Chapter 486 - 477: Defection_1

"NACA wants the communication voice recordings?"

Academician She, still in Qiongzhou, was somewhat surprised but quickly figured something out.

It was Robot 14, it had found the wreckage of the Artemis II the fastest, and the ground staff also communicated with Christina through it, which might have raised suspicions.

Maybe Koch would inform NACA that there was a stranger’s voice on the Moon?

Of course, Academician She wasn’t worried about their suspicion, and besides, the space agency was under no obligation to cooperate with NACA’s accident investigation and could completely refuse.

But to do so would seem suspicious, so it was better to cooperate a little.

"Zhang, go to Fang Lin and record the audio again, replace that segment and send it to NACA.

After that, if they ask anything, you don’t need to reply, we just need to maintain an indifferent attitude, understand?"

Zhang was the ground staff member who had responded that day, he thought for a moment and asked:

"Mr. She, I think the spacesuits of Koch and Victor should have recordings, could this be..."

"Discrepancies in reception are their problem; we just need to give an attitude, how they interpret it is their own business."

"Yes!"

...

Presidential Palace.

John looked sternly at the open office door, waited a few minutes before he saw Jack Sullivan walking in.

Although Sullivan’s political views were completely opposed to his before, due to the latter’s, or rather, his team’s exceptional capabilities, John had come to rely more and more on him for decision-making.

At this moment, seeing Sullivan was like an old man who couldn’t operate a smart TV meeting the TV installer, and before the other could stand firm, he eagerly said:

"Is there any way to stop those damn media from reporting on the Chinese and Abe’s moon landing? Look at the latest ’Time’ magazine cover, it’s actually an astronaut from Abe!

How much US Dollar did they take to stoop so low, even the American hero Victor didn’t get this kind of treatment!"

Sullivan still had an expected look and calmly replied:

"Sir, the media are free, and we can’t prohibit them from reporting such a well-known event; on the contrary, you should be more concerned about the current problems, like wage increases."

Hearing the sensitive word "wages," John, who came from a big business family, quickly turned his brain and began flipping through the documents Sullivan had brought.

After the "Industrial Act" and the "Consumption Act" were formally announced at the end of last month, the restrictions on foreign industrial imports had sharply increased, and Congress was also brewing a new bill against capital outflow, which immediately boosted the confidence of domestic manufacturing.

General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, and other giants immediately announced the addition of several assembly plants, and then the stocks in the automobile sector also welcomed a growth not seen in years; both businessmen and citizens were cheering.

But what followed were protests demanding car companies continue to increase the minimum wage. Although compared to history, the average wage had been rising year by year, inflation had to be taken into account, and the cost of living in America was not low.

Like the ubiquitous delivery drivers, a single order would cost at least two US Dollars, and a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket for the family would cost forty US Dollars, so even though a monthly salary of three thousand US Dollars was sufficient for a comfortable life domestically, in terms of prices, it really wasn’t much different from a domestic salary of three to four thousand.

Any work related to manpower had exceptionally high fees, with only meat and a few industrial goods being somewhat cost-effective.

In the past, America would try to keep the US Dollar exchange rate high in order to purchase foreign goods at low prices; now the situation was the opposite, a bit of inflation was more beneficial for the development of manufacturing.

This degree of bleeding was also conducive to funds flowing to the grassroots, an action that would make any country’s societal operation more normal.

So John didn’t hesitate much and made his decision:

"Tell the Auto Union to increase the minimum wage by at least 10...15 percent. We’ve given them so much subsidy, giving up this little won’t affect anything.

"It wasn’t just them, any other entity... especially those enterprises related to aerospace, must do the same."

Sullivan, "No problem, there’s one more thing:

The Federal Reserve is prepared to issue $450 billion in US Treasury bonds over the next three months and is ready to raise interest rates, adjusting the federal funds rate to around 4.5% within six months."

John, "What’s our current national debt?"

Sullivan, "As of March, the figure is exactly $20 trillion, with China holding $1.18 trillion. However, since May they have begun to reduce their holdings and have already sold off $11 billion.

Based on last year’s total GDP of $19.6 trillion, America’s debt has now reached 102% of the GDP, exceeding the 90% warning line and is considered high risk.

But the fiscal deficit doesn’t look good, because the federal deficit for the Year of the Artemis program in 2016 was $940 billion, about 4.8% of the GDP, and it’s foreseeable that this will continue to rise over the next decade. We must curb it."

John nodded earnestly in agreement, knowing that the national debt could be alleviated by transferring risks abroad; a little inflation wasn’t a big deal, but the fiscal deficit realistically reflected the stability of the federal government. A certain amount of deficit could stimulate economic development, but too much was not good.

"So, we will start raising taxes in the second half of the year. It’s time for a wealth tax increase."

...

On August 9, Nakashima Juji officially took office and set the date for Kishimoto’s funeral.

While dealing with the mess, he finally met with representatives from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JAXA: Izumi Seijiro and Sakai Shinichiro.

During this period, the entire aerospace community in the island country was feeling unstable. With India’s non-cooperation, the "Star of Asia" project had become defunct. The newly appointed Nakayama Juji either had to steadfastly continue supporting JAXA’s independent development or choose to give up.

Although he had been very supportive of independent aerospace development while he was a representative, politics is unpredictable.

After much delay, Nakayama Juji decided it was time to provide an answer.

He had carefully reviewed the summary of JAXA’s research results compiled by Sakai Shinichiro and couldn’t help but express his admiration.

The "H-X" rocket, prepared for the Star of Asia, was still not in the prototype manufacturing stage, but with financial support, preliminary research had been quite thorough, especially in terms of high-tensile-strength rocket bodies, a crucial technology for large rockets.

"Sakai-kun, you have done very good work, and I appreciate your efforts.

I want to ask a question, can JAXA send people into space on its own strength?"

"That..."

Sakai Shinichiro hesitated for a moment but then told the truth:

"If we can secure funding of five billion US dollars, then within five years we can attempt it, enough to build a usable spacecraft."

Five billion? Nakayama Juji mentally doubled the number, then a troubled expression appeared on his face:

"Gentlemen, with our capabilities, I’m afraid it might be difficult to take on this project alone. Besides, America’s suppression is well-known. Although I want to support it, we are restrained at every turn and fulfilling this wish may prove to be very difficult."

"So, are you planning to give up the manned space flight project?"

"Of course not, I’ve always believed that JAXA should vigorously develop the astronaut exploration program. Whether it’s space or the moon, those are our targets."

Sakai Shinichiro had just begun to relax when Nakayama Juji said:

"John will soon invite me to Washington, intending to integrate us into the Artemis and God of War Ares projects, and promises to send our astronauts to the moon within two years.

He assured me over the phone that once JAXA participates, they will also take part in lunar construction and will have access to a great deal of technology."

Both Sakai Shinichiro and Izumi Seijiro were taken aback upon hearing this, showing disbelief on their faces.

Were these words really coming from Representative Nakayama? Didn’t he oppose America so clearly before?