A low whistle heralded the rocket's lift-off. The ground receded, and his companions who had seen him off vanished beneath the clouds.
Ou Zhanpeng turned to look out the window, his heart filled with reluctance.
Shan Qiuyu, understanding his predicament, not only approved two extra days of leave upon receiving his request but also granted Xu Qing, who was busy recovering, two days off as well.
The parting lovers clung to each other, an inseparable embrace that lasted for two full days, during which they were nowhere to be seen.
However, as the old saying goes, there are only tired bulls, never a field that cannot be ploughed. The ancients did not deceive us—in just two days, Xu Qing not only had no issues but even appeared more radiant than ever. Ou Zhanpeng, on the other hand, was spent. Despite his physique far surpassing that of ordinary people, he couldn't escape the weakness in his legs.
The physical examination before boarding the spacecraft had almost failed due to his extreme exhaustion, and even recalling it now sent shivers down his spine.
Women, when unchecked, were truly terrifying.
Before long, the rocket broke through the atmosphere, and the spacecraft separated from its boosters. The familiar sensation of weightlessness returned, and Ou Zhanpeng let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, he was free from that damned weakness!
The spacecraft altered its orbit and, seven hours later, arrived at the Cloud Palace.
Ou Zhanpeng, with his sharp eyes, suddenly spotted an antenna at the bottom of the Cloud Palace that looked remarkably familiar—it was the transmission end for wireless power!
Several robotic arms were busy around the transmission end, working up, down, left, and right, completing the final assembly.
Ou Zhanpeng blinked in surprise and then suddenly understood.
His original plan was to transmit from the ground to the sky and then cover the southern region. However, due to atmospheric resistance, the air-to-ground transmission incurred significant losses.
But the transmission from the Cloud Palace to the transfer station was all in space, with minimal loss. It was a perfect alternative!
Although the Cloud Palace's orbital altitude was insufficient, requiring it to circle the Earth more than a dozen times a day, the transfer station could both receive and transmit. By relaying signals between them, wouldn't that solve the coverage issue?
If the southern region were considered a goal, the Cloud Palace would be the server, the transfer station above the southern region would be the striker, and the other transfer stations would be the passers. This would form a complete and efficient transmission network!
Alas, he hadn't thought it through thoroughly enough!
Ou Zhanpeng engaged in deep self-reflection.
The ground-based transmission end currently in use wouldn't be wasted. It could be reactivated at critical moments and could also supply power to various orbital facilities, forming an extremely large global power supply network!
An air-ground integrated system, so to speak.
Extending his thoughts further, if the issue of ultra-long-range wireless power transmission could be solved, large solar power stations could be built at the Lagrange points to supply power to the entire globe and spacecraft in orbit.
Just imagining it sent a thrill through him!
The spacecraft docked successfully. Upon boarding the Cloud Palace, Ou Zhanpeng inquired about the departure time. With some time to spare, he found Mu Xingyu's office and chatted with his old leader, catching up.
Four hours later, the Earth-Moon Express set sail. On board the spacecraft, besides Ou Zhanpeng, was a group of researchers being dispatched to the Moon.
A day later, the spacecraft successfully arrived at the Moon and entered lunar orbit.
To ordinary eyes, the desolate plains and numerous craters would appear solitary, but to Ou Zhanpeng, they held a peculiar sense of familiarity.
However, as the spacecraft flew over Mount Luojian, he was astonished to discover a colossal crater on the Luojian Plain, with no surrounding smaller craters. It looked as if a greedy child had dug out a spoonful from a freshly made pudding.
This was by no means the result of an asteroid impact!
Ou Zhanpeng racked his brain but couldn't figure out how the massive pit had formed. On Earth, it might be attributed to an attempt to dig an artificial lake, but on the Moon, what purpose could it serve?
After circling the Moon seven times, the spacecraft entered its descent orbit.
Ou Zhanpeng was surprised once again. He noticed that the dark crater on Mount Luojian was gone, replaced by a small platform.
As the spacecraft approached the summit, the massive airlock sealing the crater slowly opened, revealing the spacecraft's landing platform, marked with a large number "3."
Ou Zhanpeng was utterly astonished. So, they had sealed the mountaintop with an airlock? In such a short time!
The spacecraft landed steadily on the platform. The airlock sealed above, and then the outside began to pressurize. About seven or eight minutes later, the hull shifted slightly as the platform supporting the spacecraft slowly descended into the mountain. The surrounding cabin walls transformed into familiar rock faces.
Before long, the platform reached ground level.
A gentle announcement sounded from within the spacecraft: "Dear passengers, the spacecraft has reached its destination. Please ensure you have your belongings and disembark in an orderly fashion. The external atmospheric pressure is normal, the temperature is 22 degrees Celsius, and the air quality is good..."
So, they wouldn't need to wear external suits?
Ou Zhanpeng's lips twitched as he suppressed his inappropriate surprise: "It's just sealing off an entire crater. What's the big deal?"
The cabin door opened, and before Ou Zhanpeng could disembark, a four-seater electric vehicle pulled up outside the door. A person leaped out with agility and, from a distance, shouted at the top of their lungs, "Ou Zhanpeng—"
Ou Zhanpeng was both surprised and delighted: "Captain Xie!"
The reunion between old comrades was exceptionally warm. The two embraced tightly, slapping each other's backs vigorously before finally letting go.
Xie Yu looked Ou Zhanpeng up and down, his gaze lingering on his rank. "I heard you went to Jupiter. I'm so envious!"
"Ah, what's there to be envious of? I had my life hanging by a thread the whole way, and I almost didn't make it back," Ou Zhanpeng replied with a hearty laugh, a carefree expression on his face.
It was all in the past; no need to bring it up.
"Don't just show off to me. If I get the chance in the future, I'll go too. To see Jupiter with my own eyes, it would be worth it even if I didn't come back!" Xie Yu said, half-jokingly.
"Oh, get real. There's no Jupiter anymore, it's been renamed Mu Yang."
"Hmph, Mu Yang, Tie Yang—to me, Jupiter is Jupiter!" Xie Yu picked up Ou Zhanpeng's luggage. "Let's go, Station Chief Gong is waiting for you. We can talk in the car!"
"I'll take it myself!" Ou Zhanpeng reached out to grab his luggage.
Xie Yu nimbly dodged. "Come on, why are you being so polite with me!" With a casual toss, he had already thrown the luggage onto the car.
Ou Zhanpeng got into the car and, looking curiously at the broken ship in the distance, asked, "What are they doing over there?"
Layers upon layers of scaffolding had been erected around the broken ship. Around it, various sizes of partition plates were piled high. Several large tower cranes straddled the ship, continuously delivering stacked materials to the top.
There were no people on the steel frames, only numerous robotic arms moving up, down, left, and right. They were fixing steel plates, moving materials, and operating with flexibility and coordination. Welds flashed incessantly on and around the broken ship.