Chapter 262 The Heavenly Ladder is Initially Complete
December 29, 2039. Six in the morning, the Space Elevator Platform.
Chen Xueming stood on the Anchoring Base, head tilted back as he looked up at the sky. The clouds were low, obstructing most of his view, but he knew that 36,000 kilometers above, that silver-white cable was already firmly connected to the Space Station.
The longest object in human history.
It stretched from the equatorial sea surface all the way to geostationary orbit.
"General Manager Chen!" Wang Lei's voice came from behind. Chen Xueming turned around and saw him running over, holding a document in his hand.
"General Manager Chen, the transport ship with the elevator cabin has arrived! They are unloading now!"
Chen Xueming took the document and scanned it quickly. The elevator cabin—the Sky Ladder's first manned module—weighed twelve tons, could accommodate six passengers, and was designed for a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, requiring a full seven days to travel from the ground to the Space Station.
"Let's go take a look." The two walked toward the pier. Along the way, workers greeted them constantly, each with a smile on their face. News of the successful docking had spread across the entire platform, and all three hundred-plus people were happy about this event.
At the pier, a massive transport ship was unloading cargo. Huge cranes hoisted containers one by one onto the platform, and workers gathered around, carefully stacking them in order.
One of the containers was particularly large, with the characters "Elevator Cabin" printed in large letters on it.
Chen Xueming walked up to that container and reached out to touch the casing. The cold touch of the metal gave him a surreal feeling.
"General Manager Chen," Wang Lei whispered from the side, "Can this thing really take us up there?" Chen Xueming nodded: "Yes."
Wang Lei's eyes lit up: "Then when can I ride it?" Chen Xueming glanced at him: "Once it's calibrated, I'll let you be the first to ride." Wang Lei jumped up in joy.
At nine in the morning, the hoisting of the elevator cabin began. The massive crane turned slowly, lifting the twelve-ton module out of the container and gently placing it on the platform. The workers gathered around, began removing the packaging, and inspected every component.
Chen Xueming stood nearby, watching every detail. The module was cylindrical, three meters in diameter and five meters high, with a silver-white body. Its surface was covered with various interfaces and sensors, and on one side was a circular hatch with a small porthole.
"General Manager Chen," the engineer in charge of installation walked over, "The preliminary inspection is fine. We'll start installing the power system in the afternoon." Chen Xueming nodded: "Safety first." "Understood."
He stood there, watching the workers busy at work, suddenly feeling a bit dazed.
Three years ago, when he first met Lin Mo, he was still questioning whether that young man could achieve Room-Temperature Superconductivity. Later, he followed him to work on the Lithium-Sulfur Battery, Lithium Extraction from Seawater, and Nuclear Fusion. Later still, he was sent to this platform in the vast ocean, responsible for the sky ladder project.
Now, the elevator cabin was right before his eyes.
That 36,000-kilometer-long cable was right above his head.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Lin Mo: "Old Lin, the elevator cabin has arrived." A few seconds later, Lin Mo replied: "I'll come over in the afternoon."
At three in the afternoon, Lin Mo's helicopter landed on the platform. Chen Xueming went to the helipad to meet him. Lin Mo got off the helicopter, saw Chen Xueming, and paused for a moment.
"You've lost weight again," Lin Mo said. Chen Xueming smiled: "It's nothing, I'm used to it."
The two walked side by side toward the center of the platform. When passing the pier, Lin Mo stopped, looking at the elevator cabin that was being installed.
"Is this it?" he asked. Chen Xueming nodded: "The power system is being installed, and we'll start testing tomorrow."
Lin Mo walked around the module, carefully observing every detail. Then he stood still, turned his head, and looked at Chen Xueming.
"Xueming," he said, "You have made a great contribution." Chen Xueming was stunned.
"From the laying of the platform's foundation until now," Lin Mo's voice was very serious, "Typhoons, spies, corrosion, docking failures... every time something went wrong, you were the one at the forefront. For these three years, you have barely left this sea."
Chen Xueming opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't.
Lin Mo continued: "Without you, the Sky Ladder wouldn't have reached this stage. Therefore, you have made a great contribution."
Chen Xueming's eyes suddenly turned red.
He lowered his head, remained silent for a few seconds, then raised his head and looked at Lin Mo.
"Old Lin," his voice was slightly choked, "We built it together." Lin Mo looked at him.
Chen Xueming pointed to the busy workers around them: "They did too."
"Li Xiao, Zhao Gang, Section Chief Wu, Master Liu... everyone."
"Without you, I would have given up long ago. Without them, I couldn't have accomplished anything on my own."
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.
"Alright," he said, "We built it together." The two looked at each other and both smiled. As they laughed, tears slid down Chen Xueming's face.
In the evening, Master Liu prepared a large table of food again. Everyone on the platform sat together, as lively as a festival. Wang Lei walked around with a wine glass, offering toasts, and was flushed red from being made to drink. Xiao Zhou stood up to sing, completely tone-deaf, but everyone applauded and cheered.
Chen Xueming sat in the corner, eating slowly. Lin Mo sat next to him, also eating slowly.
Li Xiao walked over with a wine glass, her face flushed as well: "Senior Brother Chen! A toast to you!" Chen Xueming stood up and clinked glasses with her.
After drinking, Li Xiao leaned into his ear and whispered: "Senior Brother Chen, do you know that when you were crying just now, I almost cried too." Chen Xueming glared at her: "How did you know?" Li Xiao blinked: "I saw it on video." Chen Xueming didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You were spying on us?" Li Xiao laughed and ran away.
Chen Xueming sat down, shook his head, and continued eating.
Lin Mo said from the side: "She's becoming less and less afraid of you now." Chen Xueming smiled: "Yeah. Before, she was like a mouse seeing a cat when she saw me; now she dares to tease me." Lin Mo also smiled: "That's because she's grown up."
Late at night, Chen Xueming stood on the edge of the platform again. This time, Lin Mo came too.
The two stood side by side, looking at the starry sky above. The clouds had dispersed, and the sky was densely packed with stars, with the Milky Way stretching from north to south.
"Old Lin," Chen Xueming said suddenly, "Do you think the Sky Ladder can really be used?" Lin Mo turned his head to look at him: "Do you doubt it?" Chen Xueming shook his head: "It's not doubt. It's just that... it feels too surreal." Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said: "Me too."
He pointed to the starry sky above.
"Three years ago, I was still doing experiments in the laboratory. Three years later, our cable has already reached space. Sometimes when I think about it, it really feels like a dream." Chen Xueming nodded.
The two stood in silence, letting the sea breeze blow. After a long time, Chen Xueming said: "Old Lin, thank you." Lin Mo looked at him: "Thank you for what?"
"Thank you for letting me join." Chen Xueming looked at the distant sea surface, "If I hadn't followed you, I might still be in some research institute, arguing with people, thinking I was the best in the world." Lin Mo laughed: "Do you still think you're the best in the world now?" Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment, then also laughed. "Now I think, together, we are the best in the world."
Lin Mo looked at him, his gaze containing something warm. "Alright," he said, "Then let's do it together."
In the distance, the sea surface shimmered. Above, the starry sky was brilliant.
36,000 kilometers above, that silver-white cable hung quietly toward space.
The Sky Ladder, taking shape.