Rebirth of Hong Kong Island, leading the technology war

Chapter 498 Zachary's Space Probe
Chalod glanced at Guise and asked, "I have indeed heard some news recently about the Tenglong Island space launch site, saying that it poses a significant threat to Spes X."

Gus thought to himself that Chalod already knew about the Tenglong Island space launch site. They always had contact with the intelligence department and could even see the intelligence department's briefings directly.

Chalode added, "I recently had a video call with Director Hosen, who told me that if the Tenglong Island space launch site is left unattended, it will pose a great threat to our space development in the future."

Guss asked, "And then? Mr. Tyrode, what's the plan now?"

Chalode looked around and gestured for Gates to find a quiet booth to sit down.

Just then, a waiter came over with several glasses of wine, and the two of them each chose one.

Gus is a very individualistic person and doesn't drink much, so he chose a glass of orange-flavored soda.

After the waiter left, Chalode said, "The intelligence department is planning a larger operation, but it hasn't taken shape yet. That area is within China's borders, and our influence there is limited. This has a significant impact on the operation, and if something goes wrong, the trouble will be considerable."

Guss wholeheartedly agreed. Matters involving China were indeed difficult to handle, after all, the other party was not only a major power, but also a major power that was not very obedient, which was completely different from other countries.

The United States possesses the strongest intelligence agency on the entire planet, with extraordinary capabilities. It can even easily infiltrate large countries like Canada. However, this is not effective in China, and it has become increasingly difficult in recent years. It is hard to reach key departments, let alone carry out any secret missions on Chinese soil.

Upon realizing this, Gus immediately said, "Mr. Chalode, my method may be the most feasible. We don't need to do any extra work. We just need to openly seek cooperation with the Tenglong Island Space Launch Site. That way, we can test their technical capabilities."

After thinking for a moment, Chalode said, "Perhaps you are right, but we need to discuss this matter. It is very sensitive and cannot be done casually by just letting you do it."

The so-called "we" probably refers to the consensus that needs to be reached among a few union leaders, or at least the support of the majority of the leaders.

Just as Gus and his daughter Catherine had predicted, the aerospace field is indeed very sensitive.

Because there is an unwritten rule in the United States that it is not allowed to cooperate with China in this field, even with private companies, which is strictly under its jurisdiction. This is the unspoken rule.

For decades, the United States has never let its guard down, so it is indeed not as simple as it seems for Guise to obtain a cooperation license with the Tenglong Island Space Launch Site.

Bill Guise, being one of the smartest people on Earth, naturally knew that this matter couldn't be rushed, so he agreed.

At this moment, Chalod seemed to remember something and asked, "Mr. Guss, do lunar probes really exist?"

Guss thought for a moment and said, "We do have this plan, but we haven't manufactured it yet."

"Oh, I understand, dear Mr. Guise. Then wait for my news. We will discuss it today and I will give you a result."

Gus was all smiles. It seemed that Cherold hadn't fooled him; on the contrary, he took it very seriously, which was why the matter would be discussed at today's meeting.

Whether it works or not, we'll have a result today.

The so-called "leading staff meeting" is, as the name suggests, a meeting attended by the person in charge. Unless there are special circumstances, only seven people attend.

As mentioned earlier, these seven people are located in various parts of the planet Earth and may not all be in West Asia. Those in charge who are not present will participate in the meeting via video.

The council is of a very high level. Although it consists of only seven people, it can often decide the decline of one or two countries and the life and death of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people.

Of course, the Stonemasons' Guild is dependent on the United States and relies on its strength. Once the United States' strength declines, the Stonemasons' Guild's strength will also decline.

Therefore, the interests of the Stonemasons' Guild and the Lighthouse Federation are basically aligned. There may be some minor disagreements, but they are not significant and are easy to resolve. All that is needed is to eliminate those who are hindering the Stonemasons' Guild.

Someone of Guise's rank naturally wouldn't have access to the main meetings; they could only participate in public dinners and cocktail parties.

In such settings, the leaders present will participate for a period of time, mostly in highly private meetings.

Tonight's dinner was no exception. Half an hour into the meal, the person in charge made sure everyone enjoyed the food and then left, including Colin Chalode, of course.

They are going to a meeting to discuss the launch plan for Gais's lunar probe, with a focus on whether to award the launch contract to a Chinese company.

Guss was a little nervous, unsure if the proposal would pass.

If it passes, everyone will be happy, but if it doesn't pass, what can Gus do?
Gus was an extremely intelligent man with a strong will. Once he decided to do something, he would see it through to the end. If Plan A didn't work, he would use Plan B, and Plan C was still waiting in his mind.

But this matter is indeed tricky, and Gus really doesn't know if he can go against these people to do it.

Upon closer examination, it seems that Guss had no reason to insist on doing this. What direct relationship did he have with how advanced the Tenglong Island space launch site was?

There seems to be no sufficient reason. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably give up when faced with such an insurmountable obstacle, but he is Bill Gates, who is essentially a stubborn mule.

If the chance of accomplishing something isn't zero, even if it's only a 0.1% probability, Gus will find a way to do it.

Guise's feelings about the Tenglong Island space launch site were very complicated. As mentioned earlier, it was Guise himself who wanted to build a space launch site on Tenglong Island. He even had a detailed construction plan and made PPT and video materials. However, he later found that it was impossible to build there, so he had to sell it.

Who would have thought that Hu Jiangshan, the person who took over, was no ordinary person, and he turned around and built a space launch site.

What's even more outrageous is that Hu Jiangshan accomplished all of this in just one year. To this day, Gus still can't figure out how Hu Jiangshan managed to solve the problems of fresh water and electricity.

Hu Jiangshan's space launch site seems to be more than just a place to launch rockets; there must be more secrets behind it.

How could someone as curious as Gus possibly leave this unresolved? He was determined to find out what Hu Jiangshan was doing and what he would do in the future.

Therefore, Guss must establish some kind of connection with Hu Jiangshan, including but not limited to a cooperative relationship.

Gus sat in the stonemasons' club drinking soda, one glass after another, and went to the restroom about ten times.

By this time, most people had already left, but the meeting was still not over.

Gus checked the time; it was already late at night. They had been inside for five hours, and he wondered what they were talking about.

Even though it was so late, Guss had no intention of leaving; he was determined to wait for the results.

If those people in charge can hold meetings for so long, then Gus can wait until they come out.

Just as Gus was drinking half of another glass of soda, Chalode finally came over.

Gus immediately put down his cup, stood up, and greeted Cherold.

Chalod waved his hand, gesturing for Gus to sit down facing him.

Gus asked a waiter to order a drink for Cherold.

To be honest, after such a long meeting, Cherold looked quite tired and needed something to perk him up. Guss asked, "Mr. Cherold, what was the result?"

Chalode said with a smile, "When I first brought it up, everyone else disagreed. You know, they thought it was really abnormal."

Gus nodded in understanding, but judging from Cherold's tone, there should be a twist in the story.

Sure enough, Chai Luode said, "Later I told them about your idea, mainly to find out the details of the Tenglong Island space launch site, how strong its technical capabilities are, and to obtain first-hand intelligence. Only then did the others seriously discuss the feasibility of your plan."

"Hmm? Mr. Chalco, and then?"

"I have to say, the Tenglong Island launch site is indeed very mysterious," said Chai Luode. "We even confirmed a lot of things with the intelligence department on site, including the process and reasons for the failure of the last launch at the Tenglong Space Launch Site. Moreover, the intelligence department revealed important information to us."

Guss paused, taken aback: "Important information? What is it?"

"The Tenglong Island space launch site is very likely supported by Huayao," said Chai Luode.

"...Hmm? Huayao? That's certainly unusual, but why would Huayao support a space launch site?"

"This is also something the intelligence agencies are very interested in knowing."

Guss then asked, "So how did they arrive at this conclusion, Mr. Cherold? I mean, is there any evidence for this inference, and is the evidence sufficient?"

Chalode looked up at Gus: "The intelligence department hasn't provided much information. I think they might not be ready yet."

Actually, this is a euphemism by Cherold. If the leaders of the stonemasons' guild were willing, they could obtain all information from the intelligence department of the United States, including even the daily life of the person living in the White House.

The so-called lack of preparation means that we cannot yet produce concrete evidence; it is likely just suspicion.

But Guise also has to admit that if you link this matter to Huayao, then everything can be explained.

Why was Hu Jiangshan able to build the space launch site so easily? It's something that ordinary people simply couldn't do; it requires a huge amount of technical expertise, a large number of engineers, and a lot of high-level equipment that can't be bought on the market.

There is only one explanation: Hu Jiangshan has some powerful force supporting him.

This is similar to how SpeyX couldn't have developed the Bald Eagle 9, the only reusable first-stage rocket on Earth, on its own. No matter how capable Malak was, he couldn't have done it. Instead, he relied on the technical support of the US space agency, and even had a large number of scientists and engineers come to help.

Hu Jiangshan is no exception; besides the China National Space Administration, there must be a powerful force behind him, and Hua Yao is the most likely candidate.

Thinking about this, Gus actually felt it made a lot of sense, no, it should be said that it was very likely.

Guss asked, "Mr. Chalod, does that mean our proposal has been approved?"

Chalode replied, "That's a good question. Your suggestion is probably fine, but there's one small change needed."

"Huh? What changes?"

"Wait a minute, I'll get someone to come over."

Chairod took out his phone, a Blackberry with a full keyboard. Leaders preferred to use these phones because they were specially made and encrypted, making them untraceable by intelligence agencies across the entire planet.

Chalode made a phone call and told the person to come over immediately.

Guss became curious. Who did Chalode intend to call over? And why him?

However, Guss didn't ask. Those in charge all liked to create an air of mystery, which was a bad habit, but it was quite normal. If Guss reached that position, he would probably also pick up this bad habit.

A moment later, a person walked over, and Guss was stunned.

The other party turned out to be Mark Zuckerberg.

This guy is of course a tech mogul on Earth, and he's still active in the scene. His Facebook page is a very popular social media platform on Earth.

Of course, such a person would be invited to join the Stonemasons' Guild.

To be honest, Gus didn't like Zach Burke, and when they met, he would just nod and move on.

What annoyed Guise was that Zachary Burke's rank in the Stonemasons' Guild was higher than his, though not by much.

Gus was puzzled. Why did Cherold call this guy over?

Chalode gestured for Zakka Burke to sit down.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Zachary, Guss waited for Cherold to explain.

Chalod said, "Guys, the leadership agrees to let you do what you want, but on one condition."

Guss asked, "What are the conditions?"

"We need to use Zakaria's detectors."

Gus was startled; he hadn't expected this condition.

Chalod said, "We just learned that Zakhar Burke has a space exploration project, which we can make use of."

Guss asked, "Is Mr. Zachary's space probe already a finished product?"

Zakbarke smiled slightly: "We have indeed built a few space probes now. We originally intended to launch them from Speys X or Blue Origin, but if they have a better use, I certainly wouldn't mind."

Gus was very surprised. He didn't expect Zakhar Burke to have gone so far in the aerospace field. Not only did he have space projects, but he had even created physical objects. It was not just a PowerPoint presentation. He was very efficient.

More importantly, there was absolutely no news from the outside world; Zakaborg really did a great job keeping things secret.

Guss then asked, "So, we can now place the order for launching space probes with the Tenglong Island Space Launch Site?"

Chalod nodded: "This is a great attempt. Mr. Zachary Burke won't have any objections, will he?"

Zakbarke shrugged: "I'm fine on my end."

“Okay, it’s settled then. Mr. Guise can go and talk to the owner of Tenglong Island about this now.”

(End of this chapter)