Chapter 450 Dragon Bone Merging Ceremony

As Yang Xiaobing placed his hand on the blond man's shoulder, the man raised his camera and pointed it at the dragon bone.

"Sir, press pass." Yang Xiaobing's voice wasn't loud, but the five words were delivered firmly.

The man recoiled as if electrocuted, dangled the camera around his neck, and gave a slight smile. He spoke in broken Chinese, his accented with rolled "r"s: "Associated Press, I have an invitation."

"The invitation has someone else's name on it. Hand over your camera."

Before the man could explain further, Yang Xiaobing had already pulled the crumpled invitation from the man's pocket, glanced at it, and tucked it into his own jacket pocket. He took off his camera and handed it to the guard behind him: "Take him to the security office. Find out who sold him the invitation."

The celebration hadn't officially begun yet. A makeshift stage had been erected at the entrance of the assembly plant, red cloth draped over wooden planks, wrinkled by the Gobi Desert wind. Rows of folding chairs were arranged below, and more than three hundred people took their seats—researchers, workers, soldiers, and their families. Qin Huairu sat in the first row, her hands on her knees, her nails digging into the texture of her cotton trousers. He Nianhua sat next to her, craning his neck, staring at the steel frame in the plant like a child staring at a giraffe on their first visit to the zoo.

He Yuzhu stood behind the curtain at the side of the stage, clutching his speech notes but not looking at them, folding paper airplanes instead. Old Sun walked over and whispered, "The reporter's matter has been dealt with; he's being held by security, and his camera has been confiscated."

"Who let him in?"

"The invitation was sent to a reporter from Xinhua News Agency, but that person suddenly fell ill and the letter was forwarded to him. He didn't know the rules."

He Yuzhu put the folded paper airplane into the drawer. "Find out the truth. If it was unintentional, warn them and release them. If it was intentional, hand them over to the police."

Old Sun nodded and walked away. Qin Huairu turned her head from below the stage, her gaze searching through the gaps in the curtain. He Yuzhu waved to her. She didn't smile and turned her head back.

Deputy Director Zhao walked onto the stage and began to speak. He read his prepared remarks with impeccable composure—international situation, the spirit of aerospace, the Four Modernizations. Someone in the audience yawned. He Nianhua didn't listen at all; her eyes were glued to the keel. Qin Huairu gripped He Nianhua's wrist, her nails digging in again. He Nianhua winced in pain before Qin Huairu released her, whispering, "Sit still."

After Deputy Director Zhao finished reading, the applause was sparse. He Yuzhu walked onto the stage.

He stood before the microphone, his hand resting on the wooden podium, and glanced at the audience. More than three hundred faces—black, white, young, and old. He wasn't looking at his notes.

"Comrades, the keel of the Kunlun has been fully joined today. It is 400 meters long, weighs 2,000 tons, and its nine sections were transported from Shanghai, Dalian, and Guangzhou to Jiuquan and glued together using adhesive bonding technology. This is the first interstellar research vessel in human history."

No one applauded. The wind made the red flag flap loudly.

"The Americans are developing biological and chemical weapons, Star Wars, and the militarization of space. We don't do that. We focus on science, exploration, and peaceful development. But peace isn't something you can achieve by kneeling. The Kunlun is our fist. Only when our fist is strong enough will others talk about peace with us."

Someone clapped once, followed by a burst of applause. He Nianhua stood up to applaud, but Qin Huairu pulled him back to his seat by his sleeve, and he bounced up again as soon as his bottom touched the chair.

After the applause subsided, He Yuzhu continued speaking.

"The next step is to install equipment and fuel, and conduct tests. The Kunlun will make its maiden flight next February. I will be at the launch site watching it take off."

He took a step back and bowed.

The applause was even louder than before. Ma Yuejin whistled, and someone next to him patted him on the back of the head. Old Sun took off his glasses and wiped the lenses at the back of the crowd. Yang Xiaobing rushed back from the security office, stood in a corner, looking at the stage, the scar on his face glowing dark red under the lights.

Qin Huairu's hands were red from clapping. He Yuzhu walked off the stage and sat in the chair next to her. She didn't look at him, but reached out and took his hand. Her palms were sweaty, and her nails had dug four crescent-shaped marks into the space between his thumb and forefinger.

"Why are your hands so cold?" she asked in a low voice, her tone more like a complaint than concern.

"It was the wind." He squeezed her hand.

"You always say it's the wind blowing."

He Yuzhu didn't respond. Qin Huairu didn't say anything more either, but she didn't loosen her grip.

The main assembly plant gate slowly opened. Beams of searchlight shone in from both sides, illuminating the surface of the keel, causing the carbon nanotubes to shimmer with tiny points of light. The 400-meter-long dragon lay on its support, its head pointing east and its tail pointing west.

He Nianhua jerked off his chair and stood up. "Dad, can I go in and take a look? Just up close."

"Wait until the celebration ends."

"I can't wait." He said it, then immediately regretted it, shrinking back as if his father was about to glare at him. He Yuzhu didn't glare; he looked at his son for two seconds, then stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go, let's go now."

The father and son walked into the factory one after the other. Qin Huairu watched their backs, her lips moved slightly, but she didn't call out.

There was still an empty section at the tail of the keel, which would be used to install an experimental module in the future. He Nianhua walked over, looked up at the empty space, and the light from the searchlight shone from the side, leaving a half-light and half-shadow dividing line on his face.

"Dad, when I pass the astronaut exam, I want to pilot the Kunlun spacecraft myself."

He Yuzhu's hand rested on the keel surface, the icy touch sending a sensation up his fingertips. He didn't turn around, nor did he speak immediately; after a few seconds, he said, "You pass the exam first."

"I'm sure I'll pass the exam." He Nianhua's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail being driven in. After a pause, she added, "You just wait."

He Yuzhu turned around and looked at his son. The brightness in the boy's eyes wasn't from the reflection of light; it emanated from within.

"Okay, I'll wait."

Outside the factory, the celebration was drawing to a close. Qin Huairu sat alone in the front row, with two empty seats next to her. He Yushui walked over from the back row, her belly already swollen, her hands on her hips. Chen Zhihong followed behind, trying to help her, but she shook him off.

"Sister-in-law, where's my brother?" He Yushui sat down in the chair next to Qin Huairu.

"I took Nianhua inside to see the dragon bones."

"That child, Nianhua, will definitely be on this ship in the future." He Yushui said this while looking at the factory gate, her tone calm, as if she were making a weather forecast.

Qin Huairu didn't reply. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket, folded it twice, and then stuffed it back in.

Yang Xiaobing walked over from the side and whispered a few words in Lao Sun's ear. Lao Sun's expression changed, and he quickly walked towards He Yushui.

"Rain, is your brother in the factory? Another car pulled up at the gate, with diplomatic license plates. They say it's from the Soviet embassy and they're here to 'congratulate' us. Should we stop them?"

He Yushui was taken aback. "Go ask my brother, don't ask me."

Old Sun turned to leave, but He Yuzhu had already come out of the factory, with He Nianhua following behind. After listening to Old Sun's words, He Yuzhu thought for three seconds. "Please invite them in. The celebration is over. Let them stand at the factory entrance for a while, take a few photos, and then send them away. Don't let them see close-ups of the keel; only let them see the distant view."

Old Sun accepted the order and left.

He Nianhua returned to Qin Huairu's side, still discussing the dragon bone. Qin Huairu overheard for a moment, then suddenly stood up, grabbed He Nianhua, and pulled her away. He Nianhua stumbled as she was dragged. "Mom, what are you doing?"

"Go back, you haven't finished your homework yet."

"The celebration isn't over yet—"

"It's over." Qin Huairu said without turning her head.

He Yuzhu stood at the factory gate, watching the mother and son's figures disappear under the streetlights. The wind blew, carrying sand that stung his face.

Lin Jianguo emerged from the factory building, holding a folder in his hand, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. He lowered his voice and said, "Dean He, the foundation for the 100-meter superconducting ring is complete. Qian Zhiyuan approved it; the concrete reached its strength target in three days, with an error of only 0.3 millimeters. The coil support structure can be installed next week."

He Yuzhu took the folder and glanced at it. A photo of the foundation was pasted onto the paper. The circular foundation had a diameter of 105 meters, a smooth and flat surface, and the expansion joints were cut straight.

"The construction period has been shortened?"

"Eight days ahead of schedule. Qian Zhiyuan was pushing hard, so the construction team worked in three shifts."

He Yuzhu closed the folder and handed it back to Lin Jianguo. "Good. The foundation is in place, and the ring isn't far off. Tell Qian Zhiyuan that we can't let our guard down on precision. After the Kunlun spacecraft goes into space, the 100-meter ring will be the next target."

Lin Jianguo nodded and turned to leave.

"Jianguo," He Yuzhu called out to him, "Don't announce the completion of the foundation yet. The Soviet embassy staff are still at the door."

"clear."

Lin Jianguo left. He Yuzhu stood at the factory gate, watching the black sedan in the distance—the Soviet embassy's car was parked outside the gate, and two men in suits got out and were negotiating with the sentry. Old Sun went up to them, shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and led them towards the factory.