209: Chapter 209 Gathering

Compared to Father Chu's excitement, Mother Chu appeared relatively calm; she simply cupped her face in her hands and sobbed softly.

"You old woman, our son is so successful now, why are you crying?"

"Who's crying? I'm just emotional. Looking at our son's appearance, he must have suffered a lot."

Chu Xiaowu seemed infected by Mother Chu's state, and tears faintly appeared in her eyes as she looked at Chu Ge. Seeing this, Chu Ge gave her shoulder a firm squeeze.

"Mom, I'm coming home for the New Year this year. I want to eat your Dongpo Pork." Mother Chu nodded vigorously upon hearing this.

"Well, I want to eat it tonight."

"Get lost, all you think about is eating every day."

"But I'm happy today, I have to have a few more drinks no matter what..."

"Which day are you not happy?"

"..."

Chu Ge and Chu Xiaowu looked at each other and then burst into laughter; the family had returned to their usual noisy yet warm dynamic.

...

In November, Yanjing entered winter mode again. Heating usually only starts in the middle of the month, so people had to tough it out for now. Fortunately, Chu Ge had toughed it out since he was a child, so he didn't feel it was particularly cold.

His hometown city didn't have heating in winter, yet it happened to be located at the junction of the North and South; Chu Ge still remembered that bone-chilling feeling.

So when he first came to Yanjing, and the winter heating began, Chu Ge realized that heating was truly a wonderful thing.

Chu Ge remembered that during his first year, near the New Year, heavy snow fell outside like goose feathers, but the indoor temperature soared to 28 degrees Celsius.

Thus, he wantonly wore only underwear and a short-sleeved shirt, opened the window, "pop," pried open a bottle of ice-cold cola, and then took a gulp of it while admiring the snowy scenery outside. That feeling... was simply incredible...

...

At this moment, Fang Muke, who was at the Lucheng Electronics Research Institute, wasn't so lucky; he had to rely on his own "righteous aura" to combat this sudden cold front.

"Old Fang, Yu Qing, Leng Guangyan, come to my office for a moment."

Just as Fang Muke's teeth were chattering out a concerto, the old Director came in and called out.

"You three, go back and pack your things immediately. Report to the D City Dockyard Base."

Once the three entered, the old Director issued the command without pause.

"Director, is the moon landing plan about to begin?" Fang Muke asked excitedly.

The old Director didn't speak but instead pulled a sheet of paper from his desk.

"National Level One Mobilization Order. Order: Researchers Fang Muke, Yu Qing, and Leng Guangyan of the Lucheng No. 49921 Electronics Research Institute are to immediately carry relevant documents and assemble at the D City Dockyard Base. Report within 24 hours without fail!"

"The formal document has arrived. Go back and prepare quickly. Flights have already been booked for you. Travel light."

"Yes, Director," the three of them answered simultaneously.

"Remember, once you three arrive in Yanjing, you represent our 49921 Institute. This Lunar Base plan can be called an epic project. It is our Huaxia's first space base and the first space base for humanity; its significance is monumental."

"And you were handpicked from tens of thousands of outstanding researchers within the system. Once you're out there, learn more from people like Academician Chu, immerse yourselves in research, and consult with an open mind. You must realize that such an opportunity only comes once in a century."

The old Director spoke many heartfelt words to the three of them with earnest advice. By the end, he even shed emotional tears, turned around to wipe his eyes, and then waved them away.

"Director, we..."

"Go on, hurry. I believe in the three of you; after all, you are the soldiers I chose."

Fang Muke and the others looked at each other, bowed to the old Director's back, and turned to leave...

This scene played out in many places across Huaxia today. Among the 3,060 people on the aerospace carrier, crew members and security personnel totaled over 1,000, while the rest were top-tier senior engineers, experts, and leading scientific researchers in various fields.

They received the assembly order issued by the Huaxia authorities at almost the same time, and so people from all over the country began to gather toward D City...

At this point, there were less than 30 days left until the scheduled departure of the 'Kunpeng' for the moon.

The military personnel had already undergone systematic training. Although the researchers and engineers had previously taken the Gene Medicine distributed in advance by relevant departments, they still needed to familiarize themselves with the aerospace carrier's experimental facilities, living quarters, and internal layout.

The time the state reserved for them wasn't much, but for these most outstanding scientific research talents in Huaxia, it was enough.

In this way, it could be ensured that they would immediately plunge into the work plan upon reaching their destination.

At that time, the 'Kunpeng' would serve as their temporary residence, acting like a mother ship, anchored near the Lunar Base until the base was completed. Then, they could transfer to the Lunar Base to continue their research.

After a day of intense arrangements, the Dockyard Base regained its former bustle.

After a short rest, Fang Muke and the others were arranged to enter the aerospace carrier 'Kunpeng' in batches, where they would spend their last month on Earth this year.

The twenty-odd bridge cranes on one side of the aerospace carrier hadn't stopped since then, hoisting daily support supplies.

Rows of trucks beneath the aerospace carrier waited in turn to unload. The once long and wide road on one side beneath the aerospace carrier was now piled high with various supplies.

Compared to the monotonous special nutrition packs of the space station, the food supplies for personnel on the aerospace carrier appeared much richer and fresher.

With high-frequency shuttle buses from engineering ships, fresh fruits and vegetables could be temporarily transferred, which was one of the reasons why personnel could stay at the Lunar Base long-term.

This was the first time Fang Muke and the others had seen the 'Kunpeng' in its physical form. Although they had watched the live broadcast on National Day, being there in person was vastly different from watching it on television.

That sense of awe made him stand still for a long time!

Fang Muke stepped into the freight elevator. The heavy doors slowly closed, and the elevator began to rise rapidly. Fang Muke felt the ground retreating quickly before his eyes.

Half a minute later,

With a "clack," the elevator stopped, and the doors slowly opened. People in front began to move out. Fang Muke stepped out of the elevator car. There was still nearly a 10-meter distance between the tower ladder and the 'Kunpeng', connected by a metal skybridge.

Fang Muke walked along the corridor. The pace ahead wasn't fast, likely due to the final identity verification. He adjusted the backpack on his shoulders and looked down; the height of nearly 100 meters made him feel a bit dizzy.

"Hello, please place your backpack on the conveyor belt and then show your identification." The guard's voice brought Fang Muke's gaze back. He took off his pack and pulled out his documents to hand to the guard.

"Please face the scanner ahead and stand at attention." Fang Muke stood there and felt several beams of light scanning him.

"Fang Muke, identity verified. New ID: 02112, assigned to Research Group 178 of the Scientific Research Department. Electronic identity generated. Please keep your identity tag safe; it will serve as your proof of identity and access pass within this ship. Please check the living area for specific permissions."

After a piece of synthesized electronic voice, the guard handed him a metal card and signaled him to move inside. Fang Muke didn't have time to look closely at the card; he tucked it away and walked quickly inside.