In the end of the ice age, I hoarded tens of billions of supplies

Chapter 2580 Mariner Canyon 2

He couldn't help but shout, "This is a huge iron-rich layer! And it's not buried very deep! If this were Earth, we could just build a factory on it and start smelting!"

"Don't be so quick to laugh."

Zhang Yi raised his hand and pressed down, "First, let's get a clear understanding of the geological conditions within a 20-kilometer radius."

"We're not here to just dig up a pot and run; we're here to build a resource transfer point."

"If there's some weird stuff hidden down there, and it collapses halfway through digging, that would be really embarrassing."

"Okay, understand!"

Several geologists immediately split into groups and began taking samples down into the canyon using unmanned drilling rigs.

The nearby Shadow Squad members, with the help of engineered mechanical lifeforms, opened their sensory fields to investigate the underground environment.

This is a habit I developed on Earth.

First, identify the dangers, then harvest the resources.

At this time, the others also disembarked from the spaceship one after another.

Wearing a suitable walking suit, Yang Xinxin walked to the edge of the canyon and squinted at the dust rising in the distance.

From a high vantage point, the view is expansive. In front of Mariner's Canyon lies an endless expanse of dark red Gobi Desert, with sand and dust billowing in the wind, creating a magnificent scene that broadens one's mind and spirit.

"The wind is so strong!"

"The winds on Mars are naturally strong."

Lu Keran explained, "The atmosphere here is thin, but the wind speed is high. If it blows for too long, it can still bury people."

Zhang Yi nodded and was about to speak when a voice that was both urgent and excited suddenly came from the communication channel.

"Hey—hey hey hey! Can you hear me, Prisoner?!"

"I am Spring Thunder!"

"I think I've discovered something incredible!"

Zhang Yi raised his eyebrows.

"speak English."

"Did you see some alien beauties?"

"no!"

Fatty Xu's voice was filled with obvious excitement, "I saw the house! The kind of house built by humans! And solar panels! Although they were all broken!"

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow. "Houses built by humans?"

Is it a Martian civilization, or a Martian base built by Elon Freeman?

"Report your location."

"Your landing point is about two kilometers to the northwest."

"I've already taken the photos and sent them to you, look—"

The terminal on Zhang Yi's wrist lit up.

The photo popped up.

The scene shows a cluster of buildings partially covered by red sand.

It's not a large temporary base, probably only a couple hundred people.

The exterior is completely enclosed with dark silver metal and transparent glass. It has been abandoned and, due to long exposure to wind and sand, the base has turned reddish-brown.

However, because the oxygen is extremely thin here, the metal was not oxidized much.

There were several docked metal cabins, piled windbreaks, and several transport vehicles half-buried in sand.

The most conspicuous thing is a metal plaque with peeling paint.

You can still make out a few letters on it: MARS O…IGIN.

"Mars Origin".

Yang Xinxin recognized him at a glance, and her voice immediately lowered.

"Elon Freeman Landing Point".

"It looks like there's no doubt about it."

Zhang Yi put away the terminal and said, "Let's go take a look."

He waved his hand, signaling several powerful superhumans to stand guard around him, while he continued to work with the geologists, cosmologists, and mineralogists to investigate the distribution of mineral deposits in the surrounding area.

Although the Martian surface is theoretically dead now, no one can guarantee that something might suddenly emerge from underground.

Zhang Yi took out a Hummer – he had acquired it five years ago from a luxury car warehouse in Tianhai City, and it was still in excellent condition. He never imagined that he would have the chance to drive such a thing one day.

The Hummer is suitable for off-road driving and has good chassis stability.

The group got into the car, and Zhang Yi started the engine. Hearing the "vroom vroom vroom!" sound, his excited smile almost stretched to the back of his ears.

"This is the feeling! I haven't experienced this in so long!"

They crossed the red sand and headed in a north-northwest direction.

The sand on Mars is quite different from that on Earth.

The particles are finer, the color is darker, and it's slightly slippery when you step on it.

As you walk, the cluster of buildings ahead becomes clear.

That's not a natural structure.

The metal walls were whitened by the wind and sand, the edges of the bolts were exposed, and the gaps in the hatch were filled with dust.

Some modules were blown over by the wind, causing the adjacent folding antennas to tilt to one side.

At the very center is a circular survival fortress that is partially embedded in the ground.

That was clearly the work of Earthlings.

Steel, organic metal glass, composite armor, and adjustable outer breathing ports are all standardized industrial products.

Now, everything is as quiet as a graveyard, half of it buried by sandstorms.

There are signs of digging; it looks like it was done by Fatty Xu and his men.

Fatty Xu was waiting for them outside.

He waved his hand, his face full of "Praise me, praise me" expressions.

"Look, Sir, I wasn't wrong, was I? This building's structure must have been built by Earthlings, right?"

"Yes."

Zhang Yi scanned the life base and nodded, saying, "This should be Elon Freeman's camp."

"The fact that something from twenty years ago is still so well preserved shows that their structure was well made."

"Unfortunately, the person is gone."

He couldn't help but feel a little emotional when he said the last sentence.

He was once a prominent figure; could he have really died on the road to exploring Mars?

Several researchers followed.

Upon seeing the Mars base, their eyes lit up with excitement.

They entered through different hatches and began to record the interior layout, the degree of weathering, and the remaining traces of life.

Soon, someone brought out several smart terminals that had lost power from a living pod.

"And the tableware is all Earth-style."

"The number of beds is about the same as in the data, which means the number of people was the same when Freeman came. Hmm... no reproduction took place, which means that at that time, survival was still the primary issue."

"There is a sign here."

Someone found engravings that were worn away by wind and sand on an alloy wall.

"I came here for my second hometown."

"This slogan aligns with the Mars plan announced back then."

Yang Xinxin stood at the entrance of the fortress, her brows slightly furrowed.

"They lived here for a period of time."

“There are traces of building materials and signs of wall reinforcement, which means that they did not encounter problems as soon as they landed.”

"The question is, where did they go after that?"

Zhang Yi noticed it too.

This place doesn't look like it's been attacked.

There were no signs of explosion, no signs of melting, and not even any energy imprints left from the battle.

It doesn't seem like it encountered a large-scale Martian sandstorm.

Although the light cargo was scattered by the wind, the core building did not collapse at all.

"Either it's a mass relocation."

Zhang Yi slowly said, "Either they all disappeared."

"There's another possibility—"

Yang Xinxin glanced at him. "They were taken away."

The moment those words were spoken, everyone around fell silent.

They all knew that many underground and ancient civilizations on Earth preferred to "take away in bulk" operations.

Crop circles and other inhospitable places are all their creations.

"Don't rush to conclusions."

Zhang Yi waved his hand, "Copy all the materials here, including their old logs, geological exploration records, and personnel lists."

"Then we'll look at their trajectory."

“A man like Freeman wouldn’t just set up a camp on the surface of Mars; he would definitely explore the area.”

"Either dig for resources, or dig for underground civilizations."

"What if he dug up something he shouldn't have..."

Zhang Yi looked into the depths of the canyon, his eyes darkening.

"Then we'll run into each other soon."