Chapter 63: Let Me Go
Under Sun Changhe’s lead, Gu Changshan, Chen Yusheng, Lu Zhaoming, Jiang Yang, and the others arrived at another hall.
There were more than a dozen men in the hall with buzz-cut short hair, resolute expressions, and temperaments as unshakable as mountains.
On their left and right sides, there were also four screens, each showing a hall similar to this one, with more than a dozen men seated in each respectively.
Upon seeing Sun Changhe enter, more than sixty men from a total of five locations stood up simultaneously and saluted simultaneously.
After Sun Changhe returned the salute, he stood on the podium in front.
He was silent, and the others were also silent.
After quietly scanning the room, Sun Changhe finally spoke: “Comrades, you should all already be clear about the Apocalypse Cycle matter.
Now, there is a mission that may relate to the future fate of our entire nation, or even our entire civilization, that requires you to carry out.
This mission cannot even be described as nine deaths and one life. Because each and every one of us knows that as long as it is carried out, it means certain death, with no possibility of survival.
This mission is… to board a rocket and go to an orbit 700,000 kilometers from Earth. This way, if our efforts to confront the apocalypse in this life ultimately fail, you can provide crucial Doomsday Intelligence for us in the next life at the cost of your own lives.
Although the apocalypse will cause the cycle, theoretically, we in the next life will still be alive and well, but…
We are just ordinary people, we have no cycle ability, we cannot carry memory and emotion over to the next life, this death is real for us right now.”
Sun Changhe spoke slowly in a low voice. In the scene and on the four screens corresponding to the other four launch sites, everyone listened silently.
“The first possible cause of death is the rocket.”
He looked at the giant rocket already standing in front of the launch pad outside the window and said: “Up to now, we have conducted a total of 266 launches, 19 of which were successful, with a success rate of only 7.14%.
Because time is too urgent and our country currently has no manufacturing experience with manned high-thrust rockets, this launch will also use these rockets. And these rockets have no escape device.
Once the launch fails, the astronauts inside will certainly die.
Even if the launch succeeds, the manned spaceship does not have the capability to return, and in the short term, we also do not have the possibility of conducting a second long-range high-thrust rocket launch and carrying out a rescue.
After consuming the replenishment and energy in the manned spaceship, the astronauts will similarly certainly die.”
Sun Changhe did not conceal anything and simply and straightforwardly explained the risks of this mission.
Zhang Jian sat among the astronaut formation, quietly listening to Sun Changhe’s explanation.
He had already known about these things before. Not only him, all his companions who participated in the emergency training together also knew.
This time, it was just confirmation from Sun Changhe’s mouth again.
His gaze imperceptibly glanced downward, and he saw that the wound on his left finger from a few days ago had now completely healed, leaving only a faint mark that was barely visible unless looked at closely.
This wound was one he had cut himself.
The purpose was very simple: to squeeze out blood.
The purpose of squeezing out blood was also very simple: to serve as a substitute for ink paste.
Several days ago, after learning the purpose of this mission, he wrote a letter of request and proactively applied to carry out this certain-death mission. To show his determination, he pressed his fingerprint on his signature on the letter of request using blood instead of ink paste.
Afterward, to avoid putting psychological pressure on his companions, he did not publicly hand this letter of request to the instructor, but instead submitted it privately when no one else was around.
The instructor did not give a clear reply, but also did not refuse.
Thus, Zhang Jian knew that the first person to carry out this mission was most likely himself.
Obviously, because this mission only needed one successful launch, the astronaut ranked first to carry out the mission had the highest probability of death.
The further back the ranking, the lower the probability of death. Because as long as there was one successful launch before oneself, all subsequent people would no longer need to carry out this mission.
“If someone has to sacrifice, then let it be me.”
Gently rubbing the slight uneven sensation at his fingertip from the healed wound, he thought silently in his heart.
On the podium ahead, Sun Changhe’s gaze full of emotion and solemnity swept once again over the resolute faces.
He placed his briefcase on the table and took out a thick stack of paper from it.
Those papers were all different: some were A4 paper, some were draft paper, some were envelopes, and some were already crumpled.
Zhang Jian glanced at them, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
Among that thick stack of paper, he saw the letter of request he had given to the instructor back then, with his blood fingerprint on it.
He clearly remembered what that letter of request looked like; he absolutely could not be mistaken.
His own letter of request was mixed in with so much paper, so the rest of the paper…
He subconsciously looked at his companions and saw that his companions were also simultaneously looking at each other.
Sun Changhe said solemnly: “62 reserve astronauts, 62 letters of request, all here.”
Zhang Jian’s heart suddenly shook.
His companions had actually also submitted letters of request! But how did I not know anything about it!
You all, you all…
Sun Changhe took a step forward to the side of the podium, his aged face full of solemnity: “Comrades, on behalf of the nation and the people, I express respect to you.”
He slowly raised his arm and gave a solemn salute.
Beside him, Gu Changshan, Chen Yusheng, and everyone else, including Jiang Yang and Zhou Yu, all raised their arms and solemnly saluted the more than a dozen astronauts on site as well as all the astronauts on the four screens.
At this moment, a strange emotion arose in Jiang Yang’s heart, and a voice like thunder from the nine heavens uncontrollably roared frantically in his mind.
“This is our nation, this is our people, this is our warriors!
With such a nation, such people, such warriors, what kind of apocalypse can defeat us?”
Unknowingly, he felt some liquid slide across his face, cool and salty.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. After a long while, Sun Changhe lowered his arm and stood in front of the podium again.
“But… I’m sorry, I cannot accept any of your letters of request right now.
We have organization, discipline, and regulations.
The more critical the danger and challenge our nation faces, the more we must abide by these disciplines.
After solemn discussion by the Apocalypse Project Command, we have decided to determine the mission order based on the completion degree of the previous stage of emergency training, combined with the comprehensive scores of the astronauts’ own physical quality, psychological quality, professional skill levels, and so on.
Tong Zheng, step forward!”
