Chapter 22: Launch Time Confirmed
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The world was changing far too quickly.
Just this morning, Hua had agreed to negotiate with America near Panmunjom, discussing a peaceful solution to the crisis on the peninsula.
Then, without warning, the Department of Defense released a statement announcing that it would conduct an underground nuclear test of a tactical nuclear warhead somewhere in the vast deserts of the northwest.
The moment the news came out, the entire world was shaken.
“This is a response to us. It’s definitely a warning!”
Frederick angrily hurled the teacup in his hand to the floor and screamed hysterically at Clyde:
“I created an opportunity for you! Where is my data?”
Frederick was so furious that he was almost laughing.
The last time a country had dared speak to the mighty United States in such a manner had been more than thirty years ago.
And the people who had dared say such things were now thoroughly dead.
This time would be no different.
“Fine. Very fine. Tactical nuclear weapons, is it? Contact the Department of Defense. I want one dropped into the Pacific too—just to make some noise!”
After saying that, Frederick grew angrier and angrier as he thought about the failure of the plan, and once again slammed the documents in his hand onto the floor.
“Yes, sir.”
Defense Secretary Vanno did not dare provoke Frederick any further. He nodded and prepared to carry out the order immediately.
“All of you, get out!”
Frederick roared and smashed several more objects within reach.
He was supposed to be a president seeking reelection. Now, everything had been ruined.
Hua’s lunar rocket had already begun final assembly on the launchpad. They still had not obtained the orbital data, and now it was too late.
“Damn it! A bunch of useless fools. You can’t even handle something this trivial.”
“Clyde, you useless piece of trash. Go die!”
Outside the office, Clyde’s face was deathly pale.
He knew that if he could not satisfy Frederick by the end of the day, he was finished.
Frederick was not merely the president. He was also a capitalist backed by Wall Street.
The country had long since become a playground for capitalists. Once he offended the wrong people, the destruction of his family would only be the beginning.
“I need a great achievement—something great enough for Frederick to boast about.”
Clyde racked his brains.
Since the launch of Hua’s lunar rocket had already become an unstoppable fact, what could still provoke the public’s rebellious instincts?
“Plagiarism. That’s it. I need to find evidence proving that their rocket was stolen from America. The evidence has to be convincing enough for the public!”
Desperate to stay alive, Clyde’s mind spun furiously.
Then inspiration struck. He had come up with the perfect idea!
He slapped his hands together.
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“Yes, that’s it.”
“Frederick only wants to preserve the fragile pride of the American people so they will keep voting for him. Nothing else matters.”
Having figured it out, Clyde quickened his pace.
He had to save himself!
…
July 27.
A tremendous roar shook the earth in the northwest.
A tactical nuclear warhead was detonated underground.
The nuclear explosion proceeded completely, and no residual radioactive material was detected.
The enormous crater created by the blast happened to serve as a reservoir beneath the snow-covered mountains, providing irrigation water for the nearby farmland.
To reassure the public and prove that the water was perfectly safe, the reservoir was allowed to fill to a depth of roughly three meters on the twenty-eighth.
During a nationwide live broadcast, Major General Cheng Bicheng of the biological safety and chemical defense forces and the provincial governor personally jumped into the water and swam two laps.
The live-stream chat instantly filled with applause.
“I believe it now. At least they’re much more reliable than the people next door. Those guys don’t even dare drink their own water.”
“Could the people next door do this? Didn’t you see the governor choke on a couple of mouthfuls? Hahaha. To be fair, though, he swims awfully slowly. Wait—why is someone knocking on my door? [Comical]”
“The old general swims much faster. Hahaha, he’s not losing by an inch.”
“Can this water be sold? Give it a brand name—‘Nuclear-Test Lake Water.’ Hahaha, it would sell like crazy!”
“The person above is a commercial genius. Damn, I’m actually tempted. I kind of want to go try it.”
“…”
Hua had managed to make excellent use of a single explosion.
It had both warned the powerful and benefited the people.
With proper management, the artificial lake could provide irrigation for at least several thousand acres of farmland.
Naturally, the international community had plenty of criticism to offer.
Unexpectedly, however, no one dared say much.
Even the usual troublemakers, South Korea and Japan, did not dare make a sound.
After all, the three major powers up front were preparing to fight.
With the situation still unclear, no small country tired of living would dare jump around recklessly at a time like this.
Even at the United Nations General Assembly, no one dared condemn Hua for violating the treaty banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere.
After all, Hua was one of the countries that had written the rules.
If pushed too far, it could simply overturn the table and walk away.
And everyone else could do nothing but watch.
When Hua and America argued at the United Nations, small countries had no choice between standing and sitting.
They could only crouch.
…
Xishan Base, underground complex.
In recent days, Fang Jing had mainly been maintaining contact with the world of The Wandering Earth while occasionally selecting and transporting over some of the technologies they needed.
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Among them were various communications technologies and artificial-intelligence control systems.
These things were not to be underestimated.
Learning from finished products in The Wandering Earth could save them years of painstaking research.
Take control technology, for example. The control and response systems of the exoskeleton weapon platforms would greatly enhance their combat capabilities.
Another thing that delighted Fang Jing was that the quantum communication link inside the base had finally been installed.
That meant he could access the internet from within the base!
This was further proof that the higher-ups had given him extraordinary privileges. Otherwise, how could a network ever have been specially installed inside a base of this level?
Regardless, after being offline for so many days, he could finally surf the internet for a while.
He was extremely excited.
The moment he powered on his phone, which had been shut down for days, and connected it to the wireless network, a live broadcast notification immediately caught his attention.
“Full live broadcast of the first launch test of the lunar rocket?”
“It’s about to launch!”
His heart surging with excitement, Fang Jing impatiently tapped into the live stream.
The screen was completely black, but there were already plenty of viewers. Countless netizens had gathered there, chatting away in the comments.
“Where’s the picture? Why is it still a black screen?”
“Knock, knock, knock! If you have the nerve to start a live stream, why don’t you turn on the camera?”
“Bring it out already! Bring out the lunar rocket!”
“I can’t wait anymore. It absolutely has to succeed!”
“Everyone, calm down. It’s only the twenty-ninth. The launch isn’t until the day after tomorrow. What’s the rush?”
“I can’t sleep at night. Aaaah! I’ve already been suffering from insomnia for a month!”
“Damn, what kind of immortal being is the person above?”
“…”
Just as the viewers’ conversation in the live-stream comments began drifting further and further off-topic, the screen suddenly flickered.
The picture appeared!
The camera was aimed at a colossal structure standing beyond the beach, rising 150 meters into the sky.
It was a gigantic launch tower.
The launch tower was currently closed, its enormous steel casing enclosing the rocket inside.
Although the rocket itself could not be seen, the towering structure alone made it clear that this was no small machine.
At the same time, the live broadcast switched to a view of the main control room.
“Look! The launch time is written on the huge screen at the front of the control room.”
“1:20 a.m. on July 31!”
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