Chapter 133: Treasures Everywhere

Near the Moonstorm Ocean lunar base, Ouyang Hao steered the lunar engineering rover slowly across the surface of the moon. This specialized vehicle, designed by scientists for lunar exploration, was powered by electricity, equipped with a battery capable of storing millions of degrees of energy—enough to keep the rover operating on the moon for an extended period.

This engineering rover was remarkably versatile. It could transport materials, excavate soil and minerals, and was fitted with lunar positioning and communication systems. It carried a variety of advanced detection instruments, allowing a single pass over the lunar surface to roughly identify nearby mineral deposits.

“Beep! Beep!”

The rover’s detection instruments worked continuously, transmitting all data through a virtual interface directly into Ouyang Hao’s mind. Meanwhile, he kept up a conversation with his teammates. On this desolate lunar surface, without chatter, the silence would be unnerving.

“Tsk, the resources on the moon are incredibly abundant. I’ve found a massive titanium-iron ore deposit here. Preliminary estimates put the reserves at five billion tons—comparable to the giant iron mines of Panzhihua on Earth. And this is just an initial finding. According to the data, the ore is exposed on the surface with a very high iron content.”

Through the virtual link, Li Yang’s voice echoed in Ouyang Hao’s mind, reporting the discovery of a giant iron mine.

“Titanium and iron are among the most widely distributed elements on the moon. The lunar surface hosts twenty-two major maria, nineteen of which face Earth. These maria are rich in basalt, which contains abundant iron and titanium. The basalt volume across these maria is about 1,010 cubic kilometers, harboring significant titanium and iron resources.”

“Our lunar base was established in an area thoroughly surveyed by resource exploration satellites well in advance. The surrounding region is rich in mineral deposits. Finding an iron mine is hardly surprising.”

At that moment, Captain Nan Junpeng also joined the conversation, clearly familiar with the background information.

“Ha! Major discovery—I’ve found KREEP rock here!”

Excitement surged as another voice, Yu Haitian’s, chimed in. Yu Haitian was on the same team as Ouyang Hao, who quickly glanced over in his direction.

KREEP rock—a type of lunar rock rich in potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus—is widely distributed on the moon and is one of the three major rock types found in the lunar highlands. It contains thorium and uranium, covered later by basalt from the maria. This mixture has high thorium and uranium content, with an estimated thickness of 10 to 20 kilometers.

The total rare earth elements in the KREEP rocks of the Moonstorm Ocean area amount to roughly 22.5 to 45 billion tons. The abundant thorium and uranium in KREEP rock make it a critical mineral resource for future lunar exploitation.

“Finding rare earth elements so quickly, huh? But that’s nothing special. Rare earth minerals are widely distributed across the moon, and the Moonstorm Ocean region is one of the richest in KREEP. Discovering rare earths there is quite ordinary.”

“Let’s see who can find even rarer resources first.”

Yu Haitian’s voice rang out, and the teams happily engaged in their treasure hunt.

“There’s helium-3 everywhere. The lunar soil is incredibly rich in helium-3.”

Ouyang Hao’s mind received a steady stream of data. Wherever the lunar rover passed, the onboard detectors displayed resource information directly in his consciousness.

Helium-3, abundant in lunar soil but nearly absent on Earth, is estimated to amount to 715,000 tons on the moon. Fusion reactions using deuterium and helium-3 could power nuclear plants safely and cleanly, as this fusion produces no neutrons and is easy to control. Such energy sources would be ideal not only for Earth-based nuclear power but especially for space travel.

Given the moon’s vast helium-3 reserves, it represents a lifeline for Earth’s future energy demands. However, with current technology, we have yet to master controlled nuclear fusion, rendering helium-3 resources presently unusable.

Still, helium-3 remains extremely valuable. Once humanity masters controlled fusion, massive quantities will be needed. Since helium-3 is scarce on Earth but plentiful on the moon, it naturally becomes the focus of competition among global powers.

As of now, only China has established a lunar base, enjoying a strategic advantage. The moon is vast; they can claim whichever areas they like, especially those rich in resources, without rivals contesting their holdings.

“Haha, I’ve found a large copper deposit here, with reserves reaching hundreds of millions of tons.”

Another voice rang out—Xiao Mingguang’s—reflecting the abundance of resources on the moon. Often, multiple resources cluster densely in one location.

“Why can’t we find any gold on the moon?”

“Gold? So far, no gold deposits have been discovered on the moon. Neither our resource satellites nor those of other countries have detected any.”

“What about diamonds?”

“Diamonds might exist, but like gold, no resource satellite has found them yet. That doesn’t entirely rule out their presence, though.”

“I was hoping to bring back a few diamonds as souvenirs.”

“...”

“Do you think diamonds are just ordinary basalt? Wanting to pick up a few as keepsakes? If you actually found diamonds, you’d be incredibly lucky.”

“Yes, yes, remember to pick some up for me too. I envy you all being able to hunt treasures on the moon.”

At that moment, Lan Yu’s voice joined the banter, adding to the lively atmosphere.

“Gold? Diamonds? Those might be valuable on Earth, but even if they exist on the moon, if the reserves are small, the content low, and mining difficult, they won’t hold much value.”

Ouyang Hao listened as his teammates chatted, frequently announcing new mineral finds—mostly iron, titanium, rare earths, and copper. Every so often, someone would call out a fresh discovery.

Ouyang Hao’s rover steadily traversed the lunar surface. The five explorers spread out gradually. Thanks to lunar satellites and the “Moon Palace” space station providing positioning, along with the rover’s ample power supply, China’s lunar exploration could venture farther and wider than the earlier missions by American astronauts.

“This crater is enormous—over a thousand meters in diameter. At its center lies a massive rock, likely the meteorite that created this huge pit.”

“Hmm, the iron content around here is very rich. This qualifies as a fairly large iron deposit.”

“Wait, why does the detector data from the crater’s center differ from the surroundings? There seems to be something special inside that giant rock.”

Ouyang Hao examined the data carefully. The abundant iron ore in the surrounding area had triggered detection signals, but the crater’s middle zone showed different readings.

“Let’s find a way down to take a closer look.”

He guided the rover around the crater, locating a gentle slope, then cautiously accelerated the vehicle to descend into the pit.

“This is the large rock. Now that the iron interference is lessening, the detector’s signals are clearer.”

Ouyang Hao approached the giant meteorite slowly. The detectors emitted very clear data, revealing an unknown mineral inside.

“Earth Command Center, I’ve found an unidentified mineral. This huge meteorite appears to be extraterrestrial, not native to the moon. The detectors cannot analyze its contents. Requesting expert analysis.”

Ouyang Hao circled the massive meteorite with the rover. The rock was pitch black and uneven, roughly spherical in shape. Simultaneously, he transmitted the data back to Earth.

Seconds later, scientists at Earth Command received Ouyang Hao’s report. A team specializing in mineral resources began analyzing the data but could not conclusively identify the meteorite’s contents.

“Cut open a portion of the rock.”

The scientists decided to slice a sample. Ouyang Hao’s rover deployed its mechanical arm equipped with a cutting tool to penetrate the extraterrestrial meteorite.

Soon, the thick, black outer shell was peeled away. Under sunlight, a gleam of radiant light burst forth, instantly invigorating Ouyang Hao. He busily used the mechanical arm to remove a larger surrounding area, revealing a massive, sparkling, crystalline stone.

Meanwhile, scientists at Earth Command swiftly received the information. Staring at the glowing gem-like rock, their minds raced to determine its nature.

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