Cao Liangcai's pupils contracted slightly, clearly startled by Lü Yongchang's words.
Are you sure?
He looked at Lü Yongchang in surprise and said in a low voice, "This kid is usually so quiet. If he hadn't stepped forward today, I would have completely forgotten that there was such a person in the lab!"
Lü Yongchang nodded solemnly.
"Old Cao, trust my judgment."
...
Back in the conference room, Cao Liangcai gave Tao Yuda a deep look.
"Academician Cao...?"
Tao Yuda met Cao Liangcai's gaze tremblingly for a few seconds, then quickly lowered his eyes and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Cao Liangcai slowly shook his head, a smile appearing on his lips: "It's nothing."
"Tao Yuda...right?"
"Would you be interested in being my deputy?"
Upon hearing this, Tao Yuda's breathing became rapid.
"Yes! I'm willing!" Tao Yuda nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with excitement.
Before Cao Liangcai could say anything more, a synthesized electronic voice rang out in the conference room.
"Professor, the simulation results are in."
"Plan No. 1 was a success."
Lü Yongchang remained calm and showed no change in expression.
He had anticipated this outcome.
only……
"What caused the failure of the spherical structure?" he asked in a deep voice.
Zero's simulated tone carried a hint of strangeness: "...Professor, our current materials are not strong enough to support a spacecraft with this structure."
"Moreover, current manufacturing processes are insufficient to produce such an aircraft."
Just as I expected.
A look of realization dawned on Lü Yongchang's eyes.
"Now that the plan has been finalized, Zero, from now on, go all out to manufacture the Xuan Nu II prototype."
...
Two weeks later.
A press conference was quietly held at the Xia Kingdom Grand Hall.
The press conference was hosted by NASA.
This is also the first time NASA has held a press conference since its establishment.
Such a gimmick naturally attracted the attention of many media outlets.
As a reporter for Xia Guo News Agency, Zuo Chen arrived at the press conference early after receiving the invitation.
Seeing the half-empty chairs, Zuo Chen froze in place, then raised his wrist to check the time.
The timing is correct!
So what's going on here?
Why are there so few people...
"Brother Chen?!"
Just as Zuo Chen was standing there wondering if he had gone to the wrong place, a familiar shout came from the other side.
His eyes flickered slightly as he looked in the direction the voice came from: "Ding Yaqin? Did the Xia Guo Daily send you to this press conference?"
Ding Yaqin walked quickly to Zuo Chen's side, smiled and nodded, and said softly, "Brother Chen, go to your seat first."
After saying that, Ding Yaqin pulled Zuo Chen to a corner.
Looking at his own nameplate on the seat and Ding Yaqin's nameplate on the seat next to him, Zuo Chen was stunned for a moment, then smiled and glanced at Ding Yaqin beside him: "We two are destined to meet."
After sitting down, Zuo Chen checked his watch again.
There are 20 minutes left before the press conference begins.
Looking around at the half-empty seats, Zuo Chen's eyes revealed a hint of unease.
"I wonder why there are so few people at this press conference?"
"Did I remember the time wrong?"
Ding Yaqin's expression changed slightly.
Clearly, she, who arrived at the press conference earlier than Zuo Chen, also noticed this problem.
She turned her head and glanced around before saying softly, "Brother Chen, didn't you notice... that everyone here is from domestic media?"
Zuo Chen's gaze sharpened, and he quickly looked around.
really!
Everyone present was a reporter from various domestic media outlets!
"Does this mean that no foreign media were invited to this press conference?"
Zuo Chen's brows furrowed instantly.
That shouldn't be happening!
Surely a press conference of NASA's caliber wouldn't be held without inviting foreign media?
Just as Zuo Chen was lost in thought, Ding Yaqin gently reminded him from the side: "Brother Chen, the press conference is about to start."
Zuo Chen suddenly snapped out of his daze and looked up at the stage.
A young man in a well-tailored suit slowly walked onto the podium, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with an air of authority beyond his years.
"Professor Lü?"
Zuo Chen muttered to himself, "It's actually Professor Lü personally making an appearance... Looks like this press conference is going to be big news!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to NASA's press conference."
Perhaps to save time, Lü Yongchang's words were very concise: "Here, I mainly announce the following two things."
"First, the prototype of Xuan Nu II has been completed and will conduct its maiden flight test at noon tomorrow."
"Secondly, the destination of the maiden flight of Xuan Nu II is Mars!"
"Starting tomorrow, the Xia Kingdom will officially launch its Mars exploration program, codenamed: Yinghuo!"
After he finished speaking, the press conference room fell silent.
Zuo Chen stared blankly at the young director on the podium, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his face filled with shock.
Mysterious Maiden No. 2...
Mars exploration program...
Each one, even if discussed separately, would be a major, explosive news story.
Now, these two major news stories combined have left everyone present completely stunned!
Does anyone have a question?
Seeing the uniformly stunned expressions on the faces of the crowd below the stage, Lü Yongchang frowned slightly.
Is it really necessary to be so surprised?
The Americans have been to Mars for ages, so what's wrong with them catching up?
As Lü Yongchang's voice fell again, the silent press conference room instantly erupted into an extremely intense discussion!
"Professor Lü, I would like to ask if this is Xia Guo's retaliation against the US Pathfinder program?"
"Of course not, it's all for scientific exploration!" Lü Yongchang said righteously. "Mars, humanity's Mars, and Xia Kingdom naturally has an obligation to find a second habitable home for humanity!"
"Professor Lü, could you please tell me about the performance of the Xuan Nu II? And what are the specific details of the entire project?"
Lu Yongchang glanced at the reporter who had raised the question and slowly shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I have no comment!"
"However, I can reveal some of the performance characteristics of the Mysterious Maiden II."
Lü Yongchang smiled and turned on the projector.
A rectangular brick-shaped structure, entirely black, appeared before everyone.
"This is the second Xuan Nu."
"It is equipped with a second-generation Hall thruster and a helium-3 reactor."
"The effective payload reached eighty tons."
"The longest driving distance reached 6.68 astronomical units, or one billion kilometers."
"After sufficient acceleration, in outer space, the Xuan Nu II can reach a top speed of ten times the third cosmic velocity, which is 167 km/s."
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