The reply from Che Zhen's unit arrived three hours later.
[0811-1000]
Jiang Ye quickly consulted the codebook.
0811 referred to "Plant and Fungus Clearing Spray Set," and 1000 sets were required.
There was no need for Jiang Ye to issue an order; the unit's quartermaster would receive this information simultaneously and begin preparations immediately. Jiang Ye merely used the request to gauge the situation on Birong Star.
He frowned.
The Arctic, with temperatures tens of degrees below zero Celsius, required so many sprays to clear plants and fungi?
This was unexpected. He had anticipated a barren wasteland, devoid of life, covered in ice.
Three hours later, the third warp spaceship Jiang Ye had purchased, "Birong Three," arrived at Jiang Ye Star's space station. This vessel was specifically designed for cargo, boasting a much larger tonnage and a hefty price tag of twenty billion.
The troops stationed at the space station immediately mobilized, loading cargo onto Birong Three.
One thousand sets of "Plant and Fungus Clearing Spray Sets," two hundred tons of signal station expansion materials, one hundred tons of food and water, four modified, frost-resistant flap-wing aircraft, as well as aerial bombs and infantry missiles.
The value of these supplies alone reached three billion.
It wasn't even certain if they would last a few days, with the fastest consumption rate being three to four days.
It was simply burning money!
After the loading was complete, Birong Three immediately took off to make the journey.
The space station on Birong Star was too small to dock more than two ships at a time, but Jiang Ye had made a simple deployment:
Birong One would remain docked at the Birong Star space station, serving as temporary accommodation for the officers and soldiers, and could take off to escape if necessary.
Birong Two, after unloading, would immediately return to Jiang Ye Star to pick up more cargo, freeing up space and increasing the transport speed.
The priority was to transport as much cargo as possible to Birong Star as quickly as possible and establish some basic infrastructure.
It was eleven o'clock at night.
Birong Two landed at Jiang Ye Star's First Space Station.
Jiang Ye, wrapped in a thick coat, had been waiting at the edge of the space station. The moment the ship stabilized, he hurried over.
A long line of cargo vehicles followed, with goods being loaded into the ship's belly one after another. The spaceship resembled a giant black whale, its gaping maw ingesting countless provisions.
As Jiang Ye reached the outside of the ship's hatch, Che Zhen emerged, his heels clicking as he saluted.
"You've worked hard. Where's the data?" Jiang Ye asked.
A young officer emerged from behind Che Zhen and handed a gleaming briefcase to the commander.
The exterior of the briefcase was inscribed with "Day One." Inside was all the preliminary observational data of the Birong Star space station vicinity, including written reports, photographs, and videos. An electronic version of the same content had already been sent to the unit, and a large group of strategists were now intently analyzing the situation.
"I'll give you a brief report," Che Zhen said. "We encountered strong gales upon landing, with wind speeds fluctuating between Force 9 and 10, over twenty meters per second. The temperature was relatively warm, minus forty degrees Celsius, but movement was still difficult. Of the two signal station construction materials we brought, one signal station was destroyed and scattered by the wind, beyond recovery. I instructed the mechanical soldiers to hastily construct ice walls to shield the construction site, and barely managed to complete the second one."
"That's not easy. It's good that the signal is established. Are there any suitable locations for signal station construction nearby?" Jiang Ye asked.
"The terrain within a few kilometers is relatively flat, the permafrost is very hard, and it's rocky soil. Drilling machinery sparks when it goes down, making signal station construction very difficult. We can try when the wind subsides." Che Zhen's expression was grim. "The most critical issue is the symbiotic relationship of plants and fungi beneath the soil layer. It's somewhat like lichen, but different. It's a sticky layer, and it moves."
Jiang Ye was bewildered.
But he didn't inquire further. The loading was nearing completion, and the ship was about to depart, so he needed to focus on the most crucial matters.
"Are there any injuries or illnesses so far?"
"No. Only about a dozen soldiers have left the ship. The others are working inside the vessel and are very safe."
"Have you encountered any other planetary forces?"
"We have, but not entirely. As soon as we entered Birong Star's orbit, we detected numerous ships coming from different directions. However, the military interfered with our communications, so we couldn't make contact," Che Zhen said. "There are many military ships around Birong Star, and four space cities. We don't know what they're for, possibly observing the situation on Birong Star?"
"The initial signal jamming might be frequent, as they need to respond to higher-ups' requirements. The military doesn't have enough personnel and energy to keep a constant watch on Birong Star. It will get better after a while," Jiang Ye said. "The immediate priorities are: first, to establish more signal stations to improve signal transmission efficiency. Second, to clear the environmental threats nearby; any life forms that should be exterminated must be exterminated. Third, to build shelters and find ways to produce some supplies, food, and water."
"Understood! We're already doing it. They should be busy erecting the second signal station right now. If all goes well, we should receive news from the second signal station in about half an hour." Che Zhen saluted. "Loading is complete. I'm departing!"
"Be careful!" Jiang Ye returned the salute and stepped back.
The ship's hatch slowly closed.
A deafening roar once again echoed through the space station. Birong Two, laden with supplies, ascended and quickly became an almost imperceptible speck in the night sky.
Jiang Ye did not watch the ship depart. He hurried into the space station building, opening the briefcase as he walked. Inside were two bottles of silvery-white biological specimen jars, each weighing three kilograms.
The sides of the jars were transparent, allowing a view of their contents.
One jar contained red, the other green. They were sticky, resembling some kind of glue, and were still subtly wriggling. These were likely the alien lichens dug from the ground.
"Truly disgusting," Jiang Ye shivered.
The sides of the jars displayed various data: the internal temperature was minus forty-four degrees Celsius, the pressure was one atmosphere, and the specimens were temporarily alive.
A large group of accompanying officers followed Jiang Ye. Among them were two female officers from the biochemical laboratory, whose eyes widened upon seeing the jars, and they eagerly leaned in.
"Here, take these and research them quickly," Jiang Ye handed the jars to them.
He also glanced at their work badges. The senior officer was the head of production safety for the biochemical laboratory, named Sawada Marian, who bore a slight resemblance to the film actor Shinobu Nakayama from Jiang Ye's era.
"Marian, report your findings to me," Jiang Ye glanced at her.
"Yes!"
Jiang Ye went straight to his office and examined the photographs and data in the briefcase.
The area around the space station was a desolate white wasteland, occasionally punctuated by giant black rocks and deep blue ice formations. The rocks were not unusual, but Jiang Ye stared at the giant ice for a long time. These ice blocks were as tall as two stories, shaped like ancient burial mounds, and their deep blue hue felt somewhat eerie.
The entire space station appeared to have been built a long time ago. Judging by the videos of the troops entering the interior of the space station rooms, many rooms were filled with dust, and a clear shoe print was left with every step on the floor.
However, this also indicated good windproofing. With ten-grade winds outside, dust could still settle leisurely indoors. With a little heating from the air conditioning, the indoor temperature should be quite habitable.
Jiang Ye's focus shifted to the alien lichens.
The lichens were first discovered during the process of laying the foundation for the signal station. As drilling machinery dug into the earth, emitting sparks, the machine suddenly sank into the ground.
The mechanical soldiers manually excavated with shovels, quickly removing half a meter of topsoil and revealing the glue-like layer of alien lichen beneath.
These lichens clearly possessed some form of intelligence. Suddenly disturbed from their slumber, they scurried in all directions to hide, but their mobility was poor. Startled by the moving mechanical soldiers, they constantly changed direction, appearing somewhat comical.