Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed since the destruction of Earth. On this particular day, the Moon Base uncharacteristically granted a 24 hour holiday. Most people took the opportunity to return to their rooms and catch up on some much-needed sleep.
"Over the past month, construction on the Moon Base has achieved new milestones. Electricity consumption has exceeded 11 million kilowatts, the industrial production index has surpassed 11,360 points, and we have produced 1.13 million tons of steel..." On the television, a host was passionately reading out the latest development statistics.
Listening to the broadcast, Wayne smiled faintly. Watching this program every day had become a habit. Although he was just an ordinary engineer, he cared deeply about everything happening on the base.
He lay on his bunk, resting. After working overtime for a solid month, the sudden stop made him feel as though all his strength had been drained. He didn't want to move a muscle.
His roommate, Zack, was enthusiastically boiling a pot of clear soup with fresh green vegetables. The first batch of crops from the transformed agricultural zone had finally ripened, and the two of them had been allocated two kilograms. It was prepared simply by boiling it in water with some salt and a little packet of spices brought from Earth, but the aroma was pure bliss.
"This is top-tier living!" Wayne scooped up a leaf, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. He swallowed reluctantly, closing his eyes and letting out a long, satisfied sigh. The taste of fresh vegetables reminded him of his old life, almost bringing tears to his eyes.
Damn it, he thought, how spineless of me. Getting weepy over a piece of cabbage.
He cursed himself silently, but then a thought struck him. He reached under his bed and pulled out a hidden treasure, a wine bottle. "Come on, the last bottle. Let's have a drink."
Zack's jaw dropped. "How do you still have wine? I thought you finished that ages ago!"
"Uh... I hid it. This is seriously the last one." Wayne didn't feel the least bit embarrassed. He sighed. "Our lives are going to get better. eventually, we'll brew new alcohol, so we won't have to worry about running dry. Hey, didn't you say you were looking for a girlfriend?Did you find anyone yet?"
"How could I? I don't have the time. Our production team is a sausage fest; there are no women," Zack grumbled.
The two chatted idly for a while before Wayne suddenly asked, "Have you heard the rumors? There's unofficial news spreading that the Moon is going to collide with Earth, and we don't have long to live."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Zack's expression tightened, and he quickly checked the door to ensure it was closed. "What I heard was that the Moon was hit by an asteroid. There are so many versions... it's ridiculous. Several rumor makers have already been arrested, so don't overthink it. If it were true, I believe Captain Jason would tell us. Besides, what is there to fear? If the sky falls, the big shots will be the ones to hold it up."
"Sigh, you're right." Wayne shook his head. "If anything happens, the high-ranking officials will be the first to panic. I don't know what they're up to lately; they're in meetings half the day, every day."
"Yeah, it feels like they're planning some big move. It's all very secretive. I even asked my supervisor, and I only got one reply: 'Confidential.' Captain Jason is really keeping us on our toes."
"Staying busy is a good thing. Otherwise, we'd just be sitting in a stagnant pool waiting to rot. In this vast cosmos, there are only fifty thousand of us left. Without major changes, how can we survive?"
"Pfft, what do you know?"
At that moment, the TV suddenly switched channels automatically. Jason's figure appeared on the screen.
"Everyone, I am Jason. I have an announcement to make."
The camera angle showed he was in a massive conference room in the Central Building. Thousands of people sat in uniform rows, representing all walks of life, waiting for Jason to speak.
"Oh, I think I saw a notice about this yesterday. Why didn't we go watch it live?"
"Forget it, there aren't any seats left. Watching on TV is the same."
Wayne and Zack stopped talking and stared at the screen. Across the Moon Base, almost everyone stopped what they were doing. Whether they were reading, gaming, or eating, all attention turned to the broadcast.
Jason didn't appear on TV often, but whenever he did, it meant big news, major events that concerned everyone.
Could it really be a Moon-Earth collision? Was there actually an asteroid strike? A faint sense of unease crept into Wayne's heart. Too many rumors had been floating around. Now that things were being handled so formally, perhaps something big truly was happening.
Jason waited a moment. Seeing that the venue was full, he cleared his throat.
"Since humanity gained wisdom, we have learned to gaze at the stars. The brilliant Milky Way, the boundless cosmos, how vast, how magnificent. It holds infinite knowledge and secrets. We have always been filled with curiosity about the sky above."
"The starry sky above us show us the boundlessness of the universe. Compared to it, humanity is insignificant. But insignificant humanity, relying on wisdom and courage, wishes to stand among the stars!"
The screen behind him shifted, displaying images of the infinite cosmos, the vast star fields, and the great milestones of human history.
"In 1961, Yuri Gagarin completed the world's first manned space flight, taking the first step."
"In 1969, Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon, taking the second step."
"Next, we, the surviving fifty thousand will uphold humanity's final will and take the third step!"
Many viewers were baffled. What was Jason trying to say? Stepping toward the stars? Was this about expanding the aerospace industry? Some people breathed a sigh of relief. Judging by the tone, it didn't seem like bad news.
Jason took a deep breath and suddenly announced, "I declare that humanity's first interstellar voyage project is officially launched. Code name-Noah!"
"Starting tomorrow, humanity will embark on a historical engineering feat never before seen, the Interstellar Voyage Project! All of us will witness this great moment. According to the plan, five months from now, we will leave the embrace of the Moon and embark on a journey!"
"Target planet-Mars!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the audience was stunned. The meeting hall erupted into commotion. Wayne and Zack were no exception; they felt a surge of excitement mixed with a strange anxiety. Humans crave stability. They had just gotten used to the Moon. Suddenly leaving for Mars was unsettling.
Most importantly, it was too sudden. There was no mental preparation. Was interstellar travel even feasible?
"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me," Jason said, commanding the room. "Our three thousand scientists, after more than two weeks of deliberation, have developed a completely viable plan. Interstellar travel is within our capabilities. We would not gamble with our lives, please believe us!"
"We have discussed every detail, every step. This time, we will travel aboard the alien spacecraft, our Noah's Ark, using nuclear propulsion to reach Mars!"
In just a few words, he outlined the master plan.
The crowd gradually calmed down. Alien spacecraft. Nuclear propulsion. It sounded bold and crazy, but since the most authoritative scientists said it was possible, then perhaps it was. Many people had seen the alien ship; its technology was undeniably advanced.
Furthermore, Captain Jason's character was trustworthy.
People began to whisper among themselves. "Boss, you were in those meetings. Is it really doable?"
"It is!"
Upon receiving positive confirmation, a strange feeling began to bloom in people's hearts. Interstellar travel. This was the real deal.
For many of the men, in particular, this reignited old dreams. Deep down, many had harbored fantasies of mecha and the sea of stars. Those dreams usually faded with age and the grind of life, but now, the spark was back. Could childhood fantasies actually come true?
They began to get excited, adrenaline surging through their veins.
"The Moon is not our home, and there is nothing worth lingering for here. No air, no blue sky, no white clouds, do you wish to stay here for a lifetime? Do you want your children to never see a blue sky?"
"No! We must leave this barren rock. Mars is not far away. It is waiting for us!"
"Brothers, our future lies in the sea of stars!"
The crowd was silent for a moment, absorbing the gravity of the speech. Then, suddenly, a few miners in the back shouted loudly, "Space travel! Space travel!"
These men came from small nations that previously had no aerospace technology. Now, hearing Jason's plan, they were so excited they couldn't control themselves. They were proud to participate in such a monumental project.
"Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé!" A few guys started chanting like they were in a football stadium.
More and more people were inspired. As soon as they thought of themselves as crew members of this great expedition, their blood pumped faster, dispelling the earlier unease.
A wild passion took hold. They began to cheer and scream, and the entire venue erupted. People stopped worrying about the technical feasibility; if the scientists said it could be done, why object?
Bang!
Jason slapped the table to emphasize his final point. "Then, starting tomorrow, Project Noah officially begins."
"Project duration: five months!"