Orion Arm, Solar System, Mars.
The Mars before them no longer resembled the desolate, lonely wasteland it had been a little over a decade ago.
In planetary orbit, three Space Elevators stretched straight between heaven and earth, and three Spaceports of different sizes were all under construction or being expanded.
Tens of millions of miniature robots tirelessly carried out construction commands, turning countless materials into buildings and facilities.
Hundreds of spacecraft continually unloaded construction equipment of every kind at the Spaceports, which was then transported down the Space Elevators to support construction in the colonial cities below. Everything on Mars was changing by the day.
Dotted with starlight, clusters of colonial cities glowed like pieces of amber as they expanded outward from the Space Elevators, kindling the flame of civilization on Mars.
So far, nearly thirty million Earthlings had immigrated to Mars's first three major metropolitan areas, while hundreds of millions more lived or worked there through virtual reality technology.
The Ghost Captain's presence had created a stable, safe environment for development in the Solar System, while virtual reality technology had given a powerful boost to scientific and technological research worldwide.
With the addition of alien technology and an industrial boom, Earth Civilization had gradually developed into a colonial network centered on the Earth-Moon System and Mars, with a presence throughout the Solar System.
As another vital colonial hub in Earth Civilization's development, Mars had received a particularly large share of resources in recent years. Merchant ships of all kinds traveled between the Earth-Moon System and Mars, carrying raw materials back to the Moon and bringing finished products and equipment to support construction on Mars.
In orbit around Mars, one could see not only three bustling Spaceports and Space Elevators over a thousand kilometers long, but also an enormous pillar