Reborn in 2014: A One-Man Tycoon

"Starship successfully landed, and the trio safely reached the surface of Mars."

The moment the broadcast from the rocket company's command center ended, the entire building erupted in chaos.

The engineers slammed their fists on the table and cheered, and even the usually serious chief designer had tears in his eyes.

While global media outlets were still debating whether manned missions to Mars were feasible, they had already sent people up there.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching the top of the global trending topics list within half an hour.

The server was flooded with congratulatory emails from space agencies around the world.

Only Trump's campaign team remained silent.

Just as Trump finished a speech, the hashtag "Chuan's Mars landing" on the backstage screen overshadowed his "Trump's straightforward persona" trending topic, and he almost crushed the glass in his hand holding the water glass.

Meanwhile, Meng Chuan was leaning against the wall in his study, watching the live feed from Zhan Yi on his tablet.

This is the most serious moment Meng Chuan has ever been.

It was also a rare moment when he felt a little nervous.

Zhan Yi, after becoming the protector of Lian Da, is the most powerful leader of the Zhan Hall of the Green Gang.

He was temporarily reassigned as an astronaut.

During this period, he has been cramming on a lot of scientific knowledge.

Of course, the main reason is that his scientific foundation is only good.

Most importantly, as a martial arts practitioner, his physical abilities are almost superior to those of any professional astronaut.

Another issue is matters concerning Meng Chuan's major future plans.

Meng Chuan wouldn't let anyone else have it.

Battle One is the most suitable.

In the scene, Zhan Yi walks forward on the red sand, sinking into shallow pits with each step.

The distant Martian horizon shimmered with an eerie pinkish-purple hue.

Zhou Ming was squatting next to a rock, tapping and striking it with a sampler.

Zhou Ming was also a member of the Green Gang.

He is an expert in materials science.

He is also a descendant of a meritorious elder of the Green Gang.

Because he lacked talent in martial arts, he could only focus on science.

Of course, although he wasn't good at martial arts, he did know some basic fighting skills.

Therefore, his physical condition is also quite good.

The last scientist was a blonde, blue-eyed woman.

She is a biologist.

Although not a member of the Green Gang, he had a clean background and was a fervent scientist.

They each performed their duties and carried out their work on it.

However, due to the great distance, the real-time transmitted images were significantly delayed, and the images were not very clear.

Moreover, Meng Chuan couldn't understand what they were doing.

However, after half a day, Zhan Yi returned to the starship and reported some findings to the command center.

"President Meng, Zhan Yi has sent word that coal has been discovered on Mars!"

Yingdie personally called Meng Chuan.

The voice was filled with excitement.

This is absolutely a great discovery.

With coal, we have energy.

The next moment, Meng Chuan's screen also showed the photo that had just been transmitted back—a dark, lumpy object with Martian soil stuck to its edges.

Furthermore, Zhou Ming, a materials science expert, explicitly wrote:

It contains 70% carbon and can be burned directly.

Of course, "can be directly burned" means that it can be directly burned when transported back to Earth.

That definitely wouldn't work on Mars.

Because there is only 0.2% oxygen on Mars.

Combustion cannot occur without oxygen.

Two days later, data kept coming back:

For example, large amounts of iron and aluminum oxides have been found in the surface soil of Mars, which can be used to refine building materials.

Furthermore, the drone also detected solid water.

That's in the polar regions of Mars, at the north and south poles, where there is a large amount of solid water ice.

The water ice in the Arctic polar ice cap is covered by a layer of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide).

The water ice at the Antarctic polar cap is located at even greater depths.

If this water ice can be extracted, it could very well become an important water resource for Meng Chuan's conquest of Mars.

It can be said that the current discovery has greatly excited Meng Chuan.

"Tell Zhan Yi to have the drones scan a 100-kilometer radius around the landing point, marking the locations of soil mines, coalfields, and glacial lakes, the more detailed the better."

Meng Chuan said.

Next, we'll build fortifications on Mars.

The location must be chosen carefully.

“It’s been swept up already! Zhou Ming said that if this coalfield is developed, the energy will be enough to build ten bases.”

"Shadow Butterfly said excitedly."

"Okay, notify all department heads that everyone except those in the command center will have a meeting in ten minutes. The topic is Mars infrastructure."

Meng Chuan hung up the phone and turned on his computer.

For the first time, Meng Chuan acted with such decisiveness.

Soon, many senior executives of the rocket company, located on the other side of the ocean, gathered together.

In particular, the Mars Infrastructure Department and the Mars Life Transformation Department were both present.

These are two departments that the rocket company established in the last two years.

As you can tell from their name, their main research direction has absolutely nothing to do with "rockets".

The Mars Infrastructure Department is solely responsible for conducting targeted research on building materials, construction technologies, and energy supply systems specific to the Martian environment.

The Mars Life Transformation Department studies the transformation of life on Mars, as well as the production and decomposition of oxygen on Mars, and so on.

Soon, as the executives settled into their seats in the conference room, Meng Chuan's image appeared on the huge projection screen.

"We have coalfields, raw materials for building materials, and water."

Meng Chuan's voice was resolute:

"I want to build an 'outpost' on Mars, first a habitable castle, then a factory, and within a year we must be able to produce our own steel and cement."

The director of the aerospace department spoke with some difficulty:

"President Meng, transportation is a major problem. A starship can only carry a maximum of..."

"Then let's build a transit station."

Meng Chuan interrupted him:

"Build a space transfer station between Earth and Mars, with a hundred starships taking turns, carrying robots, robot dogs, and drones—as much as can be transported. Robots will be responsible for mining coal and firing kilns, robot dogs will transport materials, and drones will be responsible for prospecting. People on Earth can remotely command the operation."

Meng Chuan paused for a moment, then continued:

"The key now is how to solve the oxygen problem. Mars Life Transformation Department, what are your thoughts?"

Meng Chuan was only responsible for formulating the strategy, but for specific scientific issues, he still needed to consult the professional scientists present.

"Mr. Meng, the oxygen on Mars mainly comes from the following sources."

"First, it is produced naturally. This is carbon dioxide on Mars, which undergoes a photolysis reaction under the sun's ultraviolet radiation, decomposing into oxygen and carbon. This is one of the natural sources of oxygen on Mars, but the amount produced is very small."

"The second is that some minerals on the surface of Mars, such as iron oxide, may undergo chemical reactions under certain conditions, releasing a small amount of oxygen."

"If we want to establish a base on Mars, we can only use the carbon dioxide on Mars and convert it into oxygen and fuel through electrolysis and other methods."

"We have developed an oxygen electrolysis device, which is mainly driven by solar energy, but the oxygen production efficiency is low. It can only meet the needs of three to five people."

"Unless it involves transporting a large quantity of oxygen-generating equipment, but our current oxygen-generating equipment is quite large, weighing up to hundreds of tons, making transportation difficult..."

"That's enough for now."

Before the head of the Life Modification Department could finish speaking, Meng Chuan interrupted:

"Let's send two units over at any cost, one as the main unit and one as a backup. In the early stages, we only need three to five people to be on it long-term."

"You should continue your research and development, focusing on both lightweight design and increased efficiency. The key is research on algae. Machine-generated oxygen is just a transition; life-based oxygen generation is the main research direction."

"Yes, Mr. Meng!"

The head of the Life Modification Department nodded in agreement.

"Ministry of Infrastructure, what are your thoughts..."