After the sampling work is completed, with the reverse rotation of the motor, the long drilling rod is quickly pulled out from the surface.

There was nothing unusual about the first five meters.

The surface of the drilling rod is covered with red rock debris.

But the next scene is a little different.

A deep red.

Seeing this obvious color difference, Bai Yixuan's eyes showed a bit of uneasiness.

Being on an alien planet and facing this unknown situation, feeling uneasy and worried are extremely common psychological phenomena.

Not only Bai Yixuan, but also the other five teammates had a bit of worry on their faces.

"Captain, this..."

Xia Wanyi's voice came over the radio.

"Calm down." Bai Yixuan took a deep breath and said softly, "We'll see what happens after all the drilling rods come out."

There was silence on the team's radio channel.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the drilling rod in front of them.

The motor stopped.

As the two people closest to the drilling rod, Bai Yixuan and Hong Fan discovered the problem immediately.

"Wet?" Hong Fan stared blankly at the drilling rod in front of him.

Bai Yixuan subconsciously reached out and touched the drilling rod lightly, and then gently twisted it with his fingers.

"No, to be precise, it should be damp."

…

Mars City No. 1.

"Five meters underground is wet soil?!"

Lu Yongchang looked at the holographic image in front of him in bewilderment.

"Professor, it should be the moist Martian dust that glued them together." Ling corrected Lu Yongchang's slip of the tongue meticulously.

"It's not important!"

Lu Yongchang waved his hand casually and frowned.

"The point is, how could it be wet? How could it be wet?!"

"Zero, what is the surface temperature of Mars now?"

Zero quickly responded to his question: "It is currently noon in Gale Crater, and the surface temperature is 10 degrees Celsius. Due to the influence of the sun, the temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius higher than the same period in previous years."

Lu Yongchang frowned.

At 10 degrees Celsius, there is indeed the possibility of the existence of liquid water.

"What's the temperature at night?"

"Last night, the surface temperature of Gale Crater was -25 degrees Celsius, which was about 15 degrees Celsius higher than the same period in previous years."

Lu Yongchang shook his head solemnly: "No, this is wrong."

"Such a temperature is definitely not enough to melt the ice five meters underground!"

"Could it be the effect of underground magma?" Just as Lu Yongchang was struggling, a familiar voice came from the door.

Lu Yongchang trembled slightly, obviously startled by the sudden sound.

He quickly raised his head and looked towards the door.

"Brother Xu?"

"Why are you here?" Seeing the visitor, Lu Yongchang's eyes showed a bit of surprise, "No, when did you come?"

Fang Xu skillfully pulled up the chair in front of his desk and said hello to the robotic arm on the side: "Zero, make me a cup of tea."

After seeing the robotic arm moving, he turned to look at Lu Yongchang: "Not long after arriving, it was probably when you were struggling with the surface temperature of Mars."

A cup of hot tea was handed to Fang Xu.

He reached out to take the tea cup, nodded to the robotic arm and thanked him, then continued: "I'm here for the medical bay."

"Medical cabin?" Lu Yongchang's frown deepened, "What happened to the medical cabin?"

Fang Xu shrugged: "Academician Mao said that the basic functions of the medical cabin have been studied almost, and it is estimated that it will be realized in a short time."

Hearing this, Lu Yongchang's frown suddenly relaxed a lot.

This should be the first good news after arriving on Mars.

Breakthroughs in medical cabin technology will greatly extend the average life span of humans.

Although this lifespan of more than a hundred years is not enough for an interstellar civilization, in any case, it is always a good thing to have a breakthrough.

"So, what did you just say about the underground magma activity?"

Lu Yongchang brought the topic back: "There is no large-scale magma activity on Mars. You should know this."

"You also said that there is no large-scale magma activity." Fang Xu said while drinking tea, "I am just giving you a guess. Maybe there is some magma activity underground in Gale Crater."

Lu Yongchang nodded silently.

Perhaps this is the only reason that can explain the existence of liquid water.

"Professor, the complete report on the drilling samples has been released."

As Zero's voice sounded, a report appeared in front of Lu Yongchang.

“Sedimentary rocks?!”

“There are obvious traces of water erosion and sedimentation?!”

Looking at the data in front of him, Lu Yongchang's eyes shone with excitement.

"Sure enough, Mars was really a habitable planet in the past!"

Fang Xu also put down the teacup in his hand at this time and looked at the test data provided by Zero with a surprised look on his face.

This is a game-changing discovery!

"If there is water flow, then there may be more types of minerals on Mars than we imagined?" Fang Xu asked softly.

"That's the truth." Lu Yongchang nodded quickly.

"It's just that it's still not as good as Earth."

"Of the more than 4,400 minerals currently known on the earth, more than 2,900 are related to biological activities."

"It's obviously impossible to have these minerals on Mars."

With that said, Lu Yongchang turned his head and gave orders to Ling.

"Zero, let Bai Yixuan and the others fly Xuannv 2 to conduct a complete survey and mapping of Gale Crater."

…

A few days later.

"Professor, the surveying and mapping data is out."

The holographic projection quickly unfolded, and a thumbnail of the entire Gale Crater appeared in Lu Yongchang's office.

"Zero, make a simulation of the structure and texture inside the crater."

"Look where the water comes from."

A few minutes later.

"Professor, the simulation results are out."

Arrows and water flows began to appear on the holographic projection: "According to the simulation results, part of the water comes from the surroundings, which is the so-called rain."

"The other part is from Mount Sharp."

"Rainwater? Mount Sharp?" Lu Yongchang's brows suddenly wrinkled.

These two sources... Mount Sharp is easier to explain.

After all, during the drilling and testing of Mount Sharp, the presence of a large amount of underground ice was indeed detected.

It is possible that there were glaciers on Mount Sharp in ancient times.

It’s just rain…

Lu Yongchang's eyes moved slightly and he whispered.

"Zero, continue the simulation and the surface temperature of Mars rises by 70 degrees Celsius. What will be the result?"

As he finished speaking, a red image of Mars appeared in front of him.

Over time, the ice caps at the poles of Mars melted rapidly, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane.

The injection of greenhouse gases has greatly improved the warmth-keeping ability of Mars' atmosphere.

Subsequently, water vapor began to condense, and rain appeared on Mars.

Oceans and lakes then appeared.
Chapter completed!