January 21, 2024.

The capital, a secret astronaut training base.

Lin Xian looked at Chu Anqing, who had unexpectedly appeared, turned to Huang Que, and frowned, "You said you'd find another team member, but why is it Anqing?"

"Why can't it be Anqing?"

Huang Que crossed her arms and looked at Lin Xian. "Realistically speaking, in terms of adaptability to space operations, Chu Anqing, with her dance background and long-term training, is much more suitable than you laymen who haven't received any relevant training. Especially Gao Yang..."

She lowered her head, looking at Gao Yang's shirt buttons that were about to pop open and his beer belly that was about to burst out. "I'm worried about whether you can withstand the acceleration of the rocket launch. I feel like you might vomit all over the passenger cabin."

"That's impossible!"

Gao Yang confidently waved his hand. "This belly of mine is a one-way Qiankun pouch. Nothing that goes in ever comes back out! I've been drinking for so many years, and I've never thrown up once! No way am I letting anything I eat come back up!"

Wei Cheng looked at Gao Yang and smiled. "Having that kind of mentality is better. Actually, just riding a rocket into space, without going outside the cabin, isn't as dangerous as everyone thinks. First of all, there's the advancement of technology. Today's rockets are very stable in terms of both attitude and acceleration. After 'gravity overload adaptation training,' it's not a big problem for a healthy person to go into space."

"Previously, the world's richest man, Jiasike, sent four ordinary people into space for a trip. They were much older than you, and they adapted after only a few weeks of training. The gravity overload caused by rocket acceleration, although it sounds scary, is actually only about 4g."

"What does 4g mean? Some of the more exciting roller coasters in amusement parks can reach accelerations of 4g at their most thrilling moments. Compared to that, isn't it less terrifying? Plus, the gravity overload of a rocket's acceleration is very smooth, making it easier to adapt to. That's why I said... compared to physical fitness, Gao Yang's relaxed attitude is the most needed."

"Of course, physical fitness is still the most basic thing. Gravity overload adaptation training is still necessary. I'm just saying these things to keep you from being so nervous. Even for ordinary people, it's not a very difficult thing. Cats and dogs have been sent into space on rockets throughout history, let alone the adaptability and learning ability of humans."

…

As the pilot of this spaceplane and the head coach for everyone these past two months, Big Brother Wei Cheng is very professional.

Lin Xian also understood.

Wei Cheng said this to boost everyone's morale, to prevent them from backing down before they even started training.

Unlike conventional spacecraft that launch, orbit, and then fall back to Earth, the spaceplane's landing eliminates the atmospheric re-entry phase.

That phase...

Is the real test of an astronaut's physical fitness.

Unlike the smooth 4g acceleration during a rocket's ascent, the acceleration overload during a spacecraft's re-entry into the atmosphere can reach 6g, 8g, or even more than 10g.

But Lin Xian and the others didn't need to worry about that problem.

The self-propelled spaceplane would carry them back into the atmosphere smoothly and land at the airport.

That's why Old Brother Wei Cheng said that this spaceplane trip wasn't dangerous.

As long as there were no accidents, there would definitely be no accidents.

But...

Even though Lin Xian understood this, he still couldn't figure out why Huang Que had brought Chu Anqing.

Clearly, there were many people more suitable than Chu Anqing, right?

Even from the perspective of trustworthiness.

Did it have to be Chu Anqing?

He stepped forward and came to Chu Anqing, who was wearing a space base training suit. "You didn't sneak out again, did you?"

"Not this time!"

Chu Anqing took out a red-headed document from behind her and held it out to Lin Xian. "Ta-da! Look! My dad agreed!"

Lin Xian looked at the red-headed document.

Indeed...

In addition to the seals of various national departments, there was also Chu Shanhe's signature and handprint.

It was quite strange.

When did this daughter-slave become so enlightened?

Or was it that Chu Shanhe was really at ease with space travel and didn't think it was dangerous?

"How did you convince your dad?" Lin Xian asked.

"Ah... that wasn't easy..."

Chu Anqing said with a sigh. "We argued for a long time before he finally agreed. In the end, I said a reason he couldn't refuse, and that's why he let me come!"

Her mischievous eyes rolled, and she said with a grin, "Who told him to be Chu Shanhe? Like father, like daughter. He should have had the self-awareness and mental preparation a long time ago~"

"Alright." Huang Que clapped her hands, interrupting the two. "Stop chatting and get back in formation. I'll explain the 'Spaceplane Collection of Alpha Matter' plan in detail."

…

Alpha matter refers to space-time particles.

The reason Huang Que didn't say it directly was because Wei Cheng was present. She didn't want this "outsider" to know their real plan, while Gao Yang and Chu Anqing would be told the truth before the final plan began. After all, they would all be together when executing the final mission. Wei Cheng, on the other hand, would be in the cockpit, focusing on piloting the spaceplane and not participating in the capture operation in the passenger cabin and equipment operation cabin.

Lin Xian and Chu Anqing returned to the team together, standing to the left of Gao Yang again.

The four of them stood in a row, listening to Huang Que speak.

"Our team's chief scientist... who is also the only scientist and engineer, Liu Feng, will probably come here to join us in about a month. He will bring the Alpha matter capture device, as well as specific data on when, where, and at what altitude the Alpha matter will reach the Earth's atmosphere. The detailed flight plan will need to be determined after the specific information is confirmed."

"What we need to do now is for you three team members, Lin Xian, Chu Anqing, and Gao Yang, to receive guidance from Teacher Wei Cheng at this secret base, and undergo relevant physical training, as well as learn how to operate the equipment on the spaceplane, if you have the spare energy."

Gao Yang raised his hand. "Does that Liu Feng need to undergo training?"

Huang Que glanced at Gao Yang with a [that's none of your business] look.

"Liu Feng will be carrying a simple detection device, constantly locking onto the location of the Alpha matter, to guide Wei Cheng in controlling the spaceplane's flight path. He'll be sitting in the cockpit and will only need to undergo overload training, so his task isn't as heavy as yours."

"Alright, we'll talk about the specific details when the time comes. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so let's start with physical training and overload training first."

"Also... time is tight and the mission is heavy. You won't be going home for the New Year's Eve holiday soon, so continue training here. At most, we'll give you a break on New Year's Eve to go out and relax, but don't think about resting at other times. Our time is really tight."

With that, Huang Que clapped her hands, gesturing to dismiss them. "That's all I wanted to say. Since everyone doesn't have any questions, let's start training immediately. Wei Cheng, you take them first—"

Gao Yang raised his hand again, interrupting Huang Que's speech.

Huang Que's eyebrows twitched, looking at Gao Yang with a [why do you have so many problems] look. "What's your problem now?"

"Isn't it time for dinner yet? Can't we eat first and then work?"

Gao Yang's eyes were clear and pure, and he rubbed his fat belly. "I'm hungry."

…

…

"Heave-ho!"

Chu Anqing jumped down from the spinning chair that had just stopped, like a ballerina finishing a dance, lightly touching the ground with her toes, standing steadily, not crooked, not tilted, not swaying.

Wei Cheng looked at the data on the instrument in stunned silence, turned to look at Chu Anqing, and said, "Not dizzy?"

"Not dizzy."

"Nauseous? Headache, vomiting, anything like that?"

"Nope."

Chu Anqing turned around twice in place, looking at Wei Cheng in a relaxed and happy manner. "See, nothing at all."

Wei Cheng gasped... and drew several checkmarks with a whooshing sound in the notebook he was holding in his right hand. "Amazing, your physical fitness is just that of a natural astronaut!"

Lin Xian and Gao Yang next to him listened in silence to Wei Cheng's unparalleled praise of Chu Anqing.

They were too embarrassed to say anything.

It had been half a month since they came to the secret astronaut training base.

During this period of training, Chu Anqing showed an incredibly amazing talent.

Whether it was a centrifuge, a rotating chair, a buoyancy tank, a zero-gravity simulator, or any other kind of equipment... Chu Anqing didn't need any adaptation at all!

She just sat on it and went straight to full power!

After a series of bangs and crashes, she would jump down lightly like a cat, feeling carefree.

Wei Cheng had previously suspected that Chu Anqing had some incomplete development of the neural center in her brain, or even abnormal function of her cochlea?

There was no way a normal person could go through this kind of devilish training and still be completely fine!

This physique was ridiculously exaggerated!

But after an examination, it was discovered that Chu Anqing's development was normal, and there was nothing abnormal about her brain or other organs.

This directly changed Wei Cheng's previous stereotype of Chu Anqing as a "pretty face," and he transformed into a praise god:

"Amazing... not only is your physical fitness so amazing, but your physical coordination is also quite outstanding. I wonder if this has something to do with your years of dancing. But actually... when the country selects pilots, they also encounter many children who have practiced dancing since childhood, and their coordination is not this strong..."

"No wonder Ms. Huang Que specifically called you over! To be honest, at first I was just too embarrassed to say it, I had a hunch that it was very inappropriate for Ms. Huang Que to bring a teenage girl, but after all, she is the commander-in-chief, and I must unconditionally obey orders, so naturally I didn't say much."

"But I completely understand now. Ms. Huang Que really has a discerning eye, no wonder the country trusts her so much... Anqing, an astronaut physique like yours, one in a million, even one in a billion, is really hard to find even with a lantern, and Ms. Huang Que can actually find you in the vast crowd, she really has the ability and means."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Wei Cheng drew several more checkmarks in his notebook, praising her non-stop.

"As for the other two..."

He narrowed his eyes, looking at Lin Xian and Gao Yang, who were silent by the wall, as if he hated them for not living up to his expectations.

Especially Gao Yang.

At this time, he was whistling and picking at the wall, indicating that you can't see me, you can't see me...

On the first day, during centrifuge training.

Gao Yang volunteered to be the first to go up.

Looking at the centrifuge, which looked like a horizontal sledgehammer, Gao Yang sneered:

"Isn't this just an enlarged version of the rotating coffee cups in the amusement park? Let me do it!"

As a result...

He didn't even turn a few circles before he threw up.

Fortunately, Wei Cheng had the foresight to teach Gao Yang how to use the vomit bag in advance.

Lin Xian was better.

Besides feeling a little uncomfortable with his eyes being thrown around, he didn't feel any other discomfort during the centrifuge.

This may have something to do with his experiences in dreams.

He had already adapted to things like acceleration and overload, whether it was racing or skydiving.

Although he couldn't reach Chu Anqing's level of "no problem!" "Fun! One more round!", his results were already very excellent compared to ordinary people. Of course, he definitely couldn't compare to astronauts, but Wei Cheng also bluntly said:

"It's enough to carry out this mission."

But...

Lin Xian still lost to the spinning chair.

This was a chair that would spin rapidly in place like a tumble dryer.

When using it, people would be secured to the chair with seat belts and straps, then they would put on blindfolds and start spinning in place, spiraling but not ascending to heaven.

He stubbornly resisted for a long time, finally reaching the edge of dizziness and vomiting when the time was up.

But Lin Xian's limit had also been reached.

After getting out of the spinning chair, Lin Xian was also unable to stand steadily, the world was spinning, and he had to hold onto the wall.

And Chu Anqing, on the other hand.

She could even seamlessly transition into a swan dance the moment she jumped down from the spinning chair... she was truly a congenital astronaut, and Wei Cheng wasn't exaggerating at all.

Fortunately, after more than half a month of training, Lin Xian, who was already in decent physical condition, had also improved a lot, and was considered qualified in Wei Cheng's eyes.

Only Gao Yang...

He had lost a little weight, but perhaps because he was a salesman who often stayed up late, drank, smoked, and socialized, his physique was very poor, and he lagged far behind in all training.

"No..."

Gao Yang threw away the piece of wall he had picked off and walked over, unconvinced. "It's redundant for us to train in these things! You asked me to come to operate the robotic arm, right? Then give me a gamepad to practice operating! The principle should be similar to that of an excavator, up, down, left, right... why are you always making me practice these useless things?"

He pointed to the spinning chair that Chu Anqing had just jumped down from, the one that had been spinning wildly. "Under what circumstances would this happen? Is our spaceplane going to spin around like a tumble dryer? Is it the Fang-Passing Fang jutsu from Naruto?"

"If the spaceplane spins like that, I'm afraid the entire plane would fall apart before I even vomit!"

After hearing this, Wei Cheng shook his head. "Gao Yang, that's not the right way to think."

"You may not understand."

He raised his head, his eyes serious, his expression solemn, looking at Gao Yang. "99.9% of our astronauts' training is to deal with that 0.01% of unexpected situations."

"Space missions are not child's play. If you can't pass these exercises... I will not irresponsibly let you go into space. Although Ms. Huang Que is the commander-in-chief, I have the right and the obligation to be responsible for the safety of every teammate."

"That's right." Huang Que's voice came from the aisle.

Da-da-da-da-da—

The sound of her high heels was particularly loud in this quiet training room, full of echoes.

A pair of dark blue pupils emerged from the aisle, and Huang Que, wearing a black coat, walked into the training room from the aisle.

Lin Xian deliberately glanced at her earrings...

Blue.

Forever blue.

"Is it time for dinner!" Gao Yang scratched his butt and happily jumped over.

He was very satisfied with the food in this training base.

It was really healthy and delicious!

It was indeed the ingredients and chefs specially provided for astronauts.

It was just that Wei Cheng had to control his food intake and make him lose weight, which made Gao Yang very unhappy, and he was always left wanting more after every meal.

Huang Que looked at her watch. "It's still early for dinner."

"Tch, then what are you here for?" Gao Yang returned in disappointment.

Huang Que clapped her hands, signaling everyone to gather in the middle of the room, and smiled. "I'm here, of course, to introduce you to a new teammate who has been waiting for a long time, and also... the last member of our team."

She turned her head to look at the aisle and shouted, "Why are you walking so slowly?"

"Because it's heavy... You're really talking without knowing what it's like, don't you know to help me carry one?" An extremely familiar complaint came from the aisle.

Subsequently.

Liu Feng, wearing glasses, walked out from the corner.

In his arms, he was actually holding two huge rice cookers! Stacked one on top of the other, they blocked half of Liu Feng's face, and only his signature glasses could be seen.

"Are we eating takeout today? Did the chef take a day off?"

Seeing the rice cookers, Gao Yang consciously went over to take them.

"What rice cookers..."

Liu Feng said with a wry smile, placing the two devices that looked very similar to rice cookers on the ground.

He clapped his hands, looked up at Lin Xian, and said, "Lin Xian, I've finished making it!"

Lin Xian instantly understood and pointed to the two things that looked like rice cookers on the ground. "Could this be..."

"That's right."

Liu Feng nodded. "This is what we'll use to capture time—"

He reacted in time, turned his head to look at Huang Que, and then continued, "What we'll use to capture Alpha matter... the [Capture Device]!"