Triumphant Return!

NASA's engineers had guessed right.

Compared to other reentry spacecraft, the Auspicious had an almost absurd amount of fuel to spare for its return.

Its remaining 21% of propellant might not have been enough to take it from the surface into Low Earth Orbit, but it was more than enough to accelerate the spacecraft to escape velocity, leave the Earth-Moon System, and head straight for Mars.

Once the Auspicious descended from the "reentry phase" at an altitude of 100 kilometers into the "landing phase" at 20 kilometers, air resistance and its engines had slowed it to Mach 7. By then, it was already over Hua Nation's western territory.

At that speed, a successful landing was all but certain.

At the Russian Space Agency.

Watching the fast-moving green dot on the radar screen, a stern-faced man in a black suit showed a flicker of disappointment.

If the Auspicious had crashed in Russia or the Pacific Ocean, he would certainly not have minded "helping" Hua Nation. Unfortunately, it seemed God had given him no chance to lend his "old friends" a hand.

There was nothing else worth watching.

At that altitude and speed, even he was confident he could bring the thing home.

"Tell the Pacific Fleet to stand down."

The man in a Russian military uniform beside him snapped to attention and saluted.

"Yes, sir."

An azure arc of light emerged from the clouds. As though riding in on a rainbow, the silver Auspicious came into view.

At the Jinling Aerospace Launch Center, the ground command center erupted in cheers.

As the announcement "Launch mission completed successfully" rang out, chief engineer Hou Guang removed his headset at the console. The staff, who seemed to have been holding their breath for ages, burst into jubilant cheers.

For the past 24 hours,