Chapter 270 Arrival at the Space Station
January 29, 2040.
1:00 AM, Geostationary Orbit.
The Elevator Car floated quietly in space. Outside the window, the Space Station was close at hand—a massive structure composed of seventeen modules, with solar panels like two silver wings slowly rotating under the starlight.
Inside the cabin, the three astronauts had already donned their extravehicular spacesuits.
Zhang Pengfei stood before the hatch, looking at the Space Station through the small porthole. His heart was racing, but his hands were steady.
"Ground, preparing for egress," he said.
Chen Xueming's voice came through the comms: "Copy that. Stay safe."
The hatch slowly opened.
In the weightless environment, Zhang Pengfei gave a gentle push and floated out. Engineer Li Wei followed behind, then Medical Monitor Wang Yanan. The three of them drifted in space, behind them the Elevator Car that had just carried them up thirty-six thousand kilometers.
The Space Station was just fifty meters ahead.
"So beautiful," Medical Monitor Wang Yanan said softly.
Zhang Pengfei nodded without speaking. He simply gazed at the massive silver-white structure, at the modules where they had lived for half a year, and at that familiar hatch.
Then he turned around and looked in another direction.
There, Earth hung quietly against the black curtain of the sky. Blue oceans, white clouds, brown land—everything was rotating slowly. Thirty-six thousand kilometers away, that planet was where they had started, and where they were to return.
"Engineer Li Wei, the camera," Zhang Pengfei said.
Engineer Li Wei floated over, adjusted the camera on his person, and aimed it at Zhang Pengfei and Medical Monitor Wang Yanan.
Zhang Pengfei raised his hand toward Earth and waved slowly.
Medical Monitor Wang Yanan also raised her hand and waved similarly.
Engineer Li Wei aimed the lens at himself and waved as well.
Three white figures, in the blackness of space, waved in greeting toward the blue planet.
At 1:15 AM, the images were transmitted back to Earth.
In the Hainan Base Control Center, this scene appeared on the giant screen.
Lin Mo stood before the screen, motionless.
Li Xiao stood beside him, already in tears.
Zhao Gang stood behind them, his lips pressed tight, but his eyes were rimmed with red.
The entire control center was silent. Everyone stared at the screen, at those three figures waving in space.
Thirty-six thousand kilometers away.
They were waving to Earth.
Waving to every single person.
In Beijing, the crowds gathered in the square erupted in earth-shattering cheers. Countless people held up their phones, filming the images on the big screens. Some wept, some embraced, some knelt on the ground.
In New York, people in Times Square stopped in their tracks, looking up at the images. An old woman covered her mouth with her hands, tears falling. A young man held up his phone, calling his family far away: "Mom, do you see? They're waving in space!"
In London, people in the subway stopped, staring at the television screens on the platforms. A man in a suit took off his glasses and wiped the corners of his eyes. A mother holding a child whispered, "Look, baby, those are humans in space."
In Tokyo, people in offices set down their work, staring at their computer screens. An old engineer took off his glasses and was silent for a long time. Then he stood up and bowed deeply toward the screen.
In Moscow, an elderly couple held each other's hands tightly. The old woman whispered, "They did it." The old man nodded without speaking, but tears were already flowing down.
Billions of people across the globe, at the same moment, watched the same image.
Three figures in white spacesuits, in the blackness of space, waving to Earth.
At 1:20 AM, the footage switched.
The Space Station's hatch opened. The astronauts staying behind on the station floated out to welcome their companions.
Six people met in space. They hugged one another, patted each other's shoulders, and spun in circles in the weightless environment.
As Zhang Pengfei was pulled into the Space Station, he glanced back out the window.
That blue planet was still there.
He smiled, then turned and floated inside.
In the control center, Lin Mo finally moved.
He walked to the screen, reached out, and gently touched the image.
Li Xiao walked over and stood beside him.
"Senior Brother," her voice choked with emotion, "they've arrived."
Lin Mo nodded, saying nothing.
But his vision had already blurred.
Tears fell, tracing down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor.
He didn't wipe them away; he just stood there, watching the images on the screen.
Thirty-six thousand kilometers.
An ascent of over seven hours.
Countless days and nights of preparation.
The efforts of countless people.
Now, they had arrived.
Xueming's face appeared in a small window in the corner of the screen. His eyes were also red, but he was smiling.
"Old Lin," he said, "we did it."
Lin Mo turned his head to look at his face.
"Yeah," his voice was raspy, "we did it."
Zhao Gang walked over and stood on his other side.
"Chief Designer Lin," his voice was very low, "it was worth it."
Lin Mo nodded.
Yes, it was worth it.
At 2:00 AM, the video signal from the Space Station was connected.
Six astronauts crowded before the lens, smiling and waving.
Zhang Pengfei said to the camera: "Ground, we have arrived safely. Everything on the Space Station is normal. Thank you for everyone's hard work."
Engineer Li Wei shouted from the side: "Master Liu! Keep that braised pork ready! I'm coming back to eat it!"
Medical Monitor Wang Yanan laughed: "Braised pork is the only thing on his mind."
The six of them dissolved into laughter.
In the control center, everyone laughed.
As they laughed, some began to cry again.
Lin Mo looked at them and smiled as well.
Then he picked up the microphone and said to the screen:
"Welcome to the Space Station. You've worked hard."
Zhang Pengfei nodded: "It wasn't hard. It was worth it."
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said:
"Get some good rest. In a few days, you'll have to come back."
Zhang Pengfei laughed.
"Don't worry. We're waiting to take the elevator down."
At 3:00 AM, Lin Mo walked out of the control center.
Outside, the sky was nearly light. On the eastern horizon, a streak of orange-red was spreading.
Zhao Gang followed him out and stood beside him.
"Chief Designer Lin, aren't you going to rest for a bit?"
Lin Mo shook his head: "Can't sleep."
Zhao Gang nodded and didn't speak further.
The two stood in silence, watching the horizon slowly brighten.
After a long time, Lin Mo suddenly said, "Zhao Gang, thank you."
Zhao Gang turned to look at him: "For what?"
"Thank you for always standing guard." Lin Mo looked at the distant sea. "From the first day until now, you've always been here."
Zhao Gang was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.
"It's my mission."
Lin Mo shook his head: "It's not just a mission. You've truly been protecting us."
Zhao Gang looked at him, a sense of warmth in his gaze.
"Because it's worth it," he said.
Lin Mo nodded and didn't speak again.
The sun slowly rose. Golden sunlight spilled over the sea, the platform, and the control center building.
Thirty-six thousand kilometers above, six people were in the Space Station, watching the same sun.