Cape Canaveral Launch Site, Florida, USA.

Since the first launch of a rocket, codenamed "Corporal," in July 1950, the Cape Canaveral launch site has been one of the most important bases for space launches in the United States.

The latitude here is low, and launching a rocket to the east takes advantage of the additional speed of the Earth's rotation, which helps the satellite to enter orbit. Hundreds of acres of vast flat open space along the sea area can be used to meet the needs of multiple units of the old space silo device on a large scale.

Over the past four decades, it has included almost all U.S. missions to geosynchronous orbit.

However, just a few years ago, the former federal space launch base, which is located on the waterfront and has been completely purchased by the Howlett Group, except for some launch missions belonging to the "Joint Earth Space Force", more for related space research work within the group.

The X-3 experimental area is one of the three largest comprehensive test sites in the entire launch base.

On a field the size of a stadium of nearly 10,000 people lay a saucer-shaped blue-black spaceship.

Compared to the regular flight equipment of the Howlett Group or the "Whip of Order" team, this ship is not only extremely large in size, but also resembles the "flying saucer" name for alien ships in traditional science fiction stories.

More than a dozen robotic arms are built around the alloy platform, rhythmically spewing a pale blue glow on the ship's hull, and the final outer deck nuclear inspection is being done.

Suddenly, a roar of mechanically powered "muscles" came, and the latest Harley-Davidson "Fat Boy" shook off the rumbling thick exhaust pipe and drove all the way into the experimental area.

The tall, sturdy biker took off his helmet and jumped off the bike with his legs lifted, revealing his short, dirty blond hair.

After chewing gum for a few steps, he ran up the stairs, and smiled all the way into the spaceship with the staff.

"Susan, I'm more and more suspicious of the Howlett Group's vision when it comes to hiring employees, not when I said you dear, but your brother Johnny's boy, huh... There are only three days left before the launch mission, so look how long he's been late now!"

Ben Graeme raised his voice, glanced at it casually, and handed the last compiled spacecraft verification data to Reed Richards, who was immersed in his research world, writing and drawing, holding his arms and tilting his head angrily.

The bald-headed, stout Ben Graeme looks more like a brutal night thug, and complaining and disagreeing with Susan's "Peacock" brother on weekdays has been the daily routine of the "Cosmic Storm" experimental project team.

Susan Stone smiled sweetly, even in a loose research gown, she couldn't hide her bumpy figure, and her eyes narrowed like a crescent moon and said softly:

"Hehe, Ben, the group only cares about the result and completion of Johnny's mission, if something really goes wrong, he will be fired without any mercy, fortunately, Johnny's launch missions have been doing well in the past few years, but it's a pity that the previous special selection was brushed down, if-"

"——Thirty-one extraterrestrial flights and countless out-of-cabin operations, all excellent results! Sue..."

Johnny Stone, who looked like a typical high school team captain, took his sister's words, threw off the lambskin duffel bag on his shoulder, rested on the leather bag on his head, lay on a few splendor chairs, crossed his legs aggressively, pulled out a metal tablet the size of a notebook, and continued with random strokes:

「…… Hehe, although the pilot job of that weird selection mission is very good, and there is a stable 'wolf gold, take it, but it is definitely not a commercial job of the group, it seems that something is not quite right in the army, Sue, you don't have any behind-the-scenes information?"

Syllable!

The pink bubblegum balloon exploded and stuck to the corners of his mouth, Johnny continued to chew and retract quickly, staring at the electronic screen in his hand with bright eyes, and didn't pay attention to Ben who walked to his side with an angry face.

"Then it's no wonder you can't choose, when I was in the navy, I dealt with a prickly boy like you, and I was hungry for three days... What the hell, video games?"

stared at Johnny Stone, who was nearly two hours late, and dared to lie leisurely without feeling ashamed.

Ben was eager to grab his collar and throw him outside the test chamber, but as he spoke, he glared at Johnny's hand with wide eyes

The electronic screen on which a spaceship or warplane-style picture is swiped.

Out of the instinct of an astronaut pilot, Ben Graeme was subconsciously curious.

"Ha, haven't seen it, only the special talents of the Howlett Group can see' shopping, lists, look at this... God, I'm willing to do it for three years, no, not touch the girl for half a year!"

"Ahem, you mean... These things are, are they real? Can you buy it?"

Ben Graeme asked in disbelief as he crouched down hesitantly, leaned over Johnny's head and looked at a silver-gray model of a compound wing shuttle.

On the other side, Susan seemed to have seen the boys' obsession with cool machines, shook her head helplessly, swayed her waist and walked towards Reed Richards, checking the details of the experimental research three days later.

「… Of course it's true, dirt bald! This is the latest model of the 'Thunderbolt, a series of space shuttles, which are said to be equipped with epoch-making space technology, but the specific details are kept secret for the time being, as for buying it, do you think you can buy it with dollars?"

The green tendons on both sides of his forehead were beating and jumping, and Ben gritted his teeth and swallowed Johnny's mockery and bad taste nickname, muttering to himself about the authenticity of the aircraft model in the electronic light screen.

Through six months of collaborative research, he knows that the Orient Group has too many cutting-edge technologies and equipment products that are not known to the outside society or even the scientific community.

It's no secret that lightweight, single-person supersonic vehicles are commonly used by some otherworldly institutions, but the technological leap forward of a small spacecraft capable of navigating space is terrifying.

Johnny's cocked calves trembled triumphantly, and he clicked on his account page, pointing to the dark gold wolf head coin with the number 7 on it, and tilted his head to spit out the bubble gum in his mouth, almost getting it on Ben's body.

「… Wolf gold, wolf gold has always heard of it! Whether it is the lowest-end secondary vibranium equipment, the second-level Edelman Gold or their original top quality, all kinds of supersonic vehicles and even the Evolution Serum can only be purchased by exchanging the wolf gold obtained by completing the group's special missions. Hmm, it seems that things like serums require extra identity permission to change ......."

Johnny gave Ben information about the extraordinary channels within the Howlett Group, not so much that he was kind, but looking at the handsome face with his eyebrows fluttering, it was more like Okina showing off his unique superiority.

「…… People like you, who have only been to space four or five times in your life, don't know! I've flown more than 30 times over the years, and I've only earned seven wolf gold, but this time the task is good, I can get two more, this thing really needs to be taken out for dollars, hum, fool does that!"

The light curtain interface in his hand cut back to the only space shuttle model of the ruthless and elegant collection, and the three zeros displayed at the end of the number at the back made Johnny and Ben know very well in their hearts that they would probably never have the opportunity to exchange for such a treasure in their lifetime.

"'Cosmic Storm, the Project can be rewarded like this! How did I not know?"

Johnny tilted his head strangely to look at Ben, who was asking in a rough voice in astonishment:

"What does it have to do with you? You're not a ...... of our group."

While the two were talking, the crisp crackling sound of a pair of leather heels stepping on the metal floor quickly approached, and Victor Doom took care of the tie sewn with gold thread, and said in a loud voice with interest:

"Wolf gold for dollars? Whoever wants to change it, the price I give must be better than the one in the market outside!"

Mr. Doom looked at Johnny with a smile on his delicate white teeth, and when he saw that the latter's lips were closed and he didn't move, he shrugged his shoulders and walked straight to Susan and Reed at the center of the bench.

"Sue, my dear, I'm sure you and Reed are working together as well as ever."

did not shy away from the relationship between Susan and Reed on campus, Doom rubbed Susan's arm generously, as if swearing some kind of ***, but was avoided by the other party without a trace.

"Victor, I haven't promised you anything about Reed's level of scientific research ability, there is no doubt about it, he has finally approved the 'Cosmic Storm, the near-Earth node and time, I think the research operation will go well, isn't it Reed!"

"Huh?

Yeah...... Hi, you're here at Doom, just corrected a small error, if you don't find it, it's likely to misjudge the best time for the storm for almost an hour!"

Mr. Richards, who finally looked up from the pile of data and models, looked strangely at Susan beside him, rolled his eyes widely, shook his long blond hair and turned away.

Reed scratched the back of his head, still not understanding what was going on, covered his mouth and nose, cleared his throat and continued to ask:

"How about Doom, would you be interested in going up with us on a spaceship, 'Spacelab, it's amazing!'"

Since the initial construction of this interstellar vehicle named "Space Laboratory" has been completed, Reed has hardly returned home, and longs to live in the spacecraft every day.

The Howlett Group's extraordinary scientific and technological prowess, unparalleled emerging space industrial system, and world-class manufacturing technology have enabled Reed Richards to complete the "storm-resistant experimental module" that he envisioned at the beginning several times higher than expected.

This saucer-shaped spacecraft can not only meet the energy harvesting and research missions close to the cosmic storm, but also an interstellar vehicle that can soar into space at will.

It doesn't require any traditional rocket propulsion to go into space, and even the latest curvature engine technology is added.

The well-established multi-disciplinary scientific research equipment makes it a mobile high-precision laboratory, able to meet a variety of sample collection tasks, and no scientist can resist the temptation to do scientific research while swimming in the galaxy.

All of this was completed in six months, from the preliminary design to the construction of the experimental spacecraft, as well as various space testing tasks.

Victor Doom hugged his shoulders and looked around at the ship's cabin, smiling and shaking his head.

"If this is an experiment that is all about taking my money, of course I need to go myself, but... Hehe, anyway, this spaceship belongs to the property of the group, and there will be a chance to experience it in the future."

Doom patted Reed on the shoulder, and finally said in a tone of superiority and superiority:

「…… It's your old classmate, I'm going to say goodbye to him after this trip, so enjoy it."