newbobooks Chapter 110 Year
Chapter 110 Year
Ten years later.
Autumn 2043, Jinghua International Space Launch Center.
At six in the morning, before it was fully light, the area around the launch site was already packed with people. No, to be precise, the whole world was watching.
Today, the Dragon Kingdom's first interstellar voyage ship, "Xuanyuan," is about to set sail for Mars.
Lin Zhe stood on the observation deck at the top of the command center, gazing at the massive, silver-gray ship in the distance. Ten years had passed; he was thirty-nine years old, but his eyes remained as sharp as ever.
"General Lin, all systems have completed their self-checks," came the report over the communicator. "The 'Xuanyuan' is ready to set sail at any time."
"Received." Lin Zhe picked up his binoculars and carefully inspected the ship's hull.
Ten years have passed, and the world has changed so much.
That military parade that year was like pressing a fast-forward button. From that day on, China's development speed has left the rest of the world unable to keep up.
"dad!"
A boy ran up to the observation deck, panting. Twelve-year-old Lin Siguo had already grown to 1.6 meters tall, wearing the school uniform of Aerospace Middle School, with a "Young Astronaut" badge pinned to his chest.
"Slow down," Lin Zhe patted his son's shoulder. "Shouldn't you be in the viewing area?"
"I want to watch it with you!" Si Guo's eyes lit up. "Dad, is the 'Xuanyuan' really going to Mars this time? When can I go up there too?"
"Wait until you graduate from the aerospace university and pass all the assessments." Lin Zhe smiled. "What's the rush? You're only twelve."
"I can't wait!" Si Guo exclaimed, leaning on the railing. "All my classmates say they want to work at the lunar base and settle on Mars someday. Wang Xiaoming's dad has been working at the lunar base for three years and just came back on vacation last month. He told us so much about what's happening on the moon!"
Lin Zhe looked at his son's excited profile and felt a surge of emotion.
Ten years ago, these were just plots in science fiction novels. Now, they have become topics of daily discussion among children.
At 7:00 AM sharp, the launch entered its final countdown.
The global live broadcast begins. The camera pans across the viewing platform—where leaders from around the world sit—but today's protagonists are not them, but the astronauts about to embark on their journey.
Twenty astronauts lined up and walked toward the launch tower. They were a rigorously selected elite... This was the first true deep space exploration team in human history.
Leading the way was Commander Yang Zhenhua, the pilot of the maiden flight of the "Kunpeng" space carrier ten years ago, who is now a space hero.
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, the crew is ready and requests to board!" Yang Zhenhua's voice echoed throughout the area via the loudspeaker.
Lin Zhe pressed the communication button: "Boarding approved. Have a safe journey, and we await your triumphant return."
"Mission accomplished!"
The astronauts entered the elevator and ascended to the 100-meter-high bridge.
Then, the camera cuts to the moon.
Yes, live feed—images coming from a lunar base 380,000 kilometers away.
A massive domed complex stands on the lunar surface, surrounded by a barren gray plain, yet inside lies a lush, green ecosystem. Engineers in extravehicular activity (EVA) suits are expanding the base, while in the distance, lunar mining vehicles are at work.
"Dear viewers, this is the Dragon Kingdom's lunar base." A reporter stationed on the moon appears on screen. "Just yesterday, the base's permanent population surpassed 100,000. Among them are scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers... This has become a true human community."
The scene shifts to a classroom where children are having a lesson. The teacher is writing something on the blackboard, and the children are listening attentively. Outside the window, the blue silhouette of Blue Star hangs against the black sky.
The audience on Earth was stunned.
"My God... there are schools on the moon now?"
"Were those children... born on the moon?"
"Humans have truly ventured beyond Earth..."
Eight o'clock sharp, ten minutes to go.
Lin Zhe returned to the main control console in the command center. This console housed the world's top aerospace experts, and a massive stream of data scrolled across the large screen.
"Commander-in-Chief," a young technician reported excitedly, "we just received news that the first phase of the 'Tower of Babel' space elevator project has been completed, and the first manned test can be conducted next month."
Lin Zhe nodded. The space elevator—an engineering project that once only existed in theory—has finally become a reality thanks to breakthroughs in China's new materials technology. Once completed, the cost of traveling from Earth to space will be reduced to one percent of its original cost.
Five minutes left in the countdown.
Si Guo was led by staff to the family viewing area. Zhang Xueying was already waiting there, with Liu Zhenguo and his wife sitting beside her. The old general had been retired for five years, but he insisted on coming to see such an important event.
"Lin Zhe, that kid, he really did it," Liu Zhenguo remarked. "Back then, when he said he wanted to lead humanity to the stars, I thought it was just youthful boasting. Now..."
"He's done it now." The lady took his hand.
One minute countdown.
The whole world fell silent.
City squares, school auditoriums, family living rooms... billions of people are staring at the screen.
In a small city in China, the "post-00s" programmer who once said on television that he wanted to join the army is now a software engineer at the space agency. He works in the control center's back office with his wife and five-year-old son.
"Dad, is that big spaceship really going to fly away?" the son asked.
"Yes, to Mars." The engineer picked up his son. "When you grow up, you might be able to fly even further."
"I'm going to Jupiter!"
"Okay, let's go to Jupiter."
Ten seconds left in the countdown.
Lin Zhe took a deep breath and pressed the green button on the control panel.
"Xuanyuan, I wish you a safe journey."
10, 9, 8, 7...
Yang Zhenhua's voice came from the bridge: "Power system normal, navigation system normal, life support system normal... All crew members are ready."
Three, two, one!
ignition!
There was no deafening roar like with traditional rockets. The "Xuanyuan" uses a new generation of anti-gravity propulsion system. The hull trembled slightly before slowly lifting off the ground.
Its ascent accelerated, yet remained remarkably smooth. The silver-gray hull reflected a dazzling light in the morning glow, like a mythical giant bird spreading its wings and taking flight.
"Takeoff normal! Orbit parameters normal!"
"It has broken through the troposphere!"
"It has entered the designated orbit!"
Cheers erupted in the control center. But the work wasn't over yet—next, the "Xuanyuan" spacecraft would adjust its attitude in low Earth orbit, then activate its jump engine and fly directly to Mars.
Yes, a warp drive. This is one of the biggest breakthroughs in Chinese technology over the past decade, based on the "warp drive" theoretical model provided by Lin Zhe. Although it cannot yet achieve faster-than-light speeds, it can already shorten the travel time from Earth to Mars from months to days.
The scene shifts to the interior of the "Xuanyuan" spacecraft. The astronauts have unfastened their seatbelts and are floating in the weightless environment. Through the porthole, the entire Earth can be seen—that blue planet, silently rotating in the blackness of space.
"So beautiful..." an astronaut murmured.
"So we must protect her," Yang Zhenhua said, "and also go out and find a new home for humanity."
An hour later, the "Xuanyuan" completed its orbital adjustment.
"Activate the warp drive, countdown begins."
At the stern of the ship, the ring-shaped engine began to glow. It started as a pale blue, then grew brighter and brighter, finally turning a dazzling white.
"Three, two, one—Start!"
A dazzling light flashed.
When the light faded, the observation satellite transmitted back images showing that "Xuanyuan" had disappeared from near-Earth orbit.
Radar shows it is heading towards Mars at an astonishing speed.
"Jump successful! Expected to arrive in Mars orbit in five days!"
This time, the cheers really didn't stop.
Ten years. From Earth to the Moon, from the Moon to Mars. Next step: the asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn…
Humanity has truly ventured into the stars.