Chapter 469 Above the Stars

"Dean He, you should take a look at this."

Zhao Mingyuan's voice came through the quantum communication system, his tone changed. Unlike the rote recitation he gave when reporting on experiments a few days ago, this time it carried an irrepressible excitement.

He Yuzhu put down his teacup. The bottom of the cup tapped softly on the control panel.

"What are you looking at?"

"Cells. Lymphocyte cell division." Zhao Mingyuan took a breath. "The spindle shaft direction—it's skewed."

He Yuzhu's hand froze in mid-air. "Speak slowly. What do you mean by 'messing up'?"

"On the ground, when cells divide, the spindle fibers always align along the direction of gravity. Here, there is no gravity, and the cells don't know which side is up." Zhao Mingyuan's voice trembled. "Dean He, the polarity of the daughter cells from the human lymphocytes we culture is completely random."

He Yuzhu was silent for a few seconds. He pressed the microphone and turned to look at Lin Jianguo. "Write it down."

Lin Jianguo's fingers tapped on the keyboard.

He Yuzhu released the microphone. "Zhao Mingyuan, are the daughter cells functioning normally?"

"Normal. The division process is normal, but the polarity is random." Zhao Mingyuan paused for a moment. "This has never happened in ground-based experiments. Under microgravity, cells have evolved different division strategies."

"The data has been processed and transmitted back to the ground. The Academy of Military Sciences is waiting to analyze it."

"clear."

Just as He Yuzhu was about to hang up, Zhao Mingyuan spoke again. "Dean He, there's one more thing."

"explain."

"The plant seedlings we're cultivating are growing in all directions. The roots aren't going downwards, and the stems aren't growing upwards. They're growing in all sorts of directions."

He Yuzhu frowned. "How can plants survive?"

"Light induction. We adjust the direction of the LED lights to encourage the seedlings to grow towards the light. However, the root system doesn't develop deeply, making them prone to lodging. Long-term planting requires manual support."

"Write this down. Kunlun, second version, improved."

Zhao Mingyuan responded, and the communication ended.

He Yuzhu had just picked up his teacup when the communication indicator light came on again. This time it was astronaut doctor Sun Liping. Her voice was tighter than usual, as if she was holding something in her throat.

"Director He, there's something I need to report."

"explain."

"Both astronauts experienced sleep disturbances. Wang Hao slept less than four hours a day for three consecutive days. Tan Wei's condition was slightly milder, but still abnormal. Neuropsychological evaluation showed mild anxiety."

He Yuzhu put down his teacup. "What did Wang Hao himself say?"

Sun Liping hesitated for a moment. "He doesn't admit to being anxious. He says he has chest tightness, but his electrocardiogram is normal."

"Have him speak to me."

A few seconds later, Wang Hao's voice came through the speaker. It was hoarse, but carried a forced calmness.

"Director He, I'm fine. I just can't sleep."

"How many days has it been?"

"Three days."

"Are you eating?"

"I can eat. I can eat."

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment. "Wang Hao, tell me the truth. Are you afraid?"

It fell silent on the other end. The people in the control center also fell silent.

"...I'm scared." Wang Hao's voice lowered. "Director He, we're 400 kilometers above the ground. If a plane malfunctions, I can parachute out, but if a spaceship malfunctions, I have nowhere to go."

"What you're afraid of isn't the malfunction itself. What you're afraid of is not being able to do anything about it."

"Maybe."

He Yuzhu's grip on the microphone tightened slightly. "Wang Hao, the Kunlun has seven escape pods. Each one can get you back to the surface. You know that."

"I know. Director He, I know."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

Wang Hao didn't answer. A very soft sigh came from the communication channel.

Sun Liping's voice broke in. "Director He, we'll adjust his schedule. We'll increase on-the-ground psychological counseling, once a day. We'll play videos of Earth's natural scenery. If that still doesn't work—"

"Let's try non-pharmacological interventions first," He Yuzhu interrupted her. "Don't use medication unless absolutely necessary."

"clear."

Communication was lost.

He Yuzhu leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the armrest a few times.

Lin Jianguo came up from the back row and handed him a slip of paper. "Dean He, it's a notification from the TV station. There's a special program after tonight's news broadcast—a reading of letters from astronauts to their families. It will be broadcast nationwide."

He Yuzhu took the note and glanced at it. "Whose is it?"

Lin Jianguo paused for a moment. "Ten letters, one of which was written by your son."

He Yuzhu's hand stopped on the note. He didn't say anything, folded the note twice, and stuffed it into his pocket.

Qin Huairu arrived at some unknown time. She stood at the entrance of the control center, not coming in. She was carrying an insulated bag, which probably contained lunchboxes.

He Yuzhu looked up, saw her, stood up, and walked over.

"Why are you here?"

"Bringing you food." Qin Huairu handed him the insulated bag. "Nianhua asked me to bring this. He said you must have forgotten to eat."

He Yuzhu took the insulated bag but didn't open it. "Are you busy tonight?"

"What is it?"

"Watching TV. Reading Hua's letter."

Qin Huairu was taken aback. "A letter? What letter?"

"The TV station selected his letter. It will be broadcast tonight."

Qin Huairu's lips moved, but she didn't speak. She turned and walked away. Her shoes clicked on the terrazzo floor.

It's 7:30 PM. The television in the control center is turned on.

He Yuzhu sat at the command center, his back to the television. Qin Huairu stood beside him, her hand on the back of his chair. Lin Jianguo turned down the brightness of the telemetry screen to make the television picture clearer.

The host sat at a mahogany table with several letters in front of her. She picked up the first one and read it aloud. It was a mother telling her son to take care of himself. The second letter, written by a wife to her husband, choked up as she read it.

The third letter.

The host picked up a light blue envelope.

"This is a letter written by a sixteen-year-old boy to his father. His father works at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The boy says that he wants to go to space someday and pilot a spacecraft that is faster than the Kunlun."

Qin Huairu's fingers dug into He Yuzhu's shoulder.

The host unfolded the letter.

"Dad, the day the Kunlun took off, I watched it disappear into the clouds from the stands. Mom said it would fly to the stars. I want to drive an even faster ship someday, to fly to places farther than the stars."

Qin Huairu's fingers were trembling.

"Dad, you never saw a spaceship when you were a child, but now you've built one. I never saw a faster ship when I was a child, but I'll build one someday too."

He Yuzhu stared at the large screen. The screen still displayed the telemetry data from the Kunlun spacecraft. The green numbers were jumping, one beat after another, like a heartbeat.

The host finished reading. She folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

Qin Huairu's hand slid off He Yuzhu's shoulder. She took a step back and turned around.

He Yuzhu stood up and followed her out of the control center.

In the corridor, Qin Huairu leaned against the wall, her head down. Her shoulders were trembling.

"Huai Ru".

"I'm fine." She looked up, her eyes reddening. "Nianhua is just like you."

"Being like me isn't a bad thing."

Qin Huairu didn't reply. She reached into He Yuzhu's pocket, pulled out the crumpled note, and unfolded it. It read, "Farther than the stars." She looked at it for a moment, folded it up, and put it back.

"Let's go home for dinner. Nianhua is waiting."

"You go first. I'll pack up and come back."

Qin Huairu turned and walked away. After a few steps, she stopped. "He Yuzhu."

"Um."

"You cried."

He Yuzhu touched his face. His fingertips were wet.

He didn't speak. Qin Huairu didn't say anything more either. She left. One by one, the motion-activated lights in the corridor went out.

He Yuzhu stood in the corridor, the lights were off. In the darkness, he could hear his own breathing.

He walked back to the control center.

Lin Jianguo stood up from his seat, holding a document in his hand, and quickly walked over to him.

"Dean He, the project approval documents for the second spacecraft have been approved. Hai Li has stamped them."

He Yuzhu took the document. The cover had the words "Yanhuang No. 2" printed on it, with a red stamp below. He put the document into his system space.

"There will be a meeting tomorrow."

He turned and walked out of the control center.

The lights in the hallway came on again.