The assembly center was completed

On the outskirts of Jinling City, a convoy of heavy Volvo trucks rumbled across the concrete road, kicking up billowing clouds of dust behind them.

Had they belonged to an ordinary company, road enforcement officers would have stopped them long ago. This convoy, however, passed unhindered the entire way.

The reason was simple: a military vehicle led the way, while another followed closely behind.

With such an intimidating presence, never mind stopping the trucks—most people took one look and gave them a wide berth.

The convoy headed east, entered the easternmost section of the High-Tech Industrial Park, and stopped outside a factory building occupying dozens of acres.

A man in a hard hat and work clothes came through the security gate and walked over to the trucks. After exchanging a few words with the man in the passenger seat of the lead truck, he returned to the factory entrance and began directing the convoy inside.

Not far from the main gate, the facility's name was engraved on a sign.

Starry Sky Technology Space Shuttle Assembly Center.

Judging by the name alone, it sounded rather futuristic.

In a parking lot near the entrance, a black Red Flag slowly rolled to a stop.

After switching off the engine, Wang Peng glanced toward the convoy from the driver's seat and could not help asking,

"Are you really planning to build a space shuttle?"

"What else would I be doing?" Lu Zhou replied.

"Nothing... I just heard that the whole thing was supposed to bluff the Americans."

Having grown up in a military compound, with family connections in the armed forces, Wang Peng had heard a thing or two about certain matters.

For instance, the recent Lunar Landing Project Symposium had ostensibly been about securing helium-3 resources for the next generation of controlled fusion.