The world's richest man started by developing gutter oil

September 2025, 5, China time.

The sky of Mars is a desolate orange-red.

In the deep blue frontier space base on Mars, the mechanical roars of robots can be heard one after another, and their figures are busy shuttling across the gray horizon of Mars.

After four months of unremitting efforts, a long runway finally took shape. It is the crystallization of human wisdom and also the Deep Blue robot's declaration of war on the vast universe.

On both sides of the runway is flattened Martian soil, and every grain of sand seems to be telling the hard work of the robots.

This runway, which consumed all of Deep Blue Aerospace's construction materials, is not only a takeoff track, but also a monument, marking the firm steps taken by mankind on Mars.

The robots methodically loaded Martian samples into the mining spacecraft.

Those samples may be future scientific breakthroughs, or may be the key to human survival on this strange planet.

Each sample carries heavy hope and infinite possibilities. They lie quietly in the cabin of the spacecraft, waiting to return home.

As night fell, the stars of Mars dotted the deep sky, and the activities of the robots gradually stopped, sinking into silence.

But this tranquility is not the end, but a new beginning, because tomorrow, the DeepBlue Aerospace Mars Frontier Base will face new challenges, and the robots will once again shed their "sweat" and continue to write the legend of human exploration of the universe on the vast land of Mars.

The next day.

When the sun shines on Mars again.

The robots came out of the frontier base again, and they could work again overnight.

After 5 hours of busy work, the robots transported all the final samples into the mining spacecraft.

Backstage staff dispatched 10 robots to clean the runway.

Another two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

After confirming that the runway was clear, mining spacecraft No. 1 entered the runway.

Blue-orange flames spewed out from the tail of the mining spacecraft, and the mining spacecraft slowly accelerated towards the runway.

After the mining spacecraft glided for about 3 kilometers, its nose slowly lifted up. At 4 kilometers, the mining spacecraft was completely off the ground. At 5 kilometers, the mining spacecraft was 50 meters off the ground.

As the thrust increased, the mining spacecraft broke away from the gravity of Mars and flew into the sky.

The launch of the first mining spacecraft also made the staff at the command center cheer.

Forty minutes passed.

Five mining spacecraft successfully took off from Mars and returned to Earth.

DeepBlue Aerospace also published the data collected recently on Mars on its official website.

At the same time, DeepBlue Aerospace researchers also posted questions and answers on the official website regarding the information that netizens have wanted to know over the past few months.

[Q: Is there any life on Mars? ]

[Answer: Earth scientists have speculated that hydrothermal vents or underground lakes beneath the surface of Mars may be an ideal home for microorganisms. In such an environment, microorganisms can use geothermal energy or energy generated by other chemical reactions to sustain life activities.

In fact, we have not found any microorganisms on Mars, not even biological fossils. Of course, the fact that we have not found any does not mean that they do not exist.

It is also possible that the area we explored was not wide enough, so we failed to find microorganisms and fossils. 】

[Q: Are there bacteria on Mars that are harmful to humans? ]

[Answer: We have not found any living bacteria or microorganisms so far, so we cannot answer this question accurately. ]

[Q: Is there a large amount of water in the Mars base? ]

[Answer: We have only explored 100 kilometers around the frontier base. We have no way to explore farther. So far, we have not found any water sources.]

[Q: Is Mars suitable for plant life? ]

[Answer: We have tried to implant mosses on Mars, but all of them died without exception. The main cause of death was ultraviolet radiation. Mars has no atmosphere and cannot weaken ultraviolet rays and cosmic radiation. From the current situation, it is not suitable to grow any plants outdoors on Mars.

Plants can be grown indoors, but they need to be free of perchlorates, which are harmful to humans.

Perchlorate can be dissolved in water, which means that these harmful elements can be removed by using the water removal method. Judging from the current situation, it can be grown indoors, and Deep Blue Robot is already conducting indoor planting tests.

It is estimated that it will take at least two months to know whether the food grown is edible. 】

Q: What substances did you find on Mars?

[Answer: The substances that have been discovered so far include oxygen (O), silicon (Si), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S) and other elements. The soil structure of Mars is similar to the composition of the soil on Earth.

The iron content of Martian soil is higher than that of Earth's soil, especially Fe0, and it also contains magnesium sulfate, iron oxide, and carbonates.

The sulfur content of Martian soil is 100 times that of Earth, and the potassium content is only one-fifth of that of Earth. There is no organic matter. The abundance of elements on Mars is different from any known single mineral or rock type, and represents a mixture of multiple minerals.

The yellow-brown color of the surface of Mars is caused by the presence of hematite in the topsoil, which is an oxidizing surface environment.

This indicates that Mars had abundant water in the past and that chemical weathering is still ongoing.

So far, no unknown elements have been found, and the scope of exploration needs to be expanded to confirm. 】

Q: How risky is it to bring Martian soil back to Earth?

[Answer: We have not found any hidden threats on the Martian soil. From the current situation, we can bring back some Martian soil. These samples have all been tested by high-precision equipment.]

[Q: When does Deep Blue Group plan to send humans to Mars for in-depth research?]

[Answer: It is expected that in the next 5-10 years, Deep Blue does not plan to transport humans to Mars until Mars is confirmed to be absolutely safe. ]

After reading the Deep Blue Group's Q&A announcement, netizens were somewhat disappointed with this mysterious Mars.

"I thought there would be aliens and muscular cockroaches on Mars, but after all this time, there aren't even any microorganisms or bacteria. Even moss can't survive. It's obvious that Mars is not a planet suitable for survival."

"It took Deep Blue Group several months to explore only 100 kilometers around it. The progress of Deep Blue's exploration is too slow."

"Brother, Deep Blue Group is already far ahead of its peers by being able to explore the surrounding 100 kilometers, okay?"

"Although DeepBlue did not make any surprising discoveries during this exploration, the lack of discovery is a good thing for humanity. At least it proves that there is nothing on Mars that threatens humanity, and it can be said to have made a huge contribution to humanity's landing on Mars."

"Emmm, how much do you think the samples brought back by Deep Blue Group this time can be sold for?"

"At least we can sell it for tens of billions of dollars. That will definitely cover the round trip expenses."

"Deep Blue Group hasn't launched any new products in two years. When do you think Deep Blue Group will launch new products?"

"Deep Blue Group has already entered the carbon-based era. If it wants to make further progress, it can only develop in the quantum field. Personal quantum computers are not as easy to make as imagined." "Deep Blue Group should now focus on helium-3 nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion can provide Deep Blue with a steady stream of money. Even if Deep Blue Group only makes 1 cent per kilowatt-hour of electricity, these nuclear power plants alone can allow Deep Blue to continue for a thousand years."

"It's already very difficult for semiconductors to make further breakthroughs after they have developed to this point. Have you noticed that we already have excess performance? Even if the performance is amazing, it's just garbage if we don't use it. I think we should still rely on software."

September 2025, 12, China time.

After two years, the Middle East has entered an era of complete peace.

The Middle East has completely escaped from Uncle Sam's control, and with the arrival of peace the entire region has entered a state of rapid development.

In Europe, the two naughty kids, Da Mao and Er Mao, are still making trouble. It is obvious that Er Mao cannot beat the big brother Da Mao. The reason why these two brothers are still fighting is mainly because one of them does not want to be liquidated.

Once the war is lost, this person will definitely be included in the list of war criminals.

It will be really miserable when that time comes.

Of course there are also people who don't want them to end so quickly.

But I believe it will be over soon, because there are not many people on Ermao's side, and if the fighting continues, all the women will have to go to the battlefield.

During this period of time.

Although Deep Blue Group did not launch any new products.

However, DeepBlue Group's products are still the best-selling products on the market.

Although Deep Blue Group has opened its 14nm carbon-based chips to its competitors, due to process limitations, its competitors are unable to surpass Deep Blue.

After all, carbon-based chips produced using the 14-nanometer process cannot surpass 5-nanometer carbon-based chips.

Today is the day when Deep Blue Group's five space mining ships return to Earth.

Although Deep Blue has tested the Martian samples it brought back, who can guarantee that there are no omissions in Deep Blue's inspection?

For safety reasons, the higher-ups sent troops to surround the entire Wenchang base.

In the sky, the starlight gradually faded, and a huge space mining ship, in the reflection of the morning glow, looked like a slowly swimming steel dragon and successfully landed on the runway.

The surface of the spacecraft still bears traces of dust and cosmic rays from distant galaxies, making it look weathered and mysterious.

The staff members were wearing silver protective suits, like warriors from the future. They walked quickly towards the spacecraft, and every movement was full of rigor and concentration.

Their gazes were firm, and the eyes behind the masks sparkled with a desire for the unknown and a dedication to the mission.

They held high-tech equipment in their hands, and as the machines hummed, rays of light refracted in the morning air, weaving a web of future technology.

Under the command of the staff, the robotic arm operated flexibly, like a beating note, to build a disposable isolation protection room around the spacecraft. This house made of special materials tightly wrapped the spacecraft, as if it was putting a layer of transparent armor on a giant dragon.

The establishment of the isolation room is not only to isolate the external environment, but also to protect the unknown substances in the ship.

At this moment, the expressions on the staff's faces were a mixture of fatigue and excitement.

They knew that the landing of this spacecraft was not just a simple action, it was a hand of exploration extended by mankind to the vast universe.

As the isolation and protection room was completed, the hatch of the spacecraft slowly opened and the robots lifted down the sealed boxes one by one.

The staff immediately checked the surface of the boxes. After confirming that there were no problems with the boxes, the backstage staff operated the robot to move the boxes to the temporary laboratory.

The laboratory staff stood quietly by and waited for the robot to open the boxes.

After the backstage staff operated the robot to open the box, round glass containers appeared in front of everyone.

The lab took the testing equipment and did a second test on the contents to make sure there were no issues.

After confirming that there was no danger in the box, the robot took out the glassware, all of which were sealed.

The Deep Blue robot placed the samples into glass containers and then performed calcination and sealing operations.

The purpose is to prevent these samples from mutating after coming into contact with the Earth's air.

After all, no one knows what changes will happen to these things after they come to Earth.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

All of the two hundred tons of Mars were suddenly delivered to the makeshift laboratory.

At this time, the staff began to conduct comprehensive disinfection and inspection of the five Deep Blue mining ships.

They will not release the five spacecraft until they are confirmed to be safe, and the whole process will take a week.

According to the budget department's estimate, this week will cost Deep Blue Group at least 50 billion RMB.

This amount of money is nothing to the Deep Blue Group, because before these spacecrafts returned, Deep Blue had already made back all the money. Deep Blue sold all the samples at a price of US$5 million per ton.

Every country with a little bit of power has purchased these Martian soil samples.

September 2025, 12, China time.

Deep Blue Group, together with the Aerospace Research Institute and the Epidemic Prevention Center, announced a piece of news.

[In the past, we have conducted safety checks on all the Martian soil brought by Deep Blue Group. The 200 tons of Martian soil samples brought back by Deep Blue Group are very safe. We will deliver them to various countries for research in the near future.]

This news means that life on Mars is not as dangerous as everyone imagines.

There are no unknown sources of harm to humans in the Martian soil.

If humans still do not discover any source of danger on Mars in the next 5 to 10 years.

Then humans can land on Mars to conduct research, and Deep Blue will also establish a second outpost.

In other words, humans are getting closer and closer to truly entering the interstellar age.

Of course, it's just getting closer.

There are still many problems that humans need to solve if they want to truly enter the interstellar age.

For example, the spacecraft propulsion system.

Without a power system, human spacecraft cannot move quickly in the universe, and the inability to move quickly means that interstellar journeys will take a long time.

Under such circumstances, sending humans into the vast universe is no different from sending them to their deaths. (End of this chapter)