Chapter 23: If I Can't Do It, No One on Earth Can

It was not difficult to guess that America would eventually aim for the moon. Discussions on aerospace in various media outlets frequently touched upon what the United States must do to catch up with the Soviet Union, and a lunar landing was a popular proposition. From academia to the aerospace industry, a multitude of experts and professors suggested that they should take a decisive leap and commit to a moon landing. Even in Washington, certain aerospace-related officials had expressed personal views that the White House should initiate a lunar program. For anyone with a discerning eye, it was easy to conclude that a moon landing was the White House’s only viable option. However, to connect these dots—from his identity to his intentions—and to speak with such unwavering certainty, as if he could see through his very thoughts, was a feat of a different magnitude.

John Morgan did his best to control his expression, striving to appear composed. In his mind, he kept repeating a tenet from the Talmud: "He who masters his emotions masters all; only by controlling oneself can one control others." As an aristocrat among American aristocrats, John Morgan had received a traditional elite Western education from childhood and understood the importance of keeping the initiative in any negotiation. That was precisely what he had intended to do throughout this conversation. He had gathered as much basic information on Lin Ran as possible from the start, all to seize that advantage.

But upon meeting him, he realized the man was as unfathomable as the sea; the information he had possessed was barely skin-deep. *Are all mathematicians this terrifying? To be able to deduce things with such precision?*

He did not deny it. "Indeed, that is the purpose of my visit. Professor, I can provide an environment that caters to your personal interests, allowing you to fully unleash your talent."

Lin Ran asked, "What about the compensation? You haven't mentioned the compensation yet."

Seeing that the other party did not refuse, John Morgan felt a sense of relief. It was a good sign that he was willing to negotiate; after all, both sides needed to build a cooperative relationship. "An initial payment of one hundred thousand dollars. If our proposal ultimately receives NASA's approval, that compensation will increase to two hundred thousand dollars. Any subsequent remuneration can be discussed later."

At the time, this was an astronomical sum. Since Lin Ran was merely a consultant, two hundred thousand dollars for a special consultant was unheard of. Yet, Lin Ran was clearly dissatisfied. "Not enough. I can guarantee that General Electric will secure this project. I am not short on money; money is just a number to me. What I need is the initiative for the project. I need to be the person in charge, and everyone must answer to me. Actually, I want equity."

Lin Ran did not give him a chance to interrupt. "I know shares in General Electric are impossible. What I want is General Aerospace. There should still be time before the project officially begins. What you need to do is spin off the aerospace division of General Electric, and we will use this newly established aerospace company to bid for the contract. From the feasibility study to the final lunar landing, we will set staged goals, and I want 30% of the total equity in General Aerospace. Once the feasibility study passes, I want 10%. After the spacecraft successfully lands on the moon, I want another 10%. Finally, after a successful manned landing, I want the remaining 10%. You can take your time to consider whether this partnership is viable. If you decide it is, contact me at any time. However, you must act quickly; once the feasibility study is approved, if you haven't spun off the aerospace division, this business might not end up in your hands. Call me whenever you've made up your mind."

Lin Ran drained his coffee, turned, and left. John Morgan sat in his chair, his expression unreadable. He asked, "Professor, are you truly that confident?"

Lin Ran replied without looking back, "If I am not capable, then no one on this planet is!"

***

"Here, your badge back."

Returning to 2020 felt surreal for Lin Ran. In 1960, he was a renowned Chinese-American mathematics professor, the pride of the Chinese people who had proven Fermat's Last Theorem; everyone on the Columbia University campus would greet him, and he could easily manipulate top-tier American scions like John Morgan. In 2020, he was merely a nobody living in a small room on the third floor of a Chinese-American family's villa. Beyond showing off on the Chinese internet, he had nothing special about him, and his major was in the notorious "pit" of computer science. But now, things were different.

Li Xiaoman took the badge from Lin Ran and sniffed it; by the scent, she knew she wasn't mistaken—it was her family's ancestral badge. "Is it done?"

Lin Ran shook his head. "The entire plan has only taken its first step. I have merely verified my hypothesis; the rest is waiting to turn that hypothesis into reality. Come on, help me move these things back to my room. For the time remaining, all I need to do is piece the puzzle together."

Li Xiaoman followed Lin Ran downstairs and looked into the trunk of the Corolla, finding it filled with books and bound printed materials. She flipped through them briefly: *Heaven and Earth: Political History of the Space Age*, *Militarization of Space: American Policy (1945-1984)*, *Missiles and the Space Race*, *Challenges to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race (1945-1947)*, *The Soviet 'Sputnik-1' Satellite and the Space Challenge*, *The Soviet Space Race and the Apollo Moon Landing Program*, *In the Shadow of the Soviet Satellite: The United States and the President's Science Advisory Committee during the Cold War*, *The Sputnik Crisis and Early American Aerospace Policy*, *Sputnik: The Century's Shock*, *The Sputnik Challenge*, *The Space Race: From Sputnik to Apollo and Beyond*...

The title pages indicated these were all library books borrowed from Columbia University. She leafed through the printed materials and discovered they were specific technical documents. Beyond common rocket designs and lunar module configurations, even the circuit diagrams used for spacecraft docking at the time had been printed out. The entire trunk was packed full.

This time, Li Xiaoman truly believed that Lin Ran intended to replicate the Apollo moon landing in the present day. Otherwise, why go to such lengths?

These materials piled up Lin Ran’s room until there was barely a place to stand.

"Randolph, regarding what you mentioned before, I’ve thought of some ways to mitigate the risks," Li Xiaoman said, having not been idle during this time.

Lin Ran signaled for her to continue.

"The first is the visa restriction; an F-1 visa doesn't allow for employment, but that’s actually easy to handle. Once I establish a company, my company can collaborate with Blue Origin. I can then invest the payments from Blue Origin back to you through an angel investment firm I set up. That part is easy; on the surface, there will be absolutely no link between you and this project. There won't even be a contract between us. As for your concern that I might run off with the money—that’s impossible. If a project like this were ever exposed, everyone involved would be finished. Under the federal ITAR list, rocket propulsion is an absolute no-go zone."