Experiments in Progress, Part Two

In the past, Rowan would never have dared to do this, but now, the main body is actually closer to a tool to him. Apart from having a unique attribute, it can be used as an excellent experimental prop.

Having been a "Net-person" for so many years, Rowan relies on his consciousness to descend and temporarily requisition the bodies of some Node Unit when he is out in the open. His true body, on the other hand, spends most of its time hiding in the deep sea and is rarely used.

Therefore, his mindset has changed a lot over the years. Rowan feels that he is like a mecha pilot, Node Unit, including the main body, are like his mecha. He can change mechas at any time according to the actual situation. And what kind of mecha does he want? Insects, birds, Pterosaur, tyrannosaurus rex, wild beasts, or even Rat-folk, etc., as long as he has the genetic template, he can create it at any time.

The mecha is broken? Just replace it with a new one. As for the main body, it's just a rather special mecha.

Of course, the main body and the Mother Nest must be protected, as they represent the upper limit of the Swarm's potential and absolutely cannot be destroyed at the same time.

As for a single one, it's acceptable to sacrifice it a few times occasionally.

Take now, for example.

The prolonged exposure to high-intensity radiation allowed Rowan to collect a great deal of data, but it also caused irreparable damage to his body.

Amidst the sorrowful gazes of those who were "half of our own," the original was incinerated and destroyed. A month later, an identical insect was sent to the laboratory once again.

Those who were "half-insiders" were a bit confused; weren't these things supposed to be extremely rare?

Because there are many types of radiation sources, radiation protection experiments cannot be completed in a short time. Rowan understood this, and apart from ensuring that the experiment's progress was not slowed down by human factors, he had no other choice but to slowly wait out the time.

As time passed, many things also happened at the Imperial Aerospace Research Institute on the other side.

First, with the strong support of the Empress, the research institute continued to expand. Moreover, this trend influenced the choice of majors for many young students.

Five years later, the number of researchers at the research institute was more than twenty times that of when it was first established. It should be noted that the original Aerospace Research Institute was established by integrating personnel from two major kingdoms.

According to statistics, the number of registered personnel at that time reached nearly 20,000.

As a result of the collision of many minds, the scientific research progress of the Moon Landing Project was also accelerated rapidly.

The Rat-folk had been developing aerospace technology for many years, but sometimes, ideas alone are not enough. Under the sly guidance of Rowan, a poor student, the Rat-folk's technology path went seriously astray. Without a strong industrial base and a complete system, building a lunar rocket was simply a pipe dream.

In previous years, the Rat-folk launched a number of rocket prototypes, all of which ended in failure. In Rowan's opinion, many of these prototypes didn't even fly as high as the skyrocket.

Failure is the mother of success—this is a very true saying. Through repeated failures, the Rat-folk gained a lot of experience and lessons. Subsequent works increasingly resembled the rocket in Roy's memory.

However, after reaching a certain point, the Rat-folk discovered that they could no longer build a prototype according to the theoretical concept diagram.

High-speed flight requires rockets with robust, pressure-resistant, and heat-resistant external materials, while also minimizing weight. The Rat-folk's materials technology is inadequate, so they cannot build such a rocket.

As rocket engines become increasingly sophisticated, the Rat-folk's machine tools are inadequate and they cannot manufacture them.

The Rat-folk's refining technology is inadequate; they can't produce aerospace fuel, combustion improvers, or oxidizers.

Many related technologies cannot be realized for various reasons. Without external stimuli, this project might have been shelved due to excessive costs.

However, the Rat-folk Queen was one of their own, and under the influence of this biggest external factor in the empire, a plan was proposed to bring all related fields under the unified jurisdiction of the research institute.

Empress Kerrigan's actions stunned many. The Aerospace Research Institute consumes a significant portion of the Empire's revenue every year, yet it has yielded little result, at best only occasionally setting off a few fireworks for everyone to enjoy.

But these firecrackers were far too expensive, and the profits involved were enviable. Many people had previously impeached the Aerospace Research Institute and demanded its dissolution, but the Queen had rejected all their proposals.

As the founding emperor, the empress held unparalleled prestige. When she was determined to do something, even if others opposed her, there was not much they could do to stop her.

But this expansion of the Aerospace Research Institute was like a godsend. Suddenly, all sorts of rumors and slanders spread. Some said the Empress was infatuated with the pretty boy at the institute, others said the Empress had lost her mind, and so on.

There are even remnants of the Merican Kingdom who want to use this opportunity to re-establish the Royal Court.

People are always forgetful; it hasn't been long since they forgot how Kerrigan unified the country. Perhaps the benefits involved were so great that they deliberately forgot certain things.

But it's okay, Rowan is a warm-hearted person.

Thus, those Rat-folk who jumped the most enthusiastically, whether in the light or in the dark, began to die in their sleep.

Rowan's well-intentioned reminder finally brought back the fears of the Rat-folk, who had once been dominated by "accidents." All the rumors vanished instantly, Kerrigan Empire returned to stability and harmony, leaving ordinary onlookers bewildered and only able to lament how quickly the world had changed.

The proposal to expand the aerospace Research Institute was approved at lightning speed without encountering any further obstacles. Of the hundreds of thousands of employees at the institute today, a large portion were personnel from related fields who were absorbed during this period.

With the gradual improvement of various supporting systems, five years later, the rocket prototype in the concept drawing was also manufactured. In the same year, Rowan himself entered the Starry Sky Private Laboratory and began a series of adaptation experiments.

After the new rocket prototype was manufactured and assembled, it underwent several meticulous inspections and was launched two months later. Unfortunately, shortly after liftoff, the rocket exploded in the sky as a burst of fireworks, a scene witnessed by officials and ordinary people within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.

Although the experiment failed, it exposed many problems. Six months later, a new rocket was assembled. The new rocket was 15 meters tall and weighed 13.5 tons.

The rocket's front end integrates equipment such as gyroscopes, inertial navigation computers, and radio command receivers. The middle section contains fuel and oxidizer tanks, using a combination of alcohol fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. The rear end houses the engine and tail fins.

When this system is running, fuel and oxidizer are pumped into the engine combustion chamber through two different pipes, where they are mixed and ignited to produce high-temperature, high-pressure gas that is ejected from the bottom, generating thrust.

When Rowan saw the system and the design drawings, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.