Across Mars's vast expanse, a massive sealed military vehicle sped forward.
Liu Zhihao took twenty people to set the base in order, while Shi Tie Zhu selected ten men and set off at once.
From First Base to the coordinates provided by the Secret Agent was a distance of over nine hundred kilometers. Most of those nine hundred kilometers consisted of Gobi desert and hills, without so much as a road.
Huge, thick tires crushed across the Gobi as the howling Martian military vehicle kicked up red dust that filled the sky. The enormous cabin had its own oxygen supply, and the soldiers took turns eating, recharging, and resting.
Yet most of them could barely eat and had no way to rest easy. But without food, they would lack the strength to fight; without rest, they would not be in peak condition. If this went on, problems would arise.
While driving, Shi Tie Zhu glanced into the rearview mirror and quietly opened the team communication channel. "Let me tell you a secret."
In this stifling atmosphere, having someone talk was better than silence.
Da Liu asked, "What secret?"
"Do you remember when you were training in recruit camp and they made you run laps?"
"Of course! It's etched into our bones!"
When the recruits ran drills, the platoon commander cheerfully drew a circle and told the soldiers that it was one thousand meters. Run five laps first—just five kilometers, not far at all. Off you go.
As for the standard, he would lower it a little: twenty-two minutes. Plenty lenient. Don't tell the other instructors, or they'll say I'm too soft and report me to the company commander.
The green recruits immediately felt that this platoon commander was easygoing and easy to fool, and they instantly cheered up.
Then the