153: The US has sent a manned lunar mission!

Ground Control Center.

On the large screen.

The elliptical main structure of Chang'e Palace Base No. 1 shone with a cold metallic light against the gray lunar soil.

Li Jianguo stared at the engineering vehicle completing the final touches on the screen, his voice trembling:

"Xiao Lin! This is our Great Xia Country's Moon Base!"

"Was it really built in five days?"

Lin Chen smiled, but his gaze remained fixed on the screen.

He pointed to the blank area in the corner of the image:

"The main structure is just the beginning."

"Next, we prioritize building the living area; the energy system, gravity system, oxygen circulation system, and so on will be installed immediately..."

Li Jianguo nodded quickly, "I'll follow your lead! Is there anything else I need to remember?"

Lin Chen moved his finger to the edge of the screen,

"The defense system must keep up."

"Install six Super Energy Laser Cannons around the base, set to automatically lock onto non-friendly aircraft."

"Eagle Sauce wants a manned moon landing? Dream on!"

Li Jianguo's eyes lit up, and he cheered:

"Haha! Xiao Lin, I knew you would do this."

"Let's see how Eagle Sauce manages a manned moon landing this time!"

Lin Chen nodded and continued, "Once the living area is complete, the next step is the Helium-3 Extraction Project."

"Alright, everything will be carried out according to your requirements!"

Following this, the two continued to discuss relevant details and formulate plans... Meanwhile.

Eagle Sauce NASA Headquarters.

Durutt stared at the high-definition images transmitted back by the satellite, his pupils contracting sharply.

"What is this?!"

"How can there be a structure like this on the Moon?!"

The assistant next to him leaned closer, his voice shaky:

"Director, preliminary analysis... it was artificially constructed."

"It might have been built by the Great Xia Country..."

"Great Xia Country?" Durutt frantically shook his head in denial, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

He looked at the silver-gray walls of Chang'e Palace Base No. 1 in the image; there wasn't a single seam visible under the satellite camera.

How could the Great Xia Country possess this level of construction skill?

That's the Moon!

If the Great Xia Country had this construction method, wouldn't they have used it for their infrastructure already?

"Could it be an alien civilization?"

Thinking of this, Durutt immediately became tense.

Subsequently, he immediately convened a meeting of relevant experts.

It was soon concluded that the base was built by the Great Xia Country on the Moon.

And it only took a very short amount of time.

Durutt could no longer sit still and immediately went to report to Opden... White House Office.

Opden sneered after hearing Durutt's report:

"The Great Xia Country built a Moon Base?"

"Durutt, do you even believe that yourself?"

"How much time has passed? How could they build such a massive base?"

"This is clearly a trick used by the Great Xia Country to deceive us!"

Durutt explained with a mournful expression:

"Mr. President!"

"The Great Xia Country has Space Planes, and their infrastructure capabilities..."

Opden slammed the table violently and glared at Durutt:

"Are you an idiot?"

"Even if the Great Xia Country's infrastructure capabilities are strong, it's impossible to build such a massive complex in such a short time!"

"But..." Durutt wanted to explain further.

But Opden immediately interrupted, "No buts! The starship will launch its manned moon landing in three days, proceed according to the original plan!"

Durutt frowned deeply:

"But the starship hasn't undergone final testing, and the astronauts aren't fully prepared!"

Opden waved his hand dismissively:

"Even if they aren't ready, they must go!"

"If we wait any longer, the Great Xia Country will genuinely have finished building their Moon Base!"

"Right now they are just using a trick, but if we delay further, they might actually achieve it."

"Alright!" Durutt could only agree!

...NASA Headquarters.

After Durutt returned, he relayed Opden's instructions.

The Chief Engineer's expression instantly changed drastically:

"Director, the starship's Lunar Lander buffer system has only been tested twice..."

Durutt closed his eyes and took a deep breath:

"There's no choice, the President issued a direct order."

"Everyone stay and work overtime. Prioritize testing the life support system, and perform three more tests on the buffer system. We must minimize the risk, even if we don't sleep!"

The Engineers nodded one after another and continued their final tasks.

Durutt watched their retreating figures, secretly praying in his heart!

He hoped this attempt would succeed!

...Three days later, nine o'clock in the morning.

starship Rocket Launch Center.

The starship rocket stood on the launchpad, entirely steel-colored and emblazoned with the Eagle Sauce national flag.

Three astronauts, wearing orange spacesuits, were assisted by staff toward the boarding hatch.

The global live broadcast signal had been activated.

The number of online viewers across major platforms instantly exceeded 1 billion.

Opden stood before the live camera, his voice impassioned:

"Dear Eagle Sauce citizens, dear Blue Star compatriots!"

"Today, we will step onto the Moon once again!"

"We must prove that Eagle Sauce's space technology will not fall behind the Great Xia Country!"

In the live broadcast room, Eagle Country Netizens frantically spammed the bullet comments:

"Eagle Sauce is awesome! We must succeed this time!"

"Let the Great Xia Country see who the real space power is!"

"Go! We must plant our national flag on the Moon!"

Many netizens from the Eagle Sauce Alliance countries also sent messages of blessing.

In contrast, netizens from other countries began to mock them.

Especially the Great Xia Country's netizens, who started teasing:

"LMAO! 'Space power'? They're probably just giving us a free fireworks show!"

"Exactly! The last fireworks show wasn't enough! Are they doing it again?"

"Haha! I'm really looking forward to Eagle Sauce's big fireworks show this time!!"

"..."

Launch Center.

Durutt stared at the monitoring screen, his heart filled with anxiety.

He asked the Chief Engineer beside him:

"Is the inspection complete?"

The Chief Engineer nodded seriously:

"Director, the final inspection has been completed, confirmed clear!"

Durutt was just about to nod.

Opden, standing nearby, directly gave the order:

"Time's up! Initiate ignition immediately!"

Durutt gritted his teeth and shouted into the microphone:

"Attention all units! Countdown initiated!"

"10! 9! 8!"

..."1!"

"Ignition!"

Orange-red flames erupted from the bottom of the rocket, and the heat wave overturned the gravel on the ground.

A massive roar sounded, and the starship rocket slowly ascended, trailing a long column of smoke as it soared into the sky.

Opden instantly became excited, waving his fist:

"It's flying! This time, we will definitely succeed."

"The Great Xia Country wants to monopolize lunar resources? Dream on!"

Remundo, standing nearby, also sighed in relief and said with a smile:

"Mr. President is wise!"

"Our Eagle Sauce will never fall behind anyone else!"

Opden nodded heavily, his eyes full of excitement.

Durutt, conversely, was filled with worry.

Taking off is easy, but getting out of Blue Star is the first hurdle.

Flying to the Moon afterward is the most difficult part.

And there's the issue of the lunar landing... In the live stream room!

Bullet comments from Eagle Country Netizens flooded the screen:

"Charge! Get to the Moon quickly!"

"Let the Great Xia Country see how powerful we are!"

"We, Eagle Sauce, must also get a share of the lunar resources!"