Chapter 67

The physical book sales of *I, Robot* broke through 30,000 copies in a single day, which was a significant rebound for the book. The initial surge in sales had largely slowed down after the first two weeks.

After that, the sales gradually increased through word of mouth, rising by a few thousand at a time, accumulating over time.

Currently, the total physical sales of *I, Robot* have approached 420,000 copies, while the total online e-book sales have reached 280,000 copies, bringing the author closer to becoming a two-star author.

The power of the Galaxy Award is significant for science fiction readers, representing authoritative recognition. Initially, some people were still arguing that *The Country Teacher* was not a pure science fiction novel, but now they have been proven wrong.

If a novel is recognized by the Galaxy Award, saying it's not science fiction is just nonsense!

Some science fiction readers who were not interested in short story collections, in the midst of a book drought, couldn't resist the good reviews and curiosity after seeing the news of Lin Han winning the Galaxy Award, and decided to take a look.

A prestigious award brings not only honor and fame but also tangible benefits like increased sales and prize money, so an increase in sales is quite normal.

The warm air in the room quickly evaporated the water on the floor. Chen Jiaxuan said to Lin Han, "Since you just got back, let's have dinner together tonight to celebrate your success."

"At the very least, I should treat you. This time, the prize money is enough to buy a toilet in Yanjing," Lin Han said with a smile. "Don't be polite with me. I'll be generous this one time. Just tell me what you want to eat."

"Alright, let's go to Yuelu Mountain House. I heard it's great, and the environment is very nice, suitable for you."

Lin Han hadn't heard of the place, but he didn't pay much attention. He joked, "The name sounds a bit like Yuelu Academy, one of the oldest universities in China. Anyway, you decide. Don't worry about saving money for me."

Chen Jiaxuan put on her slippers and, after checking the time on her phone, said, "Rest for a bit. It's still early. We can go at seven; there are many branches in Yanjing."

Going out to eat definitely requires getting dressed and putting on makeup, and Lin Han understood. It was only a little past three in the afternoon, so there was plenty of time.

He saw Chen Jiaxuan out and watched her enter her room before closing the door.

Since there was plenty of time, he might as well start writing the novel. The outline and detailed plan were already prepared. Now, he needed to set a schedule and create a character relationship chart.

Most of *The Martian* is a monologue by the main character, with very few other characters. The novel is written in the first person, allowing for a more realistic and accurate portrayal of the protagonist's inner thoughts.

"Log: Sol 6

I'm totally screwed! That's my conclusion after much thought. Screwed.

These six days were supposed to be the beginning of the most glorious two months of my life, but instead, they've become the prelude to a nightmare.

I have no idea who will read this. I guess someday, someone will find it, maybe in 100 years.

Seriously, though, I'm still alive... Sol 6. My teammates probably think I'm dead, and they can't be blamed for that.

They might even hold a state funeral for me, and my Wikipedia page will say: Li Yunfan is the only human to have died on Mars."

The novel begins with the protagonist, Li Yunfan, narrating his thoughts into a video recorder. He is a crew member of the third mission of the Yinghuo Plan.

Yinghuo is the ancient Chinese name for Mars, and the Yinghuo Plan aims to send humans to Mars, expanding the human horizon for the first time to another planet.

The first and second phases of the Yinghuo Plan were successfully completed, with the crew landing in different areas of Mars and returning to Earth, becoming respected astronauts.

"I figure that by the time this recorder is found, my teammates will have long since passed away. Of course, that's assuming they return to Earth safely. Guys, if you're alive and see this, listen: it's not your fault. You did what you had to do. I would have done the same. I don't blame you; I'm glad you're alive."

The first few hundred words of *The Martian* set the stage and introduce the optimistic and grand protagonist, explaining why he is alone on Mars, waiting to die.

All flights of the Yinghuo Plan are carried out by the Jingwei spacecraft, which is massive and extremely expensive, so the China National Space Administration built only one. Each launch requires a large amount of chemical fuel to send the spacecraft to Mars.

In the subsequent content, Lin Han began to incorporate the research he had done, such as the fact that the Jingwei spacecraft is powered by an ion engine, which propels the ship by ejecting argon atoms at high speed, providing a small but continuous acceleration with minimal nuclear fuel consumption.

These scientific details must be accurate, so Lin Han wrote carefully, often pausing to verify the information, ensuring the language was simple and easy to understand, avoiding any reading barriers for the audience.

Additionally, he introduced the details of the Mars Descent Vehicle (MDV), which is crucial to the plot. The entire Mars mission, from start to finish, takes three years.

There is also an ascent vehicle, the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), which uses a series of ingenious designs to react with the Martian atmosphere, producing 13 kilograms of fuel for every kilogram of hydrogen sent to Mars, though this process takes a considerable amount of time.

The surface mission is designed to withstand dust storms with wind speeds of up to 150 miles per hour, but Li Yunfan and his team encountered a massive dust storm with winds of 175 miles per hour.

When they left the habitat to walk to the MAV, the communication device was blown off by the strong wind and fell into the antenna array. A long, thin antenna pierced Li Yunfan's spacesuit and carried him away.

Fortunately, the antenna only pierced his waist muscles and did not penetrate further. The puncture in his spacesuit began to leak oxygen slowly.

Fortunately, the blood from his wound quickly gathered at the puncture site, and the water in the blood rapidly evaporated in the strong wind and low pressure, leaving a sticky residue. As more blood flowed, the residue increased, gradually sealing the puncture and reducing the oxygen leak to an acceptable level.

When he reached this part, Lin Han stopped. Just the opening 3,000 words had required a lot of mental effort. The light and humorous writing style, combined with the protagonist's occasional sarcasm, made the dry scientific parts more engaging.

When night fell, he carefully saved the manuscript and uploaded it to the cloud to prevent loss.

At that moment, Chen Jiaxuan looked very happy. She carried her bag, her smile radiant, and the light in the corridor made Lin Han momentarily dazzled, finding her stunningly beautiful.

"Let's go. We can leave now. By the way, I have something important to tell you. I really didn't want to say this after work."

When I opened Qidian today, I found that 26 people had tipped, which is usually the total number of tips for the entire week. I was so surprised that I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

(n_n) Thank you to all the supporters!

...

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