After everyone boarded the Pioneer, they prepared to set off and return to the Water Ball. After a year of being away, they could finally go home.

This lifted the spirits of all the crew members and marked the beginning of their return journey.

Departure, heading for Water Ball!

Let's go home!

Under Jiang Cheng's command, Pioneer slowly took off from Mars.

It gradually picked up speed, heading towards Water Ball.

The astronauts who participated in the construction of Hope City, except for a few who stayed behind for long-term stationing, were all now on the Pioneer, waiting for the moment to return home.

They have become very homesick after more than a year on this mission.

Conditions on Mars aren't bad, but it doesn't feel as good as home.

At this moment, everyone was eagerly anticipating the moment they could see their families.

Everyone on the spacecraft had become a homesick wanderer, waiting to reunite with their families. Of course, those astronauts staying in Hope City need not worry about not being able to return home.

Because Hope Slope will be their home going forward, as the first batch of permanent residents of Hope City, they will remain on Mars.

These astronauts are now Hope City's resident astronauts, responsible for handling specialized tasks.

Their families will soon embark on their journey to Mars, settling with them in Hili City.

In order to let these astronauts work comfortably in Hope City, Jiang Cheng arranged for their families to come to Mars.

He even provided everyone with a job so that the astronauts' families would not be idle on Mars.

Jiang Cheng's arrangements were so considerate, relieving them of any worries.

This also allows these astronauts to work peacefully and honestly, putting down roots on Mars.

In the future, Jiang Cheng plans to gradually immigrate to Mars until there are enough people.

The abundant minerals on Mars can now be developed.

Hope City, standing tall on Mars, will become the center of Martian development.

Future development plans will revolve around this city.

According to Jiang Cheng's plan, Mars will eventually provide the rare metals he needs and perform preliminary processing on these resources.

Mars is planned as a resource planet by Jiang Cheng, representing the future direction for the planet's development.

Once Mars is truly developed, it will be time for Jiang Cheng to extend his reach beyond the solar system.

However, discussing future matters is a bit premature. For now, Jiang Cheng needs to arrange the first batch of immigrants to Mars.

The first batch who signed up for the Mars immigration plan have already completed their training.

However, Hope City had not yet been completed, causing them to wait on Water Ball.

Now that Hope Slope is fully completed, it's time for this batch of immigrants to set out.

After less than half an hour of flight, Pioneer finally reached the outskirts of Water Ball.

When crew members saw the blue planet of Water Ball, they were overwhelmed with joy to the point of tears.

Upon spotting Water Ball from the bridge's front end, even Jiang Cheng couldn't help but cheer, let alone imagine the others' reactions now.

Although Jiang Cheng could return to Water Ball once a week, it was only for a short rest.

During the construction of Hope Domain this past year, Jiang Cheng spent most of his time on Mars.

Now he can finally go home and rest properly, and Jiang Cheng naturally felt excited. The extended task execution on Mars wore Jiang Cheng out.

Jiang Cheng resolved in his heart to never do it this way again, no matter what is said.

Even if there are more important space plans in the future, he would at most visit occasionally.

Being stationed long-term like this time, he vowed never to do it again.

From now on, Jiang Cheng plans to stay steadfast on Water Ball, delegating tasks to his team.

It's unlikely Jiang Cheng will personally head to Mars again for such an extended stay, given he has many capable subordinates now.

Jiang Cheng decided Xiao would handle the on-site directing responsibilities henceforth.

With this experience in building Hope City, Qian Peng can manage future projects solo.

Currently, Qian Peng is caught up in the joy of returning home, unaware of Jiang Cheng's plans.

If he knew Jiang Cheng had intentions for him, one can only imagine his reaction.

But there's no time to worry about such matters now, as he is eager to return home.

The return of Pioneer attracted the attention of all humanity, prompting an impromptu welcoming ceremony.

Humanity finally has a city on another planet, a significant milestone for civilization.

The establishment of this city provides humanity with a foothold beyond Water Ball.

Therefore, many people came to show gratitude for Jiang Cheng's and his team's work on Mars.

This allowed the astronauts to enjoy a grand welcome ceremony, treating everyone involved in the project like heroes.

Every astronaut received the warmest welcome.

Their current treatment moved them greatly, validating the year's hard work.

"Is the first batch of immigrants fully prepared? If they are, they can set off for Mars."

Jiang Cheng was at the headquarters building, discussing the immigration matters with his CEO.

After returning to Water Ball on the Pioneer, Jiang Cheng did nothing but spend several days at home.

During these days, Jiang Cheng took the time to pamper the women in his life, making up for lost time.

These days were thoroughly enjoyable for Jiang Cheng; he didn't have to manage or think about anything—a stark contrast to life on Mars.

On Mars, his days were filled with tasks related to Hope City, with no time to rest.

Such comfort these days was intoxicating, allowing him to indulge with Xia Xiaowei and the others.

These indulgent days made Jiang Cheng not want to leave home, yearning for them to continue.

If not for the pressing need to handle Mars immigration, Jiang Cheng would have remained lethargic.

Ultimately, Jiang Cheng had to step away from his warm home to manage the first batch of immigrants to Mars.

Hope City now stands ready, awaiting the move-in of the immigrants.