“5”
“4”
“3”
“2”
“1”
"Ignite!"
The circulating liquid lithium was tumbling in the invisible reactor.
A series of dense bubbles were injected, and the energy closest to the origin of the solar system was liberated from the invisible atomic nucleus. The moment the solid xenon in the working medium cabin was injected into the ionization chamber, it was ionized by a huge amount of heat into high-temperature plasma that emitted light and heat. Under the constraints of the magnetic field, it was sent into the engine nozzle in an orderly manner …
In an instant, a light blue arc of light lit up behind the space shuttle, pushing the huge fuselage forward …
Forward!
Keep going!
The speed became faster and faster, and the tires gradually left the runway. The landing gear retracted into the cabin, and the nose of the space shuttle lifted up slightly.
Dragging a blue arc of light, carrying humanity's longing for space, the silver fuselage disappeared into the depths of the clouds and sailed toward the blue sky …
The technicians standing on the side of the runway cheered as they watched it leave. They threw their safety helmets into the sky to express their excitement.
At the same time, in the ground command center less than 500 meters away from the runway, there were also cheers.
Listening to the deafening cheers, Hou Guang, who had completed the countdown, took a deep breath and slowly took off his headset. When no one was paying attention, he gently wiped the corner of his eyes with his sleeve.
How many years has it been?
His dream finally became a reality.
Finally, he didn't let down his teacher's efforts …
Those designs that were seen as useless at the time were finally reborn from the ashes on the new bodies.
Outside the launch site.
The soldiers guarding the launch site also saw the blue arc of light disappearing into the clouds. .
Although their duties did not allow them to express their excitement too openly, it was obvious that they could not hide the joy and pride on their resolute faces.
Regiment Commander Dai looked at the direction where the blue light disappeared. His expression didn't change much. He just silently raised his right hand and saluted.
God bless China.
May you return triumphantly!
…
On the other hand, outside the launch site.
An SUV stopped.
Yuan Huanmin received permission from the relevant departments to enter the site. He hurriedly walked toward the main entrance of the launch site. Secretary Yu, who got out of the car, followed closely behind him and walked quickly towards the door.
Noticing the two people walking over, the security guard standing at the door immediately took half a step forward and stopped them.
"Stop! This is a restricted area!"
Secretary Yu produced the authorization document in his hand without hesitation.
"This is the authorization document from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Make way."
The security guard took the authorization document, looked at it carefully, and then returned it to Secretary Yu.
"I'm sorry, the authorization only allows you to pass through the sealed area. You can walk around in this area, but you can't enter."
Yuan Huanmin narrowed his eyes and said, "What do you mean?"
The security guard said expressionlessly, "This is a private area."
Secretary Yu's eyes widened. "You —!"
There was nothing wrong with this sentence.
Even though this was a restricted area, it was still owned by Star Sky Technology. The documents from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology allowed them to pass through the controlled area, but if they wanted to enter the company's private land, they would probably have to go to the court or get authorization from other special departments …
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the launch site.
Immediately afterward, a group of Army soldiers ran across the launch site and rushed in the direction of the command center.
The security guard looked at the commotion at the launch site and paused for a second. Obviously, he didn't know what was going on inside. He saw Regiment Commander Dai and Hou Guang, the chief engineer of the aerospace assembly center, walking out of the launch site with a solemn expression.
Yuan Huanmin also noticed the commotion at the launch site, so he immediately walked up to Regiment Commander Dai and spoke in an urgent tone.
"What happened? Is there a problem with the plane? "
Regiment Commander Dai was about to speak, but Hou Guang shook his head and spoke first.
"No, so far, the launches have been successful, it's just that …"
Secretary Yu gulped and said, "It's just that?"
Regiment Commander Dai sighed and spoke in a dignified manner.
"Professor Lu is missing, and we're not sure why. We're looking for him. If you have any clues, I hope you can provide them to us as soon as possible …"
"Missing?" Yuan Huanmin's mouth was wide open. After a while, he said, "Where did he go?"
"He was just at the launch site … Could it be —"
Hou Guang suddenly stopped talking and had a strange look on his face.
Noticing the change in his expression, Regiment Commander Dai hurriedly asked him.
"Could it be what? Where is he now? "
Hou Guang had a strange look on his face.
"I'm not sure, but it's possible … He might be on the plane."
Yuan Huanmin: "???"
Division Chief Yu: "???"
Regiment Commander Dai: "???"
The soldiers standing next to him: "???"
On the space shuttle?
The f * ck?!
…
On the other hand, above the clouds.
Nie Yun was sitting in the cockpit, and his entire hand was shaking.
He looked at Lu Zhou, who appeared out of nowhere, and spoke after a while.
"Why are you here?"
Lu Zhou made himself a cup of coffee and smiled as he said, "This is my plane, why can't I be here?"
Nie Yun: "…"
Nie Yan: "…"
Lu Zhou's words made sense, so much so that they didn't know what to say.
Nie Yan stared at the coffee in Lu Zhou's hand and couldn't help but speak.
"Is this the time to drink coffee?"
"This is the only time I can drink coffee." Lu Zhou stirred the coffee with a spoon and said casually, "When you guys reach the troposphere, I won't have a chance to drink coffee."
Ion thruster propulsion was much slower than chemical propulsion. Even under ideal conditions, it would take more than ten hours to reach low-Earth orbit.
He had plenty of time to enjoy this cup of coffee before entering a weightless environment.
As for whether or not one more person would pose a safety risk, he didn't have to worry about that. When Magic Cloud was designed, it was designed to carry a maximum of 10 people. Not to mention one more person, even two more people wouldn't be a problem.
Nie Yun and Nie Yan looked at each other, swallowed their saliva at the same time, and communicated with their eyes.
"Brother, what do we do?"
"I don't know! Should we go back? "
"But the cost of launching is astronomical, if we just go back …"
"Is an astronomical number more important than that?"
Nie Yun couldn't help but clench his teeth.
This guy …
He doesn't even know how important his own safety is.
Honestly speaking, the moment he stepped on the space shuttle, he had already put his life behind him. He even placed his will under the medal box in his drawer. But now, those words of facing death with equanimity couldn't be said no matter what.
Not only that, even if he had to risk his life, he had to fly the plane back safely.
Nie Yan, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, hesitated for a bit.
"Makes sense … I'll ask the ground command center."
Lu Zhou looked at the brother and sister who were communicating with their eyes. He guessed what they were planning, so he coughed and spoke.
"I know what you guys are thinking, but I suggest you don't do this.
"If you go back now, not only will our efforts and the efforts of thousands of researchers be wasted, but the entire project will also face the risk of bankruptcy."
Lu Zhou paused for a second and spoke.
"And … I'm not going with you because I'm bored. I have my own reasons for doing so."
"No matter what the reason is, you guys are soldiers, so it's your duty to obey orders, right? The aerospace brigade sent you guys here and told you to listen to me, so you should listen to me. Now, I want you to focus on completing your mission. You don't have to worry about anything else, and you don't have to worry about me. I run for an hour every morning, and my physical fitness is better than you think. Just pretend I don't exist. "
Is this a problem of physical fitness?
What do you mean pretend I don't exist!
Nie Yun thought to himself. After hesitating for a second, he gave up on the idea of going back.
Just like Lu Zhou said, obeying orders was a soldier's duty.
From the moment his commanding officer assigned him here, Lu Zhou was his superior. Even though Lu Zhou wasn't a soldier, he still had the authority to command him.
Therefore, no matter how unwilling he was, he had to carry out his mission to the end …
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