Clearing the orbital debris presented numerous challenges, not something that could be overcome with mere slogans.
And reversing the debris was even more difficult.
In written terms, the difference between forward and reverse directions was a simple phrase, but in orbit, they represented two entirely different vectors, with relative speeds reaching fifteen kilometers per second.
The speeds were incredibly high; even a tiny piece of debris, upon impact, would possess immense power. It wasn't just the workboat in orbit that would suffer; the Yun Gong Hao itself would struggle to cope.
However, regardless of how dire the situation, the orbital debris could not be ignored.
For the past month and a half since the attack ended, the clearing team, led by Mu Xingyu, had been simultaneously working to repair the space station and diligently clearing various debris from orbit.
During this period, the clearing team had accumulated considerable experience. Two days prior, they had specifically manufactured two orbital clearing boats for Ou and Ling.
As the name suggested, these were orbital clearing vessels modified from rescue boats, equipped with various enhancements. It was the same familiar design, the same familiar approach.
Procrastination only leads to trouble, so the next morning, the two men piloted their orbital clearing boats away from the base.
The base immediately responded to the radar's reflection, indicating direction: "Clearing formation, there is a cluster of safe debris at four o'clock. I have sent the location information to your personal terminals."
Categorizing debris by orbital altitude was the simplest and most general method of classification. Soldiers preferred to differentiate debris by type:
Debris from alien warships, debris from their own warships, whether it was dangerous or not, whether it could be destroyed or not, whether it had to be recovered or allowed to fall to Earth.
It was rumored that some had even encountered half a missile left over from the explosion of a joint fleet warship.
"Received!" Ou Zhanpeng responded, taking the lead in approaching the debris cluster.
Although Mu Xingyu hoped the two would clear the reverse debris, everything had to be a gradual process, starting from the simple and progressing to the complex, step by step.
They couldn't just throw them into the most dangerous reverse debris without any opportunity to familiarize themselves with the tasks. That wouldn't be assigning a mission; it would be sending them straight to hell!
Ling Xiao submitted a request: "Base, 019 ready, commencing clearing operations!"
"019, you may proceed with operations. Be careful!"
"019 understands!" Upon receiving the reply, Ling Xiao immediately piloted the small craft closer to the debris cluster.
This clearing boat had a small head and a large tail. The front remained unchanged, but the crew cabin at the rear had been transformed into a high-capacity storage compartment.
Ling Xiao pressed the activation button, and the storage compartment opened its hatch. Power was then supplied to the core component, turning it into a powerful electromagnet. It circled the debris cluster, attracting magnetic metal fragments of all sizes. They swarmed into the storage compartment like swallows returning to their nests, filling it to about nine-tenths capacity in no time.
The storage compartment was closed, the magnet de-energized, and the clearing boat detached the storage compartment. A dedicated transport vessel then took the storage compartment back to the base.
The first round of clearing operations was successfully completed.
Ling Xiao's confidence surged. He repeated the previous work, quickly filling another empty compartment.
Repeating this process continuously, after a full two hours, all the magnetic metal was finally adsorbed, leaving only the non-magnetic metal that could not be attracted.
Next, it was Ou Zhanpeng's turn. He piloted the 024 clearing boat to approach the debris cluster. The external equipment modules, aided by the fire control system, locked onto the targets. Beams of laser were fired at the floating targets, and through the irradiation of linearly polarized light, the non-magnetic metal became magnetic, instantly turning into strong magnets.
(PS: The information was searched online with the hint from book friend "Dark Mage Xiede Dingding." The specific principles are not understood.)
Ling Xiao once again stepped in to collect the debris, and it was sent back by the transport vessel.
After several such repetitions, the cluster of debris was finally cleared completely.
The process was not overly complex, but it was extremely time-consuming and required patience. Ling Xiao, already restless, finally finished and immediately returned to the space station, not wanting to stay a moment longer.
"This job is too unchallenging; I might as well have stayed on the moon!" Ling Xiao grumbled unhappily.
Ou Zhanpeng was in no better mood and didn't know how to console him.
However, the challenging part was about to begin. When the two went out on another mission, the base suddenly reported a situation: "At nine o'clock, suspected warship wreckage, possible explosives, be careful!"
Ling Xiao grimaced, his teeth gritting. How could they encounter this so soon? What rotten luck.
Regardless of their thoughts, the two immediately approached the target. They estimated that this batch of debris came from a joint fleet warship. Scans revealed that the debris cloud contained four hand grenades, several hundred bullets, and two 155mm artillery shells.
There was nothing to say. All dangerous targets were marked, their risks were assessed through calculations, and finally, the dangerous items were detonated using machine guns.
Recovery? Forget it. Who knew what state this batch of munitions was in.
However, it was easier said than done. Detonating with machine guns was difficult to ensure accuracy. Ling Xiao blew up an artillery shell with one shot, and a burst of flame erupted, scattering all the explosives. It took a great deal of effort to destroy the remaining munitions.
Ling Xiao was so angry he gnashed his teeth, wishing he could just use a nuclear bomb.
Regardless, the work of the two was quite effective. After they became familiar with the equipment, they officially took over the task of clearing reverse debris.
In the understanding of ordinary people, the two of them would have to pilot their orbital clearing boats, transition from forward to reverse, and then gradually clear the debris in orbit.
But in reality, it was nothing like that. First, Mu Xingyu arranged for personnel to set up several specialized radars in orbit. Using the orbital data of the reverse debris, as soon as the debris passed the designated area, they would immediately drive their orbital clearing boats to charge forward. Through on-site coordination, they would create solid smoke of astonishing thickness and place it in appropriate positions to act as buffer layers to block the debris.
Everything had to be completed before the debris made its return trajectory. Generally, this took about ninety minutes.
The time was still ample, but the preparation of the solid smoke took a significant amount of time. By the time everything was ready, there was not much time left.
Ninety-four minutes later, the solid smoke suddenly sprang open, as if it had been violently flung aside by a powerful blow.
The two immediately recovered the solid smoke and inspected it carefully, confirming that the reverse debris was trapped inside the solid smoke. Only then did they ascertain that they had successfully captured the first piece of reverse debris.
What followed was a continuous process of deployment, recovery, and then deployment again.
The order of debris clearing was not arranged randomly, but rather prioritized according to the threat level of the debris to the Yun Gong Base, with higher-risk items being addressed first and lower-risk items being set aside.
Thus, the new work of the two gradually entered the right track, but they soon discovered that this job was not as easy as they had imagined.