Humans' longing for the Moon began as early as in ancient times.

In the primitive era at the very beginning, when humans had just developed intelligence, they were full of curiosity and awe towards all natural phenomena. They held regular sacrifices and worshiped the Moon for a long time, praying for the protection of the Moon god.

During the medieval period, the Moon remained a mysterious natural existence. People couldn't understand why such a huge object could hang high in the sky. They attributed all this to "gods". Many myths and legends revolved around the Moon, and people believed that the Moon was the place where immortals lived.

People first truly got to know the Moon during the Renaissance period.

The great scientist Galileo used a telescope to observe the Moon and found that it was not composed of the so-called "fifth element" in legends but was similar to the Earth, full of rocks and sand. The environment on the Moon was much harsher than that on the Earth, with pockmarked craters and grayish-black land, without any trace of living organisms...

Since then, people have known that the Moon was not a place with magnificent palaces but a lifeless and desolate place!

However, humans' exploration of the Moon didn't stop there. Entering the 20th century, science and technology witnessed comprehensive and rapid development. A series of means such as space telescopes, artificial satellites, rockets, and space shuttles emerged in an endless stream. For political or many other reasons, several major technological powers competed to develop ways to land on the Moon, all wanting to be the first country to set foot on it.

After a series of competitions in the aerospace field, finally, in 1969, the American astronaut Neil Armstrong took the first step on the Moon. It was a small step for an individual but a giant leap for all mankind!

"However, the story behind the Moon landing was not as simple as it seemed on the surface..."

Yu Yifeng organized his words and continued, "The lunar base built with huge amounts of money was not just for scientific research as the government had publicized! It was originally a top national secret, but now it doesn't matter anymore. I'll tell you the details."

With his narration, a huge secret was revealed...

In the 1990s, the US government held a secret meeting and invited the leaders of twenty powerful countries around the world. At the meeting, they disclosed a secret that had been kept for twenty years:

In 1969, they discovered an alien spacecraft on the Bailly crater at the South Pole of the Moon!

After the first successful Moon landing, the Americans immediately carried out a second Moon landing, aiming directly at that alien spacecraft. This Moon landing was conducted secretly with extremely strict confidentiality measures. There was no media coverage, and no news leaked out at all.

At the meeting, the Americans described the spacecraft like this:

"It's so huge. Its diameter is as long as fifteen kilometers. Only a small part of it is exposed on the surface, and most of it is buried underground. With our current level of technology, we simply can't transport it back to the Earth."

"The interior of the spacecraft has a honeycomb-like structure. Strangely enough, it was empty inside. In the central compartment, we found a metal box, and the thing inside it was named by us as —— the Perfect Element."

Hearing the term "the Perfect Element", the expressions of the team members changed slightly. They sometimes came across this term during some missions. However, "the Perfect Element" was a top-secret and something that was strictly off-limits. Although they were curious, due to their years of military careers, they still didn't know what it was exactly.

Yu Yifeng didn't keep them in suspense anymore and continued his story.

The Perfect Element is a miraculous substance and the only thing left by aliens besides the spacecraft. With the current level of human science and technology, we can't detect its molecular structure at all! Or rather, it's not a substance composed of atoms as humans understand it.

It appears to be in a liquid state, somewhat like mercury, and can be absorbed by living organisms.

At that international meeting, the Americans described it like this: "We conducted a large number of experiments. Oh, my God! There is actually such a substance in the world! For example, the epiphyllum, a plant that can only bloom for two hours and has a very short lifespan. After being treated with the Perfect Element, its blooming time was miraculously extended ten times!"

"Another example is rice, the most common annual herbaceous plant with a life cycle of only one year. However, after being treated with the Perfect Element, it's still alive after twenty years!"

"We found that the Perfect Element can significantly repair gene defects, enhance cell vitality, and delay aging. It can be said to be —— the legendary elixir of immortality!"

"We also conducted the same experiments on animals and got the same results. However, the success rate was extremely low... But it also means that it might have an effect on humans!"

This was news that made the political leaders of various countries tremble. Just think about it. If the Perfect Element could work on humans, then the whole world would change. Without considering other benefits, just the extension of lifespan by ten times would be enough to drive the whole world crazy!

"Ten times! That's a tenfold increase in lifespan! You are still young now, and maybe you don't understand the implications... But for the elderly, it's like a bombshell!" Yu Yifeng said with emotion.

The Americans originally wanted to monopolize this achievement, but unfortunately, there was too big a gap in the technological aspect. After twenty years, there was only this much progress. Once the Perfect Element was applied to humans, it would cause brain death in a short time. However, many of the older-generation leaders couldn't wait any longer. They wanted to gather the strength of the whole world to accelerate the research progress.

Thus, a huge plan came into being. The first step of the plan was to build a lunar base. On the one hand, it was to study that alien spacecraft, and on the other hand, it was also because the Perfect Element could exhibit greater activity only when it was in the alien spacecraft!

"This is how the lunar base came into being." Yu Yifeng looked at his comrades and said, "The existence of the Perfect Element and the alien spacecraft was originally a top national secret. But now that the Earth has been destroyed, there's nothing to hide anymore... As for the research progress, there might have been some achievements, but..." He sighed softly as he spoke.

The alien spacecraft and the Perfect Element, although they had heard of them before, when they were truly revealed, it was like listening to something out of a fairy tale. Many people were dumbfounded and couldn't accept it for a while. However, when thinking carefully and combining with the various strange details in previous missions, it was indeed possible. The existence of the Perfect Element explained many past questions.

Deputy Captain Xu Yunjin asked thoughtfully, "So, was the lunar base built because of this Perfect Element?"

"Yes, the main reason is the Perfect Element!" Yu Yifeng clenched his fist. "Think about it. Without the temptation of a tenfold increase in lifespan, would the political leaders and the rich of various countries be willing to spend huge amounts of money? Things like new energy and the alien spacecraft are just accessories. They are not the most crucial factors. The most crucial thing is lifespan! Without such a tangible temptation, would they invest money in it?"

"For 30 years, with an investment of 60 trillion US dollars, it can be said to be the largest investment in history! For the sake of a long life, these people really went all out! But now it seems that the establishment of the lunar base was also a stroke of luck for humans. Otherwise, in the vast universe, humans would no longer have a foothold..."

"In the early stage of construction, there were numerous difficulties. There was no air, no supplies, no water. Everything had to be transported from the Earth. The most crucial thing was the lack of manpower! Who would be willing to take the risk of death to participate in the construction? No matter how much money was offered, it wouldn't work! So, various countries unanimously adopted the plan of using death row inmates for construction. They sent death row prisoners to the Moon. It would be best if the construction was successful, and it didn't matter if they died."

"This is a base built with lives."

"It took about ten years to form the initial prototype. Then it gradually developed to what it is now, with 50,000 permanent residents, and it has already become the most high-end scientific base!"

At this point, Yu Yifeng's expression became serious. "Alright, that's the end of the story for now. I just received a message sent from the Moon. Some restless death row inmates in the base launched a rebellion yesterday!"

"They attacked the senior management of the base and kidnapped a large number of hostages. Currently, the whole base is in a state of chaos."

"So our first task is —— to suppress this rebellion!"

Hearing this, Xu Yunjin immediately stepped forward and saluted as he said, "I guarantee to complete the task!"

"Then... dismissed!"

Everyone was an elite in the military, so there was no unnecessary chatter. They each silently went back to their positions, digesting what they had just heard and making final preparations.