Breaking Free

"The second option is that after separating from the main rocket body, there's no need to decelerate; just change direction and accelerate towards the inner circle. This way, the rocket will be thrown out of lunar orbit, while the insectoid will accelerate towards the surface of the Yellow Moon," Morgan said, stroking his beard. Although this gesture seemed somewhat out of place on his young body, he was already used to it.

"What are the advantages and disadvantages of the two options?" Rowan asked after thinking for a moment.

"The first option is safer, as it allows for a longer stay in lunar orbit. This provides ample time for observation and finding the right opportunity. The downside is that during the separation, the insect's speed needs to be increased by another 0.5 km/s, which presents some challenges."

"The advantage of Option Two is that it eliminates the need to wait and allows for an immediate lunar landing. The disadvantage is that the opportunity is fleeting, and the high speed during the descent poses a greater risk. Which option will Your Overlord choose?"

Rowan pondered for a moment. He had removed the Gatling system from his main body during the anaerobic test and replaced it with a jet system. He wasn't sure if the reliable jet system could increase his main body's speed by another 0.5 km/s. If it couldn't, he wouldn't be able to escape lunar orbit and would have no choice but to self-destruct and wait for the next opportunity.

The second option seemed risky, but the main challenges lay in timing and deceleration during landing. He was confident in his reaction speed, and with the help of his ultra-high-resolution vision, timely deceleration wouldn't be a problem.

He told Morgan about his decision, and Morgan immediately arranged for people to start recalculating.

More than ten minutes later.

"The rocket has been captured by the Yellow Moon's gravity and is about to enter lunar orbit," a researcher sitting in front of the observation screen reported.

"The rocket has entered lunar orbit and is expected to separate in thirty-four minutes."

"The rocket has been in orbit for nineteen minutes, and the calculations have not changed. It is expected to separate in fifteen minutes."

"Let's begin, Morgan," Rowan's words echoed in Morgan's mind.

Rowan will need to focus on controlling the insectoid body for a while, so Morgan will be in charge of the situation at the ground command center.

Morgan used the Swarm Network to bring his "own people" in the command center into a channel and began giving orders. The action plan, originally intended for after the moon landing, now had to be brought forward.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded in the ground control center.

"Report: The surveillance system inside the rocket storage compartment has malfunctioned!"

"What's the reason?" Morgan asked, frowning, his expression natural and his acting flawless.

"We suspect that the fuel tank explosion just now compromised the stability of the cabin. Now, under the gravitational pull of the Yellow Moon, the rocket debris is accelerating, causing the cabin to deform completely," the researchers speculated.

Before Morgan could say anything, an observer on another screen shouted, "Report! The subject's life support capsule has lost contact, and the subject's vital signs have disappeared!"

"Report: The rocket's storage compartment has been damaged; the rocket's top has separated from the storage compartment, and internal gas is leaking!"

For a moment, it seemed as if the entire command hall was flashing red light, and all sorts of "bad news" came one after another.

Meanwhile, after the surveillance system "malfunctioned," Rowan easily opened the transparent box that had imprisoned him, then smashed open a protective box on the wall of the compartment, revealing a red button inside.

Consciousness pretended to take a deep breath, Rowan pressed the red button.

With a loud "bang," the top compartment of the rocket was ejected. Because there was air inside the compartment, the sound still had a medium to travel, and the sound of the rocket's top being ejected was clearly audible.

At the connection point between it and the storage room, a large circular hole is visible. Through the hole, one can see the dark starry sky outside.

Before Rowan could even get a good look at it, the air inside the cabin, along with him and a lot of debris, was ejected from the opening.

Rowan rolled around, his eyes scanning at maximum refresh rate. The clutter around him, the rocket's top compartment, and the storage room seemed to move away from him in slow motion.

Now, he is alone in space, and without any external protection, he is experiencing the sensations of both extreme heat and cold as soon as he emerges.

At that moment, the temperature on the side of his body facing the sun soared to over 300 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, he had anticipated this and added a layer of the heat-resistant nanomaterial from the Mantis Shrimp hammer to his shell. Otherwise, that instantaneous high temperature could have severely injured him.

On the side facing away from the sun, the temperature dropped to minus two hundred degrees Celsius, a temperature difference of several hundred degrees. And his body was still rolling around incessantly; the feeling was incredibly unpleasant.

The Electric Discharge Organ inside the body began to supply power, and the Magnetic Field Device started to work after obtaining energy. After a few blue Electric Arc jumped on the shell, an invisible small magnetic field enveloped Rowan's body.

At the same time, several small pores on his body opened, and some gas was ejected. Rowan's rolling speed gradually decreased, and he finally stabilized his body.

After his body stopped rolling, the vents on his body immediately closed. This was outer space, where he couldn't get any air replenishment; what he had just expelled was his stored energy.

At the same time, his muscles began to vibrate, the Luminescent Organ inside his body lit up, the Chloroplast began to work, and the reserves in his Tail Fat Organ were rapidly depleted.

Although such an action is quite wasteful, a large amount of gas will be needed later, whether to change direction or to slow down during the fall.

By doing this, he can rapidly produce large amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen in his body.

Although the rocket and debris had left his side, they weren't actually that far, as they were still maintaining the same speed and would fly together for a while.

Five minutes later, Rowan took one last look at the Rat-folk- made object not far away. He silently said goodbye; in this vast starry sky, this parting might be the last time they met.

After saying goodbye, Rowan turned around, tilting about thirty degrees toward the Yellow Moon with the help of the jet nozzles. His power was insufficient; flying at a right angle toward the Yellow Moon's surface would only slow him down.

He must change only a small angle and then use the current speed to propel himself toward the moon.

In the absence of reference points in outer space, although it appeared to be stationary, its actual flight speed was extremely high. Rowan only slightly changed his flight angle, and the rockets and debris beside him instantly left his side and quickly disappeared from sight.

The angle has been changed, and now all we need to do is wait. It will continue to fly for more than ten hours, circling the moon one and a half times, before it crashes into the lunar surface.

This plan was the result of careful calculations by several of his own people. Unfortunately, he no longer has those real-time monitoring devices on him, so he cannot accurately and promptly calculate information such as his current speed and location.

From the moment he leaves the arrow, he needs to take control of everything himself.

Fortunately, he still had the Swarm Network, so he didn't need to actually stay in his main body and fly in space for more than ten hours. During this time, he could continue to study the next plan with Morgan and the others.

Thank you to Book Guest Good Brother the 100 Qidian Coins donation, and thank you to Panshu for the 100 Book Coins donation. Thank you to all the big shots for your subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendations.

This chapter was originally titled Moon Landing II.