Genius Club.

Chapter 296 Jask!

Chapter 296 Jask! (Additional chapter for the leader of the Feitian Alliance, Brother Chen!!)
boom! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

A loud bang!

The entire cabin shook violently.

But what followed was a powerful acceleration and gravity overload, pressing everyone's bodies firmly onto their seats.

It's pressed tightly!
It was as if an invisible force was pressing down on every inch of skin in the body, squeezing and pounding it. Not only did the force not dissipate, but it became more intense and continuous, twisting all the internal organs together!
This is the huge overload caused by the rocket's takeoff acceleration.

Fortunately, the seat backs were soft enough, and everyone had already done a long period of adaptation training at the astronaut training base. The sudden overload impact only made everyone nervous, and they didn't feel unbearable.

"Altitude climb... 2000 meters... 5000 meters..."

"Yaw nozzle ready! Adjust attitude, 3, 2, 1, turn on!"

Reports from the ground control center continued to come through the radio channel.

20 seconds after the rocket took off, everyone sitting in the passenger cabin of the space plane clearly felt the rocket begin to tilt, and their bodies involuntarily began to exert force to support it.

"Don't be nervous, this is the Rockets adjusting their direction."

Wei Cheng comforted everyone on the radio channel:
"The rocket does not enter space perpendicular to the surface as we intuitively think. Instead, after vertical launch and rising to a certain height, the yaw nozzle of the first-stage thruster will adjust the rocket's posture, making it tilt at a certain angle and gradually enter the Earth's orbit parallel to the surface."

"So our posture will be tilted a little soon. Just relax, just like we usually do during training. And the overload value is not large now. The real test will come when the second-stage thrusters are started."

"Also, I would like to remind everyone to pay more attention to the small penguin toy hanging in the cabin. It is a visual indicator of gravity to avoid dizziness. Therefore, do not look left and right, and focus your eyes on the little penguin."

……

In fact, Wei Cheng has already explained this knowledge many times on the ground.

But it was ground after all.

Now I am in a rocket that is rising at a high speed, and there is a pitch-black fairing outside. I can't see anything as far as I can see, and I don't have any reference points, so I am naturally panicking.

Lin Xian, Gao Yang, and Chu Anqing listened to Wei Cheng's words and began to look at the little penguin toy hanging on the ceiling of the passenger cabin with a thin wire.

When everyone first boarded the rocket, the little penguin was hanging vertically, motionless.

And now, the little penguin began to lean to the left, as if the wind was blowing it or an invisible finger was pushing it to the left.

Watching the little penguins.

The dizziness everyone felt disappeared instantly.

This is the advantage of a reference object, as it provides the brain with an instant benchmark for determining the direction of gravity.

Another long minute passed.

A report from the ground control center came over the radio channel:

"Over 100 kilometers in altitude, entering the thin atmosphere, abandon the escape tower!"

immediately.

Lin Xian felt a vibration.

This is the escape tower at the top of the rocket separated.

The significance of the escape tower is that if a rocket malfunctions in the atmospheric space, it will be activated immediately, carrying the cabin below and flying directly out and separating from the rocket.

Then, after flying to a certain height and distance, the parachute is immediately opened to allow the cabin to slowly fall back to the surface.

To put it simply, the escape tower is a small rocket.

In the era when space technology was not yet developed, escape towers saved the lives of many astronauts.

But now, the rocket that Lin Xian and his team were riding on had already crossed the 100-kilometer Karman line in the atmosphere and entered space, so the escape tower was no longer of any significance. And only by abandoning the escape tower could the fairing be opened and the space plane released at a later time.

"First stage thruster fuel exhausted! Prepare to disengage! Second stage thruster ready!"

"All first-stage thrusters are detached! Second-stage thrusters activated!"

The cabin shook again.

Wei Cheng told them that the rocket's propulsion stages are divided into three stages. In the first stage, four first-stage thrusters filled with aviation fuel and liquid oxygen work to push the rocket out of the atmosphere.

These depleted boosters would then fall away, launching the second-stage boosters to continue propelling the rocket higher into the sky.

suddenly.

Another powerful acceleration overload! Pressing everyone's bodies into the seats! Lin Xian felt that he was almost flattened and almost merged with the chair behind him!
The entire radio channel was silent.

Even someone as strong as Wei Cheng, who was chatting and laughing just now, couldn't speak under the acceleration load of up to 4g.

Lin Xian felt like his lungs were about to be crushed and he really couldn't breathe.

At this moment, the voice from the ground control center came again:

"Entering the predetermined space altitude! The heat shield will be detached!"

Click.

There was a slight vibration.

Lin Xian and Chu Anqing looked through the window of the aerospace plane and saw the fairing that wrapped the aerospace plane and rushed out of the atmosphere split to the left and right.

At this moment's altitude, it is close to a vacuum and there is no heat generated by air friction.

therefore.

natural.

These heat shields have completed their mission of protecting the aerospace shuttle from breaking out of the atmosphere and have lost their function.

At 4 g acceleration...

Lin Xian turned his head with difficulty and looked at the dark space outside.

black.

It's really black.

Even though you can see the stars, without the moonlight, the dark background of the universe is really depressing.

Below the porthole, a bright blue can be seen.

Needless to say, it must be Mother Earth.

Because of the viewing angle, Lin Xian could only see a corner of the earth's curvature and scattered clouds.

"Second stage thruster fuel exhausted! Prepare to disengage!"

"Third stage thrusters activated!"

There was another burst of energy-relieving vibrations, and then a feeling of being pushed on the back came.

The third stage booster is the final booster. The rocket that was so magnificent just now has now fallen off in sections, leaving only the top section, which is supporting the exposed space plane's climbing track.

soon.

The feeling of being pushed back disappeared instantly.

The last report from the ground control center came through the radio communicator:

"Third stage thruster detached! Space plane released!"

"The Shenzhou-2 carrier rocket was launched successfully! The space shuttle successfully entered orbit! I wish you all the best!"

Everyone in the space shuttle finally breathed a sigh of relief as it flew smoothly.

Finally I can breathe normally.

"Lin...Senior Lin Xian! Look at the little penguin!"

Chu Anqing's voice came from the helmet.

Lin Xian looked at the little penguin hanging in front of the cabin.

Find……

It actually "floated" up!

Floating freely in the air, without direction or goal.

Lin Xian nodded:
"We have already started to lose weight. Don't you feel it?"

Chu Anqing suddenly realized...

The little penguin was weightless, so of course she was weightless too!

It was just because I was too nervous and my body was fastened tightly to the seat by various safety belts, so I really didn't react for a while.

"I can only say... your... physique is too strong... you can't even... realize it." Gao Yang's voice was intermittent.

I can tell.

Compared with Chu Anqing, who had a god-level physique that didn't even realize the weightlessness, Gao Yang was almost unable to hold on.

"Look out the window, young astronauts."

Wei Cheng's relaxed laughter rang out over the radio:

"Now, we can proudly say that you are the youngest astronauts in the world. No astronauts as young as you have ever been to space... No, perhaps we can remove the astronaut restriction as well."

"You four are the youngest space travelers on the entire planet!"

Say it.

Wei Cheng suddenly felt something was wrong, as if... Commander Huang wasn't that old, right?

Is it appropriate for me to exclude her from the category of young people like this?

"Commander Huang, how old are you?"

"Concentrate on flying the plane." Huang Que said coldly.

"Roger that!"

Wei Cheng wisely turned off the microphone.

After this joke, everyone's nervousness instantly disappeared and they all laughed unconsciously.

Lin Xian and Chu Anqing sat on one side, leaning against the window and looking out...

A corner of the space plane's wing can be seen.

And then there's the huge! huge! huge Earth!
So big...that they could only see a slight arc.

They seemed to be in the sky above a certain ocean, so no land could be seen, but the light was very bright, shining on the earth below. The blue was the blue of the ocean, and the white was the white of the white clouds. The blue and white were intertwined, like a light watercolor painting.

"What a beauty……"

Chu Anqing sighed.

So far, there are only a few hundred people in this world who have the opportunity to overlook the earth from this angle.

And this moment.

Just as Wei Cheng said.

They are undoubtedly the youngest group.

And she is the youngest one.

19-year-old astronaut in space.

I'm afraid this record will never be broken for many years to come.

beep.

A soft sound.

It's the second radio channel.

There are only five people in this channel, Wei Cheng is not there. It is the channel for everyone to discuss tactics.

"We are now in an orbit 270 kilometers high, flying at a speed of 7.5 kilometers per second; the space-time particles are currently 1500 kilometers above the earth's surface, and their speed has dropped to Mach 1, even slightly below the speed of sound!"

Liu Feng, who had been silent the whole time, heard a voice from the radio communicator:

"Sure enough, just as I speculated before, the speed of space-time particles decreases regularly, but it is uncertain whether it will continue to slow down. Its speed is already very slow. If it slows down further, it will be very disadvantageous to us because the aerospace plane uses a working fluid engine and has a minimum flight speed limit."

"According to the current speed, we will circle the earth two-thirds of the way from west to east, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, with our altitude reduced to 100 kilometers and our speed reduced to about Mach 1, keeping pace with the space-time particles."

"The direction of the space-time particle remains very stable and has not changed. Therefore, in the best case, we will meet the space-time particle at an altitude of 11 kilometers above the Atlantic Ocean at around 50:100, and the capture plan will officially begin at that time."

"I will use the tracking equipment to instruct Coach Wei Cheng to get as close to the space-time particle as possible, but try not to make contact or collide with it... We don't know what will happen if we come into contact with this magical particle. To be cautious, we should keep a certain distance and let Gao Yang use the robotic arm and rice cooker to capture it."

"If we really can't catch it in the end, we will consider [close-up tactics] to see if we can let the space-time particles penetrate the outer shell of the aerospace plane and enter the interior of the plane. We can catch them manually with another rice cooker like catching mosquitoes."

……

What Liu Feng explained was the complete version of the "Space-Time Particle Capture Plan" that had already been researched on the ground.

The plan is divided into two phases.

The first stage is to try to capture space-time particles at an altitude of 100 kilometers in the atmosphere, with Liu Feng guiding the aerospace plane and Gao Yang operating the robotic arm.

If this plan doesn't work.

There is also a more radical second stage -

【Close tactics】

This tactic was also proposed by Liu Feng.

He said: "We don't have enough experimental data now, and we are not sure whether space-time particles can penetrate walls, iron plates, and everything in the universe. But theoretically, it should be possible, because it has no entity and is not affected by any external force. It is reasonable that it should be able to penetrate any substance and maintain its stability."

"So, if Gao Yang really can't capture the space-time particles, we can try to see if we can let the aerospace plane directly [collide] with the space-time particles! Let the space-time particles penetrate into our aerospace plane."

"Then, we'll use the rice cooker that Gao Yang used when he was training at the Imperial Capital Training Base, and capture them like butterflies or dragonflies!"

then.

Everyone was amazed at Liu Feng's plan!
Gao Yang also asked:

"Then why not make dozens of rice cookers in advance... that is, space-time particle capturers, and fill them up inside the aerospace plane? Do we still need to use a robotic arm to capture them? Just crash them directly, trapping the space-time particles inside the aerospace plane to flash and jump. They will always flash into one of the rice cookers and be directly trapped."

At that time.

Lin Xian rolled his eyes at Gao Yang:
"Didn't Liu Feng say that? This is just your last resort if you can't catch the space-time particles. Because there is no evidence to prove that space-time particles can pass through walls. What if they can't? Then wouldn't this trip to space be in vain? You'll never get it again if you miss this opportunity."

"Besides, who can guarantee that there will be no danger in contact with this space-time particle? What if it hits the aerospace plane and burns a hole directly, then it will crash directly. Therefore, Liu Feng's plan is safe. First try to capture it remotely with a robotic arm. If it fails, then we will deal with it. This is the worst option."

……

Lin Xian turned his head and looked at the rice cooker fixed in the equipment compartment.

Liu Feng made two rice cookers in total.

Now one is hanging on the robotic arm, waiting for Gao Yang to use it.

The other is the equipment cabin, which is prepared for the worst-case scenario close to tactics.

Everything about space-time particles is too unknown.

and so.

Be cautious, cautious, and cautious again.

beep.

The radio channel switched back to route 1, and Wei Cheng's voice came:

"Well, everyone, please feel free to move around for a while. I will continue to lower the orbit altitude and speed. Finally, in three hours, I will meet Alpha Matter at an altitude of 3 kilometers over the Atlantic Ocean."

"I'll remind everyone in advance. Mach 1 is very slow, about the same speed as when you take a civilian airplane. So there's no problem moving around freely in the cabin. You can even open your mask to communicate."

"We are still in a low gravity state. Please be careful when you are moving. As our altitude decreases and our speed decreases, the gravity will gradually increase. When we reach an altitude of 100 kilometers, the gravity will return to the same level as on the surface, and all activities will be normal."

Subsequently.

Everyone fastened their seat belts and started heading towards the equipment compartment.

It only takes about 90 minutes to orbit the earth at the normal first cosmic speed.

But Weicheng needs to lower its altitude and slow down, so it takes more than three hours to go around two-thirds of the circle.

Fortunately, the space plane is much more stable than ordinary spacecraft.

Gao Yang has started moving his fingers and doing warm-up exercises.

Lin Xian leaned on the porthole and looked up into the sky, but he couldn't tell where "up" was.

He tapped his helmet twice:
"VV, is there still no movement from Jask and Kevin Walker?"

"No, everything is fine."

VV said:

"Jask is still in the [Observation Tower], and Kevin Walker hasn't launched any attacks on the space shuttle. I don't know what they are waiting for."

"But... now everything is under our control. It feels like it's too late for them to do anything. The US space plane is cruising at an altitude of 1200 kilometers, and Jask is still lying on the iron railing, without any movement at all."

"Although there are no wires or electronic devices on Jask's observation tower, we can't hear what he really wants to say. But then again, what can he do in a place without wires and any electronic devices?"

"I'm watching him through the camera on the Starship rocket launch tower. He seems to be looking over here as well... He's been looking at it for a long time. He must be really narcissistic, or he really likes rockets. He stares at this Starship rocket for a long time every day."

Lin Xian nodded:
"Keep monitoring and don't let your guard down."

He trusts VV.

This guy never fails.

Even though he thought about it for so long, he still couldn't figure it out...

If Kevin Walker or Jask really comes to steal the space-time particles, how are they going to do it?

Every aspect and every corner has been blocked by the powerful VV.

they.

What else can be done?

……

Space-T Starship Launch Site, Boca Chica, Texas, United States.

Observation tower.

At this time, the sun was rising into the sky.

A new day, a new sun.

The dark night of Dragon Country is the dawn of America.

The early spring breeze blew Jask's hair into a mess.

Even though the world's richest man always has messy hair and is unkempt.

But it’s lonely at the top.

Lying on the observation tower and overlooking the entire starship launch site, the wind still made it difficult for him to open his eyes.

At this moment, Jask was staring at the launch tower standing in the middle of the launch site.

The steel supports extending from all sides fixed the 40-meter-high medium-sized rocket inside and sent it soaring into the sky.

"Mr. Jask!"

Da da da da da da——

The sound of high heels stepping on steel plates.

A secretary in a professional skirt and overcoat ran up the steel staircase surrounding the tower and appeared around the corner, panting.

She pushed up her red-framed glasses and looked at Jask with dissatisfaction:
"Mr. Jask! Why do you always come here to view the scenery without your phone? I can't contact you in time every time there is something important! And you make me run so high in high heels!"

"If you really don't want your cell phone to disturb your enjoyment of rocket viewing, why not install a walkie-talkie here! One on the observation tower and one in my office, so I don't have to run so far and so high every time to find you."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……"

Jask laughed as he listened to the secretary's complaints.

Tilting his head and shaking his eyebrows:
"Did you bring your cell phone?"

"Of course I brought it! Who goes out without a cell phone these days?"

Jask held out his hand:

"Give me."

"Ah?" The secretary was stunned and his red-framed glasses slipped down a little.

"Give me the phone," Jask repeated.

The secretary had no choice but to move the folder from his right hand to his left hand, then took out his cell phone from his right pocket and handed it to Jask.

Jask held the phone in his hand and weighed it.

Then he turned around with a smile again, leaned on the iron railing, and looked at the rocket launch tower in the distance:
"Do you know why there are no electricity lines here, no electronic equipment installed, not even lights, and I never bring my phone up here?"

The secretary pushed up her red-framed glasses that had slipped down and shook her head.

She had long felt that this observation tower was somewhat unreasonable.

But even more incomprehensible...

Of course, it’s still his boss, the world’s richest man who always forgets to take his cell phone and comes to this deserted tower every day to watch the rockets.

“Because I’m afraid of [artificial intelligence].”

Jask said softly:
"Artificial intelligence is Pandora's box for humans. Once it is opened, it may cause consequences that no one can control."

"For example, humans are overly dependent on automated machines and give up thinking; personal privacy is completely exposed, and everyone lives in a mirror world; for example, the intelligent machine crisis often mentioned in science fiction movies, if artificial intelligence becomes powerful and smart enough, will it rebel against humans? Will it destroy humanity?"

"I don't like the feeling of being monitored, but living in this era, there are cameras everywhere, and mobile phones with cameras and microphones everywhere... our privacy is almost non-existent, and everyone is transparent."

"And this tower——"

Jask held the phone in his right hand and stretched out his arms:

"This tower is one of the few places in the world that will never be monitored or eavesdropped on."

“No matter how powerful artificial intelligence is, it still needs to rely on electricity. Without electricity, it is nothing. So, while I am afraid of artificial intelligence becoming powerful, I also despise this inferior life that needs information carriers and electricity support. They will never be able to defeat humans and will never be qualified to be the enemy of humans.”

The secretary sighed:

"Mr. Jask, you're thinking too far ahead. Right now, most of the artificial intelligence in the world is still at the stage of playing chess, drawing, intelligent automation, writing papers, and piecing together novels... They say they are creative, but in fact, their essence is just playing jigsaw puzzles in the online world, copying pieces from here and there, and then piecing together this dish and giving it to you. This is what these artificial intelligences are doing now."

"So, your worries are completely groundless. Super artificial intelligence that is capable of destroying the world and causing an omnic crisis, like those in science fiction movies, does not exist in this world at all."

Ha ha.

Jask chuckled and looked at the starship rocket launch tower in the distance:

“How can it not exist?”

He turned around:

"How do you know... that there is no such super artificial intelligence in the world today?"

The secretary chuckled and turned his head away disapprovingly:
"If there really was such an omnipotent super artificial intelligence in the world that could monitor and control everything, the world would have been doomed long ago."

"No country can do anything about it, no one can stop it, no one can destroy it... It's something that can only exist in science fiction movies and future fantasy novels. If it really exists in this era of 2024, it will be invincible, unsolvable, and unbeatable."

Jask nodded slowly:

"You're right, it is indeed invincible."

He raised his head and looked at the sun rising in the sky:

"It is not only invincible in this era, but also... 100 years, 200 years, 300 years... it will still be invincible and unbeatable."

"but……"

Jaske picked up the secretary's phone with his right hand and smiled slightly:
“[What if it’s 400 years later, 500 years later… 600 years later?]”

Under the secretary's puzzled eyes.

Jask took out a crystal blue USB flash drive from his trouser pocket with his left hand.

That USB flash drive seemed to glow by itself.

It is emitting a faint blue light, and there seem to be twinkling stars and rolling colored glass inside, which is very beautiful.

Just when the secretary was about to ask——

Jask is quick-witted!
Simply plug this USB flash drive with a Type-c port converter into the charging port of your mobile phone!

"not good!"

Over the United States! 240 kilometers above the ground! In the equipment bay of the Dragon Kingdom's space shuttle! The VV in Lin Xian's helmet suddenly let out a howl:
“Lin Xian, save me! Lin Lin Lin Mu Mu Mu Mu Mu Mu Mu Gong Gong Gong Gong Gong Xuan Xuan Xuan Xuan Xuan Xuan Xuan Kun Jin Kao Kun Jin Kao Tang Tang Tang Tang Tang Tang Tang—”

Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!
At the moment when VV's howling stopped abruptly, several explosions suddenly sounded inside and outside the aerospace plane! The cabin was filled with the smell of burning circuits!

"What's wrong? What happened?!"

The equipment cabin was in chaos, Gao Yang and Chu Anqing looked around in horror!

"VV? VV!"

dong dong!dong dong!
Lin Xian hit his helmet violently:

"VV! VV!! Where are you!!"

however……

No answer.

……

"Hehehehehe..."

In Texas, at the Space-T starship launch site, a deep laugh broke out from the observation tower.

Jask unplugged the USB drive and handed the phone back to the secretary.

Then face the sun, which is directly above the sky.