"The allotted time for our operation is three hours. After three hours, regardless of whether we return, the follow-up troops will enter Planet Mushu." Philip said as he looked at his men, "Thus! Comrades, we need to give our all in this operation! It is imperative that we relay key information back to the troops before they depart.
"Tell me, can we do it?" Philip shouted.
"SIR! YES, SIR!" Everyone shouted with all their might.
They were about to enter the unfamiliar Planet Mushu, shouting was the best way to relieve the tension at that point.
"Okay! Check your watches. The time is now 0958 hours and 12 seconds."
Philip waited for one more minute. When the clock struck 10, he shouted once more.
"Move out!"
Philip glanced at the team as a wide grin appeared on his usually emotionless face.
It was like he was a beast finally unchained.
He then turned around and charged through the stone door.
Gaia felt a weird feeling in his chest. This kind of emotion was rare for him.
However, today, he suddenly felt a little sad when he saw these people.
The bright clear sky in the sky seemed to be dyed in the faint color of the spilled blood of this battlefield.
"When we come back, let's go grab drinks, on me!" William turned his head and said to Gaia.
Gaia nodded heavily, "When that time comes, I'll treat you to the best liquor available in America."
"I'll hold you to that!" William chuckled heartily and rushed through the stone door.
Before entering, he made a peace sign to Gaia.
Gaia felt quite melancholic. He did not know how many of these people would survive till the end of this operation.
He turned around and looked at the rest of them. The others looked calm, almost as if they were not affected at all.
When it was his turn, Gaia suddenly relaxed.
Fastening the straps on his backpack, he charged into the stone door with his assault rifle at the ready.
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After a familiar bout of dizziness, Gaia, who was sweating bullets, suddenly opened his eyes as fresh air from his oxygen tank was pumped into his lungs.
Seeing the situation, Philip walked over and helped Gaia up.
Only then did Gaia realize that the others had already arrived.
Philip said to Douglas, "Start the measurements!"
"Yes, boss!"
Immediately, Douglas took out a physical instrument from his backpack and started to measure various things.
Douglas was the team's professional surveyor. Today, the main measurement tasks would be handled by him.
Of course, the other members of the team could also carry out the measurement tasks. They would still be able to complete the mission even if anything happens to Douglas.
"The rest of you, form up! Circular formation! We'll temporarily set up a perimeter defense to prevent the aliens from ambushing us," Philip continued.
"Sir! Yes, sir!." Everyone started to move out.
Douglas did not think about it and quickly completed the sampling, measurement, and collection of data.
"Gravity coefficient 9.81, basically the same as on Planet Azure.
"Nuclear radiation intensity is 1.56 microsieverts per day, about the same as Earth's natural radiation.
"Oxygen concentration at 25.6%, compared Planet Azure's is 21%. A bit on the high end, but still perfectly normal.
"Carbon dioxide content is 0.12%, three times more than on Planet Azure. The greenhouse effect on this planet is severe! It is possible that this figure is affected by the current region, time, and other factors.
"The air has a high level of microorganism activity. The relative humidity is 95%. This should be classified as a tropical climate."
After processing the data, Douglas came to a conclusion:
"The data shows that this planet is very similar to Planet Azure in multiple aspects. With proper preservation measures, it can be suitable for humans habitation."
As for biological factors, Douglas did not consider them at all.
Humans had always been at the top of the food chain, especially technology being as advanced as it is today.
If the creatures on top of this planet's food chain were just the monsters, then it would be possible to create a habitable zone for humans as long as they had enough firepower.
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Philip nodded as he listened to the analysis that Douglas provided.
"Continue sampling. We'll hand the dataset over to the data-processing center to get the most precise information about this planet.
"The rest of you, don't take off your protective gear. The amount of microorganisms in the air here is many levels above the usual threshold. We should keep contact to a minimum to avoid potential diseases."
"Yes, Boss."
Douglas took out several steel flasks from his backpack and used the air suction machine to collect air samples from Planet Mushu.
Then, he used a sealed plastic bag to collect some soil samples. He also extracted some tissue samples from the nearby trees.
These were all extremely important data that they needed to bring back to Planet Azure.
The others were not just idling away either. They used their machetes to clear the foliage and create an open area.
Meanwhile, Gaia laid on the ground and listened to the voices of the plants.
"Activate Attuned to Nature."
He currently had a total of 10 Energy Points. Using Attuned to Nature would consume two points, with its effects lasting for half an hour.
10 meters did not seem like a lot, as It would only take him a few seconds to cover such a distance.
However, in a forest, such a distance was not considered small at all.
Due to the amount of cover a forest can provide, large creatures were actually the least of their worries. The biggest threats to them right now were the small critters like venomous snakes, venomous insects, poisonous grass, and other things that were hard to notice.
The movement speed of these creatures was relatively slower. If he was alerted about it beforehand, ten meters was more than enough time for Gaia to react.
"There's a group of sneaky little insects hiding in the bushes."
"These guys have the same color as me!."
"These bastards can release venom! Ack! It hurts!"
When Gaia heard this, he instantly became alert.
There were poisonous bugs in the grass, and it was a group of them.
It seemed like they could also produce poison, but he did not know how poisonous it was.
"Let's just hope they didn't notice me."
As he carefully retreated, and a wriggling bush caught his attention.
"These guys stepped on me, just leave already!"
Gaia jolted up and he yelled.
"Shield up! Turn on the laser shooters, venomous bugs are attacking."
While speaking, Gaia continued to retreat.
He knew his strengths and weaknesses, he was not going to make an impulsive decision.
These must not be ordinary insects, seeing as they were able to cause such a stir amongst the weeds.
It was very likely that they possessed extremely strong venom.
These bugs were completely unknown to humans, hence, there was no serum that can effectively deal with these bugs' venom at this point.
Once bitten, death might be around the corner.