Space Administration

"Head Councillor."

Lü Yongchang greeted Senator Li respectfully.

"Yongchang, you're finally here."

The moment he saw Lü Yongchang, Senator Li let out a small sigh of relief.

"You know the result of yesterday's meeting, right?"

Lü Yongchang nodded lightly at Senator Li's question.

Unanimous approval.

To be honest, he was not surprised in the slightest.

Given the rigorous reasoning and that precise prediction, Lü Yongchang did not believe anyone would still doubt his words.

"What... should Xia Country do next?"

After a moment of silence, the Head Councillor slowly asked the question.

A sharp light flashed in Lü Yongchang's eyes as he answered, enunciating every word. "Head Councillor, in my view, our only real way out lies in space!"

"Only by leaving the Solar System can we truly save Xia Country!"

The Head Councillor fell silent.

Leave the Solar System?

Could human technology really take us that far?

The Head Councillor's voice was slightly hoarse. "Wouldn't settling on Mars work?"

Academician Yang Jianchuan had approached him after last night's meeting and personally proposed relocating to Mars.

Lü Yongchang slowly shook his head, rejecting the Head Councillor's proposal.

"I'm afraid not."

"The moment the Sun's helium flash erupts, even Mars won't be safe."

"The only safe region may be outside the Solar System."

The Head Councillor closed his eyes in anguish.

After a long while, he spoke again, his voice growing even hoarser. "Under your plan, how many people in Xia Country... could survive?"

At the Head Councillor's question, Lü Yongchang froze for a moment.

How many could survive?

That really was a question worth considering...

Lü Yongchang sank into thought.

Based on Xia Country's current population growth rate...

Hmm...

Seeing Lü Yongchang fall silent, the Head Councillor gave a bitter smile. "Could we save ten thousand?"

Lü Yongchang: "???"

"So we can't even save ten thousand..."

Seeing Lü Yongchang's strange expression, the anguish in the Head Councillor's eyes deepened.

Of Xia Country's entire population of 1.5 billion, could they not even save ten thousand people?

"Ahem... Head Councillor, you may have misunderstood."

With an odd expression, Lü Yongchang said, "According to my plan, after excluding elderly people and patients unfit for interstellar travel, then accounting for natural population growth over the next fifteen years... around one billion people in Xia Country should be able to escape safely."

"..."

Silence fell over the office.

"Yongchang... do you know what you're saying?" The Head Councillor stared at Lü Yongchang with a strange expression.

"One billion people traveling between stars?"

"Are you telling me a science-fiction story?"

Lü Yongchang met the Head Councillor's gaze and said solemnly, "Head Councillor, during the development of controlled nuclear fusion, you saw that I accomplished every single thing I said I would."

The Head Councillor looked somewhat moved. Then he nodded lightly, acknowledging Lü Yongchang's words.

"Head Councillor, my plan may sound a little crazy, but for the future of Xia Country's people, I hope you can put your complete trust in me!"

The Head Councillor fixed his deep gaze on Lü Yongchang's eyes.

A long while passed.

He took a deep breath.

"All right!"

"I trust you!"

"In today's news, Xia Country will establish the Space Administration, effective immediately. Lü Yongchang, the father of controlled nuclear fusion, will serve as its first director."

"The Space Administration's primary mission will be..."

That evening, the Xia Country News channel broke a major story!

Within just half an hour, "Space Administration" shot to the top of Weibo's trending list!

"Holy shit?! The Space Administration?? Is Xia Country heading into space?"

"I think now's a good time to push into space. After all, the United States has been battered by the solar wind storm. They can barely take care of themselves!"

"Hahaha, good point!"

"Wait, am I the only one who noticed that Lü Yongchang is the first director? If I remember correctly, he's only twenty, right?"

"...By traditional age reckoning, he should be twenty-one now."

"Whoa! That's terrifying!"

"At twenty-one, he's the director of the Space Administration. At twenty-one, I'm a dropout from Stay-at-Home University."

"So can someone in the know explain what powers this Space Administration actually has? Is this just an empty promise?"

"Don't say that... If what Xia Country News reported is true, the Space Administration's authority can be summed up like this: below one man, above everyone else!"

"WTF?!!"

At noon the next day.

Every seat in the Xia Country Great Hall was occupied.

Everyone present was one of Xia Country's foremost scientists.

Physics, chemistry, materials science, biology...

It was fair to say that Xia Country's finest minds had gathered in the Xia Country Great Hall!

Dressed in a well-tailored, expensive suit, Lü Yongchang composed himself and slowly walked onto the stage.

"Everyone, I am Lü Yongchang, the first director of the Space Administration."

"Next, I will explain the Space Administration's plans for the coming three years."

As he spoke, Lü Yongchang clicked the mouse.

A PowerPoint slide appeared on the projection screen for everyone to see.

"Moon Palace Project"

In an instant, murmurs rippled through the Xia Country Great Hall.

Ignoring the discussion below the stage, Lü Yongchang cleared his throat and continued his explanation. "The Moon Palace Project's full name is the Lunar Surface Automated Mining Plan."

"This project is expected to officially begin production by the end of this year. Its primary purpose is to extract the Moon's abundant helium-3 resources."

"In addition, we can obtain large quantities of ilmenite and various rare-earth ores from the Moon."

Before anyone could react, Lü Yongchang clicked the mouse again.

The slide changed.

"Southern Heavenly Gate Project"

"The Southern Heavenly Gate Project is expected to be officially completed by the end of next year."

"The project's main components are the Black Lady Series aerospace fighters and the Luan Bird Series aerospace carrier platforms."

"The project's primary purpose is to counter threats from extraterrestrials and silicon-based lifeforms. It will also be Xia Country's first step toward becoming a spacefaring civilization."

Boom!

As Lü Yongchang finished speaking, the Xia Country Great Hall erupted into chaos!

The cameras in the reporters' hands at the back flashed wildly!

Every academic luminary turned to discuss what they were seeing with the people beside them.

"This... this is utter nonsense!"

"How could Senator Li Chief entrust such an important responsibility to a mere kid!"

A white-haired academician rose angrily to his feet, muttering nonstop. "What's the point of attending a meeting full of such gibberish!"

"Elder Qiu, be patient." Beside him, Yang Jianchuan stood up with a wry smile and gently patted the old man's thin back. "Elder Qiu, I know these projects seem wildly impractical."

"There are too many people watching and listening right now, so Professor Lü won't announce it yet. Once these reporters leave, Elder Qiu, believe me, the truth will come to light!"

"Xia Country... has already reached a dead end!"

Yang Jianchuan's low words reached Elder Qiu's ears.

Elder Qiu trembled slightly. He gave Yang Jianchuan a complicated look, then slowly sat back down.

"In that case, I'll take a good look at just what this Lü Yongchang is up to!"

"And Xia Country... everything was fine, so how did we end up at a dead end?!"

Similar scenes played out in every corner of the Xia Country Great Hall.

To prevent leaked information from triggering social unrest, virtually no one outside the scientists who attended the original meeting knew that the Sun had entered its aging phase!

"Quiet!" Lü Yongchang tapped the table lightly and brought up the next slide.

"Heavenly Court Project"!