Chapter 388: The Star-Spangled Country's Satellite Project

Secretary of Defense Johnson wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Sir, the situation is indeed dire. The failed war, the fifty billion in reparations, the technology transfers, the withdrawal from military bases... these conditions are being hyped up by the media, and the public is extremely agitated."

"The unemployment rate has already soared to 12%," Secretary of the Treasury Green handed over a latest report, "Once the reparations plan begins to be executed, we will have to cut military spending, and at least seven million people will be unemployed within the next three months."

"That damn Li Mingyuan!" the President gritted his teeth, "A kid in his twenties, making the Star-Spangled Country lose all face!"

"Regarding Li Mingyuan," Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Allen opened the file in his hand,

"Our agents have already collected some intelligence. This person seems to have appeared out of thin air; there is almost no record of him before this. His level of knowledge far exceeds any contemporary scientist; some speculate that he might be a super genius secretly cultivated by Beijixiong Guo."

"Beijixiong Guo doesn't have that capability," the Vice President shook his head, "I actually think this kid looks like he fell from the sky."

This unintentional remark caused the conference room to fall into a brief silence; everyone was thinking about this sudden diplomatic disaster.

Secretary of State Brown broke the silence: "Gentlemen, rather than discussing where that Li Mingyuan came from, we should think about what we should do. The domestic outcry is so loud; if we don't take action, the opposition party will initiate impeachment."

"Sir," the Secretary of Defense looked the President straight in the eyes, "we need a focus to divert domestic attention, a victory that can reignite national pride."

"Tell me more," the President became interested.

The Secretary of Defense signaled his assistant to distribute a red-covered classified document, "Codename 'Sky Eye', a project we have been secretly developing for nearly five years."

Everyone opened the document; on the first page was printed a striking title: 《Renzao Weixing Fashè Jihua》.

"Artificial... satellite?" the President frowned, "What is that thing?"

"Simply put, it is sending a device into space and letting it rotate around the Earth," the Secretary of Defense explained, "Once successful, we will become the first country to conquer space; this will be enough to shock the whole world and enough for the domestic public to regain confidence."

The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency chimed in: "Sir, this project was originally expected to be implemented in two years, but given the current crisis, I suggest launching it ahead of schedule immediately."

"Can it be done?" the President asked.

"Doctor Feng Bulaide's team has already made a key breakthrough," Deputy Minister of National Defense Hawkins said, "They believe that as long as enough resources are invested, the manufacturing and launch preparations for the first prototype satellite can be completed within six months."

The President stood up, walked to the window, and stared at the gloomy sky outside.

"Gentlemen, we are at the darkest moment in the history of the Star-Spangled Country," his voice was low and firm, "but as our ancestors said, 'After darkness must come the dawn'."

He turned around and looked at everyone in the conference room,

"Long Country caught us off guard, but they won't expect that we, the Star-Spangled Country, still have this trump card. The Renzao Weixing Fashè Jihua starts immediately; all resources are to be prioritized. I want to see results in the shortest possible time!"

The Secretary of Defense nodded and added: "Sir, besides the satellite, we have another suggestion."

He signaled his assistant to play a video.

On the screen, a white, slender aircraft streaked across the high altitude and finally hit a target thousands of kilometers away with precision.

"This is the Intercontinental Cruise Missile we are developing, codenamed 'Thor's Hammer'," the Secretary of Defense explained,

"It has a range of over 8000 kilometers and can strike any corner of Long Country directly from our own territory. If we can complete development and deployment as soon as possible, we will regain our military advantage."

The President's eyes gleamed: "Do both. The artificial satellite will demonstrate our technological strength, and the cruise missile will ensure our military deterrence. How long until we get results?"

"Six months for the satellite project, eight months for the cruise missile project," the Secretary of Defense replied, "Of course, this requires a large amount of additional budget."

The Secretary of the Treasury frowned: "This will further increase our fiscal pressure..."

"Tell those bankers to shut up!" the President said decisively, "National dignity is not up for negotiation. Divert funds from other projects, and issue special national bonds if necessary; I will personally convince Congress."

He picked up his fountain pen and signed both project proposals solemnly: "From now on, these two projects are the absolute priority of the Star-Spangled Country. Anyone who obstructs them will be dealt with for treason!"

Three days later, deep in the Nevada Desert of the Star-Spangled Country, inside a heavily protected military base.

Doctor Feng Bulaide looked at the huge newly allocated budget and hundreds of top scientists, unable to believe his eyes.

"My God," he whispered to his assistant, "this is even larger in scale than the Manhattan Project back then."

"The government is crazy," the assistant replied in a low voice, "I heard the President looks at the progress report every day, and the Secretary of Defense almost lives here."

Bulaide looked around the laboratory; hundreds of scientists were working intensely, and a huge rocket model stood in the center.

"Alright, since they are so urgent, then we'll do something big," Doctor Bulaide rolled up his sleeves, "Gather all team leaders; I want to re-plan the entire schedule. Three months, we are going to make the flag of the Star-Spangled Country fly in space!"

)

Meanwhile, in another secret base located in the north, the scientists of the intercontinental missile project team were also working day and night.

Project leader Doctor Luobote Aoheimo was reviewing the latest propellant test report, his brows locked in a frown.

"This precision is still not enough," he pointed at the data and said, "If we want to strike targets in Long Country precisely, we need a more reliable Guidance System."

His deputy Thompson hesitated for a moment: "Doctor, I have an idea that might be a bit crazy... why don't we combine the satellite project and the missile project?"

"You mean..."

"Yes, if our satellite can monitor the ground in real-time and provide target coordinates for the missiles, the precision will be greatly improved."

Aoheimo's eyes lit up: "That's truly a genius idea! I will contact Bulaide's side immediately to see if we can coordinate."

……

The desert before dawn was particularly cold; Doctor Feng Bulaide wrapped his coat tightly and walked quickly into the underground research and development center codenamed "Puluomixiusi".

This massive facility, covering nearly five square kilometers, was a top-tier scientific research base built by the Star-Spangled Country at the cost of billions of star dollars. Since the Manhattan Project, this place had become the cradle of the most cutting-edge technology in the Star-Spangled Country.

"Good morning, Doctors!" Bulaide greeted loudly in the main control room, and dozens of top scientists looked up from their respective workstations.

Among these people were rocket experts brought from Europe during World War II, physics geniuses cultivated within the Star-Spangled Country, and young talents specially recruited from top universities—the Star-Spangled Country had concentrated almost half of its scientific research elite into this project.