The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 221 The First Dinner at the Moon Palace Base

The high-speed airflow from the lander stirred up a cloud of lunar dust, the gray particles swirling like mist before being quickly captured by the moon's low gravity and silently settling down—the ancient, deep gray beneath our feet once again covered the traces of human footsteps.

Jingyun—the leader of this space mission—opened the sealed hatch, and the air pressure inside and outside the helmet visor instantly balanced. The silent vacuum of space, carrying a deathly stillness, rushed into his ears.

The view ahead is open and flat, except for a small, silver-white hemispherical dome standing alone in the distance, surrounded by several silver communication array towers, their sharp lines cutting through the boundless gray curtain.

This is the only remaining entrance to the Guanghan Palace base above ground—a low-key outpost.

Ye Xuehan, Qiao Lu, and Ren Changxi silently followed the other six aerospace veterans through three layers of airlocks.

The last gate opened, revealing a transparent observation elevator descending vertically.

The elevator walls were transparent, and as it descended, the veil of the Guanghan Palace base was gradually lifted: first, it brushed past layers of massive silver storage tanks and a complex network of regeneration and circulation system pipes, their cold light shimmering, with water flowing like silver snakes within; then, deeper still, the robust supporting ribs were deeply embedded in the smooth, black rock walls of the lava tubes, like powerful arms rooted in the ancient skeleton of the moon. Jing Yun pointed to a straight corridor outside the window that shimmered with blue and white light: "The Helium-3 transport artery, on the moon, this is the blue blood flowing with immense wealth." The young engineer Lin Lang approached to observe, and saw a strange light faintly flowing on the walls of the thick pipes. "It's like discovering a galaxy underground." The elevator paused gently at the very core as they arrived.

The moment the elevator doors opened, the light shifted, and everyone stepped into the renowned "Central Circular Corridor" of the Guanghan Palace base. Before them unfolded a tall passageway that circled a large central shaft, with linear light strips emitting soft glow along its edges, winding into the distance beyond the reach of the eye.

Their new guide, Lina, was already waiting. Lina led the group toward the main road, each step illuminating the ground with a soft, white glow—countless luminous particles embedded in the pavement shifted in intensity with each step, weaving a flowing path of light that clearly marked their direction.

There was no oppressive metal dome overhead; looking up, one could see the "sky"—a huge artificial light source suspended high, simulating the fusion of the rising sun and the warm midday sun, precisely brushing across every face. On the other side of the corridor was a huge transparent observation wall, beyond which lay the central shaft—the beating heart of the Guanghan Palace base.

Deep below, countless spherical and cylindrical structural modules of varying functions and sizes intertwine and nest within a vast vertical shaft, forming a magnificent city-scale complex. Silver, bright yellow, and deep blue lights illuminate this structure, and countless small shuttle pods swiftly travel back and forth along invisible tracks like schools of fish. "Urban levitation pods," Lina explains, "an underground highway system that transports everyone directly from living quarters to large construction sites."

Lin Lang suddenly held his breath, realizing that the flexible corridors connecting the giant modules were not rigid or inflexible in operation. They could slowly and smoothly shift and reassemble according to the module's needs, like giant, living roots. "Dynamic architecture... what kind of control system does this require?"

“The neural network woven by the super AI ‘Little Star’ controls every breath and pulse here.” Lina smiled slightly, her fingertips gliding lightly through the air. Instantly, a holographic projection screen unfolded before them, clearly displaying a real-time updated three-dimensional map of the base's system status—from the intricate network of pipes to the load status of each unit, everything was under control, as precise as an internal anatomical diagram of the human body, yet imbued with the fluidity of real-time evolution. The newly appointed medical officer, Su He, couldn't help but murmur, “It feels as if we are standing inside a giant, living organism…”

At the end of the corridor stands a unique sculpture: its base is pieced together from the weathered remains of the early lunar lander, the first "Yutu" rover. More advanced components gradually rise from it, layer upon layer, ultimately merging into smooth, simple geometric lines that extend solidly towards the endless depths. The inscription on the base emerges under the light: "Based on the moon, carrying on the past and ushering in the future."

Lina stood silently for a moment. "This is the path we've taken from the very first step."

Passing through a grand archway, the sight before her made Su He gasp in surprise. An incredibly vast man-made space suddenly appeared—so enormous that it felt as if she were on the ground.

Beneath their feet was not the cold, dusty earth of the moon, but rolling hills covered with lush vegetation and winding waterways, with clear streams gurgling in the ditches; in the distance, a golden wheat field shimmered, the ears of wheat rippling in the soft, artificial sunlight. The warm, moist air, carrying the fragrance of earth, permeated their very being.

Looking up, a towering, transparent, arched dome forms the visual boundary. Beneath it, countless man-made luminous bodies composed of different spectra hang in orderly fashion, like vast and exquisite floating islands, flowing with warm light that mimics the sunrise, noon, sunset, and even the tranquil night sky. At the highest point of the dome, flowing clouds and shadows are projected, like an eternal, moving scroll painting. The most striking element is a graceful band of azure light, shaped like the flowing sleeves of a classical fairy, silently brushing across the sky above this verdant world.

“We call it ‘The Dance of the Moon Fairy’!” Lina said with a smile, her voice filled with undisguised pride. “Every ‘artificial spark’ that illuminates this land originates from the helium-3 energy deep within the lunar mantle. This is not just an art of light and shadow; the oxygen, water, food… the source that sustains the entire base’s life cycle, is right here beneath this dome.”

Just then, a nimble unmanned tiller glided swiftly across the wheat field, and the silhouettes of several birds flew just overhead.

"It's amazing..." Lin Lang was somewhat stunned, his voice trembling slightly at the end of his whisper, "To forge stars underground and cultivate sunlight..."

"Is it stars and sunlight? No," the older Jingyun said calmly, but his eyes shone with pride as he gazed at the vibrant land before him. "It is the determination of humankind—in the most desolate and lonely distance—to recreate life itself."

"It seems that the Guanghan Palace base is much larger than the outpost base?" Ye Xuehan remarked.

“No, if you include the fourth phase of the Mars base project, the Guanghan Palace base is not larger than the outpost base.” Lin Lang looked at Ye Xuehan behind him and expressed his opinion.

The unexpected addition of Ye Xuehan, Qiao Lu, and Ren Changxi had already surprised him. Now, Lin Lang couldn't help but wonder if the three of them had been sent to the moon after completing a mission at the Mars base. However, due to the confidentiality agreement, he couldn't ask too many questions.

"Alright, the three of you can continue to learn about the Moon Palace with Lina." Jing Yun said to Ye Xuehan and the other two. He knew that only Ye Xuehan had been to the outpost, but he didn't mention it to Lin Lang.

“Okay, leave the rest to me.” Lina nodded to Jingyun.

Ye Xuehan and the other two followed Lina's footsteps across the glass walkway at the edge of the wheat field. In the babbling water below, koi carp scales splashed like scattered gold. Qiao Lu's fingertips brushed against the plump ears of wheat; the realistic grain texture made her fingertips tremble slightly—this touch was so similar to the genetically modified samples she had cultivated in the Phoenix Group's biological laboratory three months ago, yet subtly different. She looked up at the flowing "fairy sleeve" of light on the dome, its edges tinged with a faint helium blue. The same blue logo of the Xinghai Group's medical department on the promotion notice Nie Qiuyue had handed her suddenly flashed into her mind.

“Please look to your left,” Lina’s voice drew everyone’s attention to a semi-transparent vertical farm. In the stacked cultivation racks, emerald green lettuce and strawberries stretched their leaves in the misty vapor of nutrient solution. “The output of the closed-loop ecological zone B accounts for 35% of the base’s total consumption.”

Ren Changxi's gaze pierced through the barrier of the tender plants, fixing firmly on the heavy, airtight door at the back of the farm. Etched on the side of the door were small navigation stars—the logo of Xinghai Group's core R&D area. She silently memorized the frequency of the flashing radio frequency signal from the access control terminal; it was three levels more complex than the encryption waveform of the military-grade communicator in her father's study.

"Engineer Ye seems quite interested in energy systems?" Lina's voice suddenly rang out beside her. Ye Xuehan snapped back to reality, realizing she had been standing in front of the observation window of the helium-3 transport pipeline for quite some time. Inside the reinforced glass window, liquid helium-3 was surging along the magnetically confined pipeline, and on the monitoring screen outside the pipe wall, dazzling trillion-level energy readings were flashing.

"Just curious," Ye Xuehan pointed to the honeycomb-like structure faintly visible deep inside the pipe, "can the amorphous boron filter layer really withstand 120,000 high-energy particle bombardments per second?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Lina's eyes: "Engineer Ye is very familiar with the early experimental parameters. However, we are now using quantum tunneling materials, which have increased the upper limit of the bombardment frequency by twenty times." She flicked her wrist, and a dynamic structural diagram unfolded in the air, with countless light filaments weaving a flowing net within the honeycomb structure. "'Little Star' is reconstructing the most stable energy channel every microsecond."

Lena's gaze slowly swept over the three young women. Qiao Lu's unusual sensitivity to the ecological cycle system, Ren Changxi's professional demeanor as she observed security details, and especially Ye Xuehan's offhand recitation of obscure parameters—these were knowledge far beyond what aspiring astronauts should possess. When Lena demonstrated the stress model of the quantum tunneling material, she caught a fleeting look of understanding in the three women's eyes—a look clearly born from long-term exposure to core secrets.

"The living area is just ahead." Lina pointed to the capsule-shaped pods floating below the dome, their silver shells shimmering like honey in the simulated sunset. In the transparent walkway connecting the pods, several figures in gray uniforms hurriedly pushed hovercars loaded with wafer cases past.

Qiao Lu suddenly stopped, the artificial breeze ruffling the stray hairs by her ears. Deep within the moist, verdant air of the ecological zone, a faint whiff of disinfectant, like a cold silver needle, stubbornly pierced her nostrils—the distinctive scent of bioactive agents from Ning Ze's laboratory, the formula she had personally locked away in Xinghai Group's top-secret archives over three months ago. She gazed at the distant, bluish glow of the helium-3 pipeline, her tightly pursed lips reflected in the glass.

Ren Changxi's fingertips traced a cold metal piece in her uniform pocket. The message her father had sent this morning through the encrypted channel still left a burn mark on her retinal projection: "The entire Xinghai Group's Africa project team went missing three hours ago. You can check with them in Guanghan Palace, B7 area."

At this moment, on the navigation map projected by Lina's wristband, the residential area number was emitting a glaring orange B7 light.

Lina watched the three new members walk towards their assigned capsules, the doors sliding open and releasing a soft, warm white light. Just as Qiao Lu's white uniform was about to disappear into the shadows inside the capsule, Lina suddenly spoke: "When Engineer Qiao was at Phoenix Group, you participated in the geomagnetic calibration of the 'Kuafu' probe, right?"

Qiao Lu's turning motion froze for a tenth of a second. The light streamed through the cabin, tracing her slender silhouette. Her face, half-lit and half-shadowed, remained expressionless, except for a slight tremor in the cold light reflected from her uniform epaulets, like starlight falling into a deep pool.

"Put down your luggage and come with me to the restaurant; it's almost dinner time," Lina said with a smile.

The three of them put down their luggage, followed Lina, and entered the restaurant area.

The airlock doors at the restaurant entrance slid open silently, releasing warm golden light and a subtle aroma of food. The interior space was more spacious than expected, with tiered, curved dining areas surrounding a massive central holographic water feature projection—silver-like fluids swirled gently in a low-gravity field, mimicking the form of some ancient marine creature. Several groups of diners in different colored uniforms sat scattered about, their hushed conversations like a swarm of suspended bees, filling the air.

Lena led them to a window seat, through which the vast, transparent porthole revealed the depth of the central shaft. Countless shuttles, trailing pale blue ion trails, sped silently through the steel forest of modular buildings, like a school of luminous fish in the deep sea.

“I recommend the synthetic steak,” Lina said, swiping her finger across the ordering screen on the floating table, the menu interface flashing with vibrant colors. “The protein structure has been reconstructed exceptionally well, the taste is almost identical to A5 Wagyu beef.” Her gaze swept over the three of them seemingly unintentionally. “Or… the African hot sauce risotto? It uses native spices imported from Earth, quite appetizing.”

Ren Changxi's fingertips curled imperceptibly under the table. The last routine communication report from the Xinghai Group's Africa project team mentioned the local restaurant's signature risotto, which was described as "so spicy it would bring tears to your eyes."

“A synthetic steak will do.” Ye Xuehan’s voice was steady, but her gaze was fixed on the other side of the restaurant. There was a row of small, private rooms there, and the frosted glass door of one of them was slowly closing. The last glimpse of a silhouette through the crack in the door was of someone wearing a dark gray uniform with a tiny silver gear emblem on the epaulettes—the internal identification mark of the Xinghai Group’s security department. She recognized that familiar figure.

After choosing their food, the group took their seats.

"I heard that a small team in the Africa project had an accident?" Ren Changxi asked bluntly.

“That’s right, given your security clearance, it’s not surprising that you know about this. But this happened three hours ago, when you were still on the spacecraft?” Lina asked, somewhat surprised.

Ren Changxi tapped her fingertips lightly on the edge of the table, making an almost inaudible sound. "The shipboard communicator has an embedded delayed briefing push function. Senior Jingyun activated our receiving permissions before landing." Meeting Lina's scrutinizing gaze, her tone was as calm as stating a given fact. "The briefing mentioned an 'unplanned communication silence' in the African project team, requiring all bases to be on high alert. As a key energy base, Guanghan Palace is naturally at the top of the watch list."