Chapter 665 - 646: Code 210_2

Now is the 15th day since the four astronauts had returned to the Moon, and they are preparing a rich and lively dinner.

After half a month of continuous efforts, and with the substantial assistance of several robots, they finally completed the construction of the base and set up and adjusted two living cabins before New Year’s Eve.

During this period, they encountered quite a few difficulties, even almost burning out the circuit of one cabin due to a mismatch in the power supply protocol with the nuclear power vehicle, but fortunately, they completed the task in the end without any mishaps.

And the first directive from the ground after this was:

Make full use of existing materials to prepare a sumptuous dinner, with no less than four dishes and one soup (at least two dishes cooked on the spot).

In addition, they would have a holiday starting from February 15th, New Year’s Eve, until work resumes on February 18th, the third day of the new year.

Well, the stingy United Mining didn’t even give the full seven-day Spring Festival holiday as regulated, only allowing three days off, but promised that the other four days would be calculated as overtime work, with trifold legal wages and additional travel allowances.

During the three-day holiday, astronauts could arrange their own schedules freely, which could include sleeping soundly, playing games to relax, or operating lunar rovers (without considering it as a private use of a public vehicle).

But what gave them the most peace of mind was the dinner task; for the first time, the four astronauts experienced a sense of belonging on the moon 380,000 kilometers away.

Although only two cabins were sent in the first batch, it still greatly enriched the astronauts’ lives, for example:

An autonomous kitchen (an enclosed automatic stir-fry machine, capable of cooking a variety of hot dishes, and a multifunctional rice cooker);

Private bathrooms (two of them, not separated for dry and wet use, but showering required clean water sources supplied by unmanned mining vehicles);

A three-dimensional garden (several shelves like bookshelves, where lots of plants could be grown);

Entertainment and leisure (a game room for playing games, billiards, or watching movies);

...

But for the four astronauts who had "settled down" on the Moon, the most important item might be the large-area, monolithic windows in each cabin.

It created a faint but unbreakable connection between the barren outside world and the interior, giving them a sense of security.

The last meal before the holiday took almost three hours, the most precious time they had ever spent on a mission, using money that was always being spent to satisfy their spiritual needs.

Finally, laid out on the table were a large plate of dumplings, a pot of braised cabbage with tofu, a pre-cooked roast chicken and pre-cooked pork with preserved vegetables, and a pot of simple yet delicious seaweed egg drop soup, made simply by mixing hot water with solid concentrate blocks.

The five dishes were served and placed on the table, and for the first time during the mission, the astronauts were able to dine as if they were on the ground.

"Beep beep... sizzle... this is the Capital, I am Xingjie She, member of the Skylight No. 3 group, please report the completion of your mission."

Deng Lei, "Reporting to the command center, the mission has been successfully completed, it’s just that the cabbage in the braised tofu was overcooked and got a bit burnt!"

"Command center understood, was it a problem with the stir-fry machine’s program or the ingredients?"

"Reporting, it was because we added the meat too late and had to extend the heating time."

"Noted, please be careful next time.

Congratulations to you, you will be representing the Chinese people in spending the first Lunar New Year on the Moon."

After seriously confirming the completion of the mission, Academician She revealed the purpose of this contact:

"All personnel tidy up your attire, you will soon have a video conference with the officials for a duration of five minutes, and the video will be broadcast nationwide, you can eat something to fill your stomachs beforehand, but don’t make it too obvious, end of message."

Li Wei, "..."

Deng Lei, "Yes, we guarantee to complete the task!"

...

"The first phase of the construction project for Yushu No. 1 Base is concluded."

"Humanity’s first permanent lunar scientific research station has been built and will celebrate the New Year on the Moon for the first time."

"United Mining announces that the lunar development process has taken a substantial step forward."

"Aerospace Development Committee: Lunar ice excavation is progressing smoothly, and we’re about to transport the first batch of pure water to Yushu No. 1."

"Astronauts’ first space cooking session makes netizens weep with envy."

"..."

February 15, New Year’s Eve.

For most people across China, today marks the beginning of the 2018 Spring Festival, and many businesses have started their holiday breaks.

The base was no exception, as a large number of mid and lower-level staff had already left, leaving only a small number of personnel for certain projects, but even then, work had mostly ceased.

Standing on the top floor of the office building, Lin Ju looked out at the long line of vehicles stretching along the mountain road.

Last year, besides various scientific tasks, the base’s largest expenditure was the construction of three residential communities near the nearest town to the base in one go, though the actual expenditures weren’t much; most of it was done using conventional real estate loan and mortgage methods, and after construction, some funds could even be recouped from the staff.

The construction of the family quarters first secured the housing needs of the staff and second made management much easier, which was also much more convenient for maintaining secrecy.

Riding on the coattails of this high-income, highly skilled group, the nearby villages and towns had also flourished, especially the service industry, which witnessed unprecedented prosperity with minimal investment.

The local government even began to name things in a way that capitalized on the space craze, with new roads, streetlights, and signs all space-themed, featuring names like "Lunar Landing Bridge," "Space Road," and even streetlights styled after satellites.

Ye Changsi also took this opportunity to partner with several local businesses to develop the cultural creativity and tourism industries, thereby making a tidy profit.

Looking at the distant scene of thousands of lights and the bustling prosperity, Lin Ju’s mood improved significantly, but was soon brought back down to reality by the arrival of Ye Changsi.

The latter came over with a box in his hand, which, upon opening, revealed a trophy-style souvenir; the crystal sculpture was shaped like a tree.

"Look, the Aerospace Development Committee sent this over, a Yushu No.1 Base commemorative. It even encases 10 grams of moon soil from there; there’s a small stone inside too."

Lin Ju inspected it closely and indeed saw a fine layer of moon soil beneath the roots of the tree sculpture, probably brought back by the Skylight No. 3 mission.

However, he merely admired it briefly before setting it aside, knowing that Ye Changsi must have other matters to discuss.

And sure enough, Ye Changsi soon continued:

"The laser project has been confirmed, comprised of four sub-projects:

Project 210, to develop the ’Qianjun Rod No. 1’ laser defense satellite, with a goal of intercepting launched, mid-flight, and final-stage missiles from a 250-km orbit within one minute, targeting three different directions with no specific requirements for other indicators;

Project 220, to develop a naval laser air defense system, with an overall mass not exceeding 10 tons. It must be compatible with 052C, D, 055 series destroyers, and the 001 aircraft carrier, aiming to establish an absolute defense net within a 100-km radius and maintain a 20-km attack range under adverse conditions;

Project 225, to replace the traditional main guns on major warships, with an overall mass not exceeding 45 tons and capable of not only air defense but also engaging satellites within 500 km orbit;

Project 230, to develop a spaceborne laser weapon platform, with Xuehu as the installation objective. The specific tactical indicators are still being researched, but the mass must not exceed 8 tons, and size requirements are strict, with a plan to eventually develop a ground-based version for the Army’s use.

But the most important is Project 210. We will provide whatever is needed for that project; the other three will need to allocate some subsystem development tasks to other units based on their indicators."

These decisions didn’t surprise Lin Ju, who nodded and then asked the question that concerned him most:

"What about the budget? The first 500 million has already been received. How much funding can Project 210 get?"

The response was a single finger pointing upward.

"No limit?"

"It’s 100 billion!"

Ye Changsi’s face darkened, rarely showing his apprehension at such an outcome.

"Each Qianjun Rod No. 1 cannot exceed a procurement price of 13 billion, utilize 80 billion to launch 6 Qianjun Rod No. 1s into space, forming a preliminary defense network, with the remaining 20 billion for associated infrastructure and research.

Along with that 500 million, an additional 9.5 billion will be added to the research budget this year. Once we start the construction of Qianjun Rod No. 1 and confirm it, we can pay the full 13 billion procurement fee.

Project 210 has the highest priority, and the first unit must be built within two years. The rest can be delayed slightly, but Project 220 cannot be postponed past 2020."