“5”

“4”

“3”

“2”

“1”

"Ignition!"

Circulating liquid lithium, tumbling in an invisible reactor.

With a dense array of bubbles injected, the energy closest to the origin of the galaxy was liberated from the invisible nucleus. At the moment of injection into the ionization chamber, the solid xenon in the working fluid chamber is ionized by a huge amount of heat into a high-temperature plasma emitting light and heat, which is sent into the engine nozzle in an orderly manner under the constraints of the magnetic field......

As if for a moment, a pale blue arc light lit up from the rear of the space shuttle, propelling the massive fuselage forward......

Forward!

Keep moving!

The speed is getting faster and faster, and gradually the tires leave the runway, the landing gear is retracted into the cabin, and the nose is slightly raised upward.

Dragging the azure arc light, carrying the human longing for space, the silver fuselage sank into the depths of the clouds and sailed to the blue sky......

Seeing it go away, the technicians standing next to the runway cheered and threw their hard hats into the sky, venting the excitement in their hearts.

At the same time, in the ground command center, which was less than 500 meters away from the runway, the same sound of cheers sounded.

Listening to the deafening cheers, Hou Guang, who had completed the countdown to the ignition, took a deep breath, slowly took off the headset on his head, and gently wiped the corners of his eyes with his cuffs while everyone was not paying attention.

How many years.

His dream finally became a reality.

Finally, he lived up to his teacher's hard work......

Designs that were considered useless at the time were finally reborn in a new shell.

Outside the launch center.

The soldiers guarding the launch center also saw the azure arc light that had sunk into the clouds. 、

Although their duty does not allow them to show their excitement too explicitly, it is obvious that they can see the joy and pride that cannot be hidden on the resolute faces.

Looking at the direction where the blue light disappeared from afar, Commander Dai's expression did not change much, but he silently raised his right hand and made a military salute.

God bless China.

May you return in triumph!

……

At the same time, outside the launch center.

An SUV stopped.

Yuan Huanmin, who had received authorization to enter the scene from the relevant departments, hurriedly walked towards the main entrance of the launch center. Secretary Yu, who got out of the car immediately afterwards, also followed closely behind him and walked quickly in the direction of the door.

Noticing the two people walking towards this side, the security personnel standing at the door on duty immediately stepped forward and stopped the two.

"Stop, there's a restricted area ahead!"

Secretary Yu didn't say a word, and showed the authorization document in his hand.

"This is the authorization document of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, hurry up and give way."

The security officer took the authorization document, took a closer look, and then returned the document to Secretary Yu.

"Sorry, the authorization is only for the blockade area, you can move around this area, but you can't go in."

Yuan Huanmin squinted his eyes and said, "What do you mean?" ”

The security officer said with a blank face, "This is a private area. ”

Secretary Yu's eyes widened: "You——! ”

There really is nothing wrong with this sentence.

Although this is a controlled area, in the final analysis, it is still the land taken by Star Technology. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has no problem with documents that allow them to pass through the controlled area, but if you want to enter the private land of a company, I am afraid that you have to go to the court or other special departments to get authorization......

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the launch center.

Immediately after that, a group of army soldiers ran over the launch site and rushed in the direction of the command center.

Looking back at the commotion at the launch site, the security personnel were slightly stunned, obviously not figuring out what was going on inside, but only saw the head of the Dai regiment and Hou Guang, the chief engineer of the aerospace assembly center, walking out of the launch center with a solemn face.

Yuan Huanmin, who also noticed the commotion in the launch center, immediately stepped forward when he saw Commander Dai and asked in an eager tone.

"What happened? Is the plane out of order? ”

Head Dai was about to speak, but Hou Guang was one step ahead of him, shook his head and said.

"That's not it, the launches have been successful so far, it's just ......"

Secretary Yu swallowed and spat, and then asked, "Just?" ”

Head Dai sighed and said with a solemn expression.

"Professor Lu is missing, we are still uncertain about the reason, we are looking for him, if you have any clues, I hope to be able to provide them to us as soon as possible......"

"Missing?" Yuan Huanmin opened his mouth in surprise, and said after a while, "Where did he go?" ”

"I was still at the launch center...... Could it be—"

Suddenly stopped talking, and Hou Guang's expression suddenly became strange.

Noticing the change in the expression on his face, Head Dai looked at him and hurriedly asked.

"What is it? Where is he now? ”

Hou Guang's expression was strange.

"I'm not sure, but it's possible, it's just a possibility...... He was on the plane, perhaps. ”

Yuan Huanmin: "??? ”

Director Yu: "??? ”

Head Dai: "??? ”

soldiers on duty standing next to them; “？？？”

On the space shuttle?

Damn?!

……

At the same time, above the clouds.

Nie Yun, who was sitting in the cockpit, was shaking his whole hand.

Looking at Lu Zhou who came out of nowhere, he held back for a while before he spoke.

"Why are you here?"

Leisurely brewing himself a cup of coffee, Lu Zhou, who was sitting in the passenger seat, smiled and said as a matter of course: "My plane, why can't I be here?" ”

Nie Yun: "......"

Nie Han: "......"

It makes so much sense that they don't know how to refute it.

Staring at the coffee in Lu Zhou's hand, Nie Han finally couldn't help it.

"Is it time for coffee?"

"Now is the only time I can drink coffee," Lu Zhou, who stirred lightly with a spoon and had no sense of crisis, said in a casual tone, "When you fly to the troposphere, I won't have a chance to drink it." ”

The acceleration of electric propulsion is much slower than that of chemical propulsion, and even in good conditions it takes more than 10 hours to reach low Earth orbit.

He had plenty of time to enjoy the cup of coffee before entering the weightless environment.

As for whether one more person than originally planned will cause a safety hazard, there is no need to worry about this. When the Xiangyun was designed, it was designed with a maximum capacity of 10 people, not to mention that one more person is no problem, even two more is no problem at all.

Nie Yun and Nie Han glanced at each other, swallowed and spat at each other, and made eye contact.

'Brother, what's the matter?' ’

'I don't know! Do you want to go back? ’

"But the cost of one launch is astronomical, so we'll just go back......

'No matter how astronomical it is, can there be that ancestor?' ’

As soon as he thought of this, Nie Yun couldn't help but grit his teeth for a while.

This guy ......

I don't have any self-awareness of how important it is to my own safety.

To be honest, the moment he stepped on the shuttle, he had already left life and death behind him, and even pressed the suicide note under the medal box in his drawer. Now, however, the words that are death-defying are unspeakable.

Not only that, but even if he played with his life, he had to drive the plane back safely.

Nie Han, who was sitting in the passenger seat, hesitated and looked back.

'Makes sense...... I asked the ground command. ’

Looking at the brother and sister who were making eye contact with their backs to him, Lu Zhou probably guessed what they were planning, so he coughed lightly and said.

"I know what you're thinking, but I advise you not to do it."

"If you return now, not only will our year-long efforts and the hard work of thousands of researchers be in vain, but the entire project will also be at risk of bankruptcy."

Deliberately putting the words more seriously, Lu Zhou paused for a moment before continuing.

"And...... I didn't go up with you out of boredom, and I have a reason to do so. ”

"Whatever the reason, you are soldiers, and it is your duty to obey orders, isn't it? The space brigade sent you over and told you to listen to me, and you should listen to me. Now, I ask you to concentrate on your tasks, and you don't have to worry about other things, let alone me. I get up every morning and run for an hour, and I'm in better shape than you think, and it's okay when I'm not there. ”

Is it a matter of physical fitness?

What does it mean to be non-existent!

Nie Yun complained fiercely in his heart, but after hesitating for a moment, he finally dispelled the idea of returning.

As Lu Zhou said, it is the duty of a soldier to obey orders.

From the moment his commander appointed him here, Lu Zhou was his superior. Even though he is not a soldier, he still has the authority to command him.

Therefore, even if there are 10,000 reluctances in his heart, he must fulfill his mission to the end......