Chapter 489 - 426: Rocket Launch (2)

Chapter 489: Chapter 426: Rocket Launch (2)

He knew that although Ascenders’ abilities and tools varied wildly, with all sorts of strange and wonderful powers on display, they shared one fundamental trait—it was incredibly difficult to change the consequences a rule had on a person.

"’A rule cannot be reversed.’ This unspoken rule has already manifested in many ways. For example, a Parasite cannot be reverted back to a human, and a Liar Eater can’t tell lies after its rule has ended. Maybe Lun..."

"That’s not an absolute, is it?" Guan Tong objected. "For instance, can’t a Mind Lock be broken through Psychic Power Flow?"

White Star wholeheartedly agreed. "That’s right! Bro, you’re being too pessimistic."

Black Star gave a noncommittal response. White Star then asked Guan Tong, "So..."

Guan Tong pondered for a moment before saying, "Regarding your brother’s situation, perhaps I can try to help."

"Really?!"

White Star was overjoyed, and Black Star was also very surprised.

"Then why don’t we go see him now? Lun is in a room in the back!" White Star’s voice trembled slightly with excitement.

Guan Tong shook his head. "When I said I could help, I meant I could ask someone to try. I don’t have any healing abilities myself."

The person he was referring to was, of course, Shi Jingyi.

Shi Jingyi’s control over Psychic Power was masterful. She had even used it to help heal Guan Tong’s body before. If that Lun was affected by the power of a rule, perhaps she could use her precise control over Psychic Power to eliminate the root cause of his ailment.

"Oh, is that so..." White Star was a little disappointed, but Black Star immediately said, "In that case, we’d like to ask you to act as a go-between. We will compensate you regardless of the outcome."

"Let’s wait until April," Guan Tong said.

He was heading out for the exploratory experiment tomorrow. It was too late to ask for Shi Jingyi’s help now.

Leaving the Double Star Bar, Guan Tong used Body Shifting to return to Pinglu Valley.

As if sensing his scent, Coal Ball soon dashed out from the woods. It ran up to him, wagging its tail and nuzzling him with its head.

Guan Tong patted Coal Ball’s head. Seeing its coat was much glossier than before, he smiled. "It seems nature suits you better after all."

He had previously decided not to keep Coal Ball cooped up in the shelter, leaving it to live in the wild instead. It now seemed that had been the right decision. For an animal, nature was a better place to let its instincts run free.

"I’m going to space tomorrow," Guan Tong said. "It feels a little unbelievable, even to me."

Zhang Minglu’s proposal, while a bit crazy, was not without reason.

If Guan Tong’s experiment failed and he lost control and went berserk, having him in space would naturally be the safest option—safest for the people on Celestial Water Star, that is.

Although, that was just what Zhang Minglu thought. In reality, Guan Tong knew his [Body Shifting] ability had no distance limitation.

This meant that as long as one of his Psychic Power creations existed on Celestial Water Star, he could return from space without needing a spacecraft.

But to put Zhang Minglu and the others at ease, he agreed to it anyway.

It wasn’t that he was being particularly selfless. On the contrary, a selfish desire was the bigger reason—going to space was a dream of his.

...

Two days earlier, Zhang Minglu and Gao Liangwei had a conversation.

"Are you saying we should send him to space on the ’Imperial Pioneer’ manned rocket?" Gao Liangwei asked, somewhat surprised by the proposal after hearing Zhang Minglu’s report.

"That’s right!" Zhang Minglu said. "Previously, when Robert on Dream Ship One sent out a distress signal, the Soloma Space Agency had a launch plan and contacted the director of our Aerospace Agency, Chen Shi. Director Chen even came to the research lab back then. The rescue mission was only temporarily suspended because we couldn’t confirm Robert’s situation."

"Are you suggesting Guan Tong should carry out that mission while he’s up there? That’s impossible. He’s not a professional astronaut, and he probably wouldn’t agree to do anything besides his rule-exploration task."

"That’s not what I meant. Sir, my point is that since Soloma already has a launch plan, it means their manned rocket is fully prepared. It’s perfect for sending Guan Tong to space. Soloma will definitely agree, because they’ll certainly want to get their hands on the exploration results too."

After hearing this, Gao Liangwei thought for a moment and said, "Wouldn’t that put the astronauts accompanying him in danger?"

"That’s the key point. I think we can have Soloma send Intelligent Robots up with him!" Zhang Minglu said. "After the last space colonization plan failed, Soloma decided to replace human astronauts with robotic ones to avoid risk. Once the robots establish a safe extraterrestrial base, they’ll transfer humans over to live there."

"Send Guan Tong to space with some Intelligent Robots? Would he agree to that?"

"It shouldn’t be a problem. After all, he’s been to a Soloma city and seen how advanced their Intelligent Robots are. Without markers, you can barely tell them apart from humans. Besides, the robots’ data is transmitted back in real time, so if any problems arise, the ground control center can make remote corrections."

Gao Liangwei could relate to that.

He still remembered his first time attending a Human Federation conference in Soloma. From the drivers to the restaurant waiters, they were all Intelligent Robots, which had left the representatives from every nation completely stunned.

’If Soloma can train Intelligent Robots to be drivers and waiters, why couldn’t they train them to be astronauts? The latter might even be easier. After all, no matter how complex operating a rocket is, it can’t compare to the complexity of real-life social interactions and unexpected situations.’

"Let’s do it, then. Since this involves a rocket launch, I’ll report it to the higher-ups. They should approve it."

Once the decision was made, the North Star leadership quickly granted their approval. Zhang Minglu was then sent as a representative to coordinate with Soloma, and they agreed almost immediately.