Chapter 482 The Hero Returns
Tan Wei stood on the hatch platform, his mask pushed up, revealing a deep red mark on his face from the edge of his helmet. He glanced down at the concrete runway beneath his feet—grayish-white with a crack through which withered grass grew. He hadn't seen this color in the three months he'd spent in space.
"Director He," he said, his voice a little hoarse, clearing his throat. "The mission is complete. The curvature coil... needs repair."
He paused, his lips twitched as if he wanted to laugh but didn't.
Everyone is here. Not a single one is missing.
He Yuzhu looked up at him, not immediately returning the salute. After two seconds, he slowly raised his hand. Tan Wei saluted, and he saluted too. The two men lowered their hands almost simultaneously. He Yuzhu's throat bobbed, then he turned around, facing the other end of the track, showing everyone the back of his head.
No one saw his face. He didn't let anyone see it either.
Wang Hao peeked out from behind Tan Wei, glanced at the ground, then quickly pulled his head back in. He gripped the hatch frame, took two deep breaths, and then took his first step. The metal steps of the gangway thumped under his feet, each step firm as if to confirm that the thing wouldn't drift away.
"Director He, where's the millet porridge?" Wang Hao stood in the middle of the gangway, his voice weak but his tone still okay.
"Go to the cafeteria. Walk there yourself." He Yuzhu didn't turn around.
"How far?"
"Three hundred meters. If you can't run, just walk."
Wang Hao shuffled down the railing, his legs trembling.
Zhao Mingyuan followed behind Wang Hao, carrying a sealed metal box in his arms. The box was wrapped in foam, taped, and labeled with a red tag—"Cell Sample, Shockproof, Constant Temperature." His steps were even more unsteady than Wang Hao's; he swayed after descending just two steps of the gangway. He Yuzhu turned around and reached out to support the bottom of the box.
"These are lymphocytes cultured in microgravity for three months," Zhao Mingyuan's voice trembled. "Their division direction is completely random. The control group on the ground wouldn't be like this."
He Yuzhu steadied the bottom of the box and only let go after Zhao Mingyuan's feet touched the ground. The two exchanged a glance. Before Zhao Mingyuan could say anything, He Yuzhu turned to the researcher from the Academy of Military Sciences beside him and said, "Take it to the lab. Incubator, don't shake it."
The researcher ran away carrying the box.
Ma Yuejin squatted at the stern, his fingers tracing the gap where the insulation tile had fallen off. The composite material at the edge of the gap was burnt white, like broken bone. He touched it for a long time without speaking, and when he stood up, his knee clicked.
"Dean He, this tile didn't fall off on its own." He walked over, his voice soft, but each word slow and deliberate. "The bolt hole for fixing it was machined two millimeters off-center. The bolt only engaged three turns. With a slight vibration, it loosened, and the tile flew off."
He Yuzhu looked at him. "Who processed it?"
"Dalian factory. Batch from three years ago. The quality inspection report says it's qualified, but it didn't actually detect the problem."
"Investigate. Who signed the document? Who gave the order? Once you find out, notify the entire factory. Let them go down to the tower and see for themselves how badly the ship has burned."
Ma Yuejin nodded and stepped aside.
Qian Zhiyuan walked over from the bow of the ship, holding a stack of thermal imaging data. "The actual magnetic field attenuation of the anti-gravity system at an altitude of 60 kilometers is 8 percent higher than our calculated value. The coil performance is 8 percent lower than the design value. The design margin for Yanhuang-2 needs to be increased from 20 percent to 30 percent."
"We'll send out a written report later. We'll have a meeting next week focusing on this data."
Qian Zhiyuan tucked the data under his arm and left.
Outside the cordon, reporters began to push forward. One man carrying a camera nearly tripped over his tripod; someone behind him gave him a push. A wall of guards stood in front, preventing anyone from crossing the white line.
He Yuzhu walked over. The reporters quieted down, and microphones were extended over the police tape.
"Director He, the insulation tiles have fallen off, and the temperature has exceeded the standard. Does this count as a mission failure?"
He Yuzhu looked at the reporter who asked the question but didn't answer immediately. He paused for three or four seconds before speaking.
"The Kunlun has been operating in orbit for three months. The warp drive test was successful. The anti-gravity system activated at an altitude of 60 kilometers, and the spacecraft landed safely. What's that called?"
The reporter was stunned.
"This is called an experiment. Experiments will yield data. Why did the insulation tiles fall off? Why didn't the bolts hold? Why is the actual performance of the anti-gravity system 8% lower than the design value? Once these problems are clarified, the same mistakes won't happen again on the next ship."
Another reporter raised their hand. "Director He, when will the next mission depart?"
"Wait until this ship is repaired. Wait until Yanhuang II is built."
"Where is Yanhuang-2's target?"
Centaurus.
Some reporters gasped, some bent down to take notes, and some snapped photos in rapid succession. The sound of camera shutters filled the air.
"How long will it take to fly to Alpha Centauri?"
"Forty years."
No one laughed anymore.
He Yuzhu didn't wait for them to ask any more questions and turned to walk back to the side of the ship. Tan Wei had already taken off his spacesuit and was wearing a blue jumpsuit, looking up at the bow of the ship.
"Director He, now that this ship is repaired, is it really not going to fly anymore?"
"It's not flying anymore. It's an experiment. The goal is to make the next one fly even farther."
Tan Wei was silent for a moment, then extended his hand. He Yuzhu shook it. Tan Wei's palm was rough, and his knuckles were large. After shaking it, he didn't let go, but held it for another two seconds.
"Can I still register for Yanhuang No. 2?"
"Yes. As long as you can still fly."
Tan Wei let go of his hand and turned to walk towards the cafeteria. After a few steps, he turned back and called out to He Yuzhu, "Save me a bowl of millet porridge."
Wang Hao chimed in from a distance, "Two bowls! And I'll also have a steamed bun!"
Zhao Mingyuan didn't shout. He was already squatting by the track, looking down at the ground, his fingers fiddling with a pebble. It was a grayish-white, irregularly shaped pebble from the Gobi Desert.
He Yuzhu stood at the stern, staring at the charred gash. A system interface flashed in his mind—Yanhuang II progress 20%, improved warp engine version available for redemption. He didn't click on it.
Yang Xiaobing walked over. "Director He, the reporters are still waiting. Would you like to say a few more words?"
"There's nothing more to say. Just let them play the recording."
Yang Xiaobing nodded and left.
He Yuzhu got into the jeep and started the engine. As the car drove across the runway, he slammed on the brakes as it passed the bow of the ship. The bow of the Kunlun gleamed dark gray in the sunlight, the burn marks on the heat-resistant tiles resembling scars. He released the brakes, stepped on the accelerator, and drove out of the base gate.
The road across the Gobi Desert was straight. He gripped the steering wheel with one hand and retrieved the design framework for Yanhuang II from the system space. The progress bar was at 20%, and the button to redeem the improved warp engine was lit. He closed the interface.
The car pulled up to the entrance of the research institute. Old Zhao, the gatekeeper, stood outside the reception room and waved at him. He honked the horn once, but didn't stop.
The motion-activated lights in the corridor turned on. He pushed open the office door and sat down. A stack of new documents lay on the desk. He opened the top document, the preliminary research plan for Project Sky Shield.
the phone is ringing.
"Director He, Hai Li is asking you, how long do you plan to serve as the chief designer of Yanhuang II?" came Old Sun's voice.
He Yuzhu held the receiver but didn't answer immediately. He looked at the document on the table, the cover of which read "Overall Design Scheme of Yanhuang II".
"Wait until He Nianhua graduates from university."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. "He Nianhua? Your son?"
"Yes."
He Yuzhu hung up the phone. Footsteps echoed in the corridor, growing closer. Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Lin Jianguo pushed open the door and came in, holding the maintenance schedule for the Kunlun. "Dean He, the coil replacement plan has been finalized. Three months' timeframe, not a minute off."
He Yuzhu took the progress chart, glanced at it, and placed it on the table.
The system interface flashed again—"Improved version of Warp Engine available for redemption." He looked at that line of text, then reached out and closed it.
No rush. Let's fix this ship first.