My Items Have an Upgrade Panel - Chapter 275
Chapter 275: The Chinese Version of the Star Wars Plan
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation | Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The firelight disappeared.
The dust settled.
The underground secret facility originally located in Area 51 had now turned into a meteorite crater and a lake of magma.
Normally, a 13-meter iron asteroid, even if it were to strike the surface of the Earth, would create a crater no more than 1.5 kilometers in diameter.
Even if this asteroid were moving at high speeds, it would not exceed this limit. But there’s a catch: this assumes a surface impact, not a strike on underground defense structures.
Speaking of which, the underground defenses of Area 51 could withstand a nuclear blast.
Yes, this was true.
Even if a nuclear bomb exploded right above Area 51, it couldn’t destroy it, not even breaching the outer defenses.
But an asteroid strike was different.
Though its power is akin to that of a 2-million-ton nuclear bomb, the kinetic energy it carries is incomparable to that of a nuclear weapon.
Therefore, the crater and magma lake now where Area 51 once stood spanned 1.7 kilometers in diameter.
Essentially, Area 51 was completely destroyed.
Moreover, other fragments of the asteroid also fell nearby, causing a series of impacts on the ground.
The smallest fragments just penetrated buildings.
Larger debris, however, could destroy half a block.
This turned Nevada, already a state known for its freedom, into a place of even greater freedom.
Tang Rui, in the laboratory, watched these scenes on a holographic projection screen, much like watching a Hollywood blockbuster.
The saying “art imitates life, and yet it transcends it,” certainly was true.
The current scene fully affirmed the first part of this saying.
As for the homeless heroes, oil drillers, and software engineers saving the world in movies – they didn’t exist in real life.
“Red Lotus, after Gao Yang and the others return, arrange for a plane to send those three astronauts back. And keep Feng Yuanxing under watch. Don’t allow him to go to the Moon.”
Tang Rui turned off the holograph and prepared to go for lunch, making arrangements for the three astronauts who had served as causality-guided positioning terminals.
They were to be sent back directly.
If they stayed and naively got Feng Yuanxing to do some work, it would only cause more trouble.
“Okay, Master,” Red Lotus immediately conveyed the message to Gao Yang.
The three astronauts, on their way back and hearing Gao Yang’s arrangements, were utterly confused.
“Our mission is completed?” they asked in bewilderment.
“Yes,” Gao Yang nodded.
“What did we do?”
“We can’t say.”
The astronauts held back a lot of questions, but due to the confidentiality agreement, they couldn’t ask further.
Honestly speaking, they were all elite members of the Air Force, selected to be astronauts.
They had undertaken confidential and top-secret missions before but this was something they had never experienced.
They had thought their mission was to steal a plane, especially since they were in Nevada, near Area 51, a highly secretive air force base of the USA, testing sixth-generation fighters.
They believed they were capable of accomplishing the mission.
In the villa, they weren’t idle either.
Sleeping on schedule, consuming the required nutrition, and exercising regularly to maintain their physical condition.
When Gao Yang announced the start of the mission and told them to board the plane, they were excited and prepared themselves mentally and physically.
But half an hour later…
To be told the mission was completed felt like punching cotton… utterly unsatisfying.
After lunch, Tang Rui took Da Bai and Xiao Bai to rest on the grass.
Da Bai was a white Siberian tiger.
Xiao Bai was a white prairie lion.
Both were just over three months old and still needed milk.
But Tang Rui only played with them, not feeding them.
He put the two little ones on the grass, stroking one on the left and then one on the right.
Watching the two small creatures struggle helplessly was very amusing.
A fierce tiger roared.
A lion king bellowed.
Adorably fierce, it was hilarious.
While Tang Rui was enjoying himself, Lin Chao ran over in a hurry to tell him there was an urgent meeting that he needed to attend.
“What’s the meeting about?”
“It’s about space.”
“Alright, I’ll go now.”
Tang Rui got up and left, asking Red Lotus to prepare his private plane.
An hour later…
He arrived at Xi Gong University for the meeting.
He thought there would be few participants but to his surprise…
There were over sixty academicians just for the meeting, and the rest, outstanding professors and experts of the “Jie Qing” level, totaled over three hundred.
The auditorium at Xi Gong University was packed.
Tang Rui sat in the second row, together with Professor Yu.
Although the first two rows were occupied by professors, no one thought it strange for him to sit there.
“Professor, this meeting is quite a big deal.”
“Yes, it was originally scheduled for the end of the year, but the recent situation in the USA has led the higher-ups to move it forward.”
“Is that necessary? An asteroid impact is a random event; there’s no need to rush.”
“Who said it’s random? But it’s a big threat to us.”
Academician Yu answered seriously.
Tang Rui’s mouth twitched.
What a situation.
Our original target was the USA, but now it seems the higher-ups have shifted focus from the USA to outer space.
The meeting began.
It mainly discussed the recent development of the country’s aerospace industry, the current major strategic opportunities, and the challenges ahead.
In short.
The meeting was about unifying thoughts, letting everyone understand the current situation, and what to do next.
Making everyone aware.
After the general meeting, a closed-door session began.
This meeting only involved a select few outstanding “Jie Qing” scholars and professors, and its content was explosive.
The South Heavenly Gate Space Station Plan, Magpie Bridge Relay Spaceport
Plan, Moon Network Plan, Guanghan Palace Base Plan, Jianmu Space Elevator
Plan, Space Great Wall Star Ring Plan, Mars Outpost Plan…
To be honest.
Tang Rui was stunned to hear these plans.
Even as a “cheater,” he hadn’t thought of going this crazy.
But now…
The country was launching so many projects at once.
They planned to establish a traffic network between Earth and the Moon within ten years, connect the Earth’s surface with outer space in ten to thirty years, complete the construction of the Space Great Wall within fifty years, and establish a Martian outpost during this period.
Timelines were set.
And these were all major projects, with numerous smaller sub-projects.
For instance, the Jingwei Asteroid Development Plan, Bai Ze Intelligent Defense Network, and so on.
After hearing all this, Tang Rui was skeptical if this was the Chinese version of the Star Wars program, but it didn’t seem so.
Even he couldn’t determine who, let alone the USA.
Forget trying to discern the truth; the question was, would they follow or not?
