Chapter 202 One Arrow, Sixteen Stars? Let the world know what Curry Speed ​​really means!

And this inspired Curry Country Netizen was no ordinary Netizen.

His name was Rajesh.

He was the head of the Rocket Aviation Department at ISRO.

The so-called ISRO is Curry Country's national space agency, primarily engaged in aerospace research, space science exploration, and satellite application development. Its main goal is to advance space technology and serve national development needs, such as communication, meteorological forecasting, disaster management, and Earth observation.

In any case, it was a very high-end national institution.

At this moment, he sat at a desk piled high with documents, the blue light from the computer screen illuminating his face, which was full of fatigue and stubble. But in his deep-set eye sockets, a light of almost fanatical hope flickered.

This matter had to be traced back to a month ago.

...

One month ago.

Bangalore, Curry Country, ISRO Headquarters Building.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling onto a massive desk made of expensive rosewood, which occupied a third of the office space.

Seated behind the desk was The Director-General of ISRO.

A typical high-caste Brahmin with fair skin, fingers covered in gemstone rings, and a sophisticated custom-made suit. However, his eyes always held a touch of arrogance.

"Rajesh, my friend, come in, come in quickly!"

Seeing Rajesh push the door open, The Director-General immediately waved enthusiastically, the smile on his face exceptionally bright.

But this unusual enthusiasm made Rajesh's heart skip a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up inside him.

In this strictly hierarchical institution, The Director-General usually wouldn't even give him a second glance. This sudden warmth today definitely meant no good.

Rajesh carefully closed the door, walked to the desk, and bowed slightly, maintaining the humility of a subordinate: "Sir, you were looking for me?"

"Yes, yes! I have some incredible news to tell you!"

The Director-General stood up excitedly from his chair, walked around the desk, and affectionately patted Rajesh on the shoulder.

"Rajesh, do you know? To wash away ISRO's previous disgrace and let the world see our Curry Country's aerospace strength again, I have just made a great decision!"

The so-called disgrace he referred to was a satellite launch failure seven or eight months ago. Why was it mentioned so casually? Because such things were common occurrences in Curry Country.

At this point, The Director-General paused and said loudly in an incredibly solemn tone:

"I have taken on a staggering task for ISRO!"

Rajesh's eyelid twitched, and the ominous premonition in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

"What... what task?" he asked, his voice a bit dry.

The Director-General held up two fingers, waved them in the air, then changed them into an open palm, and finally into a single finger, making a dizzying series of gestures.

"We are going to launch a total of 16 satellites at once for multiple countries, including our own military!"

"16 satellites?!"

Rajesh sucked in a breath of cold air, his voice changing pitch.

That was no small number.

One must understand that aerospace launches are never a simple matter of stacking numbers.

The orbit, payload, and separation time for every single satellite need to be precisely calculated. The difficulty of a multi-satellite launch increases geometrically.

"That's right! 16!"

The Director-General seemed very satisfied with Rajesh's shock. He counted them off proudly on his fingers: "There's our military's Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite EOS-N1—that's the main event! Then there are others from Thailand, Brazil, Spain, the United Kingdom, and so on."

"Totaling 16 satellites, we will use one rocket to send them all into the sky!"

As he spoke, a fanatical light flickered in The Director-General's eyes, as if he could already see the scene of the whole world cheering for him.

"We will use this launch to wipe away our past shame! We will tell the whole world how wrong those who mocked us for only knowing how to boast were!"

However, Rajesh couldn't get excited at all.

He was already breaking into a cold sweat.

"Sir... this mission... isn't it too..."

'Too risky.'

He wanted to say it, but seeing The Director-General's high spirits, he swallowed the words and asked instead: "Then... when is the launch date set?"

The Director-General held up one finger and waved it in front of Rajesh.

"A year?" Rajesh asked tentatively. If they had a year to prepare, it would be difficult, but not entirely impossible.

"No." The Director-General shook his head, a mysterious smile appearing on his face. "It's one month."

"What?!"

At that moment, Rajesh felt he must have misheard.

"One month?!"

He was stunned on the spot, his mouth hanging wide open.

"This... how is this possible?!"

He almost yelled it out instinctively, his voice filled with unbelievable horror.

One month?

What kind of international joke was this?

The last failed launch was only seven or eight months ago.

That painful failure not only caused ISRO to lose face internationally but also plunged the entire research team into deep self-doubt.

To appease those mentally broken scientists so they could return to work, he, as the deputy head, had worried himself sick.

He had not only hired the best psychologists but even catered to their interests, specifically buying many monitors for the scientists to recuperate their mental states.

As for what these scientists did with the monitors, he didn't know.

But now, the psychological trauma of the researchers hadn't even healed, and they'd only been playing with the monitors for a few days, and you're telling me that in one month we're going to do a super-difficult 'sixteen satellites on one rocket' launch?

"Sir! This is absolutely impossible!"

Rajesh snapped out of it, his face flushing red with anxiety. He ignored the hierarchy and argued loudly: "The last failed launch was not long ago, and the technical glitches haven't been fully investigated! The researchers' mindsets also need time to adjust! Moreover, for the adaptation work of 16 satellites, just doing wind tunnel tests and separation simulations wouldn't be enough in a month! This is simply an impossible task!"

He tried to use professional knowledge to wake up his superior's reason.

Technical updates take time; this wasn't like buying curry powder at a market where you could just grab a handful.

However, his argument didn't calm The Director-General; instead, it enraged him.

"Enough!"

The smile on The Director-General's face vanished instantly, replaced by the anger of being offended.

He slammed the desk hard, the loud bang making Rajesh flinch.

"Rajesh! Watch your status! Who do you think you're talking to?"

The Director-General flew into a rage and scolded him harshly: "Impossible? In this great nation, nothing is impossible! You are boosting others' morale while undermining our own!"

He stepped out from behind the desk, pressing forward until his finger was almost poking Rajesh's nose.

"Look to the East! Look at that Eastern Country!"

The Director-General's face was contorted, spit flying everywhere, his tone filled with arrogance and disdain, as well as a deep-seated jealousy he refused to admit.

"They brag all day about some 'Eastern Country speed'—building bridges fast, building roads fast, launching rockets fast! Hmph, what does that count for?"

He puffed out his chest and, in an extremely conceited manner, arrogantly proclaimed:

"Can they do what we cannot?!"

He emphasized his tone, a morbid sense of national pride flickering in his eyes.

"You should know we are the world's second-strongest power! In terms of spiritual level and software technology, we have long since crushed the Eastern Country! Our yoga, our movies, our software outsourcing—which one isn't number one in the world?"

Listening to this, Rajesh was speechless.

'World's second-strongest power? Which media outlet's unofficial ranking is that? Or did you crown yourself in a dream?' a thought flashed through his mind. Clearly, this Rajesh was still quite level-headed.

But The Director-General was obviously immersed in his own logic and couldn't pull himself out.

"So, if the Eastern Country has 'Eastern Country speed,' we must have an even more impressive 'curry speed' to manifest our national strength!"

The Director-General waved his arms, delivering a passionate speech.

"We will use this launch to let the whole world see what real speed is! What a real miracle is!"

"One month! Just one month!"

He stared fixedly at Rajesh, his gaze leaving no room for negotiation, only high-and-mighty commands.

"So no matter what method you use, the task must be completed within one month, at most one and a half months!"

"This is an order! Rajesh! If you can't do it, then pack your bags and get out! There are plenty of people who want your position!"

Rajesh looked at his boss, who had fallen into a frenzy. He opened his mouth but finally closed it weakly.

He knew that continuing to speak was pointless.

In this place where only caste and politics mattered, and scientific laws were ignored, reason was the cheapest thing.

A superior's rank can crush a subordinate to death.

Moreover, the other party was a Brahmin, while he was just a technocrat who had climbed up through his skills.

If he dared to oppose again, what awaited him was not just unemployment, but possibly an even worse fate.

"Yes... sir."

Rajesh lowered his head, his voice hoarse and filled with bitterness.

"I will... do my best."

"Not your best! You must!" The Director-General corrected, a winner's smile returning to his face. "Go, my friend, go create a miracle. I have high hopes for you."

Under The Director-General's non-negotiable command, Rajesh could only walk out of the office in despair. He knew an impossible task had been placed on his shoulders.

Walking out of those heavy rosewood doors, Rajesh felt weak all over, his strength instantly vanishing.

In the hallway, several researchers in white coats were hurrying past, carrying several large monitors.

Their faces bore a strange smile of satisfaction, as if they had just undergone a deep so-called spiritual healing session.

Watching this scene, Rajesh's lip twitched, and an indescribable feeling of absurdity welled up in his heart.

'This is our research team... this is the foundation upon which we are to create a miracle...'

He looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply.

'One month... 16 satellites...'

'This isn't a miracle; this is a death sentence.'

He dragged his heavy steps toward his office, his mind already starting to calculate how he should write that inevitable resignation letter if the launch failed, or... a suicide note?