27: After the moon landing

When the live broadcast signal of Li Zhenhua's words, "We are about to press the accelerator for the entire Human Civilization," crossed the vast 380,000-kilometer distance via satellite relay stations and echoed clearly in every corner of the Earth, the entire world erupted in fervor.

From the giant electronic screens in New York's Times Square to the countless mobile phone screens on Beijing's Chang'an Avenue; from the pigeons in London's Trafalgar Square to the slums beneath Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro...

At this moment, regardless of skin color, race, or faith, almost everyone stopped what they were doing, looked up in the same direction, and witnessed the same miracle.

Humanity had returned to the Moon.

And this time, it was not a fleeting visit, just planting a flag and leaving a few footprints before hurrying away.

This time, it was to settle, to pioneer, and to turn that land, barren for 4.5 billion years, into the first eternal beacon for our journey into the deeper, more distant cosmos.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Sixty years ago, this famous quote by Neil Armstrong was cited once again by countless media outlets.

But this time, its meaning had undergone a profound change.

It was no longer a summary of a great expedition, but a declaration of the dawn of a brand-new era.

On social media, a global celebration was instantly ignited.

"Guanghan Palace Base," a name full of Eastern poetry, topped the trending lists of all global social platforms within just one hour.

Countless netizens expressed their excitement and pride in various languages.

"I'm crying! I'm actually crying! This is an epic for humanity!"

"USA! USA! We did it together with the Chinese! This is what humanity should look like!"

"The image of those six astronauts standing together and saluting is truly historic! I feel like I'm seeing the United Federation of Planets from Star Trek!"

"Thank God, I've lived long enough to finally see this day! Our journey is to the stars and the sea!"

Countless memes, short videos, and artworks were created.

Some depicted the six astronauts as superheroes, some portrayed Guanghan Palace Base as a future utopia, and some even fused the three national flags in an incredibly comical way to design a brand-new "Earth Federation" flag.

Governments around the world also issued congratulatory messages.

The Russian President delivered a televised speech from the Kremlin, praising it as "a great victory for all of humanity, marking a new chapter in international cooperation."

The European Space Agency, which had long remained silent in the space sector, also announced that it would restart and accelerate its own manned space program, hoping to have the opportunity to participate in the subsequent construction of the lunar base.

Even the Pope in the Vatican, usually detached from worldly affairs, personally stepped forward to praise it as "yet another proof of God's gift to humanity to explore His great creation."

"We choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard."

President John F. Kennedy's bold words from back then were brought up once again.

And this time, humanity had not only overcome the difficulties but had built an eternal monument upon them.

Nights in major cities around the world were illuminated by various celebrations.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris lit up with deep blue lights symbolizing the starry sky.

Tokyo Skytree displayed the words "Congratulations on the successful China-US Moon Landing" in lights.

In China, countless cities turned into cities that never sleep; people spontaneously poured onto the streets, waving national flags and singing the national anthem, their heartfelt pride and joy enough to infect everyone.

"A time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves, and set my cloud-white sail to cross the vast, vast sea."

"Within the four seas, all men are brothers; even at the ends of the earth, we are neighbors."

These ancient verses were given brand-new meanings by the younger generation.

However, in this ocean of almost global celebration and optimism, there existed a few lonely, cold-eyed islands.

In certain extreme online forums and conspiracy theorists' live streams, discordant noise still filled the air.

"Wake up! This is all fake! It's a scam of the century filmed in a studio by the Chinese and American governments together!"

"They are just trying to use this method to divert our attention from domestic conflicts!"

But these voices were quickly drowned out in the vast ocean of celebration, appearing so insignificant and ridiculous.

What was truly worth being vigilant about was the colder and more dangerous undercurrent from the real world.

...

Washington, Capitol Hill.

In a private, classically decorated reception room closed to the public, a secret meeting was underway.

Although Senator John McConnell had resigned as honorary chairman of the Earth Purity Faction, he had not truly left the stage.

At this moment, he was sitting with several top think-tank members from the military-industrial complex and traditional energy groups, watching the celebratory reports about Guanghan Palace Base on TV with a gloomy expression.

"Look at this, gentlemen." McConnell turned off the TV and said coldly, "Our President is using our taxpayers' money to play house on the Moon with our biggest competitor, while our people are still suffering from inflation and unemployment."

"John, the situation is very unfavorable for us right now." An agent representing a major arms manufacturer said worriedly, "Currently, we have no means to violently confront Paradox Technology, and this joint moon landing has pushed the government's prestige to its peak. We simply cannot compete with them in public opinion right now."

"Public opinion?" A cold sneer curled the corner of McConnell's mouth. "Public opinion is the cheapest thing there is. Today they can cheer for the moon landing, and tomorrow they will curse the government over a hot dog that went up in price."

He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the brightly lit night view of Washington in the distance.

"We cannot make the previous mistakes again. It is stupid to go head-to-head with a monster like Paradox Technology that doesn't play by the rules; we must defeat them using the rules."

He turned around, his eyes flashing with the cunning unique to old-school politicians.

"The space program is indeed important, we cannot deny that, but how to conduct the space program and who leads it—that is the key to the problem."

"Think about it," he said persuasively. "All the core technologies now—fusion reactors, new materials, automated robots... all come from that mysterious Paradox Technology, and Paradox Technology seems to have an ambiguous relationship with the Chinese government. This is equivalent to handing the lifeline of our country's future completely into the hands of our competitors. This is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Then what should we do?"

"Delay." McConnell said only one word.

"We must use the rules of procedure in Congress, and use the public's demand for government fiscal transparency to delay, to review, and to obstruct the next phase of the dome project."

"We must tell the public that we are not opposed to the space program; we are just opposed to a space program led by China and a mysterious company that is not subject to the supervision of the American people!"

"We must establish countless investigation committees to hold months-long hearings on every budget item of the dome project. We must drown Dr. Thorne and her NDSM-RD in endless paperwork and political bickering."

"China can use the power of the whole nation to build that so-called voyager regardless of cost, but we cannot! We are a free and democratic country; we must be responsible to the voters." He emphasized the words "democratic" and "responsible" with heavy, sarcastic undertones.

"As long as we can successfully delay the construction progress of the voyager by a few years, as long as we can use Paradox Technology's technology during this time to foster our own supply chain completely controlled by the United States..."

"By then, who is the protagonist and who is the supporting role will be hard to say."

...

McConnell's conspiracy was quickly put into action.

When the next batch of material supplies for the third phase of the "dome project"—the voyager starship construction plan—was submitted to Congress for budget approval, it encountered unprecedented resistance.

Countless hearings, countless inquiries, countless additional clauses...

The entire plan was stuck in the legislative process, unable to move.

Dr. Thorne and her team had to spend a huge amount of time every day dealing with various difficulties and reviews from Congress, leaving them no time to attend to actual scientific research.

Ultimately, under immense domestic political pressure, The White House had to make compromises.

They publicly announced that due to challenges in the domestic economic situation and the need to re-evaluate the budget, the United States would temporarily suspend direct funding for the third phase of the "dome project."

They would not withdraw from the agreement, but the construction resources for the main body of the voyager starship would need to be borne independently by the Chinese side for the time being.

Once this news broke, the whole world was in an uproar.

People who had just been immersed in the beautiful vision of China-US cooperation felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

And this decision was undoubtedly a heavy blow to China, which had already bet a huge amount of resources and energy on the voyager.

...

Beijing, a certain underground command center.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as the sea before a storm.

"American politicians have once again shown us their unparalleled shortsightedness and selfishness." Academician Chen Haikang's voice was filled with disappointment and anger. "They would rather risk the destruction of the entire Human Civilization than prioritize their own petty partisan and group interests."

"What do we do now?" A military representative asked. "Without the resources and financial support from the American side, relying solely on ourselves, the construction progress of the voyager will be delayed by at least several years. We are very likely unable to complete it before the scheduled time window, and for our domestic side... such a massive supply of materials also puts immense pressure on us."

Everyone fell into silence.

The resources required to build a starship are astronomical.

Even though China possesses strong industrial power and mobilization capabilities, undertaking all of this independently is an almost impossible task.

Just as the entire command center was shrouded in a pessimistic atmosphere, an unexpected voice connected to the meeting via an encrypted line.

It was Lei Wen.

Or rather, it was Lei Wen, the chairman of Leidian Special Steel Co., Ltd.

"Academician Chen, leaders," Lei Wen's voice sounded through the loudspeaker in the conference room. His voice was calm and confident. "Perhaps, I can help a little."

Everyone's eyes turned to the source of the voice.

"CEO Lei Wen?" Academician Chen was somewhat surprised. "You... how could you..."

"I just happened to hear about the difficulties you are facing." Lei Wen's voice carried a hint of just the right amount of mystery. "Regarding the issue of the American side suspending resource supplies, I think Leidian Company might be able to fill this gap."

A slight commotion broke out in the conference room.

"CEO Lei Wen, this is not a small amount." An official from the NDRC reminded him. "This involves trillions in funding and immeasurable industrial resources."

"Money is not a problem." Lei Wen's reply was understated, yet filled with unquestionable power.

"The real problem is transport capacity." He pointed out the core of the issue with precision. "With the current efficiency of our Tiansuo launch vehicles, even if we launch 24 hours a day without stopping, we cannot transport all the materials and equipment needed to build the voyager to the Moon within the stipulated time."

Everyone present knew this clearly.

This was also what gave them the biggest headache.

"So," Lei Wen's voice paused, and then he threw out a proposal that was enough to shock everyone.

"Leidian Company, or rather, Paradox Technology behind me, intends to formally enter the commercial space sector."

"We possess design blueprints for brand-new, more efficient reusable launch vehicles, and we also have our own automated factories that can conduct mass production."

"We don't need a single cent of investment from the state."

"We only need one thing—"

"A legal access permit, and... a piece of land next to the Wenchang Launch Center." (Isn't that two things?)

These words from Lei Wen were like a depth charge thrown into a calm lake.

A private enterprise wants to independently design, manufacture, and operate heavy launch vehicles capable of executing Earth-Moon transport missions?

Everyone knew how difficult it was to accomplish such a thing.

But the one who said this was the agent of Paradox Technology.

It was... the child of those two people.

Academician Chen Haikang and everyone in the conference room exchanged glances.

They all saw the same shock in each other's eyes, as well as a glimmer of rekindled hope.

"CEO Lei Wen," Academician Chen Haikang took a deep breath and said in a tone of unprecedented solemnity, "We agree to your proposal in principle."

"I will send specialists to your company immediately to discuss the specific details with you."

"I have only one request—"

"How fast can your rockets be built?"

Lei Wen looked at the rocket production line in his underground factory, where the fourth-generation engineering robot legion was currently building, and smiled slightly.

"Academician Chen, you misunderstood."

"Not built."

"Printed."

"Three months from now, the first batch of five 'jinglei-class' short-range transport ships will conduct their first test flight at Wenchang on schedule."