"The discovery of ancient civilization remnants on Mars doesn't bring hope to humanity, rather, it marks the beginning of despair."

"In the year 2069, the spaceship 'Kua Fu', carrying a crew of eight researchers, embarked on its journey back to Earth from Mars.

(Note :Kua Fu  is an ancient Chinese mythological figure. Nowadays, spacecraft or rockets are often named after them.)

The eight aboard the spaceship comprised the flight crew: Captain Yang Zhiyuan, Deputy Captain and Engineer Zhou Ke; and the expert team: Archaeologist Wang Yue, Biologist Dong Yifeng, Anthropologist Zheng Ya, Geneticist Bao Mingkai, Linguist Su Ziqi. In addition to these, there was also the first generation of bionic robots developed by a certain country — Hua Mei.

"Among them, Su Ziqi was the youngest, in her early twenties, unmarried, and born into a family of linguists, her father being a renowned Assyriology expert.

Zheng Ya and Wang Yue were of similar ages, in their thirties, both mothers of two children each.

Yang Zhiyuan and Zhou Ke were in their early forties. Yang had abundant interstellar navigation experience, having piloted numerous missions. Zhou, a famous mechanical and aerospace expert, had an intricate understanding of every structure of the spaceship.

Dong Yifeng and Bao Mingkai were slightly older, around their fifties. Dong, a celebrated biologist, was obsessed with discovering and researching new species. Bao was the Chief Medical Officer of a renowned pharmaceutical company, and an expert in molecular genetics."


"By the 2060s of the 21st century, humans had already established a base on Mars.

The spaceship 'Kua Fu' was equipped with warp drive technology, capable of making the round trip between Earth and Mars in just a day at its fastest.

Zheng Ya was Su Ziqi's senior at Harvard University, and the two were currently working out in the spaceship's gym.

The spaceship was well-equipped, with gravity technology simulating Earth's gravity, providing a comfortable living environment for the astronauts.

The two were on treadmills, sweating profusely and burning calories."


"Ziqi, your jade pendant is quite striking. What bird is carved on it?"

Zheng Ya noticed the pendant Su Ziqi wore around her neck. It was a semi-circular piece of red jade, carved into the shape of a bird. As Su Ziqi ran, it seemed as if the pendant was also imbued with a certain force. Under the illumination of the light, it radiated a bright red, like a phoenix spreading its wings in flight.

"Sister Ya, it's a phoenix. My father gave it to me as a birthday gift when I was three."

（When Chinese people meet someone older than themselves, they call them sister or brother to show respect.）

Su Ziqi's father had taken part in archaeological work in the Mesopotamian region and had somehow acquired this piece of red jade, which he gave to Su Ziqi.

"A red phoenix, a symbol of auspiciousness. It must be bringing us good luck. Our voyage has been smooth sailing, and our investigation fruitful. Our discoveries will surely shock the world!" Even on the return journey, Zheng Ya's joy was still evident in her words.



"Indeed, who could argue otherwise?" Su Ziqi wasn't as excited as Zheng Ya. Instead, she furrowed her brow, as the Mars expedition had brought up many vague questions, making her wonder about the origins of the situation.

Two months prior, on a certain morning, Su Ziqi, a language expert at the Foreign Languages University, received a notice summoning her to a meeting at the National Space Center's office immediately.

There, in the conference room, she was surprised to see a gathering of experts from various fields, with the meeting chaired by Director Wang from the Office of the National Space Center.

Director Wang first introduced the experts attending the meeting. Many of them had made significant contributions in biology, anthropology, genetics, and linguistics.

"Comrades, we have convened this meeting today to announce a significant discovery. First, I ask everyone to adhere strictly to our confidentiality principles," Director Wang, who usually had a kind and amiable presence, was now stern, creating a sense of incongruity among those present.

"There must be a significant discovery in space. Could it be the announcement of extraterrestrial life?" Su Ziqi mused.

"The situation is as follows: a month ago, our staff at the Mars base accidentally discovered an ancient underground tunnel while mining," Director Wang continued.


"They followed the long tunnel to the end, where they discovered a large lava cave. The cave walls were adorned with murals. Please look at the projection."

Everyone looked up to see a three-dimensional projection on the stage. It showed a large cavern with smooth walls, surrounded by smaller caves. Some of the walls were adorned with colorful murals.

"According to the base personnel who went in, they found a golden coffin in the hall. Out of curiosity, they tried to open the coffin, only to find humanoid skeletal remains inside. Regrettably, the moment they opened the coffin, the skeleton turned to dust."

"This is likely due to the sudden exposure to oxygen after being sealed for so long. Considering the murals may suffer a similar fate, the personnel quickly photographed the scene, then exited the lava cave and sealed it off."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a significant archaeological discovery for us earthlings on Mars. It suggests that a high civilization once existed on ancient Mars," an excited Director Wang announced, his face turning red and his belly shaking.

"These murals are vivid and lifelike. Please have a look at this mural."

The figure in the mural was depicted donning a long robe, with one hand on the hip, and exuding an air of authority. The other hand held a scepter, topped with something resembling a pinecone.

Clearly, the figure was that of a giant, standing over two and a half meters tall. The giant had no hair on its head but sported two large horns, creating an abrupt impression.

The giant in the mural had bulging eyes, ears that hung to the shoulders, and a full beard. Most strikingly, a prominent, vertical green eye was painted on the giant's forehead.

"Comrades, after seeing this mural, I have a new understanding of extraterrestrials," Director Wang resumed his usual demeanor, half-jokingly saying, "I've always pictured Martians as little green men. I didn't expect a horned, bearded giant with a third eye."


"The nation has decided to dispatch an expedition to Mars. All of you present are candidates, and after a selection process, a team will be formed to conduct the investigation on Mars," Director Wang finally said.

In the world of 2069, human technology has made significant strides in multiple fields, including the development of warp drive technology for manned spacecraft in the field of aerospace.

By this time, Mars, under human transformation, had gradually started to show signs of life and vitality.

In 2050, humans launched a massive artificial moon into a near-Mars orbit.

The artificial moon was composed of three large mirrors, which reflected sunlight towards the north and south poles, melting the ice beneath the Martian surface and creating oceans, lakes, and rivers on its surface.

Through the greenhouse effect, a large amount of carbon dioxide was released, making the Martian atmosphere denser.


The magma activity within Mars' core had also started to become active, resulting in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, gradually restoring Mars' magnetic field.

Humans had cultivated cyanobacteria on Mars, building an ecosystem similar to Earth's. They converted water and carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere into essential carbohydrates and oxygen for humans.

After years of effort, the oxygen content in the Martian atmosphere was close to half that of Earth's. It was believed that after a few more decades, Mars could completely become a habitable planet.

This was Su Ziqi's first trip to Mars. At this point, the radiation levels from cosmic rays on Mars were still higher than what humans could normally withstand, and the oxygen content in the atmosphere was insufficient. To survive on Mars, protective suits were still necessary.

The originally red planet now had a hint of green. The cyanobacteria leaf systems on the Martian surface, like solar panels, absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

In the summer, Mars formed an atmospheric circulation system, and it rained. The heavy rain could even cause floods.

Mars was like a newborn baby, and every sound it made felt extraordinarily fresh and familiar to Su Ziqi.

The tunnel was located in a massive meteorite crater just two kilometers away from the base. The expedition team, equipped with lighting devices, followed the Mars base personnel and entered the long tunnel.

After about an hour, they arrived at the entrance to the lava cave.

At the entrance was a huge stone door, seamlessly integrated with the entire rock wall. When closed, not even a single crack could be found, a testament to its impressive craftsmanship.

The stone door was heavy and required the combined strength of several people to push it open. Once inside, they were in the main hall of the lava cave.

As they entered the hall and the lighting equipment illuminated the space, the first thing that caught their eyes was a mural depicting the three-eyed giant.

Although they had seen this mural on Earth before, seeing the original was still quite a shock.

Upon closer inspection, Su Ziqi found that this mural was vastly different from the prehistoric murals discovered on Earth. This mural was incredibly realistic and lifelike. The figure in the painting seemed to come alive, standing right in front of them.

On the ceiling of the hall, they also found a star map depicting twelve celestial bodies. The central one appeared to be a star, surrounded by eleven planets.

One of the planets was marked with an arrow. Counting from the inside out, it was the 5th planet orbiting the star.

"This star map is similar to the one depicted in the cuneiform tablets of the Sumerian civilization, both featuring twelve celestial bodies. Could the planet marked with the arrow be Mars?" Su Ziqi wondered to herself, "But Mars is the fourth planet closest to the sun, so how could it be the fifth?"

On the floor of the cave hall, there was a massive golden coffin. The coffin had been opened and contained some white powder. According to Director Wang's previous statement, this was the residue left after the skeleton had oxidized.

After measuring the length of the golden coffin, they found it to be 2.6 meters long. It was hard to imagine how tall the owner of this coffin would have been when alive.

Inside the coffin were some exquisitely made pure gold ornaments, engraved with patterns of animals and human figures.

What was most astonishing was that the coffin itself also had intricate patterns engraved on it. The pattern depicted a triangular aircraft, with a figure seated at the helm inside, seemingly controlling the launch of the spaceship.

The coffin and the surrounding area were also engraved with patterns resembling text. The craftsmanship of the coffin and the jewelry was extremely exquisite, demonstrating the advanced level of this civilization.

There were many smaller caves within the lava cave, which clearly showed signs of habitation. This indicated that some creatures had once lived there.

In some of the cave paintings, there were images of strange half-human, half-animal figures, including a figure with a bull's head and a human body, a human head with a horse's body, and even a winged creature with an eagle's head and a human body.

In addition, there were paintings depicting strange animals and plants. Some animals had green faces and tusks, with horns on their heads; some were massive creatures with large wings, and wide-open mouths, flying in the sky.

The expedition team preliminarily concluded that these were remnants of an advanced Martian civilization. After carbon-14 dating, artifacts such as the golden coffin were found to be at least tens of thousands of years old, making this undoubtedly a historically significant discovery.

"Ziqi, what are you daydreaming about?" Wang Yue entered the gym, interrupting Su Ziqi's thoughts.

"Nothing much, Sister Yue. Is it time for dinner?"

"Yes, everyone is waiting for you two. Both of you beautiful ladies have such graceful figures, and you still work out so hard. It makes me, with my chubby figure, feel quite self-conscious."