Early July.
A military base in the Eastern Theater of Operations.
Military vehicles drove through the camp, intensely preparing for the upcoming exercise.
In the open space in the middle of the camp, there was a silver-white aircraft with a strange shape.
The two short and two long wings design, as well as the shockingly large cylindrical engine, did not look like it could fly no matter how one looked at it. However, until now, it had maintained a zero failure rate, which was enough to dispel everyone's concerns about whether this guy could fly or not.
Starlight.
This was its model, and it was named after it left the factory.
After it was delivered to the Eastern Theater of Operations, the aerospace force belonging to the theater gave it a more domineering name and wrote it on the fuselage with a special paint.
Namely, Thunderbird.
It could soar in the sky and strike lightning thousands of miles away.
Just like the name of this aerospaceplane, it could be used as a transport vehicle to and from low-Earth orbit. It could also be used as a carrier for ballistic missiles in outer space.
Li Gaoliang jumped out of the military jeep. He was wearing a special combat uniform with a special paratrooper rifle hanging on his chest. He glanced at the silver aerospaceplane in the middle of the camp and couldn't help but click his tongue in shock.
He didn't know if it was because he had been hospitalized for too long, or if the speed of technological progress had exceeded his imagination. He didn't even know when the army started using such a nutty thing.
It had been a month since he was discharged from the hospital and assigned to the aerospace force.
To him, the past month had been more fulfilling than the past two years.
He had never seen equipment before, tactics he had never heard of, and this was the first time he had ever heard of a combat mode.
According to their instructor, they could now be said to be the most technologically advanced force in the world.
As an airborne land combat force that completely relied on aerospaceplanes, whether it was in terms of deployment range or deployment speed, they were countless times higher than the traditional Marine Corps and the traditional Army paratroopers.
In terms of tactics, they were required to rely on advanced equipment to exert combat effectiveness and survivability.
In terms of strategic positioning, their responsibility was to be able to quickly cross the frontline in times of war and carry out surgical strikes on important targets in the enemy's rear. In times of peace, they were also able to cross the borders of other countries to provide support to overseas VIPs and important strategic facilities.
It was said that the tactics they learned during training were researched by several professors at the level of Major General in the National Defense University. Before that, they only stayed in papers and simulation deductions. It was even the first time they were used in a maneuver.
While Li Gaoliang was silently reciting the outline of the exercise, an officer in military green camouflage walked in front of them.
"Attention!"
"At ease!"
Looking at the soldiers moving in unison, the officer nodded and continued in a loud and serious voice.
"The drill will begin in ten minutes."
"Before coming here, I believe you've already reviewed the things you should know countless times, so I won't waste any more time."
"Here, I only have two sentences to say. He had to be fast. Time was life! You must be ruthless. Every drill must be fought like a war! "
"Now, tell me loudly, what is the code name of the operation!"
Li Gaoliang, who was standing in the middle of the formation, shouted back with almost all his strength.
"Mission!"
It was as if he was responding to their momentum.
The officer standing in front of the formation roared with an imposing manner.
"Let's go!"
The soldiers in the camp moved as soon as the order was given.
A total of twenty people, divided into five groups of four, boarded the Thunderbird aerospaceplane in an orderly manner. The shiny armor exuded a murderous aura, which complemented the sci-fi "Thunderbird" quite well.
Li Gaoliang sat down on a fixed seat in the cabin. He connected the cabin life support system to the combat suit, then quietly counted down in his heart, waiting for the moment to come.
Soon, a slight tremor came from the soles of his feet, crawling along his titanium alloy bones, and crawling all over his body.
The vehicles near the aerospaceplane had been evacuated. Under the guidance of the ground command center, the Thunderbird slowly drove onto the takeoff runway and turned on the engine that ejected plasma plume.
The light blue arc flickered faintly, and as the hot plasma was ejected from the engine, the plane seemed to be pulled forward by something, gradually leaving the ground, pulling the nose up, and flying into the endless deep space.
Li Gaoliang, who was sitting in a fixed seat in the cabin, looked at the clouds that were gradually disappearing out of the window. He took a deep breath.
In half an hour, they would reach low-Earth orbit.
There, they would complete the highest high-altitude parachute jump in human history … If their equipment could be called parachutes.
At this time, the team members were communicating in a low voice in the communication channel.
"Jesus, this is the first time I've flown so high."
"Now we're at an altitude of 2 kilometers … We've broken through the highest limit of ordinary aircraft."
"I've jumped so many times, but this is the first time I've flown so high."
"What if the umbrella can't open?"
"Shut up!"
For most people sitting in the cabin, this was their first time flying at such a high altitude. It was impossible for them not to be nervous at all.
Therefore, Li Gaoliang didn't stop his team members from whispering to each other.
Most of the time, chatting was also a way to release stress. Although he preferred to close his eyes and rest, this method wasn't suitable for everyone.
Li Gaoliang closed his eyes.
In order to keep himself in his best state, he planned to close his eyes for a while.
However, at that moment, one of his team members spoke to him.
"Captain, do we have a space station in the sky?"
Li Gaoliang thought about this question for a while.
Before the exercise, the officer told them that they needed to transfer to a "plane" in the sky to complete the parachute jump exercise. However, he didn't tell them where to transfer.
The Moon Palace was now an international scientific research institution led by China, so it was obviously not suitable for military purposes.
As for the rest …
Li Gaoliang's heart moved slightly. The answer seemed to be obvious.
"No space station."
"But we have the Magpie Bridge."
…
Li Gaoliang didn't expect his random guess to be correct.
Sitting on the Thunderbird and looking out, he saw the pitch-black spacecraft floating in the endless cold night like a canoe with sharp edges and corners.
Because of the distorted sense of distance in space, Li Gaoliang didn't really get a glimpse of the Magpie Bridge until the two spacecraft were close enough. He could only see the true appearance of the bridge on TV and the Internet.
Of course, the Magpie Bridge floating in front of him was quite different from the Magpie Bridge that traveled between Earth and the Moon all day long.
Just like the Thunderbird they were riding on, the so-called "Magpie Bridge" corresponded to its model.
And now, its name was "The Great Wall".
As the first and only carrier-type ship of China's aerospace force, it was currently sailing in outer space. The significance of this Great Wall, like its name, was to defend the highest frontier of China.
Usually, the Great Wall was on standby outside the geosynchronous orbit, with only four people stationed in shifts. In critical moments, it could serve as an air command center for the aerospace force, or even an air fortress, suppressing all flying units in low orbit.
After five minutes of orbit change, the two spacecraft that were almost next to each other finally completed the final docking.
Li Gaoliang breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't relax at all.
Until now, all of the training subjects belonged to the spacecraft pilots in the aerospace force, as well as the ground command center.
And from the moment the spacecraft docked, the training that belonged to the Marines had just begun!
The life support system was unlocked, and the lock on his combat uniform was unlocked. Li Gaoliang quickly called his team and quickly passed through the spacecraft's connection port according to the order of the team number. They arrived at the belly of the Great Wall.
Inside the belly cabin, there were five pitch-black prism-shaped airborne cabins. The bottom was connected to the deck and was connected by a concave cross-section track.
Just like they had done countless times during training, everyone boarded the airborne cabin as quickly as possible and checked their weapons and ammunition for the last time.
Li Gaoliang tried to control his breathing. Although he was a little nervous, he calmly completed all of the operations and closed the cabin door.
Almost at the same time he closed the hatch, the commander's voice came from the communication channel.
"The Great Wall is entering orbit!
"The orbit parameters have been corrected. The current altitude is 37.4 kilometers. It will reach the best throwing area in two minutes!"
Li Gaoliang felt the pull from his back, and his breathing gradually became faster.
Although he couldn't see the situation outside the cabin, he could feel that he was already standing at the cabin door of the Great Wall. He even had half a foot on the edge of the highest frontier.
He was 100 kilometers above the ground.
There was no whistling wind here.
There wasn't even air.
However, that invisible biting cold could be clearly felt even without looking.
"The airborne area has been locked. Remember your mission and your mission!
"The steel is our footprint!
"Soldiers, good luck!"
"Cabin separation!"
。
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