Three days passed quickly.
Most of the time, Yu'er and Ye Zi were teaching these people.
Yu'er and Ye Zi remembered everything after practicing twice and then began teaching the experts brought by Jiang Qixin.
Operating the spaceship was not difficult. The challenge lay in understanding the principles of its operation, the energy conversion, and how it used air as a power source for takeoff.
The group of dozens of people studied the spaceship inside and out but couldn't figure out how it took off.
Because they could only simulate and not operate it directly, Guo Xuyang also couldn't discern how this spaceship functioned.
However, when he expanded his perception to its maximum, he did notice something different.
It seemed to contain some kind of fission device that could decompose air, then use that for fission to propel the spaceship forward.
Since there was no actual flight, he could only commit these observations to memory and examine them further during actual liftoff.
"How's the learning going?" Jiang Qixin asked the experts.
"We've memorized all the specific operating steps, but without actual flight, we still don't know how it really works," replied a middle-aged man in his forties.
"Let's have a test flight today," Jiang Qixin said to Guo Xuyang.
"Has all the external shielding been removed?"
"All of it on this side has been removed; the other side hasn't been dismantled yet."
"Removing one is enough. Xi Li, you operate it, and let these people watch," Guo Xuyang said, turning to Xi Li.
"I'm not very proficient either. This is my first time operating it."
"It's alright. After all, you've operated a smaller spaceship before, and these people have never done it. Besides, I'm here, so there's nothing to fear."
"Alright then. You'd better have them all sit in their seats. It's my first time operating something this large, I don't want to accidentally throw them around."
Guo Xuyang conveyed Xi Li's message to everyone present.
Upon hearing this, everyone rushed to find seats, quietly waiting for Xi Li to pilot the spaceship.
Xi Li put on the eye mask, sat in the pilot's seat, and pressed the buttons one by one.
The spaceship's takeoff was quite stable, ascending slowly. It only accelerated its flight when it was about ten meters above the ground.
Whether it was intentional or not, Xi Li's acceleration was incredibly rapid, causing several people to vomit on the spot.
To Guo Xuyang, it felt like instantaneous teleportation.
"Isn't this speed too fast?" Guo Xuyang exclaimed.
"It's much faster than our spaceship, and there's no noise," Jiang Qixin's voice came through the earpiece to everyone.
"Beautiful lady, ascend to an altitude of thirty thousand meters and check," Guo Xuyang continued.
"We've already passed thirty thousand meters," Xi Li's voice came through.
"Was that just now?"
"Yes. Didn't you feel weightless?"
"No. No wonder those few people got sick."
"I haven't even used the rapid teleportation yet. If I were to use it, I'm afraid you'd all be thrown about."
"Try it now, let me feel it."
"Then have them all secure themselves. I'll start after they're seated properly."
"Mr. Jiang, everyone, hold on tight. Let's have a bungee jump. Alright, beautiful lady, begin."
As soon as Guo Xuyang finished speaking, he felt his heart pound as if it would leap out of his chest.
This sensation was like rapidly falling from a great height, as if one's body was flying forward while the soul was desperately trying to catch up.
He fully released his senses and discovered a crucial element at the braking mechanism.
The gas instantly ejected from this device was mist-like, undergoing rapid fission, propelling the spaceship forward at high speed.
Although the spaceship's exterior looked unremarkable, the materials used were likely beyond humanity's current manufacturing capabilities.
"Where are we now? Xi Li?" Guo Xuyang asked.
"Less than a hundred meters from the ground. I'm not sure of the exact location."
"You mean we dropped from thirty thousand meters directly to less than a hundred meters above the ground? Isn't it displayed on the map?"
"No, only coordinates. I can't quite understand them."
"Never mind. Can you fly back?"
"Yes, I can. Shall we return now?"
"Can you temporarily park the spaceship in this position? Let Yu'er have a go at operating it."
"Of course, just press this button."
Xi Li said, pressing one of the buttons.
"Yu'er, come over here."
Hearing Xi Li's call, Yu'er took the eye mask she handed over and sat in her previous position.
"Please find a place to sit, I'm going to operate it," Yu'er said.
"Okay, one moment," Xi Li replied, sitting down next to Guo Xuyang.
"I'm about to start now. Please everyone, hold on tight," Yu'er's voice came through the headset.
"Begin, we're ready," Jiang Qixin said.
When Xi Li was operating earlier, it had nearly cost him his life.
Riding this spaceship was far more thrilling than bungee jumping.
Dropping from over thirty thousand meters to a hundred meters – was that something a person should endure?
This Xi Li was definitely doing it on purpose.
Although these people couldn't understand what Xi Li was saying, they could understand Guo Xuyang.
Yu'er's operation was incredibly smooth, without any abrupt ups and downs. Some people even got out of their seats to watch her work up close.
Guo Xuyang, meanwhile, unleashed his senses fully, meticulously perceiving the spaceship's braking, control, flight, and kinetic energy conversion.
After all, as Jiang Qixin had said, without tangible results, there would be no way to report back to superiors.
Relying solely on these so-called experts to cross-check data and calculate formulas would take far too long to yield any results.
Yu'er smoothly piloted the spaceship from one hundred meters up to thirty thousand meters, and then gently descended back to one hundred meters.
"Everyone, please hold on. I will gradually increase the speed," Yu'er, knowing exactly what Guo Xuyang was doing, prepared to incrementally ramp up the spaceship's velocity.
"Yu'er, after ascending and descending, try some horizontal movement. It's best to test it over the sea to avoid causing panic among people below."
"Okay, Yangzi. Everyone, hold on tight, here we go," Yu'er said, manipulating different buttons.
"Activate the protective shield," Guo Xuyang instructed.
"Understood," Yu'er replied, engaging the spaceship's protective shield.
"Dive into the sea."
"Roger that." Yu'er acknowledged and piloted the spaceship directly into the water.
The entire spaceship plunged into the sea without the slightest tremor.
"Ascend."
"Understood." The protective shield outside the spaceship was unaffected by the seawater. The entire craft, carrying water with it, rose straight into the sky.
"Yu'er, can you understand the coordinates?"
"The display here likely indicates positions in the night sky; we are located at the edge of the Milky Way.
The fine lines below seem to denote latitude and longitude, but I can't quite make them out."
"Xi Li, does this spaceship have a positioning system?" Guo Xuyang asked urgently upon hearing Yu'er's observation.
"The spaceship's positioning system cannot be removed, but its connection to our system is lost."
"How do you know?"
"I've already checked."
"That's good," Guo Xuyang secretly wiped a cold sweat from his brow.
[Author's Note]: This book will have three chapters today. Please continue to follow along. Throw your free silver tickets, and let's all get excited together.