In the deep blue space, countless stars were quietly watching the spaceships flying among them. The people on the spaceships were also watching them. In the field of vision below the dark star field, a giant hexagonal space station was reflecting the light of the stars. It was brighter than any of the stars in the field. The hexagonal space station quietly overlooked the surface of planet S1, ready to accept the spaceships that leaped out of the atmosphere at any time.
Xu Le stood beside the porthole, squinting his eyes as he watched the space station not far away. He was slightly excited. He had experienced space travel before. The last time he took the Ancient Bell from Dong Lin to the capital ring, it was at the giant space station that he took the spaceship to transfer to. However, the spaceship he took today did not stop at the space station. Instead, it directly broke through the gravitational pull and atmosphere of planet S1 and flew into space, heading towards the Old Moon base.
The Shell Motor Company had its own commercial fleet. It was not large in number, but its performance was excellent. The technical team was going to the Old Moon base to participate in the test battle of the new MX mecha. Naturally, the headquarters provided the best spaceship, so there was no need to resupply or transfer at the space station.
The light of the stars outside the window suddenly dimmed. Xu Le knew that the spaceship was changing direction. He walked back to his seat and looked at the serious expressions of his companions. He could not help but feel a little nervous. The technical staff of the Shell Motor Company were all wearing dark grey military uniforms. This was because, in a sense, they were all non-staff members of the Federal Army. Even Shang Qiu was a civilian major.
In this spaceship, the only people who were not wearing military uniforms were Secretary Bai, who was beside Xu Le, and the CEO who was sitting in the luxurious private room at the front of the spaceship. Bai Yulan had made a big mistake in the army years ago and was expelled from the army. The CEO did not want to use military uniforms to boost his confidence.
The CEO of the Shell Motor Company, if placed in a place like East Forest or West Woods of the Federation, would be at the level of a district chief executive. A few days ago, the attitude of the Shell Motor Company during the internal struggle of the Federation was clearly not in line with the status of this giant company in the Federation. Xu Le thought of the CEO who was in his forties and had some doubts in his heart.
The CEO of the Shell Motor Company had not shown much in the past few days. The main reason was that the Management Committee of the Federation had appointed him as the CEO of the Shell Motor Company less than a year ago. Coincidentally, when he took over, many problems within the company. After the failure of the experiment last autumn, the Federal Academy of Science shamelessly and overbearingly joined in with the excuse of participating in the design of the dual-engine technology. This was an official decision made by the Federation's Academic Committee, so the Shell Motor Company could not use this to accuse the other party. However, right after that, the Academy of Science had stolen the data from Shen Yulin's laboratory. That independent director of the Shell Motor Company had also encountered some problems. All these troubles had gathered together, making this newly appointed CEO angry but also somewhat anxious.
If the internal strife within the Shell Motor Company's board was like the internal strife within the Federation and had not been completely settled, the CEO could not spend all his time on these political squabbles. He knew better than anyone the importance of the MX mecha to the Federation and to the company. Thus, he personally led the technical team and boarded this spaceship headed for the Old Moon.
The flight through space was truly rather tedious. Those provocatively dressed dancers on the screen did not attract too much attention. Everyone in the technical team was deep in thought about the mecha battle that would begin the day after tomorrow, analysing the technical aspects that they were responsible for to ensure that there would not be any loopholes.
Shang Qiu had not come with the technical team. The mecha battle testing, data analysis, and evaluation work at the Old Moon base would be carried out in the control hall on the ground. She still had very important work to do, so she had stayed behind.
Xu Le looked at Bai Yulan beside him, who had her head lowered the entire time. He could not help but think that if Shang Qiu had been by his side right now, the journey would probably not have been so boring. Secretary Bai was too quiet and quiet — she really was not a good travel companion.
Right at this moment, a voice rang out from the communicator. Xu Le was slightly taken aback, but then he got up from his chair and walked towards the room where the CEO was. Not long after, he walked back and sat back down with a heavy expression on his face. He could not help but glance at Bai Yulan again, wondering if he should tell her this news now or when the mecha battle begins.
Bai Yulan saw the change in his mood and asked softly, "The other side has chosen?"
"Yes." The mecha battle testing this time was of the utmost importance and had attracted the attention of countless people. Both sides would definitely choose the most experienced and most capable pilot in the Federation. Xu Le guessed that the other side would not have guessed that Nutshell Company had long since made the decision to use Bai Yulan as their pilot. However, he also did not expect that the other side would actually have a way to persuade that fellow to come personally.
After a moment of silence, he said, "It's Madman Li."
Bai Yulan's delicate eyebrows rose, then calmed down. Like a small stone thrown into a lake, it settled down after a slight ripple. After a moment of silence, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it up, and took a deep puff.
Xu Le had always thought that Secretary Bai did not smoke. He did not know that that night, when Bai Yulan had seen him operate the old mecha and make so many fierce attacks, she had secretly smoked a cigarette. He also did not know that when MX had succeeded, Bai Yulan had also smoked a cigarette.
It was not that Secretary Bai did not smoke, but he would only light one when he felt a real tremor.
The smoke detectors in the spaceship began to beep, and the electronic female voice began to warn them. The surrounding technical team members were all startled out of their thoughts and looked curiously at Xu Le and Bai Yulan's seats. Then, they saw the two heavy and slightly tired faces, and in an instant, they understood something.
Hearing the warning from the electronic female voice, Xu Le's mood was somewhat irritated, and he wanted nothing more than to kick the loudspeaker away.
"What I was afraid of has come." Bai Yulan only took three puffs before the cigarette between her fingers burned to a crisp. He coughed lightly and said, "Boss, looks like the people behind you are not as powerful as you think."
At some point in time, Bai Yulan had begun to refer to Xu Le as' boss'. Perhaps it was because of the 20 million Federation dollars. Xu Le knew what she meant. In the special capital region, the two of them had had a long conversation. The Tai family, who had always stood behind Xu Le, had always had a close relationship with the Lees of Philadelphia. Why did that lunatic from the Li family want to interfere in this mecha battle this time?
Mr. CEO had also just received the news. Xu Le was currently in the spaceship. Even though he had hundreds of questions in his heart, he could not make a phone call to clear them all up, so he could only remain silent. Secretary Bai lowered his eyes slightly, and his fingers slowly pinched the remaining half of the cigarette. Thinking of the insufferably arrogant opponent in two days, he also fell silent.
Just as the two of them were silent, a barren planet appeared in front of the spaceship. The earthy yellow surface of the planet was even clearer under the light of the stars. Only the pearl-like structures on the surface and the black materials scattered all around reminded people that this was not an uninhabited barren planet, but the largest companion of planet S1, Old Moon.
...
...
Humanity's second entry into the universe, and the first planet to be officially developed was one of the two moons, Old Moon. In the literature, this satellite that had accompanied planet S1 for billions of years was called Moon No. 1, but the people of the Federation usually called it Old Moon.
The development of the Old Moon had been going on for many years. Although scientists had tried to recreate the ecosystem, they had failed time and time again. The phenomenon of atmospheric escape in a low-gravity environment could not be eliminated. However, the development of the Old Moon by humans was extremely deep.
Those pearl-like structures that could be seen from space were actually as many as seven hundred residential bases. The bases were covered with high-strength multi-layer rigid membranes that filtered the blazing light of the stars and the omnipresent cosmic rays. At the same time, the life support system of the bases was isolated from the outside world.
The black material that was about to cover a quarter of Old Moon's land area was transformed from the mineral resources of the four neighboring planets into a solar energy collection and absorption material. Now, it was completely capable of supplying energy to countless military and civilian bases on Old Moon.
The ubiquitous black was one of the five largest planetary transformation activities in the history of the Federation. It cost a lot of money and time, and it was one of the greatest glories of humanity. Under the pen of a poet, they would often describe how the giant pen of humanity painted a barren planet in the sky with a layer of unnatural color. It was naturally earth-shattering to be able to change the world.
Of the seven hundred bases on Old Moon, the largest was naturally the Federal military's main assembly base and the Shell Motor Company's spaceship manufacturing factory. It was said that in the military control zone on the dark side of the moon, there was a super-large base that was specifically responsible for supplying the three major fleets of the Federation. However, the ordinary people of the Federation would never be able to see its true appearance.
Under the guidance of the flight control center on Old Moon's surface, a pale white commercial spaceship drew a nearly straight arc as it headed towards the predetermined landing site. Just by looking at the exterior design of this spaceship, it was obvious that this was a direct endurance spaceship that could break through the S1 atmosphere. On the side of the spaceship was a line of very eye-catching words: Where there is metal, there is fruit shell.
Seeing the pearl-like large bases becoming clearer and clearer, the technical team members on the spaceship had already stood up and let out waves of exclamations. Humanity's transformation of the universe always made these engineers feel a sense of respect from the bottom of their hearts. These engineers and professors were researching mecha, not space battleships. For most of them, this was their first time at Old Moon bases, and that kind of excitement was indescribable. At this time, they were not even willing to think about the mecha battle that would take place the day after tomorrow.
The boundless black sea that stretched out like the grasslands of the Eastwood Region was indeed an extremely magnificent sight. And those pearl-like bases that were covered by a giant membrane were also an exciting process. Xu Le should have been excited by everything in front of him, but the extremely bad news during the journey made his heart feel a little heavy, and he actually somewhat ignored this magnificent scenery.
The Shell Motor Company's exclusive spaceship did not land at its own base, but instead flew directly to the Ministry of Defense's space assembly base. Accompanied by the loud sound of airflow and the electronic positioning siren, the spaceship steadily landed on the dock, and then a large piece of shrinking equipment placed it underground.
The alarm was lifted, and the technical team disembarked from the spaceship. They sat on the self-propelled electric scooter below the spaceship and followed the 10 kilometer long underground tunnel towards the dark and quiet front.
Mr. CEO had a special car to pick him up and had already left. The moment they left, Xu Le noticed that Mr. CEO's expression was a little gloomy. Beside him, his secretary was holding a phone and arguing non-stop with certain parties. The CEO of Nutshell probably also smelled a trace of danger.
There were too many people in the Federation who did not want Nutshell to get the standard for the new mecha. Thinking of this, Xu Le could not help but feel a little cold. Even if the Iron Schemer was one of the seven great families in the Federation, how could they have such a huge influence? He looked at his phone and confirmed that there was signal in the underground tunnel, so he directly called Secretary Shen.
Over the phone, he told the other party the news he had just received, and then quietly waited for the other party to reply.
Shen Li was silent for a long time on the other end of the phone before saying, "I just verified this news. According to the intelligence report, it should be that Senator Macklin who gave the idea to the National Security Advisor. As for the Philadelphia side … I don't have that kind of influence. "
"What about the Madam?" Xu Le continued to ask. If it was in the past, no matter who the other party chose to be the pilot, it would not affect his confidence in Little White Flower and his judgment of the Purple Sea. However, Li Feng was different. He was a madman, the only grandson of the Lees of Philadelphia, and a rare super pilot in the Federal military.
At this time, if Xu Le and Madman Li were to fight, he would not mind. However, as Bai Yulan had said before, when it came to mecha piloting, Madman Li's ability was too terrifying. This was a result of his battle record.
…
…
Sitting under the huge dome, Xu Le looked at the layer of transparent film 10 meters away from him through the glass. He was curious about the material of the film and the operating principle of the gravity replenishment device in the base. Only when he was in space could he truly feel the extent to which the technological civilization of the Federation had developed over the past tens of thousands of years. Even though he was known as a genius in mechanical engineering, it was impossible for him to completely understand the intricate technological fields.
After a few calls, there was no good news. Mr. CEO's secretary had called earlier and helplessly said that the company's negotiations with the Federation government had all failed. This was because in the meeting in the president's office, the military god of the Lees of Philadelphia had personally promised the National Security Advisor that both parties could choose whichever pilot they wanted.
It was because of this heavy mood that Xu Le decided to just focus on the structure of the final assembly base. However, no matter how he looked at the scene in space outside the film, he still could not calm down. There was even a faint trace of regret in his heart. If he had known this would happen, should he have asked Madman Li to be the pilot for Nutshell first?
The living area of the final assembly base was very quiet. On the dome about a few hundred meters high, the automatic super-light cleaning maintenance robot was slowly working along the alloy framework. Xu Le picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. He then felt that his thoughts were really a little unfair to Bai Yulan in front of him.
"What you said in the hotel that day was a lie," Bai Yulan said softly. Bai Yulan said softly, "I've seen Li Feng operate a mecha with my own eyes. I don't have the slightest bit of confidence against him. However, since our goal is only to drag that Purple Sea into an unrestricted battle for three minutes, it is possible."
Hearing this, Xu Le's mood gradually calmed down. If they wanted to go head to head with the only remaining seedling of the Lees of Philadelphia, there was no point in looking for other ace pilots in the Federal military. In comparison, Secretary Bai's understanding of the new MX mecha was deeper than anyone else's. Moreover, Xu Le had always believed that this delicate man's strength had never been fully utilized.
"It won't change anything," Xu Le picked up the teacup and said seriously, "Let's deal with him."
Bai Yulan picked up the teacup and clinked it lightly with him.
…
…
After hurriedly finishing the cup of tea, the technical team did not stay for long. They immediately rushed towards the core area of the base. Yesterday, Nutshell's MX mecha had already been transported from the port to the Old Moon base under the close watch of the military. According to the schedule, they were about to begin the mecha combat test, modifying the outer armour and weakening the firepower of the mecha. The technical team members of Nutshell's engineering department naturally had to watch with their own eyes. Otherwise, who knew what those mechanics from the Ministry of National Defence would do to their precious mecha?
The members of the technical team went through the chip scan one by one and obtained temporary access to the Old Moon base. They walked towards the underground warehouse. They saw the mecha in the center of the warehouse in the distance and began to get excited. Although it had only been seven days since they last saw each other, to these people, it felt like a long time.
Xu Le and Bai Yulan were still walking at the back. There was no problem with the chip scan. However, just as the two of them were about to enter the warehouse, a group of armed soldiers surrounded them.
"Xu Le, the technical director of the Nutshell Engineering Department?" An official in a black suit asked coldly.
Xu Le narrowed his eyes and said, "Yes."
"You can go in now. This person stays," the official said as he pointed at Bai Yulan.
Xu Le narrowed his eyes even more. He asked, "Why?"
"Bai Yulan was suspected of illegally selling military equipment to foreign countries. Therefore, he cannot enter the core area," the official replied.
Xu Le knew about Secretary Bai's crimes. However, the military court did not convict him. Why did some people suddenly appear at such an important time? Unexpectedly, the faction from the Federal Academy of Science started to make their move again. Not only did they use Madman Li as a test pilot, they also tried to stop Bai Yulan at the last minute.
He looked at the official's cold face and suddenly said, "This is a test pilot from Nutshell's company. He cannot enter the core area? Then how will the mecha battle start? Can you bear this kind of responsibility? "
"Not only can he not enter the core area, he will have to follow me immediately for further investigation." The official smiled and said, "You don't have to scare me with the MX mecha battle. I am not a Federation official."
"Are you done yet? Are you done yet? " Xu Le could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. He stared into the official's eyes and said loudly, "I don't care what kind of f * cking official you are. If you dare to stop us, let's see how you will answer to the president."
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