592. Landing
Sriharikota Launch Site, Tianzhu.
A 43-meter-tall, 650-ton "LVM3 launch vehicle" roared into the sky, spewing out a powerful exhaust plume.
As the first country to launch a rocket, Tianzhu naturally attracts worldwide attention.
Its space research organization's chairman, Somat, spoke eloquently in front of numerous cameras:
"Through tireless work, we successfully improved the Moon Ship, enabling it to soft-land in the designated area."
The Moon Ship was originally intended by Tianzhu for lunar landing, but it was forcibly converted into a manned landing capsule.
Its payload capacity was only 4 tons, and apart from the landing module, it carried only three astronauts and a very small amount of supplies.
Although it was a disappointing performance, at least they won first place, Tianzhu were incredibly proud, declaring online:
The entire planet will belong to Tianzhu! We will have everything!
We will lead the future of humanity!
Users from other countries immediately mocked:
[Even Bollywood wouldn't dare come up with such an outrageous plot; I'm just waiting for the fireworks to explode!]
[A 650-ton rocket only carried 4 tons of cargo into space; the budget should have been used to build toilets.]
[Damn it! You're just jealous of the great Tianzhu!]
Despite a barrage of online arguments, Tianzhu's rocket surprisingly proved reliable, successfully exiting the atmosphere and entering its designated orbit.
Tianzhu was jubilant, while users in other countries quieted down somewhat.
"The Fierce Crazy Star" was a fixed target, so what followed was not difficult at all.
After separating from the launch vehicle, the landing capsule arrived safely at "Fierce Crazy Star" and plunged into the atmosphere.
Instead of landing at the most enticing "warship foundry" or city ruins, it headed straight for Lu Li's two metal puppets!
Previously, the puppets and the Erosion Clan had fought. Although the Erosion Clan was repelled, the danger they posed was obvious.
The Tianzhu side wasn't stupid either; naturally, they sought the protection of two puppet rulers to gain a foothold first.
High-ranking officials from various countries are watching the satellite images in real time and all agree with this practice.
Those two puppets were clearly "safe zones" that Lu Li had set up in advance.
The landing craft accurately veered towards that spot, its five brake thrusters spitting flames to aid in deceleration, and it looked like it was about to land successfully.
Inside the command center, a group of Tianzhu scientists applauded enthusiastically, celebrating the hard-won and great victory.
The two puppets are located near the equator, where there are also ruins of large cities and small spaceship wreckage.
Once they've established a foothold, even just grabbing something from the pile will be enough to give Tianzhu an advantage in this trial.
But before the applause had even subsided, something unexpected happened.
The atmosphere of the Fierce Crazy Star was merely arranged casually by Lu Li, and its thickness is far less than that of Blue Star.
The landing module lacked drag, and its descent speed far exceeded expectations. The five brake thrusters were overloaded, and one of them suddenly exploded.
The landing module immediately lost its balance and veered off course from its intended landing point.
A moment of silence fell over the command center, and everyone's smiles froze on their faces.
"It's okay, it's only 10 kilometers off course!"
Somat shouted to reassure the troops, and the landing craft did indeed land in the wilderness 10 kilometers away.
This deviation isn't too outrageous; the three astronauts are the elite of the elite, so they should be able to handle it.
Somat immediately contacted them. "Raja, how are you?"
[Feeling good, about to leave the warehouse]
Raja was nearly fifty years old and had a typical Tianzhu appearance.
However, he was astronaut from a former Star Alliance Country who had served on the International Space Station and participated in the development of the F-35 fighter jet.
Such elites would never have fallen into the Tianzhu had their homeland not been destroyed.
Raja harbors deep hatred for Lu Li, who destroyed the Star Alliance Country, and truly intends to uncover the secrets of the extraordinary so that he can avenge himself in his lifetime.
Without hesitation, he opened the hatch and was the first to step out.
Before me stretched an endless expanse of rust-colored rocks, while the sky was mostly occupied by a Blue Star.
"This is a new beginning in my life!"
Raja's spirits lifted, and he was about to lead two subordinates to the location of the puppet.
These two were among the Air Force's most elite pilots, and they had already prepared their supplies and were ready to depart.
But the three elites only took one step before their expressions changed immediately.
Before they knew it, they were surrounded by a group of dark-skinned, Erosion Clan!
Raja and his two companions immediately drew their guns and fired, but the bullets only managed to make the alien stagger.
The leader completely ignored them, took a step forward, and tore Raja in two at the waist.
Then he slurped up large mouthfuls of his intestines, just like he was eating noodles.
Raja let out a bloodcurdling scream; his dream was shattered.
The other two astronauts were also torn apart and fought over by the Erosion Clan member.
They had been hiding underground for a long time and hadn't eaten such fresh food.
A rather thin, Erosion Clan member licked the blood off his fingers, entered the landing pod, and was overjoyed to find that the equipment inside was functioning properly.
It disassembled the parts by hand, and in no time, it assembled an object that resembled a mortar.
Upon seeing this, the other tribesmen also cheered excitedly.
Previously, Lu Li activated a divine sense pulse, destroying all technological creations and regressing the entire planet into a primitive society. The things sent by the Blue Star people were just what they needed.
At this moment, Tianzhu was naturally devastated, and the faces of the high-ranking officials from various countries were also not very good.
The natives were not only physically strong and impervious to rifle bullets, but also possessed extremely high levels of intelligence.
Tianzhu's landing here is tantamount to handing the other side a huge gift.
Fortunately, some experience was gained, and countries quickly adjusted their landing plans.
There is only one core objective: to do everything possible to land the landing craft near Lu Li's puppets, otherwise it would be impossible to resist the Erosion Clan.
The countries made intensive adjustments over two days, during which time news of the failed Tianzhu landing was leaked.
People around the world left comments mocking him:
[You forgot to smear cow dung on the astronauts so the aliens wouldn't eat them.]
[I've said it before, the funds should be used to repair toilets]
[Next, let's see what the truly great powers should do.]
This last comment came from a South Korea netizen, brimming with confidence.
Because of the Narodo Space Center, South Korea's carrier rocket is ready to launch.
Meanwhile, the Tanegashima Space Center in Izumo, the Kourou Launch Site in Japan, as well as Russia and other Western countries, have all prepared their own launch vehicles.
Landing on "Fierce Crazy Star" is not difficult to begin with, and Tianzhu has even provided a demonstration, so naturally, other countries want to seize the opportunity.
And so, accompanied by deafening roars and thunderous booms, rocket after rocket launched into the sky.
The Xia Country, of course, could not lag behind.
At this moment, four Long March 5 carrier rockets stand simultaneously at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
These four colossal 900-ton rockets roared into the sky simultaneously.
It carried a total of 12 astronaut and nearly 100 tons of supplies, fully demonstrating to the world what a truly grand undertaking looks like!