Chapter 731 - 705: Transformation

"I didn’t expect they’d still send this thing over, I thought with ’Pioneer II’ we wouldn’t need it."

Li Wei looked at the injection storage box with a somewhat heavy heart, after all, as a Chinese person, there was a natural sensitivity to biochemical drugs.

A few months earlier, Deng Lei had mentioned that Earth would send a biochemical drug to enhance physique, and Li Wei had been highly skeptical. For Earth to send something over, it definitely wouldn’t be any addictive nonsense, but it was still somewhat bizarre.

But now, there were ten injections right before their eyes, with an instruction manual placed in a small compartment on the side.

All four astronauts had been secretly learning how to use the 304 injections for a few weeks ahead of time, yet seeing the actual items, they couldn’t help but feel a bit stirred.

"Exoskeletons are external; this is internal. Earth said one shot lasts three years, and after you get it, you’re like a little Superman."

Deng Lei picked up each syringe and carefully examined it for any damage, while continuing to talk:

"There’s no mandatory requirement, it’s all voluntary whether to take it or not. These drugs have only a 60-day shelf life; after that, they have to be destroyed... what a hassle..."

After half a year of cohabitation on the desolate Moon, the relationship between the four astronauts had become more casual, becoming serious only when performing tasks.

Listening to him, Li Wei slowly shook his head. There was definitely no reason not to use the injections, since Earth had already conducted sufficient clinical trials.

"Does the March have this stuff?"

He suddenly thought of this question. The status of the March had even begun to overshadow the development of the Moon, and it seemed they were working on some highly secretive stuff, having missed quite a few regular communications between the space stations.

"I haven’t asked, but I assume they’re equipped with it, right? One important function of this drug is to enhance emotional stability, and the space agency probably values this point.

We’ve been here for half a year, and we’ve welcomed various people. Haven’t we had some anxiety issues? They will be flying for years on end; they must be going stir-crazy."

Deng Lei spoke casually, yet what he was saying was quite alarming:

The four permanent Moon astronauts underwent a psychological test every two weeks, having done it over a dozen times, with everyone passing each time.

However, according to the space agency’s statistical curve, their performance ratings had gradually slid from "excellent" toward "good", with someone nearly missing the "good" mark.

According to the analysis of psychological experts, the main reason was still the mental pressure and anxiety from space.

Compared to the astronauts who were at the Tiangong Space Station before, the decline in the state of the four Moon crew members over six months was quite severe.

This wasn’t because the quality of the four astronauts was lacking, rather the impact of the environment was beyond imagination.

The distance of 380,000 kilometers brought an unmistakable psychological gap, and the grey-white and even somewhat yellowed Moon in the space suit visors had a more tangible presence than the utter darkness of space.

Not to mention, the four were tasked with the busiest, most complex, most dangerous work: sitting atop nuclear reactors when traveling, Explorer robots powered by isotope batteries, and transporting explosive materials for big mushrooms—it was like death lurking at every turn.

Earth tried to change this by improving living conditions, increasing team numbers, and various other methods, while also conveniently gathering experience for long-duration voyages.

Like the first crew of the March, the exploratory and experimental purposes of their mission were quite significant.

As the two chatted, Liu Ming and Fu Xiangjie came over, and a uniform calm appeared on all four faces, silently each picking up an injection for themselves.

"I’ll go first, then I’ll stay behind at the base after,"

Li Wei took the lead in raising the injector, and the other three nodded in agreement.

The sequence of injections was determined by the order of residence rotation, a consensus that had already been reached beforehand.

This batch of 304 injections was the latest version after multiple rounds of modification, with the significant achievement that it no longer replaced all teeth at once half a month after the injection, like the initial version did.

The Xiaomiao team finally identified that the cause was due to an excessively high concentration of a certain component. The 304 injections were initially created to adapt to Caucasian and Black populations due to genetic differences in dosage. The issue did not arise when used on the initial target demographic.

Now the effects were much milder, beginning with the replacement of teeth one by one from the 20th day post-injection, with the entire tooth replacement cycle lasting 40 days. During this time, the astronauts needed to be mindful of their diet but didn’t specifically need to stick to a liquid diet.

The sequence and timing of the astronauts’ injections were logically arranged according to their mission duties and also allowed for the care of their companions.

Liu Ming took out a pre-sealed alcohol cotton ball, gently wiped Li Wei’s arm with it, then pressed the needleless injector tip against the target area, and forcefully activated the pneumatic switch.

Li Wei felt a sensation on his arm as if it had been hammered with a burst of air, then he looked forward, as Fu Xiangjie took a photograph for the records that would be sent back to the ground team.

Afterward, the injector was wrapped in a plastic seal and gently placed back in its original position.

...

Boca Chica, Starship Third Launch Pad.

Another familiar SS Rocket stood tall on the newly constructed launch pad, allowing the wind to carry away the stray liquid oxygen.

Two months after the launch of SS-5 Starship, its successor, the sixth Starship-Super Heavy Booster combination, SS-6, was positioned on the launch pad.

Compared to its predecessors, SS-6 was undoubtedly the most "expensive" edition yet.

Rather than the somewhat rough, steel behemoth of before, the upper stage of SS-6 was completely covered with black thermal tiles. The matte finish and distinct texturing finally added some semblance of sci-fi aesthetics. Additionally, numerous unusual features were visible on the exterior, all of which were "extra" equipment that had been added.

Perhaps spurred by five successive failures or perhaps due to the persuasion of other engineers, this time the SS combination did not stubbornly hold onto its budget but instead prioritized "success rate."

Deputy Chief Engineer Tom assured Musk that this launch would be an absolute and complete success, with confidence in all aspects except for recovery.

However, Musk, sitting in the control room, seemed somewhat distracted, his attention not fully on the rocket.

To him, the Starship was already destined to succeed; it was just a matter of sooner or later. All the past fatal issues had been resolved, and what remained was merely a matter of time.

What he was pondering now was NACA’s actions—lately, NACA seemed to be acting strangely.

There were rumors that the "Wolf Clause" might soon be repealed, others that America was considering opening commercial space investment to China, and even talk of the two countries ending their competitive stance and starting joint space development.

These rumors made the future uncertain, yet it was unexpectedly difficult to dismiss them as false, causing unrest in America’s space industry.

Beyond worrying about the real impact of these rumors on SpaceX, Musk’s main concern was with his intuition: he sensed a conspiracy at play.

It was indescribable, elusive, but he just had this feeling as if something had been discovered in the unknown, affecting everything that he knew.