An island rises from the ground and flies into the sky; this scene is much more exciting than a rocket launch.
After all, rockets need to reach cosmic velocity, so the time they are visible to the naked eye is very short; they fly into the clouds in the blink of an eye and disappear from sight.
However, the floating island's ascent speed was obviously not that fast, and everyone around could clearly see the island slowly rising into the air.
Without any booster jet stream or huge flames from burning fuel, the island rose slowly, like a balloon, at a leisurely pace.
Everyone who saw it felt it was a dream, it was too bizarre.
However, this scene was also shown in numerous videos corroborated by passersby in the Divine Land Space Agency's live broadcast room, so it is clearly not fake.
"Holy crap, what kind of Zenith technology is this?"
A group of people stared at the island for a long time, but they still couldn't figure out how it got into the sky.
After all, in the current understanding of the technology tree, if you want to go into the sky, you need a propulsion force. They have analyzed the overall appearance of this small island thoroughly, but no matter what they do, they can't find the corresponding structure.
"I think there might be a super powerful engine inside, making it fly like a brick."
Some people have suggested it's possible, since some people do this in model airplane competitions, stuffing a brick on the outside and using a powerful engine inside to make the brick fly.
"Possibly, but this engine is too powerful. With this, we could build an amphibious fighter jet."
How do you know you didn't?
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Li Xingkong slowly flew into the clouds with Moon-Chasing Island, disappearing from sight.
The ground tracking footage was then turned off, and the live stream switched to a black screen.
But the barrage of comments didn't stop; this launch far exceeded everyone's expectations.
This wasn't just futuristic; this launch made them feel like they had collectively traveled back hundreds of years.
There was a technological gap of at least several generations in between.
Putting aside the public's enthusiastic response, the other major spacefaring nations closely watching the situation are getting restless.
They've never seen this thing before either; they've never even dared to write a PowerPoint presentation about anti-gravity technology.
After all, a well-known meme around the world is that the Eagle Country creates the PowerPoint presentations, Divine Land is responsible for making them up.
But Eagle Country; it's too outrageous. The congressmen aren't stupid; how could they possibly pass such a proposal?
But this is the kind of technology that would be seen as a way to scam funding if it were presented, yet Divine Land is now truly showcasing it.
Moreover, it has already entered the practical application stage! This is an outcome they absolutely cannot accept.
After all, according to their experts, the island that was launched this time weighed over 5,000 tons. Sending so much stuff into the sky in one go is incredible.
This time it was an island; next time, they could send a nuclear missile launch site there. Who could withstand that?
Moreover, they can only bring a small amount of materials each time they go to space, so they have to be very frugal when conducting any experiments, and they have to rely on others and depend on the International Space Station.
If this continues, the gap will only widen. It won't be long before Divine Land foot on the problem a few more times and builds a large military base in outer space. That would truly be a case of using the base to command the other powers.
No matter who comes, as long as we remain on Earth Star, we will always be under the threat of these weapons falling from the sky.
So when Moon-Chasing Island disappeared above the clouds, these countries couldn't sit still any longer.
"According to the Outer Space Treaty, no country may deploy lethal weapons in Earth Star's orbit. We hope that Divine Land can abide by the agreement and exercise self-restraint."
The Eagle Country was the first to speak, and immediately began to question the treaty.
Treaties are something the Eagle Country has always treated as worthless paper; they've always used them to control others.
After all, their ambitions have never stopped, but this time is different; this kind of payload capacity is not something they're going to achieve.
"We hope to cooperate with Divine Land to build a new large International Space Station for the use of all mankind."
The other countries reacted quickly, since the situation was clear: the Eagle Country obviously didn't have the technology, so they shouldn't blame them for finding another powerful ally.
Divine Land did not immediately respond to the statements made by these countries.
They're asking for a favor now, rushing over here. If we agree to their demands now, they'll just go back to their old ways in a couple of days.
They absolutely will not be allowed to board the ship without paying a real price.
Of course, even if they pay the corresponding price, it depends on whether Li Xingkong is willing to give them a ride.
Before the wrangling between nations even began, Li Xingkong had already reached the stratosphere. At this altitude, which is beyond the flight altitude of ordinary aircraft, one could already see the curvature of the distant horizon.
Although Li Xingkong was in the central room, still adjusting his flight direction, the other researchers on the island were free to move around.
After all, under Li Xingkong's guidance, the island's flight was extremely smooth. When they stood on the island, they couldn't even feel it moving; it was as if they were still standing on the ground.
To be able to travel from the ground to space at such a speed is certainly a unique experience.
In the past, people who went to space had no time to pay attention to their surroundings during the ascent, given the speed and the complexity of the rocket's interior, requiring them to concentrate intently on the instrument readings.
But it's different on Moon-Chasing Island. Li Xingkong can take care of everything, and the others don't have as many things to worry about.
As the island flew higher and higher, the people on the island clearly felt the weightlessness. From the increased ability to jump to being able to fly directly to the outer wall of the island with a slight movement, every movement under weightlessness became more cautious.
As the surrounding environment darkened, the light sources that had been circling the island began to come into play, brightening the entire edge of the island. This light source was powered by solar energy.
The goal is to provide sufficient lighting for the entire island in space, while also allowing people on the ground to understand the island's trajectory.
The entire island instantly transformed into something resembling a star. Even though it was daytime, people on the ground with sharp eyesight could still see the island's shimmering light.
Having arrived in space once again, Li Xingkong was now quite familiar with the place. He had a general idea of what he could touch and what he should avoid.
Moreover, the fact that he brought Moon-Chasing Island with him this time is itself a huge tortoise shell, which can serve as the first line of armor to protect him.