348: Chapter 340 (Anti-theft Chapter) (Main text will be updated in a few hours)

The elegant and breathtaking form of the xuan niao ship glided slowly through the universe.

In the cockpit, three astronauts sat in wide armchairs, operating the buttons on the dashboard before them.

"Coordinates entered, auto-cruise engaged," the crew member on the left reported.

The captain in the center raised his hand and pressed a button; the curved ceiling above gradually became illusory and turned transparent.

The darkness of the universe, along with the starlight shimmering within it, came into view.

"It's truly..." the captain's mouth slowly drifted open, his pupils reflecting the cosmos, "too beautiful."

"Isn't it?" the female crew member on the right laughed. "I used to think the xuan niao ship was just a bit fast, I didn't expect it to have so much black technology."

"With such powerful technology, why didn't the transcendents build spaceships sooner?" the crew member on the right asked.

"Immortal Xu doesn't need them."

The three tilted their heads back. Outside the transparent ceiling, a figure in white stood with hands behind his back. Though he made no movement, he maintained a constant speed alongside the xuan niao ship.

Looking at that person in space, the three suddenly felt that the xuan niao ship's black technology wasn't so impressive anymore.

"Captain, do you think we'll ever have the chance to be like Immortal Xu..."

"Us?" The captain blinked. "Don't they say you should practice cultivation when you're young for greater future achievements? We're in our dozens now; let's not compete with the little kids."

"The Captain is still young," the female crew member giggled.

"Alright, enough chatting." The captain's gaze shifted forward toward the silver-white planet that didn't seem too far away. "We'll have to stay there for some time."

*Zzz—*

Static hissed from the speaker on the dashboard. Once it faded, a voice came through: "You three, can you hear me?"

They weren't surprised; they had been informed about this interview segment before departure.

"We're here."

...

On the ground, in the interview room.

On stage, the host and an official expert sat facing each other in single sofas, with a giant screen behind them.

"We've made contact!" the host exclaimed excitedly upon hearing the response from the expert's communicator.

The expert didn't chat long with the three astronauts. After briefly asking about their physical condition and whether the xuan niao ship was operating normally, he hung up.

Putting down the microphone, he saw the host staring at him and smiled. "No rush. Once the xuan niao ship reaches its destination, we'll have plenty of time."

As soon as these words were spoken, the host and the netizens flooding the livestream couldn't help but start speculating.

Wait until they reach the destination to interview?

Saying that just as the xuan niao ship left the atmosphere—does that mean the mission is just to collect flight data near Blue Star?

Everyone was a bit disappointed and confused.

The early publicity was so grand, and it was a direct manned flight, yet it was just to test the ship's performance in space?

It felt a bit like a letdown.

On second thought, something felt off.

If it were just for data collection, they wouldn't need astronauts; the sensors on the ship would be enough.

There must be another mission. What exactly was it?

The host was itching with curiosity and wanted to ask, but the script provided by her superiors forbade asking such things. She could only go through the prepared questions one by one.

Recalling the memorized script, the host looked at the expert: "We all know that the maiden flight of the xuan niao ship is a direct manned mission. This differs from our usual procedures. What is the reason for this?"

The expert didn't keep them in suspense, resting his interlaced fingers on his lap. "I believe everyone in the livestream has noticed that there is someone flying alongside the xuan niao ship."

"Immortal Xu?" the host asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes." The expert nodded. "I'm sure before the launch, everyone was curious why the authorities went straight to a manned flight, since in the past it was always unmanned first, then manned. This is the reason."

That's why.

He picked up the water glass from the glass coffee table and took a sip. "I was honored to participate in the early theoretical verification and later stages of the xuan niao ship..."

As soon as he spoke, the livestream screen was instantly overwhelmed by scrolling comments.

"Holy crap, that's not what you said last year!"

Back then, the cave base on the NH side had just been completed, and the authorities had established initial contact with the Mountain Gate.

Originally, the public wouldn't have known about these movements. However, first the Kunpeng crossed the Divine Land, drawing everyone's attention to its final destination.

Then there was the calamity attack, raging in the coastal mountains, causing the earth to tremble and the peaks to crumble.

Such a noisy commotion was immediately noticed by nearby residents and subsequently spread.

Normally, the public wouldn't make baseless connections—at most they'd think it was an earthquake—but the Kunpeng had flown toward NH in broad daylight. Unless one was a fool, they would link the two events.

Later, some people tried to go exploring in the mountains near NH to find out what had caused the earthquake.

However, upon arrival, they found that the mountain range had been designated a restricted military zone, and unauthorized personnel were strictly prohibited from entering.

After that, there was the lottery for the three-day tour of Jinshui Town organized by the Director.

When Immortal Xu stepped out of the light gate in the sky, everyone understood why the authorities were being so secretive at the coast; it turned out the Mountain Gate entrance was right there.

So the public all left messages on the Special Investigation Bureau's official page asking—what on earth are you guys doing over there?

Tourists who had been to the coast knew that while they said the site was open, the mountain area was actually still forbidden.

To prevent anyone from sneaking in, a large number of Soldiers were deployed outside the mountains, lined up at one-meter intervals along the base—a truly gapless security perimeter.

With such tight security, who would believe there was nothing inside?

The Special Investigation Bureau had played dead back then, ignoring the questions. Later, unable to withstand the pressure, they pushed forward the expert responsible for today's interview.

The expert's head had also throbbed. How was he supposed to know how to handle this?

He felt helpless, but he had to obey his superior's orders. So, he rushed back to Kyoto overnight to participate in a military program to respond to public opinion.

He pondered the whole way and couldn't figure out how to explain it.

The audience didn't care about that and began to use their imaginations, asking if they were working on some black technology in the mountains, like reusable rockets or something.

Although it was far from the truth, it still gave the expert quite a scare. He waved his hands frantically, saying, "How could that be possible? How could that be possible?"

The public's impression of the Mountain Gate was still stuck on the "cultivation side." Therefore, the expert's flustered behavior didn't make them suspect he had actually guessed right, and the matter was dropped.

Who would have known that a year later, today, you would actually say you participated in the construction of the xuan niao ship? Everyone was unhappy.

"Good grief, he totally fooled me!"

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm especially looking forward to the xuan niao ship's mission now. With such a big move, it definitely won't be just for collecting flight data!"

"Uh, could it be a moon landing?"

As soon as this was said, the netizens quietly watching the livestream also excitedly joined the discussion.

"It's not impossible. Isn't the current aerospace goal of every country a moon landing?"

"I agree. Given the current endurance of spacecraft and the limits of human lifespan, the moon is the only viable target."

This theory was accepted by everyone.

How far humans can fly in the universe depends not only on the endurance of the spacecraft but, most importantly, on lifespan.

One hundred years—a lifespan limit most humans cannot reach—seems very long, but when placed between planets at distances measured in light-years, it appears so brief.

Science fiction works propose a solution—hibernation technology.

Using cryogenic hibernation pods to freeze human life at a certain moment to endure the long journey.

Currently, human hibernation technology is not yet mature, and we lack the capability for long-distance space travel. Therefore, everyone believed that the xuan niao ship's destination should be the nearest moon.

Or possibly Mars.

Seeing the discussion on the screen behind her, the host followed up: "What is the xuan niao ship's mission? Is it a moon landing?"

The dense scrolling comments on the screen suddenly stopped. Clearly, the netizens squeezed into the livestream cared very much about the answer.

"Yes," the expert admitted without concealment. "However, it's a bit different from the moon landing in your common knowledge."

A bit different?

Different how?

Everyone pricked up their ears to wait for the follow-up, but the expert fell silent.

"Damn! Say it! Say it now!"

"You bastard! You absolute bastard!"

The expert didn't look back at the comments, knowing full well the netizens must be anxious. He consoled them: "Don't worry, you'll know very soon."

"Know very soon?! It takes at least a few... wait, look at the xuan niao ship!"

On the screen, the xuan niao ship, which had just flown out of the atmosphere, was heading straight for the moon.

The scene seemed normal, but it actually defied common sense.

After a spacecraft enters outer space, it doesn't fly directly to its destination; it must first orbit Blue Star to adjust its orbital parameters.

The xuan niao ship's movements clearly did not conform to this process.

The expert turned to look at the xuan niao ship on the screen, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, as if a father looking at his child with doting eyes.

"You should have noticed that the flight trajectory of the xuan niao ship is different from all previous rockets."

The host asked at the right time: "Why?"

"The power system." The expert's face turned flushed, his excitement beyond words. "As a new generation of rocket, the xuan niao ship's greatest breakthrough isn't its shape, nor the hull that can turn transparent, but its brand-new power system!"

"Uh, nuclear fusion?" The expert's words touched on the host's blind spot of knowledge; she could only guess.

"No, not at all!

It's a... new energy source that humans have never discovered before."

The host realized: "The energy used by the transcendents?"

"Yes and no." The expert sat up straight with excitement. "The energy used by transcendents is also very foreign to humans, but it's not the same type as the xuan niao ship's.

The power of the xuan niao ship comes from a stone that the Mountain Gate named floating stone.

As everyone knows, spacecraft are not agile; turning in the sky is a very difficult maneuver. The floating stone perfectly solves this problem.

We utilized... uh, sorry, I can't say that."

He almost blurted out the application method of the floating stone. Fortunately, he reacted in time. The expert patted his chest with lingering fear: "In short, the xuan niao ship won't seem clunky at all.

It can not only turn flexibly but even perform drifts.

Oh, and it's very fast. According to our calculations, it will reach the lunar surface in about five hours."

Five hours didn't sound short, but compared to the days it used to take, it was already a massive improvement.

The netizens who had quieted down became active again.

"I'll have to stay up late for this."

"I definitely have to wait, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight."

"Uh, what do you think the xuan niao ship will do after landing on the moon? Dig up some lunar soil to bring back?"

"The xuan niao ship is quite large, and the internal space won't be small. Maybe... dig up a lot of lunar soil?"

Time flowed slowly amidst everyone's discussion, and five hours finally passed.

"Amidst great anticipation, the xuan niao ship has entered the range of the moon's gravitational influence!" This meant the Xuan Niao was about to land on the lunar surface, and the host's voice was full of passion.

The netizens who had been waiting until they were drowsy were instantly wide awake, staring at their Mobile Phones with wide eyes.

The silver-white form of the xuan niao ship gradually approached the lunar surface. Without any reverse thrust flames from the bottom, it slowly descended next to a crater.

A moment later, the side hatch slid open, a ladder was lowered, and three astronauts in heavy spacesuits walked down the ladder to the ground.

"Oh!" The three waved at the camera, and the netizens swiped their comments with extreme excitement.

"Here it comes, the answer is about to be revealed!"

"Wait, don't you guys... feel something is a bit weird?"

"What's weird?"

"I'm just saying, why is there a camera on the moon?"

With that reminder, everyone finally woke up.

They had watched so many videos that they seemed to take the existence of a camera for granted, but this was the moon—where did the camera come from?

In the livestream footage just now, the view showed the xuan niao ship landing vertically and the three astronauts exiting the hatch, thus ruling out the possibility that the three had set up the camera.

"Could there be wild cameras on the moon?" someone joked.

"Nonsense." Those with faster minds clearly understood what was going on. "It's Immortal Xu, right?"

Everyone had a moment of realization.

Although they all knew Immortal Xu was flying alongside the xuan niao ship, such a thing was so far beyond human cognition that they had subconsciously chosen to forget it if they weren't careful.

With the mystery solved, everyone's attention returned to the astronauts to see their next move.

The three didn't seem in a hurry to execute their mission. They first wandered around the area to check the geographical environment, then returned to the xuan niao ship together and began carrying out metal boxes.

This operation left the netizens bewildered.

What are they doing carrying so many metal boxes down? Are they going to build a house?

Uh, for real?

The speculation was too absurd, and everyone's first instinct was to deny it, but it was like it had taken root in their minds and wouldn't go away. The more they thought about it, the more they felt it was possible.

A lunar base? Are they playing that big?

Alien colonization is starting?

The answer to all the confusion was inside the metal boxes.

Everyone stared at the metal boxes with burning eyes, looking forward to the moment they would be opened.

However, there seemed to be a lot of metal boxes. The three astronauts went back and forth dozens of times and still hadn't finished carrying them all.

Everyone couldn't urge them, and even if they did, they wouldn't be heard, so they could only clutch their phones and wait.

Slowly, they noticed that the three would glance toward the camera from time to time.

Their heads were completely encased in transparent visors, so their eyes couldn't be seen. Everyone had no way of knowing if the men were curious or something else.

The transport continued. Fortunately, the moon's gravity is relatively low, making it easy for the three to carry them.

Half an hour later, the metal boxes finally seemed to be all moved out.

They stood before the neatly stacked metal boxes and opened one of the lids.

As the lid was lifted, the contents inside were finally revealed.

It was a square, pure white panel.

Everyone instantly associated it with its purpose—a wall component for modular construction.