Chapter 86: No Other Choice
The atmosphere in the Command Hall began to become solemn.
Everyone was silent, waiting.
Time slowly passed another 15 minutes, reaching 8 p.m. But the figure of that expected astronaut still had not appeared.
Professor Li Jiaming couldn’t help but stand up, went to the specific Control Console and began operating, checking item by item of the data. After a long time, he walked back and said in a low voice: “Satellite working state normal, signal connection normal.”
It was not a satellite problem, so it could only be a problem with the astronauts.
The general who was previously responsible for special training for the astronauts gripped the railing tightly, with too much force that his finger joints turned somewhat white.
There was a barely detectable tremble in his voice: “They are all good ones, I understand them.
Either they have already sacrificed, or they are trapped. Otherwise, knowing that failing to report on time would lead us to make other judgments, as long as there is a little possibility, they would crawl out even if they had to.”
Jiang Yang agreed with this judgment.
Although he had not contacted those astronauts in life, through their performance in the mission in these few lives, Jiang Yang could be 100% sure that they were all warriors with lofty beliefs and firm ideals.
Such warriors could not be defeated unless their bodies were eliminated.
So now…
Time slowly reached 10 p.m.
There were last two hours until the apocalypse arrived, and 2 hours 15 minutes had passed since the original time when the astronauts should have come out to report on the node situation.
Jiang Yang knew that they probably would not come out again.
Sun Changhe looked at Professor Li Jiaming: “Did the hydrogen bomb that the astronauts brought into the passage explode?”
Li Jiaming hesitated for a moment, still adhering to the rigor of a scientist: “We have not observed signs of the hydrogen bomb detonating.
The lunar detection satellite we currently have also has the ability to monitor moonquakes through laser ranging technology, although not as precise as the on-site monitoring by the lunar rover in the previous life, but it still has the ability to monitor moonquake waves triggered by hydrogen bomb explosions.”
He only said “no signs of hydrogen bomb detonation observed,” rather than directly judging whether it detonated.
After all, there was also a possibility: perhaps the hydrogen bomb did detonate, but its influence was restricted in some way and did not propagate out?
Sun Changhe nodded slightly.
These two possibilities might differ scientifically, but for him, there was no difference.
He looked at Gu Changshan again: “How much longer until the nuclear missile strike group reaches the Moon?”
“20 minutes left.”
Jiang Yang knew that although astronauts were dispatched to the Moon this life, the work of modifying intercontinental missiles had not been abandoned.
People’s thinking was simple: if the astronauts’ exploration work yielded results and they had other means to respond to the apocalypse, then at worst, adjust the impact coordinates of those nuclear warheads and not detonate them.
If not detonated, they would just be equivalent to small impactors, not very powerful.
And if the astronauts’ exploration failed, then bombard again—although the previous bombardment was proven to be a failure and did not destroy that underground chamber, but maybe it was just due to some accidental reasons, or because the impact points were not good enough?
Maybe this time it would produce an effect.
No matter what, it was at least a fallback means.
Sun Changhe said softly: “Prepare to bombard.”
“Yes.”
Gu Changshan strode away, and the Command Hall fell silent again.
Everyone in their hearts knew clearly that if those astronauts were actually not sacrificed but trapped somewhere, facing this round of missile strikes, they would surely die as well.
But now… no time to worry about that.
Facing the current major threat to national security and civilization’s continuation, anyone could be sacrificed.
In the silent waiting, Sun Changhe looked at Jiang Yang.
“If the astronauts also cannot bring back intelligence from that passage, under existing technology conditions, we have no other means.”
Under electromagnetic shielding state, technology equipment like lunar rovers is ineffective;
At this moment, the astronauts’ failure to appear means the possibility of obtaining intelligence through human eyesight observation has also been eliminated.
So…
Jiang Yang took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked straight into Sun Changhe’s eyes: “If the apocalypse is not ended, then next life, I will go for moon landing.”
In the case where all conventional means are ineffective, the only one who can bring back intelligence from the Moon is Jiang Yang.
Sun Changhe nodded lightly: “No other way.”
20 minutes later, from the perspective of the lunar detection satellite, Jiang Yang saw hundreds of luminous bodies suddenly falling from the vast deep space, smashing onto the desolate and dead land of the Moon with unstoppable force.
The next moment, the large screen was suddenly overwhelmed by strong light. The moment after that, it became completely black, losing all signal connections.
Obviously, the nuclear bomb group had detonated, and the satellites in space were also affected, all destroyed.
As for the spaceships that had already landed on the Moon, nuclear bomb boxes, various munitions supplies, etc., they must have been reduced to ashes in the light of the nuclear bomb explosion.
The next moment, the screen lit up again, but the perspective had switched to the footage filmed by the orbital telescope.
Jiang Yang saw the familiar scene of lava everywhere again.
Time had reached 10:22, with just over 90 minutes left until the apocalypse arrived.
Perhaps… this apocalypse ultimately won’t come?
Maybe this time the hydrogen bomb bombardment with adjusted impact points would work, or perhaps the previous astronauts were just trapped somewhere, but being trapped doesn’t mean they couldn’t do anything.
Maybe they had already completed the destruction of that underground chamber?
Maybe the apocalypse… has already been resolved?
This hope was slim, but it existed.
Then start waiting.
This time, Jiang Yang did not go to that “sickbed” in Apocalypse Base No. 7, because this life there was no apocalypse data that needed special monitoring for him to bring over.
However, there was still some intelligence in other aspects worth bringing over—if the cycle started again.
He looked at Professor Chen Yusheng: “This life, in the process of manufacturing the rocket, do you have new experience?”
“Yes, I was just about to report to you.
This life, after summarizing and optimizing, we have the following ideas. First,…”
After listening to him finish, Jiang Yang said: “I got it.”
Time quietly passed, and in the blink of an eye, it reached 11:59.
Jiang Yang closed his eyes, waiting for the possible arrival of that pain.
He didn’t know how long had passed, or perhaps just an instant, that familiar awkward and painful sensation came again.
Jiang Yang suddenly opened his eyes.
