Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2643 The New Colonial Era (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
Production in space is not easy.

Compared to machining, smelting is more difficult, although they have already conducted experiments on the International Space Station and achieved success.

But things are not that simple.

Controlling a temperature of 1000℃ in a weightless environment is like serving a cup of hot soup on a smooth ice surface; any slight disturbance could cause the entire system to collapse.

In the following days, Pang Guochun and his team succeeded, which means that the space factory is not just "lit up the fire", but "can control the fire", which is the key leap from "experiment" to "industry".

Finally, after the melting and drawing process was completed, Pang Guochun smiled as he looked at the blue crystal rod in the cooling chamber:
"This 'Lunaticon' crystal rod is not only a product, but also proof."

This proves that we can achieve industrial-scale production in the extreme environment of the moon. With this start, space factories can truly become a reality.

Outside the "Outpost 1" lunar base module, the barren lunar landscape stretches silently in the sunlight.

Thousands of kilometers away from the base, prospectors were still conducting mineral exploration. At this time, the moon was an unknown territory for Earth. On this vast planet, you never know what treasures it holds. Perhaps the next discovery will change humanity like the "Lunaticon crystal".

This is why countries invest a great deal of resources in exploring their own regions.

Who knows where the next discovery will be, or what it will be?

No one knows, after all, this is another planet, a new planet, which always holds new hope.

This is the significance of the "Outpost 1" lunar base and the New Hope mine to Earth.

After news of the first Lunaticon crystal rod being produced at the Outpost 1 lunar base reached Earth, 360,000 kilometers away, the people there continued to live as usual.

At this moment, Chang'an was enveloped in the hustle and bustle of the morning rush hour, and no one stopped for this news that was enough to go down in history.

As the world's largest city, Chang'an, with a population of 3700 million, feels quite crowded, especially during the morning rush hour.

Inside the subway car, the crowds were so dense that it was almost impossible to move. The handrails were gripped tightly, and everyone was searching for their own little space in the noisy environment.

Sun Yuan, carrying a backpack, was swept up in the crowd, his earphones playing the morning news: "The lunar 'Outpost 1' base successfully produced its first industrial-grade crystal rod today. This marks a crucial step towards industrialization in human space exploration and lays the foundation for the large-scale construction of subsequent space factories..."

Hearing this, Sun Yuan couldn't help but tease in a low voice: "There are space stations in outer space. If it's too crowded, there won't be any space stations."

The man next to him, who was also squeezed and unable to move, was taken aback at first, then reacted, looking at the crowded scene in the carriage, and couldn't help but laugh, jokingly following his words:

"Indeed, there's no space station if it's too crowded. Look at this train carriage during rush hour, there's not even room to turn around, let alone a space station. A space station must be in outer space."

Several people around who overheard the conversation smiled knowingly, which eased the somber atmosphere in the carriage somewhat.

Yes, space stations are only found in outer space. Since this is Earth, let's squeeze in a bit more.

At each subway stop, the platform screen doors open, and new passengers flood in, making the carriages increasingly crowded and the air increasingly stuffy.

Yes, this is Earth.

The Earth has always been this way; it is very crowded.

To make room for other passengers, Sun Yuan instinctively tightened his backpack and moved to a corner. The news in his headphones had already switched to local news, and the news about the lunar crystal rods was just an interlude.

News and trending news kept playing on my headphones, and after a few more stops, the subway finally arrived at Sun Yuan's destination.

Official Residence Square.

It took a lot of effort for Sun Yuan to squeeze out of the crowd and walk out of the subway station with the not-so-large flow of people.

There aren't many people here because it's not a commercial center. There are only some institutions around the official residence, both official and private. Overall, the environment here is first-class, but there aren't many people.

Moreover, most passengers drive their own cars, but Sun Yuan is a recent college graduate who has just arrived in the city. He hasn't bought a car yet and is living in an apartment provided by the government.

In this situation, public transportation is his only option.

Standing on the ground, breathing in the cool morning air, Sun Yuan glanced at the official residence in front of him. Looking at the tall Tang-style building, a thought popped into his mind—okay, this will be my workplace from now on.

With that thought in mind, Sun Yuan took his first step toward the official residence—today was the day he was to report for duty.

His workplace was the official residence office.

Yes, the closest place to you!

This was not Sun Yuan's first time here.

More than a decade ago, when Sun Yuan was in elementary school, he and his classmates visited the official residence, which was also one of the tourist attractions in Chang'an.

However, back then it was a visit, but what about now?

It's work!
As he walked toward the official residence, another thought involuntarily popped into his mind.

So, what are you doing now?
The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the official residence office, casting dappled shadows on the teak desk.

Outside the window, the outline of Chang'an's skyline was clearly visible, and the soft sound of the air conditioner echoed in the room.

"A space factory!" Li Yi couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"With this space factory, we can reduce the cost of manufacturing chips by more than 60%, which means... it can be used for civilian purposes!"

Using chips made from the new crystals for civilian applications will inevitably greatly improve the performance of electronic products such as computers and mobile phones.

What disruptive changes will this high-performance chip bring to the electronics industry?

Only God knows the answer to that.

"This is space. Space can change everything about us."

While reflecting on the situation, his gaze swept over the space exploration plan spread out on the table and finally landed on Yuan Jialiu across from him.

This manager of SpaceX not only leads SpaceX, but he is also the pioneer of SEA's space program.

Turning his gaze away, Li Yi'an said:

"Jia Liu, compared to the fact that we have established the first space factory on the lunar base, this is probably the real purpose of your trip."

This report is truly astonishing, not only for its cost but also for its scale.

In a way, this isn't even a report, but rather—science fiction!
"Yes, Zhiyuan."

This time, Yuan Jialiu did not address him as "Your Excellency," but instead used his courtesy name.

Now they are not interacting as superiors and subordinates, but as friends, just like when they first met in New York.

"I still remember the space I described before, or rather, humanity's space endeavor."

Although Li Yi'an has always preferred to use the term "all mankind", he often uses the name "for all mankind" to justify his actions.

But in reality, everyone knows very well that this is just talk, just like the Soviets said their space program was for all mankind, and the Americans said the same thing.

In fact, just like how wealthy people often contribute to society.

It's all just rhetoric, why take it seriously?

Many years ago, he described that world to Yuan Jialiu, that world of space exploration, that future from Earth to space, from space to other planets, from exploration to settlement, and even flying to distant "Earth-like planets".

That future, even in the era Li Yi'an came from, only existed in science fiction novels, but he hoped that he could make it a reality in his own hands.

He didn't just want to go to the moon or Mars, nor was he limited to the solar system; he even wanted to see humanity leave the solar system and venture into the distant deep space in his lifetime.

It was a vision shared by Li Yi'an and Yuan Jialiu many years ago, and what was the basis for this vision?

This is the report he is submitting now.

"What I want to tell you is—Zhiyuan, the time has come for us to achieve our goal,"

When Yuan Jialiu spoke, he didn't even notice his tone of voice, which sounded somewhat agitated. Even though he tried his best to control his emotions, his tone and expression were hard to hide.

"You mean..."

Li Yi'an paused for a moment, then placed his hands on the desk and stared directly at Yuan Jialiu.

"Our dream is about to come true, isn't it?"

At this moment, Li Yi'an was filled with excitement. He didn't even know how to describe his feelings.

More than 30 years have passed.

At this moment—his ultimate dream was finally about to come true.

"Yes, Zhiyuan, it's not just this experimental factory. We will be conducting a reusable rocket launch within the next six months—not an experiment."

It was a normal rocket launch.

Yuan Jialiu looked at Li Yi'an and said:

"It will significantly reduce the launch costs for Exploration Technologies. We will be able to launch hundreds of tons of cargo into space with very little money."

We can build much larger space stations in space—completely different from the ones we have now; they will be ring-shaped stations with artificial gravity. We will have real space bases.

Yuan Jialiu was very calm, but when his voice rang out in the office, Li Yi'an knew very well what it all meant.
"...At that time, humans will be able to stay in space permanently."

"Do not……"

Li Yi'an shook his head and said:

"It's about life, just like I said thirty years ago—we're not just going to go into space, we're going to go from Earth to another planet!"
We want to live in space; we want to establish our colony on another planet!

(End of this chapter)