Chapter 80: The Best
At this moment, the rocket launch mission has already begun execution.
Of course, what is being launched now is not astronauts, but things like lunar detection satellites, optical detection satellites, and so on from the previous cycle.
They are the “eyes” that people and astronauts have deployed in the lunar sky, indispensable.
“Ignition!”
A giant rocket’s tail suddenly jetted out blazing flames, pushing the massive rocket body slowly into the sky, then exploding into a burst of fireworks in the vast expanse of the sky.
The first launch failed. But no matter, there are still 291 rockets waiting behind. Moreover, after optimizations in engineering, production, and assembly processes, this cycle’s rockets will inevitably have higher reliability than the previous cycle.
Sure enough, just as Jiang Yang had anticipated, the second rocket’s launch succeeded, smoothly sending the payload into Earth orbit, beginning orbital adjustment, preparing for heading to the Moon.
Subsequent rocket launches continued, some succeeding, some failing. Roughly speaking, out of 20 rockets, 4 have already succeeded.
A 20% success rate, although low, is already much better than the previous cycle.
“I hope this time, the astronauts’ lives won’t be wasted so pointlessly again…”
With a bit of expectation and blessing in his heart, Sun Changhe’s voice came through his earpiece.
“The astronauts have all arrived, go take a look at them.”
Under Sun Changhe’s lead, the group arrived at another hall. Thus, Jiang Yang once again saw those many familiar figures.
Tong Zheng, Li Hui, Zhao Jianguo, Qian Liang, and others, as well as Li Chengyu, who in the previous cycle truly reached 700,000 kilometers from Earth in space and sent him crucial intelligence.
Of course, this cycle they do not know him.
Jiang Yang’s gaze swept one by one over the faces of the more than a dozen astronauts on site, then looked at the four screens hanging on both sides of the wall, looking one by one at the other dozens of astronauts among them.
From their faces, Jiang Yang did not see too many expressions. What he saw were only faces with resolute expressions and determined eyes, bodies standing straight, sitting on chairs like great bells.
A faint aura of iron-blooded killing emanated from them.
Merely the more than a dozen in front and the dozens on the screens, yet Jiang Yang seemed to see thousands of troops and horses.
Before his eyes suddenly appeared scenes that would only occur in wartime eras, as if he saw continuous artillery fire and clashing weapons, saw on the battlefield, warrior after warrior making their final preparations before setting out.
A general stepped forward to the podium in this hall.
Jiang Yang knew that he was the chief instructor responsible for the pre-departure special training of the astronauts over these past few days.
His hawk-like gaze swept over face after face, then he slowly spoke.
“In the previous five days of special training, I cursed you many times.
I cursed that you are not men, not even soldiers;
I cursed that you are more suited to suckling at your mother’s breast than training here;
I cursed that you are the most cowardly batch of soldiers I have ever led, that pulling a few people off the street at random would do better than you.
I cursed you a lot.”
His voice, sharp like weapons of war, softened a bit: “Now, I apologize to you.
I lied.
You are not the worst soldiers I have led, but the best.
I have worn this uniform for decades, led eight or even ten thousand soldiers, and you… are the best among all the soldiers I have ever led.
You may not know that those training subjects I set for you, which were claimed to be easily completable even by ordinary company soldiers, have never actually been completed by anyone, yet you completed them.
Under immense mental pressure, even the top elites would collapse, their movements deform, their judgment err, yet you withstood that pressure. Though completion quality was only 80%, before you, the highest was only 65%.
To be honest, I have never seen soldiers as excellent as you.”
His voice was somewhat muffled, like he had a cold: “Comrades, go, go, don’t have mental pressure.
Even if this mission ultimately fails, remember, you are the most excellent. No matter to what extent you execute this mission, you are the best; no one else could do better than you.
Even if you fail, you are heroes, heroes without a doubt, no one can blame you.”
His arm slowly raised, solemnly saluting the total of 64 astronauts below and on the screens.
Beside him, Sun Changhe and the others, including Jiang Yang and Zhou Yu, also simultaneously raised their arms, expressing their respect in their hearts to this group of astronauts.
In this special training, Astronaut Tong Zheng, who still ranked first in comprehensive score, suddenly stood up and shouted loudly: “All personnel, attention, stand up!”
The 64 astronauts stood up simultaneously in perfect unison, as if after countless trainings, their bodies straight like pine trees.
“Salute!”
In the solemn and reverent atmosphere, Sun Changhe walked onto the rostrum.
“I order, set out!”
“Yes!”
The 64 astronauts from the five locations simultaneously turned, each forming neat queues as they walked out of the meeting room, heading toward the launch site ahead.
The first batch of 5 astronauts, and 5 rockets, were already ready for launch.
Through the internal broadcast signal, Jiang Yang saw the scene inside the payload bay at the rocket’s top.
Still that conical spaceship, filled inside with all sorts of flying wires and countless display screens, switches, and buttons, the overall design filled with a rushed and makeshift quality.
But in terms of complexity alone, it was still considerably higher than the spaceships the astronauts rode in the previous cycle.
The previous cycle’s spaceships only needed to maintain basic survival in outer space. This cycle’s spaceships had far higher requirements.
The lunar surface environment was far more complex than mere space environment.
These spaceships not only needed to execute complex landing missions, but also support astronauts’ multiple round trips, exiting and entering the cabin, needs like putting on and taking off spacesuits inside the cabin.
Correspondingly, its weight was also higher than the previous cycle.
Including the orbiter, lander, and so on, its total mass reached several tons, already approaching the payload limit of the Giant Spirit God II Rocket’s Earth-Moon transfer orbit.
But even so, the replenishment supplies the astronauts could carry inside the spaceship—oxygen, water, food, etc.—were extremely limited, nowhere near enough to sustain for long.
Without subsequent supply replenishment, even if they reached the Moon, the astronauts’ only ending would be supplies exhausted, suffocating, starving, or dying of thirst to death.
At this moment, the launch mission had formally begun.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, blazing flames once again jetted from the rocket’s tail, pushing the massive rocket body slowly upward into the sky.
