Bunny and Wugang-2 formed the wormhole entry defense line. The core of the straight-cylinder space station called 'Maochong' served as the defensive hub.
Two nuclear pulse landing ships, the main transport vehicles for the expedition team, were docked outside Maochong, hanging there like monkeys clinging to trees. Aside from China's second team, which stayed at the wormhole entrance to continue construction, the rest of the expedition crew had to transfer to Maochong. For the first wave of exploration, the U.S., Russia, and China each sent 1 team, riding the landing ships to descend at the previously chosen capsule drop site.
"Everyone, check your weapons. This is our first landing on a new planet. Nothing can go wrong." In Maochong's airlock chamber, everyone waited on edge.
Besides Zhang Dong, the U.S. and Russian landing captains were also yelling loudly. The three military officers from different countries were around the same age, and all full of competitive spirit.
Liu A'dou watched as the soldiers from the three nations practically turned equipment checks into a contest, clicking and clacking as they inspected their rifles. He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. 'So childish.' Still, he gave a reminder: "Besides weapons, make sure your oxygen masks are in good shape too." He said it three times in three different languages.
Then he turned to An Rong and another scientist. "You two should double-check as well."
An Rong and Sony checked each other's oxygen tanks. Everything was fine. The landing operation was finally starting. They had waited almost 2 months for this.
But that was exactly why they had to be cautious now.
Dressed as Kaitou Kid, Liu A'dou said, "For this landing, Landing Ship One will descend. Landing Ship Two stays in orbit to provide support. Got it?"
"Understood."
Soldiers followed orders first and foremost, so no one questioned it.
"Good. Let's move out." Kid gave a wave, and the team started walking through the side connectors into the landing ship. Once everyone was on board and ready, the hatch sealed, and the ship slowly detached and flew off.
It was expected to be a 7-hour flight. Everyone remained quiet inside the ship. Even though they had seen aliens on Earth, this was humanity's first proactive landing on an alien world. Would they meet extraterrestrials? What kind of dangers awaited?
The first active contact with alien life in human history was bound to make people anxious.
The 7-hour trip from the wormhole brought them to the nearest planet—Einstein Star, nicknamed "Core." In truth, the two landing ships were now over 1 million light-years from Earth, far outside the Milky Way. This was an entirely new galaxy, a brand-new star system. Without the wormhole, humanity might never have come here. Just one galaxy was enough to keep humans exploring for millennia.
The universe was vast. Even meeting something felt like fate. Kid looked at the approaching planet and thought that to himself.
"Ship Two, stay in orbit and record everything. We're landing now," Kid said. "You should have already read the briefing. The atmosphere on this planet is breathable, but to avoid risks like toxic pollen or other harmful substances, everyone must wear masks while operating on the surface. Also, gravity on Core is about twice that of Earth's, so you'll feel heavier. Don't do anything too intense until your body adjusts."
With all instructions given, the two landing ships separated. Ship One started gliding down into the atmosphere.
Everyone held their breath as the ship shook violently. Then the red glow faded, and they saw the familiar blue sky they hadn't seen in a while.
"Uh-oh. The gravity is putting more pressure on the ship than expected," the pilot said. "We're coming in too fast."
"..."
Kid was speechless. 'Didn't they prep for high-gravity landings before launch?' The problem was, the ship had been designed with the Moon and Earth in mind. They had assumed double gravity wouldn't be an issue—but had they considered how heavy the ship itself was?
They were coming in too fast—everyone nearly floated off their seats.
"Reverse thrusters! Even if it overloads, we have to stop this thing!" Liu A'dou didn't take direct action. Unless they were really about to crash, he'd only offer suggestions, not interfere.
"Understood. Engaging reverse thrusters now!"
Everyone jolted back. Their spines slammed into the seatbacks, necks twisted, and their brains felt like they were riding a roller coaster inside their skulls. The scientist, Sony, passed out instantly, while the soldiers all gripped their weapons tight. 'This is ridiculous—haven't even landed yet and already this kind of mess?' they thought.
The rattling, crunching sound of the hull shaking was terrifying. The reverse thrusters were wrestling with Core's gravity, and the landing ship was the rope in this cosmic tug-of-war. The poor humans were like eggs in a bird's nest—if the nest collapses, none of the eggs survive.
Everyone clenched their teeth as black smoke started pouring out of the landing ship.
Boom!
The reverse thruster engine burnt out, cloaking the ship in a cloud of smoke.
They were doomed. A few American soldiers grabbed their dog tags and started praying. "God help us."
The Russian soldiers were doing the same. They followed the Orthodox Church, while the Americans believed in Catholicism. Technically the same God, but they still saw each other as heretics.
'What's the point of praying?' Zhang Dong thought in contempt. 'This is when you should be asking the ancestors for protection. Gods have better things to do than save us. Only the ancestors care about their descendants.' Then again, in a galaxy this far out, who knew if the ancestors could even sense them?
"Deploy the parachutes!" the pilot shouted.
The co-pilot yelled back, "No good! At this speed, the lines will snap!"
"We don't have a choice—try it! Deploy them!"
The two pilots worked together. "Deploying deceleration chutes!"
Three small chutes popped out first, then the larger main chutes opened soon after.
Everyone was slammed again, like their insides were rearranged. If it happened again, they'd start vomiting for sure. Even An Rong passed out this time—her body just wasn't trained for this.
They were lucky, though. The parachutes didn't tear. But the landing point was completely off course now.
"600 meters... 500 meters..." someone called out.
"Brace for impact!" Kid shouted.
Heads down!
Boom—
They finally hit the ground. The impact was so strong it nearly strangled everyone with their seatbelts. The landing ship took heavy damage and was completely totaled.
"Landing Ship One! Landing Ship One! Are you okay? Respond if you hear me. Respond!" came the call from Landing Ship Two.
"We're fine," Kid replied, looking around at the soldiers lying around in awkward positions. Some were injured, but no one was dead—that counted as fine. "Keep observing. Report our coordinates."
"Yes. You're 38 kilometers from the intended drop zone."
That would take a while on foot. Kid nodded. "Keep the line open."
First, they had to dig the ship's nose out of the dirt. Then came rescue operations. That was the risk of exploration—Core's gravity had given them a harsh welcome. But at least no one had died. The start wasn't perfect, but it wasn't a disaster either.
This planet had 48-hour days and plenty of sunlight. Those who weren't hurt got to work—helping the injured, stopping bleeding, wrapping wounds, catching their breath.
Next, they needed to get to the designated landing zone and recover the drones and crawler vehicles. Landing Ship One was a write-off. To go back, they'd have to wait until Landing Ship Two was modified. Otherwise, it'd end up just like Ship One.
Until then, this small group had to secure their own survival supplies. The road ahead was rough, but there was no turning back.