Break out of the courtyard

Satellite monitoring center on Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen.

"If the current speed is increased by 60%, the Clement 3 and Wisdom 1 lunar probes from Omega will definitely not be able to return after passing the moon. However, the Hiten 5 lunar probe from Japan is not fast. Even if it is accelerated by 60% and passes the moon, it will still be able to make a large detour and fly back!"

"Does the dean intend to leave behind a lunar probe?"

"Director, I think the dean means that no matter what speed command those three lunar probes receive, their speed must be 60% faster than the speed at which the command is transmitted!"

"Only 60% faster than the command speed? Does the director intend for those lunar probes to crash due to improper operation?"

The head of the satellite monitoring center thought for a moment and said, "Let's first ask the space-based computing center if both acceleration methods can be handled!"

……

At the construction command center of the Moon Palace Base, Zhang Heping reviewed the recent construction progress and confirmed the number of ground buildings and the area to be enclosed by walls at the Moon Palace Base.

After finishing all that, the head of the satellite monitoring center called to say that the three lunar probes from Japan, Europe, and the United States had accelerated by 60% from their current speed.

"Director, even if the speed of the Ridao Feitian 5 lunar probe increases by 60%, it is still possible for it to enter lunar orbit," the head of the satellite monitoring center added at the end.

Zhang Heping ignored this comment and instead instructed the head of the lunar Guanghan Palace base construction command center and the head of the satellite monitoring center to study countermeasures.

After a short while, they came up with four solutions.

First, we will continue to accelerate the development of the Japanese island Feitian 5 lunar probe satellite.

Secondly, after the Japanese island Feitian 5 lunar probe passes by the moon, it will be accelerated into space again, leaving no room for maneuver.

Third, let the Japanese-made Feitian-5 lunar probe collide with other satellites. If it collides with a foreign satellite, there's no need to worry about the consequences; if it collides with a domestic satellite, we can seek compensation from the Japanese.

Fourth, the pulse particle accelerator cannon reduced its firing power and fired a shot at the Feitian-5 lunar probe satellite.

Hua Lao rejected the fourth proposal on the spot, and Zhang Heping subsequently agreed to the first proposal.

With this matter settled, Zhang Heping called away Zhang Bei, the eldest son of the lunar engineering department next door.

The next morning, Zhang Heping received a video conference notification from the capital.

The meeting had barely begun when the topic of the lunar probe's acceleration the previous evening came up, as the space agencies of Japan, Europe, and the United States had discovered the abnormal flight of their lunar probe overnight.

"Dean Zhang, you have hacked into the space agencies of Japan, Europe, and the United States, and tampered with..."

"Stop!" Zhang Heping interrupted the questioning from the capital's conference room, speaking through his microphone. "Who told you we hacked into the space agencies of Japan, Europe, and the United States?"

Who?
Faced with this question, the little old man who had loudly questioned him in the capital's venue glanced instinctively to his right, thought for more than ten seconds, and then said:
"It was those foreign consuls who said that you tampered with their lunar probe's speed commands."

The old man didn't dare say that it was people from the Dapeng Peninsula who told them, because saying so might lead Zhang Heping to dismiss some people who couldn't keep their mouths shut!
According to normal procedures, what happened last night should have been reported up the chain of command.

However, since Zhang Heping, as the head of the space force, did not even think of reporting it to his superiors, his subordinates were not allowed to report it to his superiors!
So if the old man dares to say who is reporting to higher authorities without authorization, then he'll be in big trouble, because that's a major taboo in officialdom!

"Hmph!" Zhang Heping sneered, "Do you have any evidence? If not, I'm going to get back to my business!"

After a brief silence at the capital's meeting venue, Elder Yang spoke up, saying, "The matter of tampering with the lunar probe satellite's speed is currently being handled by the foreign affairs department. We'll discuss it further once those foreigners produce evidence."

"Next, let's discuss naval equipment!"

"According to satellite feedback, the United States' new aircraft carrier, the USS Truman, is nearing completion. This will bring the United States to 16 aircraft carriers!"

"Under the guidance of Dean Zhang, we spent four years and successfully built our first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier independently at Wucheng Shipyard last April!"

"After more than a year of aircraft carrier testing and subsequent maintenance..."

Mr. Yang talked at length, but in the end, he summarized that the costs of building an aircraft carrier domestically and the subsequent maintenance and upkeep were within an acceptable range, and he wanted to ask Zhang Heping's opinion.

“The pulse particle accelerator cannon can destroy an aircraft carrier in one shot!” Zhang Heping said slowly as he spoke into the microphone, “So, whether or not to build an aircraft carrier, or whether or not to expose the pulse particle accelerator cannon, is up to you.”

"If there's nothing else, I'm going to get back to the lab!"

"Dean Zhang, is the power of the pulse particle accelerator really that great?" In the capital's conference hall, an old man in a green military uniform couldn't believe it.

Zhang Heping said calmly, "If you had agreed to choose a Martian mountain as a target during the last test firing, you would have known the power of the pulse particle accelerator cannon!"

Old Yang frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, "Dean Zhang, when will the test launch report for Mars Canyon be released?"

"It'll probably be January next year; it takes some time to send the probe there," Zhang Heping replied. Seeing that there were no further questions from the meeting room in the capital, he then left.

However, the video conference was not over yet, and Professor Hua, Professor Li, Professor Qian, and others did not leave.

"Professor Qian!" An elderly man in a Zhongshan suit turned his head to look at the camera at the venue in the capital. "May I ask, what is the progress of the construction of the Moon Palace base?"

Vice Dean Qian frowned as he looked at the projection screen on the wall and said, "Your funds haven't arrived yet, and the access hasn't been granted to you. In addition, Consultant Zhang has repeatedly emphasized the confidentiality of the Guanghan Palace base project, so I cannot answer this question right now!"

"It's been a month, why haven't the funds arrived yet?" Old Yang didn't turn on his microphone, but his voice could still be faintly heard through the microphones on the tables in front of the other people.

Vice Dean Deng turned on the microphone and interjected, "Please, leaders, urge them to expedite this. The expenses for those elite troops on our side are substantial!"

"Their food expenses are not a problem, but the consumption of brain-boosting fluids is too high, which has put a serious burden on our college's finances."

Someone at the capital venue muttered, "Zhang Heping isn't short of money," and then felt very uncomfortable being stared at by those around him.

The elite troops and strong generals that Deng Xiaoping mentioned were all space forces that expanded from the military aerospace forces!
The number of personnel allocated to the space force is not large; even including the military aerospace force, there are only 5 people, which is less than the number of personnel in the Nanshan Guard Brigade.

So, if Zhang Heping were to really pay for the space force, he could actually afford it.

Little did they know that the Umbrella Security Company alone had more than 10,000 bodyguards, not to mention its ever-growing security force!
However, if Zhang Heping were to fund the space force, then the nature of the operation would change!

In addition, there are currently more than 10,000 people receiving training at the World Advanced Technology Research Institute, most of whom will be eliminated.

Vice President Deng brought this up simply to clarify the costs for the more than 10,000 trainees, so as to avoid disputes later and not being able to find a department to reimburse them.

After making inquiries around the capital's conference venue and then making several phone calls, Yang finally clarified the payment schedule with Vice President Deng.

These trivial matters are generally none of Zhang Heping's concern.

Even if the World Institute of Advanced Technology really ran out of money, it would be Vice President Deng who would communicate with Chen Shuting; it wouldn't affect Zhang Heping's work. The next day, September 1st, was the last day for registration at various schools.

Zhang Heping had originally declined the invitation to the opening ceremony of the newly built Heping Nine-Year Compulsory Education School in Shenzhen tomorrow, but unexpectedly, Grandma Zheng came all the way to attend the opening ceremony of this pilot school and even had to speak on stage.

There was nothing Zhang Heping could do but send his eldest son, Zhang Bei, on his behalf, since his first wife, Tang Xin, wanted to matchmake Zhang Bei and Zhou Xirou!

Speaking of Zhou Xirou, although she doesn't hold a position within the system, she has been working on Project Hope with Grandma Zheng for many years, and her abilities are quite good.

Of course, she also comes from a good family.

Sure enough, Zhang Bei had just returned home in the afternoon when Tang Xin asked him to take Zhou Xirou out shopping.

Grandma Zheng smiled as she looked at Zhang Bei, who looked helpless, and Zhou Xirou, who looked a little shy, and sat on the sofa without saying a word.

"Mom!" Zhang Bei tried to plead, "Could I show her around the academy?"

"Who is she?" Tang Xinfeng glared at her. "She has no manners at all. Is it so hard to just call her Xirou?"

"Also, this isn't a discussion with you! Your sister Xirou came in a hurry this time and didn't bring a change of clothes. You'll have to go out with her to buy some!"

"Oh!" Zhang Bei didn't dare to reply and turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, his mother asked again, "Where are you going?"

Just as Zhang Bei was stunned and confused, Tang Xin said angrily, "You went out wearing this work uniform? Did you even bring any money with you?"

"Aunt Xin, I have some money on me." Zhou Xirou stood up, her face flushed, her voice growing softer and softer, "Brother Bei, take me to..."

"Xirou, please sit down!" Tang Xin comforted the shy little girl, then launched into a tirade against her eldest son, "Can't you smell the stench emanating from you?"

"Hurry up and wash up, change your clothes, then grab your money and cards and head out!"

As Zhang Bei reluctantly stepped into the elevator and went upstairs to change his clothes, Tang Xin looked helplessly at Old Madam Zheng, "The three brothers have been busy with that lunar base lately. If I don't force them to come back, they can live in the underground cave for a year!"

Grandma Zheng smiled and comforted her, "Back when you and Heping were still studying, many scientists in China were doing research in anonymity."

"This went on for decades, and their parents, wives and children didn't even know if they were alive or dead."

"Xiao Bei and the others are alright. If you just let Heping call them, they'll obediently go home!"

Tang Xin shook her head helplessly, "In this family, only Heping can still get the rest of them to listen!"

Zhang Bei didn't linger upstairs; he changed his clothes and came downstairs in less than ten minutes.

Just before leaving, Tang Xin called a few more bodyguards to follow her before letting her eldest son go.

"I heard from Su Mei that you're planning to force Xiao Bei into a marriage?" As soon as her grandniece left, Old Mrs. Zheng's question became much more direct.

"I've had this idea, but I haven't told Xiaobei yet!" Tang Xin frowned slightly, looking a little worried. "Xiaobei and Xiaonan will be 30 next year, and their marriage... sigh..."

Grandma Zheng patted Tang Xin's thigh and comforted her, "There's still a long way to go. If Xiao Bei and the others are unwilling, don't be too forceful, lest it backfire!"

……

Two days later, the three lunar probes launched by Japan, Europe, and the United States still did not slow down.

When the foreigners realized they couldn't get away with arguing, they adjusted the lunar probe's flight angle and headed towards the Guanghan Palace base!
In response, Zhang Heping directly ordered the space-based weapon system to enter a defensive posture and then submitted a report asking whether the invading satellite should be destroyed.

It wasn't until this moment that Elder Hua, Elder Li, and the others belatedly realized that Zhang Heping, that brat, had been waiting here all along.

The higher-ups naturally did not want to expose the space-based weapon system at this time, so they suppressed Zhang Heping's report and have not yet responded.

After some discussion, it was decided to control the impact angle of the three lunar probes to avoid the pulse particle accelerator cannon on the ground of the Guanghan Palace base.

As long as we don't collide with this pulse particle accelerator, it doesn't matter if three lunar landers are damaged.

Because the pulse particle accelerator cannon is designed to defend against meteorite impacts, the impact of the lunar probe satellite on the Guanghan Palace base had no effect on the underground fortifications, but it would not be effective against meteorites.

This response was exactly what Zhang Heping had expected.

To be precise, using the massive computing power of the space-based computing center as an aid to defend against those dangerous satellites was the method Zhang Heping taught them.

Adjusting the impact angle of those three lunar probes was simply a matter of applying what they had learned.

Zhang Heping's report was merely to demonstrate that he would fulfill his responsibilities as head of the space force, rather than acting arbitrarily.

"After this collision, what do you all think we should do?" Old Yang's voice came through the phone speaker.

Zhang Heping, who was standing next to him with his eyes closed and facing a brain undergoing regeneration, did not respond at all.

"Verbal negotiations should be the primary approach!" Elder Hua said in a deep voice during a meeting in the conference room of the administration building. "There's no need to create further complications."

"I'm afraid this won't be the last time!" Old Li said from the side. "What if next time they send not a lunar probe, but a disguised missile? How should we respond?"

At the capital's meeting, a member of the pro-war faction echoed, "I agree with Elder Li's words. Being passively attacked is easy to cause trouble. If our Guanghan Palace base is destroyed, it won't be a small matter!"

“If you ask me, we should just destroy it!” Zhang Heping echoed with his eyes closed, “With the upgraded space-based weapons we have now, we can completely defend against all kinds of missiles from Europe and the United States.”

Zhang Heping has always been a proponent of war, which is related to his stubborn temperament and personality.

However, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish!

A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan!
Elder Yang, Elder Hua, and others had witnessed the hardships of the old society. Now that they have finally seen the country's economy develop to such a thriving state, how could they possibly lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains?

Therefore, they didn't take Zhang Heping's words seriously, but continued to communicate about how to deal with the situation and what the gains and losses were.

After Zhang Heping finished constructing the virtual dream for the regenerating brain in front of him, he took his phone and left the laboratory, continuing his meeting in his car with headphones on.

He actually knew why Elder Yang had been calling him to meetings so often lately; it was to involve him in some important matters and temper his temperament... (End of Chapter)