Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3033 Space War Escalates
United States of America.

The white-haired old man looked at the information Lawrence had compiled overnight, his expression extremely solemn, yet also revealing a hint of joy.

He picked up the documents in his hand and put them down repeatedly, appearing quite excited.

Can you confirm?

Lawrence nodded slightly. "The experiments they conducted were very secretive. If we didn't have reconnaissance satellites, we might not have been able to find even the slightest clue!"

"After confirmation by experts, there is a 60% chance that they are testing space-based weapons."

The white-haired old man nodded. "You're right. Some things don't need to be absolutely certain."

"However, the space-based weapon program we received initially stated that it would require the cooperation of two satellites to succeed."

"Right now, they're a satellite."

Seeing the old man's question, Lawrence quickly explained, "Sir, according to the weapons experts, the other party is probably verifying the feasibility!"

"After all, this weapon has only been proposed; it may be theoretically feasible, but it has never actually been tested!"

"So the other party wants to test the possibility this time."

Lawrence stated his conclusion, and everything was perfectly reasonable.

"So, do you think they succeeded?"

The white-haired old man asked again, his eyes full of suspicion.

How could such a powerful weapon have been made in a godforsaken place like theirs?

You should know that they spent nearly three billion US dollars to research mushroom eggs back then. If that were converted into gold, it would be more than 1,500 tons!

Moreover, more than 100,000 people participated.

Such a huge expense was required to bring about the creation of the mushroom egg.

But now?

The other party quietly sent a satellite into space and then dropped a stick into the sky to achieve this level of capability?
The input and return are so disproportionate!

At least from the perspective of the "law of conservation of energy", this is unreasonable.

In his eyes, money is also a form of energy.

"Sir, this is the information we have gathered so far."

"Their testing site was completely restored and concealed, but we still managed to find some evidence through subtle clues!"

"All this evidence demonstrates that its influence has reached the boundary of a small mushroom egg!"

"Furthermore, we did not find any radioactive materials in the air samples we collected!"

Lawrence continued speaking, and the white-haired old man stood up from his seat and then walked around the room.

"Sir, there is a Chinese saying: 'It's better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't!'"

"They also said, 'Better to kill three thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free!'"

"Moreover, given their inherently wicked nature, they would definitely hide the good stuff, just like they like to bury gold and jewels underground..."

Lawrence thought he had a thorough understanding of Chinese culture, but little did he know that the white-haired old man before him was even more familiar with it.

Before the other person could speak again, the white-haired old man nodded and said, "Previously, we focused our efforts on landing on the moon, but the success of the moon landing did prove the existence of space warfare!"

"only…"

The white-haired old man thought of the soil brought back from the moon, and then of what happened after the moon landing, and sighed helplessly.

"However, the benefits of this moon landing have not yet been discovered in the short term, and the long-term benefits are still under study."

"This weapon is indeed necessary!"

As soon as the old man finished speaking, Lawrence smiled.

Fortunately, this mission went smoothly.

"You did a great job on this!"

The white-haired old man looked at Lawrence again, his expression one of great satisfaction.

"Sir, this is what I should do!"

"Everything is for the United States!"

Lawrence's uncharacteristic humility pleased the white-haired old man, who nodded in satisfaction once more. "I heard you're planning to run for office?"

"Yes, sir, I have that intention!"

Lawrence smiled and nodded.

Having experienced the thrill of power, how could he bear to give it up?
In contrast, his current power is not enough to satisfy his ambitions.

Therefore, he needs a bigger stage to write his own story.

The white-haired old man hummed in agreement, then reminded him, "The most important thing to do in order to reach this level is to clean your bottom properly."

"Your opponents will be scrutinizing you with a magnifying glass!"

Lawrence nodded immediately, "Don't worry, I'm already doing it!"

"Yes, you also need to choose a good successor. This will greatly increase your chances of success."

"Yes, I have already considered two people, and so far both seem very suitable!"

The white-haired old man nodded, then waved for Lawrence to leave.

After leaving the office, Lawrence immediately got into his car and returned to his office.

“Smith, now I need to gather any information about the other side’s space weapons as soon as possible. I don’t believe they have no information at all!”

"This is very important!"

Upon his return, he summoned his top general, Smith, and assigned him the most important task.

"Boss, don't worry, I will definitely complete the mission!"

Lawrence nodded in satisfaction, then stood up and patted Smith on the shoulder.

"Hey buddy, keep up the good work."

"This mission is very important for our future development. Every move the other side makes could have a huge impact, and we must be prepared to deal with it!"

"Also, you know, I need to showcase myself on another stage, so I'm going to hand this over to you!"

Lawrence spoke earnestly, and Smith, deeply moved, stammered, "Boss, I..."

"Buddy, you have to have faith, you can do it!"

"And I need you too!"

Lawrence spoke earnestly again.

Seeing this, Smith could only nod vigorously, "Boss, I'll always follow you!"

"Go, this is your chance!"

Smith nodded and then left the office.

Then Mengsha walked into the office, holding a cup of coffee...

Lawrence's report received full attention from the United States.

This also brought up previous discussions about space-based weapons.

As a result, there was no result.

Those who support it and those who oppose it each hold their own opinions.

After a heated debate, the sense of "being prepared for danger in times of peace" prevailed, and they decided to increase their efforts and speed up the research to be more effective.

Then, the United States Space-Based Weapons Supplementation Program was approved at an unprecedented speed.

The original space-based weapons program was just an appendix to the lunar landing program.

But now, they must take it seriously.

Because you never know when a stick might fall from above your head!
To this end, the United States Space Agency has also established a separate department to manage it.

Then a large amount of capital began to flow in…

When the United States received the relevant information, the Alliance also received it and subsequently began to gather relevant intelligence.

However, they did not focus on the source, since they did not have advanced reconnaissance satellites.

But they have one very strong advantage.

That's because there are many swallows.

It involves all walks of life and the transmission of information is much faster.

So, the league received the report's contents the day after Lawrence and Kate submitted their final report.

While the United States began to establish a separate department to be responsible for special research, the Alliance was one step ahead and went straight into the launch phase!

They directly modified a research satellite that was about to be launched to detect the Earth's radiation belts, and they learned from the United States that China was using 150 kilograms of tungsten rods.

The United States planned to carry 500 kilograms of tungsten alloy. So, to demonstrate the greatness of the alliance, they simply stuffed an 800-kilogram tungsten rod into the satellite.

When this scene unfolded before the world, apart from China and the United States, all other countries were dumbfounded.

Why did the alliance suddenly stop going to the moon and start using satellites to carry sticks?
Then news about space-based weapons emerged.

Then some people confidently asserted that the weapon had been proven to be of the mushroom-egg type.

The world chat channel immediately erupted in chaos.

Especially the United States and Britain, they knew about space-based weapons and that the Alliance had given up the complete technology of nuclear power plants in order to obtain the whole plan.

Of course, this is the alliance's official statement.

In reality, the alliance played a trick here, causing China to suffer a hidden loss.

However, China did not lose money. With the nuclear power plant technology provided by the alliance, it has built a nuclear power plant in Dengzhou from scratch.

When they learned about this, they all thought China had made a huge profit. A plan that was not even sure if it could be realized had actually resulted in nuclear power plant technology.

But now, when this plan can be realized, when this weapon can play a huge role, let's look back at the original deal.

When the results came out, everyone felt that the Chinese people had really lost out.

At the same time, it created a "fool" image of China in people's minds.

At the very least, if we had this technology, why would anyone want to replace a nuclear power plant?

It's not that I can't develop; it's just a matter of time.

But it's all too late now.

Although the United States maintained excellent secrecy, it was like a sieve under the infiltration of the Alliance.

The league is not a monolithic entity; there are many like 007.

Therefore, in Europe, if someone has a secret document, it might end up on someone else's desk.

So when the alliance was preparing to launch the rocket, it felt like the whole world knew.

When the whole world is following suit, the truth or falsehood of the matter becomes irrelevant.

People are more concerned with the outcome.

Do we have this stick?

No?

Then hurry up and get on it.

Once everyone else has it, just wait and see!
Have?
Now you can sleep peacefully!

What? It's not up yet?
Hurry up!
If this thing is as powerful as the mushroom egg, then its production will definitely be restricted in the future!

If you manage to do the first five things, you might have to ask for permission to do the rest.

Without consulting?
Don't worry, they'll beat you up!

So if we don't get it done now, we'll really miss the chance!
So, the Indians in the south immediately announced the "Ganges" satellite project and claimed they would send sticks soaked in Ganges water up there.

So, Xiao Ri kept making trips to the United States, for what everyone was thinking...
Thus, China's fame spread once again, and was then shrouded in mystery once more.

This guy can scare people to death even by throwing a stick! What kind of people are these?!
The person who started all this acted like a wronged wife who dared not utter a sound, hiding in a corner without saying a word. She ignored anyone who came up to ask her questions, just like a doormat.

Of course, to outsiders, this would seem like being wronged, feeling like they've lost out, feeling upset, and not wanting to deal with the outside world.

But in this "young wife's" eyes, leaning against the wall with her head down was...

He looked at me like I was an idiot, with a wicked grin on his face.

Amidst this clamor, the Alliance's rockets began to lift off.

April 12th.

Kazakhstan Satellite Launch Center.

As the most important launch center in the Soyuz system, it has undertaken many famous launch missions.

The alliance chose this location for the mission not only because of the readily available satellites, but also as a warning to some restless individuals within Kazakhstan.

In recent years, as the neighbor to the east has grown increasingly powerful, these people have begun to have other ideas.

We've collaborated on many projects with them, like their canned food processing plant.

Therefore, this mission is to warn them not to think that only their neighbors are good at playing the stick; their alliance will only play it bigger and harder.

At this time, not only were members of the alliance watching the launch, but other countries were also paying close attention.

As with previous lunar exploration missions, the alliance never hides its military might when it comes to demonstrating its strength.

Of course, failure can be truly embarrassing.

As time passed, a group of Alliance officials at the launch center looked tense and solemn.

On the viewing platform, Nowitzki, still in his gray military uniform, looked solemn, his hands clasped in front of his chest, his eyes fixed on the table, his gaze revealing unease.

In front of him, Gorzensky was listening to the plan from the head of the launch site.

After a moment, Gorzensky walked up to the old man and said, “Sir, it is clear that the satellite will be launched in ten minutes.”

"It is expected that the satellite will be launched into space in 20 minutes, and then complete the orbit change in 3 to 6 hours, after which a tungsten rod will be launched into the Siberian no-man's land."

"Right now, people there have already begun preparing for observations."

After Gorzenfsky finished speaking, Nowitzki continued to look at the table, his expression unchanged.

"Tell me, what would happen to the world if this weapon were real?"

Suddenly, Nowitzki spoke up and asked a question.

Gotzenfsky patted Guanghua's forehead after hearing this, then laughed and said, "The world is still the same; it won't change because of a single weapon."

Nowitzki turned his head to look at the other person after hearing this, and then laughed.

"No, you're wrong."

Then he sighed deeply, "The world will become more wonderful because of this weapon."

Gotzenfsky smiled. "I'll be watching."

As the two chatted and laughed, the satellite launch rocket had been inspected and all departments entered the launch preparation phase.

After waiting a while, the countdown began.

As the ignition command was given, thick white mist spewed out from beneath the rocket.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the rocket slowly rose into the air, its speed increasing and its altitude rising until it was just a small white dot in the telescope.

Everyone in the command center held their breath, fearing something might go wrong.

As time passed, the rocket gradually detached itself until finally, the satellite completely separated from the rocket and entered space.

Just as everyone was preparing to cheer, an unexpected event occurred.

The satellite did not enter its designed orbit according to the parameters, but instead went out of its designed orbit.

The next moment, the entire command center became noisy, and some people were running around in a panic, not knowing why they were running.

Nowitsky and Gorzensky witnessed the chaos at the launch center and felt a chill in their hearts.

"The satellite has lost contact."

"The launch failed."

After a long while, bad news reached their ears.

At that moment, the two of them couldn't listen to any explanations, such as the mass being too large, the system calculation error, or the temporary parameter changes not being verified.

Failure is failure.

Finding more reasons will only be useful next time.

However, it is of no use in providing assistance at present.

Gotzensky helped Nowitsky leave the launch center, both of them somewhat disappointed.

Susco was then briefed on everything that had happened there.

The statement conveys the idea that 'good weapons are not found on the roadside'.

After receiving news of the launch failure, the alliance did not give up the attempt. Instead, it allocated a budget of ten million dollars to the research of dedicated satellites.

It suggests a determination to succeed at all costs.

Seeing the alliance's actions after its failure, other countries not only did not back down because of the setback, but instead joined the competition even more frantically.

Today, the first to succeed is China.

The second attempt by the alliance failed.

They could then become the second country to possess something comparable to a mushroom egg.

This time, whether proactive or reactive, everyone is actively marching into space.

(End of this chapter)