Chapter 192 - 186 Inheritance_1

Ma... uh, Ma actually planned to visit China several times, but previously it was a scheduling issue, and now he simply can’t make the trip.

Currently, SpaceX is an important partner of the Artemis program, with the Heavy Falcon Rocket handling half of the lunar missions. NACA and the space agency are still in the midst of a race!

If Ma were to approach Tonghua Gate, that would not be good at all. If SpaceX were to be inspected, the Artemis program would definitely be delayed. He cannot go, he simply cannot.

...

In July, the Earth Online Space Camp refreshed its members.

The Abe camp welcomed an epic enhancement, possessing its own space shuttle, its own large rocket, and the world’s second-largest space station of their own.

Strictly speaking, Abe is now world number one, as the five XS-62 improved cabin segments are impressively spacious.

These spaces were certainly not wasted. Aside from some scientific equipment, they were mainly used for leisure and prayer.

The Hila Space Station started a three-day live stream, doing nothing else but a series of religious activities.

Believers worldwide had to precisely calculate the times for the five daily prayers to coincide with when the Hila Space Station passed overhead so they could pray on time to the resting Lord. A student from the astronomy department at Abe University created a simple timetable for various locations and recorded a video on how to estimate the star calendar using traditional Abe methods.

The video rapidly surpassed ten million views and also sparked an interest in astronomy. They studied astronomical knowledge extensively to observe the space station accurately, set up satellite communication antennas to receive the blessing of the Lord (referring to the astronauts reading scriptures), and learned about the weather to find the best viewing periods.

Global sales of astronomical telescopes saw a modest peak because, after all, observing with the naked eye demands too much of both human vision and the weather conditions. Even the cheapest astronomical telescope could provide a clear view.

Every day, huge numbers of believers followed the Hila Space Station via the internet, television, and radio, referring to it as "Mecca in the sky."

They attributed these achievements to the Old King Aleth and the brave Crown Prince Hamand. In the last six hours of his life, Aleth received over a million letters of condolence.

On June 26, when the last segment was launched, Aleth was already drawing on his last reserves of strength. On the 26th, 27th, and 28th, Aleth maintained good spirits, delivered a speech, handled domestic affairs, personally oversaw two launch missions, and met with various world leaders.

But his health was rapidly deteriorating. By the time the first scripture was broadcast from the Hila Space Station, Aleth couldn’t stand up anymore.

Leveraging the prestige accumulated from the two launches and the space station, Aleth smoothly transferred power to Crown Prince Hamand, and then he went to meet the Lord.

As Aleth’s body was moved from the hospital to the temple, the number of people marching on the streets exceeded a million. They clamored and crowded, all for the chance to tear off a piece of the shroud as a token of their faith.

At the same time, believers around the world started another wave of donations. Crown Prince Hamand... the King immediately announced that this money would be used to establish a fund exclusively for Abe’s space agency development to contribute even more toward spreading the Lord’s gospel.

On the evening of July 1st, Hamand, who had already greeted countless leaders, finally had time for a video call with Lin Ju.

"Ha! My friend, it has been too long!"

"Your Highness, your Mandarin is really excellent."

Hamand was slightly displeased, "We are friends, Lin, our friendship doesn’t need these titles that represent power. You should call me Hamand, or perhaps Old Ham?"

Lin Ju felt somewhat embarrassed, not because he was overwhelmed, but because Hamand, after having trained for so long in Unit 507, now spoke with a Shangjing accent, and by voice alone it was impossible to tell he was a foreigner.

"Hamand, then I must apologize, I may go to space before you do."

"Oh... yes, but believe me, I’ll be quick too."

Hamand said this with some disappointment, as he originally thought that with the Old King gone, no one would be able to stop him from achieving his desire to go to the heavens.

The moment he took over power, he realized that maintaining foreign policy and stabilizing domestic affairs was no easy feat—many people wanted to seize the opportunity of the transition to cause trouble.

Even with the support of a host of princes, Hamand’s position was definitely secure, but he still had to personally handle the numerous games at play. He estimated that it would take until 2017 to deal with all these troubles.

Stabilizing power in six months was considered quick, but finding time to go to space during this period... was quite challenging.

Moreover, many conservatives believed that it was a rare opportunity to have a Crown Prince of good character and ability, and if anything happened to him, where would they find another? They implied that if Hamand boarded a rocket, they might as well crash into the palace walls.

He envied Lin Ju for his decisiveness, being able to do what he wanted without regard for so much.

But... was that really the case?

Lin Ju: Of course not.

Regarding the issue of Lin Ju going to space, the initial attitude inside and outside the company was opposition.

Just take Guo Shen and Androff, for instance—what did these two knaves say to Lin Ju?

"Boss, if we’re gone, we just have to spend some money to reorganize from B+, but if you’re gone, the entire enterprise of New Yuan would be gone too, and there’s no heir to succeed."

"Exactly, how about you get married first, raise a successor, and when he’s capable, you can go to space however you like."

Listen to this, what kind of nonsense is that?

To have a child and wait for him to grow up capable of taking over, wouldn’t that take at least 20 years?

So, Lin Ju preferred to make outrageous statements on social media to create momentum for himself, preventing any disloyal underlings from getting any ideas, while on the other hand, he expedited preparations for going to space.

The spacecraft assigned for this mission was Progress, but it was not publicized.

Progress, Unity, and Steadfast all completed maintenance in Qiongzhou and were serviced separately. Except for the absolute insiders, no one knew which spacecraft it was until fueling started, maintaining high confidentiality.

The general public may only confirm the mission details just before launch, minimizing risk as much as possible.

The crew was also decided: three members, two experienced astronauts leading one newcomer.

The space agency provided a seasoned astronaut as commander, Hu Dong from New Yuan as deputy commander, and Lin Ju was responsible for sitting.

Guo Shen and Androff, the two executives, now personally led a reliable team of System Engineers, diligently inspecting the launch rocket, the spacecraft, and the life-support systems.

Outsiders found it difficult to approach, and the superiors had given special instructions; security checks around the launch site were intensifying from the day Lin Ju made his announcement.

Although Lin Ju’s technical level was average and he didn’t seem to have any exceptional skills, it was this very person who broke through the ceiling of private enterprise almost single-handedly.

Unknown engineers of extraordinary talent wished to join him and even went so far as to steal massive amounts of research data from their former employers.

Periphery researchers and average university professors in China were transformed magically upon joining New Yuan, becoming intelligent and honest, almost as if they were completely different people.

The higher-ups once deeply suspected this to be the legendary leadership bonus, especially the latter—how could an average, middle-to-lower tier engineer rise to the occasion in New Yuan and achieve remarkable results?

This must be a matter of hoof quality!