After a 33-hour journey, the support ship piloted by Selina and Nissa finally arrived in Mars' orbit. According to protocol, they sent a signal and identification code to William.
At the time, William was live-streaming. Upon receiving the signal, his eyes filled with tears.
Viewers watching the broadcast were stunned for a moment before softening at the emotional sight. Many, especially those with sensitive hearts, began tearing up alongside him. Meanwhile, back on the support ship, Nissa rolled her eyes in disdain.
She knew perfectly well that William had been comfortably staying in his London estate or the Oxford castle's underground bunker nearly every night for the past two months. The man hadn't endured even a fraction of the suffering that he was now pretending to display.
The weight loss and disheveled appearance were merely the result of intense exercise and a strict low-calorie diet. With long, untamed hair and unkempt facial hair, William looked far from his usual confident self, giving off an air of exhaustion and despair.
About ten minutes later, as a low vibration shook the support ship, everyone realized that they had landed.
William, filled with emotion, turned to the live camera and exclaimed, "It looks like I'll finally be leaving this godforsaken place soon. When I get back to London, I swear I'll take a boat and spend a few days out at sea. Otherwise, I feel like I'm going to develop claustrophobia."
Through a camera feed, he could see the support ship slowly entering the cavern where his ship had been trapped. The new ship landed just a few meters away from his own.
The support ship's door opened, and Selina, dressed in a space battle suit, walked out and approached the lava-sealed hatch of William's ship.
Raising her right arm, Selina activated a laser cutter on her wrist. A red beam traced the edges of the sealed hatch, and the hardened lava began melting away like butter.
Seeing this, William excitedly shouted, "Open the hatch! Open it now!"
With a few mechanical hisses, the long-sealed hatch finally unlocked. William leapt out of the ship in one swift motion and threw his arms around Selina, his face full of joy.
"Oh my God, Selina, seeing you in person is the best thing ever!"
Selina, who wasn't experienced in putting on a show, awkwardly hugged him back while nodding vigorously.
"Come on, let's get inside," William said as he pulled her toward the support ship. After the door closed behind them, he removed his helmet and immediately embraced Nissa, kissing her passionately.
The scene drew a wave of disappointment from the women watching the livestream, while the men grumbled enviously under their breath.
"Ahem!" Selina coughed deliberately, trying to break the moment. "Alright, that's enough. Nissa and I still need to unload the supplies, seal off this cavern, and set up a temporary base."
Hearing this, William turned toward her, noticing that Selina was giving him a subtle signal with her eyes. She continued, "We don't have much time. In an hour or two, when night falls, the temperature here will plummet, and a dust storm might hit."
"Got it," William sighed, realizing that he couldn't push things too far with millions of viewers watching. While everyone knew about his reputation as a playboy, there were still limits to what they would tolerate on a live broadcast.
Letting the camera follow Selina and Nissa, William excused himself and entered the ship's bathroom. A hidden portal transported him back to the underground facility in his London estate, where he shaved, cleaned up, and changed into a fresh space suit.
Returning to the support ship, he donned a new battle suit and appeared before the camera once more. His transformed appearance immediately captivated the viewers.
Looking fresh, energized, and sharper than ever, William was a stark contrast to the disheveled man they had seen just minutes earlier. His slimmer, more defined features only enhanced his natural good looks.
However, his first words were filled with complaints. "Good Lord, these exoskeleton suits are still in the prototype stage, and you've already pulled them out of my lab?"
Nissa rolled her eyes, knowing full well that William himself had authorized their use. "Well, I think they work just fine," she said casually.
Wearing her battle suit, Nissa also operated a two-meter-tall mechanical exoskeleton. She effortlessly lifted a two-ton container from the cargo hold and carried it out of the ship.
Following the instructions from Sunday, she placed the container on a marked spot on the cavern floor. With a metallic slap, her exoskeleton's hand activated the container's mechanisms.
The container opened, and mechanical arms began assembling large metal panels, each one meter high and two meters long. These panels were interconnected to form a solid foundation across the cavern floor.
The assembly continued as panels were stacked and joined, gradually sealing off the cavern entrance.
Once the entrance was secured, Selina used a scanning device to check for weak points, while Nissa directed a drone to apply sealant to any gaps.
In just thirty minutes, the entire twenty-three-meter-long and twelve-meter-high cavern was fully enclosed. The five robotic construction arms, now on tracks, moved deeper into the cavern to erect a secondary door separating the landing area from the living quarters.
The next phase involved installing air, water circulation, and lighting systems, transforming the cavern into a functional base.
Viewers were left speechless by the efficiency of the operation.
They had expected that building a settlement on Mars—even within a naturally advantageous location like a cavern—would be a monumental challenge requiring immense effort and time.
But here, the seemingly most difficult tasks—sealing off the cavern and creating habitable space—had been completed in under an hour. The trio had barely lifted a finger, leaving everything to the automated construction robots.
While most viewers were filled with awe and excitement, those in the construction industry felt a chill of fear.
The five engineering robots, though deliberately built with less advanced technology than William's top-tier designs, had outperformed anything on Earth. Their efficiency in sealing the cavern was unmatched.
Construction companies across the globe silently prayed that William wouldn't enter their industry and disrupt their livelihoods.
(End of Chapter)
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