Expeditionary Corps

Since Einstein shattered the concept of absolute mass and energy, revealing their interchangeability, humanity's research in this field has been relentless.

The atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb stand as undeniable evidence. In essence, nuclear fission and fusion are merely methods of converting mass into energy, with fusion being the more efficient process.

In this domain, Xiao Yu stands on the shoulders of giants, armed with the cumulative research of humanity and the direct guidance of the great natural mentors on Jupiter. He is confident in breaking through the technical barriers of controlled nuclear fusion.

Five hundred kilometers from the base, Xiao Yu established a new, smaller base and transported fifty specialized robots using Fengshen-1 for research purposes.

This facility is dedicated to controlled nuclear fusion. Despite Xiao Yu's confidence in mastering this technology, he remains cautious, knowing that a reactor explosion would be catastrophic, potentially leveling the base he painstakingly built.

Extracting deuterium, tritium, and other prepared materials from the old spacecraft, Xiao Yu commenced his intensive research.

Meanwhile, nearly a thousand kilometers away, in the pitch-black night, seven bright spots appeared one by one.

This was a mining reconnaissance team. Seven robots, equipped with adequate instruments, were conducting a field survey of a rare earth deposit.

Behind them, a strange, semi-circular aircraft emitted a roar as it took off rapidly towards the base after releasing a powerful jet of air from its underside.

This was Fengshen-1 returning home after completing its delivery mission.

On the ground, in the darkness, only the seven lone robots remained, marching forward with their peculiar gait.

Xiao Yu split a fraction of his consciousness, monitoring through the night vision of the seven robots.

The terrain was still smooth, with little fluctuation, resembling the rest of Titan's landscape.

One robot slowly bent down, and its searchlight illuminated the ground. A large expanse of orange-red earth was photographed and transmitted via satellite directly to Xiao Yu's mind. He issued the next command.

The robot extended its right hand, revealing a shovel that emerged from its palm. It scooped up a handful of soil, then brought its head close, analyzing the material with eerie red light emanating from its eyes.

The remaining six robots dispersed in different directions. One robot stopped after advancing a kilometer, squatted down, and a probe emerged from its arm, piercing the ground.

Xiao Yu observed intently.

The probe drove deeper—one meter, two meters, three meters—until it reached five meters below the surface before stopping. The robot then slowly withdrew the probe.

At the bottom of the probe were samples extracted from five meters below Titan's surface. The robot leaned in, its eyes glowing red, beginning its analysis of the minerals.

Simultaneously, nearly a thousand kilometers away, Xiao Yu received real-time data.

The field survey lasted two days, covering an area of about five kilometers. Analyzing the combined data from all seven robots, Xiao Yu exhaled lightly, "This is a rare, rich deposit, abundant and easy to mine. Such a vein is scarcely found on Earth."

More importantly, not far from this deposit, there is a modest methane lake, meaning Xiao Yu could conveniently replenish energy nearby, needing only to supply oxygen periodically. The conditions here are truly exceptional.

This discovery filled Xiao Yu with immense joy.

It even prompted him to immediately decide to establish an industrial base in this high-quality rare earth deposit.

Xiao Yu is now wealthy, incomparable to his previous desperate wandering in space. With nearly unlimited energy on Titan and high-grade open-pit metal mines, neither energy nor material supply is a concern. Building an industrial base is just a matter of time.

The primary base is Base One, the controlled nuclear fusion research facility is Base Two, and this will be Base Three.

During this period, ten more robot production lines came online, and now, over seventy robots are produced daily. If not for the scarcity of certain metal materials, Xiao Yu could increase this production rate to over 120 units daily.

Of course, this "day" refers to Earth's time—twenty-four hours in a day. "One should never forget their roots," Xiao Yu mused, "even if they leave Earth."

"For this vein, I must temporarily halt the production of less critical equipment… and design specialized mining equipment for the rare earth deposit. Also, since there's no iron ore, I need to prepare construction materials for various factories."

Xiao Yu devised a timetable, planning to complete all preparations within two months.

Machines roared, robots busily shuttled back and forth, and countless bizarrely shaped devices were manufactured and gathered at a temporary storage point outside the base.

Fortunately, Xiao Yu now had a photon computer providing immense computational power, preventing him from being overwhelmed by the enormous data.

In a vast machine room, countless red and blue indicator lights flickered continuously, and faint white mist wafted from the liquid hydrogen cooling pool, evidence of the immense heat generated by Xiao Yu's brain. Dozens of robots moved back and forth, busily handling daily affairs.

After two full months, Xiao Yu finally completed all preparations. In the temporary storage area, a large group of robots lined up in neat rows, pulling various simple carts loaded with countless supplies and large machinery.

"Rare Earth Expeditionary Corps, move out!" Xiao Yu shouted, brimming with pride.

The so-called Rare Earth Expeditionary Corps was a thousand-strong robot force, including construction robots, mining robots, flamethrower robots, repair robots, and more, along with various rare earth mining equipment, numerous construction materials, and Fengshen-1 helicopter. Due to the large quantity of supplies, Xiao Yu couldn't transport them all with Fengshen-1, so he organized this expeditionary corps, essentially a transport convoy. Fengshen-1 helicopter served as the navigator.

Upon Xiao Yu's command, a thousand robots simultaneously began marching, pulling carts behind them. Large wheeled machinery automatically followed closely, equipped with simple computers, ready to go wherever Xiao Yu directed, making it incredibly convenient.

The massive corps set off, kicking up dust like a group of refugees fleeing disaster. Xiao Yu was slightly displeased with the dust, as it didn't match the grand scene he had envisioned.

"A small place is just a small place, can't compare to Earth," Xiao Yu muttered, preparing the next batch of transport supplies.

In this team, each robot hauled tons of materials, something unimaginable on Earth. But here on Titan, where gravity is less than one-sixth of Earth's, everyone is a powerhouse.

Dozens of flamethrower robots, burdened with strange, heavy tanks, wielded massive flamethrowers at the front, scorching the ground to evaporate any small liquid methane lakes, clearing the path for the following main force. Overhead, the futuristic Fengshen-1 helicopter hovered at low altitude, roaring continuously. Under Xiao Yu's control, it guided the corps' direction.

The enormous robot army advanced in an orderly manner, undeterred by rain, wind, or darkness. The Rare Earth Expeditionary Corps marched resolutely, vowing to illuminate this dark corner of the solar system with the light of technology.

Their pace reached about twenty-five kilometers per hour. As long as energy was sufficient, they needed no rest. At this speed, they would reach the designated location in about two days.

Encountering a small mountain range and a large lake along the way, the Rare Earth Expeditionary Corps had to detour, losing some time. Yet, even so, they arrived at the rare earth deposit forty-seven hours after setting out.

It was dawn at the rare earth mining area. Weak sunlight, having traveled over 1.7 billion kilometers, reached Titan, penetrated its thick atmosphere, and shone on the Rare Earth Expeditionary Corps.

At dawn, on a vast expanse of orange-red earth, stood a thousand robots, countless supplies, and heavy machinery. Overhead, the massive Fengshen-1 helicopter circled, its searchlights arrogantly sweeping the area. Once it confirmed the safe arrival of the Rare Earth Expeditionary Corps, it let out a low rumble and flew away.

The sun reached its zenith, marking midday. After rest and checks, a thousand robots and various machines began their work.

Construction of Base Three had begun.