifying computational power of their Cores to aggressively and ruthlessly decode the entire logical system of knowledge that had taken Earth humans hundreds or even thousands of years to develop.

Once they grasped the computational logic behind it, even the seemingly enigmatic field of quantum mechanics, from the perspective of the Cybertronians, could be easily applied.

Using this domineering ability, Sun Cheng had, over the past nearly two years, forcefully mastered reading and writing in five mainstream Earth languages. He had also learned more than ten scientific disciplines to an exceedingly profound level.

After a brief search, he quickly found the geographical knowledge he had previously copied into his memory chip. He engaged his computational power and began to study it earnestly.

This learning process took nearly a day. Once he had fully assimilated the information and conducted theoretical verification of Adam and Prometheus's viewpoints, he shifted his focus.

"The plan is feasible... Please continue discussing the future Mars base, your relevant plans..."

"Yes!"

This time, with Adam setting a good precedent, Prometheus also started speaking eagerly. They went through everything step by step, from the selection of the site within Mariner Canyon to the initial construction requirements for the base. They discussed resource allocation based on what Sun Cheng had brought along, the use of Constructicons, and various types of robots, and so on.

Adam also interjected occasionally, presenting his personal viewpoints.

Sun Cheng wasn't just patiently listening; he occasionally raised his own requirements and pointed out vague aspects in the planning of the two Decepticon engineers. He delved deeper with his questions.

After all, the Hope-class experimental spaceship had to fly for more than ten days from Earth to Mars. While the first interstellar journey had felt incredibly novel and exciting for Sun Cheng, he knew that it could become monotonous if he didn't find ways to fill the time.

Explaining his positioning, plans, and requirements for the Mars base to the two Decepticon engineers who would soon be stationed there and carefully listening to their plans and proposals seemed like a good way to pass the time.

Time slipped away bit by bit in this continuous and uninterrupted exchange.

Because the Decepticons didn't need rest when they had ample energy, the three Decepticons engaged in the discussion didn't feel the passage of time.

As a result, when the Central Main Control AI from the Hope-class experimental spaceship sounded an alarm, Sun Cheng and the others finally realized that they had been in interstellar flight for more than ten days.

And their destination, Mars, was right before their eyes.

Controlling the pilot's seat to turn forward, Sun Cheng could clearly see through the spaceship's transparent windshield a gradually enlarging, reddish-brown planet ahead, sending a surge of excitement through him.

"Artificial Intelligence, report the current flight speed... Spaceship status..."

"Understood, Captain... The current speed of the Hope-class is 352 kilometers per second, and the Spaceship is in good condition... Should I launch the probes in advance to gather data on Mars' current weather in preparation for landing?"

On the Hope-class experimental spaceship, there were two 800-kilogram Mars exploration satellites. They were not only capable of mapping Mars' terrain and monitoring its weather but could also facilitate communication within the planet when necessary.

Sun Cheng thought about the Earth-launched probes in Martian orbit and gave the order, "Launch the probes, and at the same time, activate the optical stealth device on the Hope-class..."

Once the initial data transmission was complete, the spaceship would proceed to land on Mars and officially establish their Mars base within Mariner Canyon.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, without ads and support the work.]

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter >>Chapter 720: Mars Base (Part 2)