Chapter 94 Gabon Base
Lu Mingfei watched the fighter jets slowly descending in the distance. The roar of the fighter jets' engines gradually dissipated. The hot air from the jet nozzles distorted the air, emitting a faint burnt smell.
A middle-aged man with an Asian face and a young man climbed out of the cockpit. The middle-aged man was wearing a flight jacket and had a serious expression. He exuded a sense of oppression from being a veteran in the battlefield. The young man seemed a little reluctant, with a hint of stubbornness and dissatisfaction on his face.
The middle-aged man walked forward and poked the young man's head hard with his finger. His tone, full of Northeastern accent, was stern, "Didn't the order say that low-altitude support is not allowed? You are really itching for trouble, and it's a good thing you didn't crash, otherwise you would lose the position as a reserve astronaut you just got." His voice was low and powerful, with a strong sense of reprimand.
The young man looked a little unconvinced and moved his lips, but in the end he did not talk back. He just lowered his head silently, with a trace of annoyance and unwillingness in his eyes. He rubbed his hands unconsciously on the corner of his clothes, as if silently expressing his dissatisfaction.
Lu Mingfei didn't know what happened afterwards, he fainted.
When he woke up again, Lu Mingfei found himself lying on a hospital bed. The white ceiling came into view, the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and his ears were filled with the slight ticking sound of instruments. His head felt as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer. He felt dizzy and his limbs were sore and weak.
"Brother Lu, you're awake!" Xu Yanbo's excited voice sounded in his ears, with a feeling of relief.
Lu Mingfei turned his head and saw Xu Yanbo standing beside the bed, his face full of unconcealable excitement.
"Where is this?" Lu Mingfei asked with a frown. His voice was a little hoarse and his throat was so dry that it hurt. His head was still dizzy and the things in front of him seemed to be covered with a layer of gauze and could not be distinguished clearly. The side effects of forcibly using the spirit of words were greater than he had imagined.
"Brother Lu, we are now back to the UEG Gabon experimental base. Brother Lu, do you know that we have been converted to full-time employees?" Xu Yanbo's tone was filled with uncontrollable excitement, as if he was announcing some great achievement.
Lu Mingfei didn't really care about the matter of becoming a regular employee. What he really cared about was the place called UEG Gabon Experimental Base mentioned by Xu Yanbo.
According to the memories transmitted to him by Lu Mingze, the UEG Gabon Experimental Base was simultaneously carrying out two plans to save the world, one called the Mountain Moving Plan and the other called the Ark Project.
The content of the Mountain Moving Plan can be simply summarized as a population immigration plan to install an engine for the Earth, push the entire Earth to Proxima Centauri, and rebuild a new home.
In 2031, the United Government decided to use the UEG Joint Experimental Base in Gabon as the experimental site to build a planetary engine that can move mountains. The plan is expected to cost the world's GDP for 2044 years, about billion yuan. The planetary engine No. test machine is expected to be completed by the end of . If feasible, engines will be built around the world, and the construction of underground cities will be promoted simultaneously. The basic area of the entire plan can guarantee the basic life of at least billion people.
The Ark Project is to pool global resources to build as many space stations or spacecraft as possible, and lead some humans to Alpha Centauri before the ammonia flash arrives.
This plan is more feasible than the Mountain Moving Plan, and requires fewer resources and costs less. The disadvantage is that only a small number of people can leave on the space station.
The first Ark space station is about to be completed. After completion, it will carry 3000 humans to carry out the first interstellar immigration plan.
The two plans are running at the same time, and we will fully support whichever plan is successful.
Lu Mingfei got off the bed and walked to the window. He looked at a building in the distance that was taller and bigger than the mountain, and was overwhelmed by the shock.
Lu Mingfei stood in front of the window, staring at the huge monster. It was like a steel mountain range, towering in the sky, as if confronting the sky.
The surface of the building sparkles with a cold metallic luster. Huge steel beams and pillars support its structure. Giant cranes are busy around it like ants. The air is filled with the smell of motor oil, steel and welding sparks. With bursts of roars coming continuously, the earth seems to be making uneasy roars.
He almost doubted his own eyes. Everything before him seemed like a scene from a science fiction movie. He had seen the grandeur and majesty of the Alps, as well as the prosperity and bustle under the Statue of Liberty, but compared with the planetary engine in the distance, all these seemed so small. This mechanical behemoth that exceeded human imagination seemed to have traveled from the future, announcing to the world the greatness and endless possibilities of science and technology.
"Can humans really build such a huge building..." Lu Mingfei murmured to himself. The building in the distance was taller and bigger than any building he had ever seen.
At this time, Xu Yanbo also walked to Lu Mingfei and looked at the magnificent building outside the window.
"Whenever I see the No. 1 test machine of the Moving Mountains Planetary Engine, I feel extremely shocked." Xu Yanbo's voice was filled with an irrepressible excitement and pride.
“That is the greatest hope of mankind. Although it has not been built yet, it is already shocking enough. When it is truly launched, the whole earth will move for it.”
Lu Mingfei nodded silently. He had never seen such a magnificent building. It was a gamble of mankind against fate and a desperate struggle in despair.
"Xu Yanbo, do you think this thing can really take the Earth out of the solar system?" Lu Mingfei asked in a low voice, with a hint of doubt in his tone. He knew that this was not a simple project, but a miracle that surpassed all physical limits. However, it was still too incredible to push the Earth out of the Milky Way. He couldn't help but doubt the final outcome of this gamble.
"I don't know either, but we have to believe it." Xu Yanbo replied calmly, but his eyes were full of determination.
"Because we have no choice. A hacker in America recently revealed that only people with assets of 30 million US dollars have the opportunity to participate in the lottery for the Ark Project. Brother Lu, my family doesn't have much money. My sister gave birth to a baby some time ago. The baby is very cute. Only if the Mountain Moving Project succeeds can the baby survive."
Lu Mingfei's fingers gently touched the cold glass window. The cold touch made him sober up a little. The scenery outside the window seemed to be frozen in time. The planetary engine stood under the sky, like a silent giant beast, waiting for its awakening.
Can humans really fight against the crisis caused by the sun...
Xu Yanbo suddenly remembered something and patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder, "By the way, Brother Lu, we have been selected to participate in the ranger selection."
"Ranger... Can we participate in the Ranger selection just after we were promoted to regular employees..." Lu Mingfei was stunned after hearing Xu Yanbo's words. Ranger is a special force in the peacekeeping force. After special training, they can cooperate with multi-functional military robots in combat. It is a top elite force.
"Only ten people survived our peacekeeping operation yesterday. We performed well, so we were given this opportunity." When Xu Yanbo mentioned this, his expression dimmed a little, and he recalled the brutal battle yesterday.
"I understand." Lu Mingfei nodded and said, without saying anything more. After waking up, Lu Mingfei took a short rest in the hospital, and was discharged after recovering almost completely. Now he finally didn't have to go to the peacekeeping front anymore. The next task was to prepare for the ranger selection training, and since Lu Mingfei had been converted to a regular employee, he could also enjoy free medical care.
Lu Mingfei and Xu Yanbo walked out of the hospital. He wanted to take a good look around the base. As soon as they reached an open area in the base, Lu Mingfei's eyes were attracted by another amazing building.
It was a huge pillar, connecting heaven and earth like the legendary Buzhou Mountain. It was the space elevator, with a total length of 90000 kilometers, making it the tallest building in human history. Even the magnificent engine was very small compared to it. In comparison, the diameter of the earth is about 12700 kilometers, and the total length of the space elevator is about seven times that. White cabins with flames constantly rose and fell on it.
The Ark space station, which is about to be completed, is located at the top of this pillar.
Lu Mingze actually had all the memories of these things transferred into his mind, but seeing them with his own eyes was still extremely shocking.
Lu Mingfei and Xu Yanbo came to the entrance of the Gabon base again. Why did they come here? Because there were many rangers with robots stationed at the entrance of the Gabon base, and they wanted to see what the robots they were about to control looked like.
But what greeted them was a different scene. A large number of protesters holding protest banners surrounded the entrance of the base and shouted slogans against the mountain moving plan. The protesters were emotional and everyone's face was filled with anger.
These people are all local residents. Originally, the food situation here was very bad because of the sun. Now the addition of the Mountain Moving Project has had a huge impact on the local residents. In order to destroy the Mountain Moving Project, many terrorists have fought a lot of battles with the peacekeeping forces in the city. Many buildings have been reduced to ruins, so they want to drive the Mountain Moving Project out.
The soldiers guarding the entrance to the base did not drive away the protesters. They understood why these people came, and their faces showed a hint of helplessness.
Several white buses entered the base through a separate passage, and a group of young men and women in white training uniforms got off the buses.
"Those are here to participate in astronaut training. Some of them will be sent to the lunar base, and others will board the Ark space station and set off for Centaurus earlier than us." Xu Yanbo looked at those young men and women with envy. Astronauts were a high-level profession in that era.
Lu Mingfei saw two familiar figures among those people. They were the two pilots who had driven fighter jets to reinforce them.
At this moment, the iron bars that originally separated the protesters were cut open, and a group of emotional protesters poured into the base. They waved banners and shouted slogans to get the Mountain Moving Project out. The emotions were so intense that the situation was out of control for a while.
"Brother Lu, let's go up and help!" When Xu Yanbo saw that the situation was not right, he immediately called Lu Mingfei and rushed towards the gate of the base.
But before they could get close, the rangers and garrison soldiers responded quickly and decisively subdued the intruding protesters, and the situation was brought under control in a short time.
Lu Mingfei and Xu Yanbo also saw the so-called rangers and combat robots. Those rangers wore black exoskeletons and held advanced firearms. They moved flexibly and quickly.
However, those robots were somewhat beyond Lu Mingfei's expectations. They were completely different from the humanoid robots he had seen on the battlefield before.
These robots are over two meters tall, with a square frame structure, thick mechanical limbs like door frames, thick armor plates covering the entire torso, and the hydraulic systems at the joints constantly making low clicking sounds.
Lu Mingfei observed carefully and found that these robots did not have human-like heads. Instead, they had a set of complex sensors and cameras with faint lights flashing on them. They did not have exquisite designs or the beauty of human forms, but they revealed a sense of practicality.
The robots cooperated with the rangers to carry out the mission with amazing efficiency, quickly dispersing and subduing the intruders, with almost no pause in the entire process.
"Let's go." Lu Mingfei said to Xu Yanbo. They had seen what they should see. There was no need to stay here any longer. The next thing to do was to pass the ranger assessment.
Lu Mingfei and Xu Yanbo left the base entrance. They walked silently, surrounded by the endless stream of transport vehicles and busy engineering personnel in the base.
They are now going to the dormitory to recuperate and then take part in tomorrow's assessment. The dormitory camp is divided into general collective accommodation and high-level single and family dormitories. The areas are divided according to different types of work and departments, not by country. Therefore, there are many different races living together, forming a multicultural environment. As for communication in different languages, there are simultaneous interpretation systems to help.
The base also has a living area with a canteen, basketball court, gym, table tennis room, reading room, etc., providing a rich and colorful cultural life for people who live here for a long time.
Lu Mingfei and Xu Yanbo lived in the same dormitory. There should have been a few other people there, but they all died in yesterday's peacekeeping mission.
After a night's rest, the two walked towards the Ranger Assessment Training Area. When they entered the training area, the first thing that caught their eyes was an open field filled with simulated battlefield environments. Ruins, obstacles, sandbags, and broken vehicles were piled up in disorder, and the entire area looked like it had just experienced a brutal battle.
In the center of the training area, several door frame robots similar to those seen at the entrance of the base stood there quietly, undergoing maintenance and adjustments.
Around the training area, there are some ranger teams undergoing combat training. They are wearing black exoskeleton armor, making their bodies appear more upright and heavy.
The surface of the armor is a deep matte black, wrapping around their limbs and torsos, with sophisticated sensors and micro-thrusters at the joints, making their movements faster. With every jump, roll, or shot, the armor's hydraulic system emits a slight hiss, like a low roar, full of power.
In the training area on the other side, several rangers were cooperating with robots in attack and defense drills. Those door frame robots flexibly shuttled through the ruins and cooperated with the rangers to carry out precise strikes, perfectly combining firepower and speed.
The robot has a certain level of intelligence, but it does not have the weakness and hesitation of humans. It simply executes every instruction calmly and accurately. Every attack is as accurate as if it has been carefully calculated countless times.
Not only Lu Mingfei and his team came here, but also soldiers from other peacekeeping forces of all skin colors. They all had outstanding performances on the battlefield and were selected.
(End of this chapter)
