The Satellite That Couldn't Get Off the Ground

The border negotiations between the dragons and the goblins naturally took place on the border between the two countries.

King Nilunke specifically appointed one of his personal attendants as the negotiator. His task was simple: to provoke without any regard for right or wrong, and to feign ignorance when questioned.

The young servant was overjoyed at taking on such an important position for the first time, as if he had reached the pinnacle of his goblin career. But when he strode into the negotiation area with his head held high, he was suddenly stunned to find that the Dragon Race representative was an old Forest Dragon who was almost blending into his surroundings.

Its massive body was covered with damp moss and lichen, beneath which lay bark-like scales. Due to prolonged immersion, most of the scales had been stained a deep, dark green.

The Forest Dragon's body was covered in wrinkles like ancient trees, making it difficult to tell whether this was due to its great age or a characteristic of the species itself.

The goblin servant's anticipated performance of professionalism was completely useless, as the old Forest Dragon simply lay there, fast asleep with his eyes closed.

The attendant reluctantly stepped forward and finally managed to wake the other person.

"Um, I'm in charge of this negotiation—"

"Ah--cheep!" The Forest Dragon sneezed violently without warning, the powerful gust of air instantly blowing the goblin servant away. He tumbled like a leaf into the distant bushes and crashed heavily to the ground. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and he struggled for a long time but could not get up.

"Oh, something's up, you go first." The Forest Dragon seemed oblivious, slowly wiping its nostrils with its massive claws as if it had merely dusted off a bit of dust.

In the distance, King Nilunke, who was personally overseeing the battle, had a sinister glint in his eyes. He raised his hand and waved it.

Soon, a large group of goblins huffed and puffed as they pushed in a huge copper basin filled with steaming, strongly scented tea.

"Please have some tea, sir!" A goblin stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the Forest Dragon.

"Hmm!" The old Forest Dragon was quite satisfied this time. He sniffed the delicate aroma of the tea and let out a pleasant hum. "It's indeed very fragrant, not bad!"

He slowly pulled out several tiny cups from between his enormous claws, carefully filled them with tea with the tips of his claws, and then placed them on the ground to the side.

King Nilunke watched from afar, utterly perplexed, and a slight sense of unease crept into his heart.

The dragon's unusual calm during this period is absolutely abnormal!

Although it's unclear how Bone King managed to suppress the dragons and keep them inactive, the large goblin force assembled on the front lines was consuming vast amounts of supplies every day, both for manpower and horsemanship.

Even more serious is that those expensive Dragon-Breaking Cone buried in the soil not only require continuous maintenance of the supporting magic arrays, but over time the equipment and gunpowder inside the Dragon-Breaking Cone will also get damp, causing the failure rate to rise continuously until they completely lose their function!

Therefore, they are now on the verge of disaster and have no choice but to act! They must provoke the dragon no matter what!

King Nilunke no longer cared about the means. He believed that as long as the dragons crossed the line they could not tolerate, even Bone King would be unable to stop the enraged dragons from unleashing their revenge!

At this moment, a dozen or so figures entered the negotiation area—dwarves, elves, and halflings! Judging from their elaborate clothing and badges, they were clearly official diplomats from various countries.

King Nilunke's eyes widened immediately. "Wait! The Dwarf Kingdom, Silver Moon Forest, and Thousand Cellars Domain— "

Why are they here?!

The old Forest Dragon leisurely handed a cup of tea, served by goblins, to the group of foreign envoys who had just entered. "The border negotiations between our two nations are crucial to the stability of the Eastern Continent." He grinned, revealing a meaningful smile on his moss-covered lips. "So inviting other nations to witness this isn't unreasonable, is it?"

"We were very fortunate to have such a sumptuous meal last night and this morning!" The leader of the dwarven diplomatic mission stepped forward. "This is quite unlike the usual hospitality of you dragons." He picked up a teacup. "It was a bit salty, but it's perfect for quenching our thirst!"

"Wait, wait, wait!"

The goblin officials who had been observing from behind could no longer care about hiding. They rushed out from their hiding places and snatched the teacups from the envoys of various countries, preventing them from drinking the tea.

On the Eastern Continent, goblins and dragons are only two of the many. No matter how arrogant King Nilunke may be, he never intended to challenge all the powers on the continent and become the target of everyone's wrath!

None of the envoys were fools; their eyes immediately turned hostile as they warily stared at the strangely behaving goblins.

"These goblin friends, are they worried I didn't wash the cups properly?" The old Forest Dragon grinned, as if suddenly realizing something. He stretched out his enormous Dragon Claw, and a burst of vibrant green light flashed. A common vine beside him immediately grew and twisted at a visible speed, instantly blooming into more than a dozen pure white, jade-like bowl-shaped flowers. He plucked these huge, fragrant flowers and distributed them to the panicked goblins present.

"Come on," he invited with an extremely sincere expression, "How about using this as a teacup and enjoying a drink with us!"

****

Dragon Court, by the Thousand Illusions Lake.

Because of the impending war, the administrative center, which had been moved to the Central Court, was moved back to this Tranquility and ancient lakeside.

Su Ming, Dragon King Gelie, and a group of dragon elders were watching the real-time situation at the border negotiations through the surveillance cameras.

"Goblins, they'll never learn anything better than this low-down stuff." A dragon elder let out a disdainful snort.

"It's just child's play," Su Ming said calmly. "The goblins' countdown now depends solely on our preparations."

King Gelie let out a heavy sigh, "Now I see them as mere clowns, but didn't they see us the same way before? They dare to use such flawed and easily exposed tricks so brazenly!"

"This is a problem of mindset," Su Ming said. "The goblin race focuses on petty gains; they are clever, but not wise. They advocate profiting by any means necessary, abandoning all dignity—it's nothing more than a racial flaw."

"We dragons have always believed in overcoming skill with brute force, that one force can defeat ten techniques," Elder Mo Yuan interjected, "But in fact, there are effective ways to deal with such a fellow."

"This requires us to have a broader vision and a more expansive perspective," Zhimeng's voice carried a hint of antiquity. "When you elders have some free time, you might as well come here and browse through the historical books of various races; perhaps you will gain some insights."

Just as the dragon elders were exchanging their experiences, a low, continuous noise from an electric motor, growing louder as it approached, shattered the tranquility around the Dragon Court. The sounds quickly coalesced and intensified.

Before long, a long convoy of electric vehicles, resembling a dragon, arrived at the outskirts of the Dragon Court along the newly constructed road.

Each truck was packed full, and a group of necromancers sat casually on top of the truck beds, chatting amongst themselves.

The door of a car opened, and Hansite and Bowers jumped out.

"President Su, the Second Bone Mechanized Combat Battalion is fully assembled!" Bowers reported in a loud voice.

In addition to the First Dragon Combat Battalion, which had already gone to the Silver Moon Forest to conduct joint exercises with the dragons, Su Ming also formed this Second Bone Mechanized Battalion.

Yin'er, whom we haven't seen for a long time, led his Dragon Guard down from the sky. Hundreds of dragons of various shapes folded their wings and landed on the open ground around the Dragon Court with a whistling sound, instantly spreading a sense of oppression.

Gelie Lielongwang nodded to Yin'er, Yin'er then turned to Su Ming.

"President Su, the Dragon Court Guard is now officially under your unified command!"

Su Ming nodded in acceptance, then immediately issued the order, "All troops advance to ten kilometers from the border and establish defensive positions on the spot!" His voice was resolute, "If the goblins dare to provoke us, give them a crushing blow!"

Led by Yin'er, the dragon horde soared into the sky once more, covering the sky as they flew towards the border. The Bone Machine Battalion's convoy engines roared back to life, continuing their advance towards the front lines.

Even after the Bone Machine Battalion's convoy passed, the steel torrent on the road continued unabated. The massive transport fleet of the Final Bone Mad Machines was continuously moving large quantities of combat supplies to the border region, establishing a frontline supply base.

When the concept of resources from industrial civilization gathers on an unstoppable scale, even the dragon elders who had the strongest opinions about Su Ming's temporary restraint have to admit defeat.

This is clearly an attempt to wipe out the goblins!

"Elders," Su Ming began, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic negotiation scene on the monitor, "The outcome of this war is no longer related to the goblins' wishes."

Whether the goblins dare to cross the border or not, the dragons will pass through.

Su Ming waved his hand, projecting a detailed battle plan into the air. "Troop organization, acclimatization training, logistical support—there are many matters to attend to," he said, glancing around at the high-ranking dragon officers present. "I ask that everyone fulfill their duties and perform their respective tasks."

"This is the defensive phase. The full-scale offensive will begin in fifteen days!" Su Ming's eyes suddenly turned cold and sharp. "Anyone who delays will be court-martialed!"

****

While the goblins were frantically trying to argue their way out of the various delegations, the old Forest Dragon fully utilized his talent for being inconspicuous, casually leaving behind only a mess at the negotiation site.

Negotiations are pointless anyway. All Su Ming needs is to expose the goblins for provoking him first and create a large number of witnesses.

That's the end of the goblins' little bit of cleverness they were so proud of.

These greenskins always treated dragons like they used to, bullying them with their old, straightforward methods, and gloating over their own underhanded tricks. However, when their opponents changed tactics and began to use higher-dimensional power to crush them on a level, they were completely bewildered.

No wonder the Divine Covenant Faction chose to use these fools as cannon fodder.

Besides handling routine war-related affairs, another major task assigned to the Dragon Council of Elders by Su Ming was to clean up and eliminate the various spy organizations lurking within Dragon Valley.

The intensive intelligence gathering work in the early stages had already identified a large number of problematic alien organizations and their strongholds. At this moment, the enraged dragon began to "visit" them one by one. Su Ming had originally considered holding some public pronouncements and creating an example for others, but he found that after the dragon's "visits," the victims were basically left with nothing but ashes.

Su Ming could only shrug and accept the local customs.

This also included the "Shrewd Gear" merchant guild, which smuggled Dragon-Breaking Cone. Unfortunately, several core members of the guild seemed to have sensed the danger and left Dragon Valley long ago.

The enraged dragon could only angrily search for and confiscate the property they had left behind.

****

These are all internal affairs of the dragon, and Su Ming does not interfere.

He's currently busy inspecting the game project: DCSWorld, short for Dragon Combat Simulator.

World, Dragon Aerial Combat Simulation World.

Unlike the previously developed entertainment-oriented games, this is a hardcore combat simulation training system specifically designed for tactical training with dragons.

In this way, after the dragons have exhausted their physical strength and Magic Power during actual training, they can continue to improve their tactical skills and teamwork capabilities in a virtual environment through gaming devices.

The main focus is on seamless, all-day training!

The game could even be extended to dragons not included in the guard, to increase the depth of the dragons' combat reserves.

In the Earth conference room, Su Ming watched the technicians' live demonstration, reviewed the relevant documents and various values, and offered suggestions for revisions to some parts that did not conform to the realities of the other world.

"How's the bug fixing going?" Su Ming asked. "Those dragon students from the other world lack a basic understanding of the concept of 'bug,' and often take program errors for granted as normal game mechanics."

"We are currently conducting a large-scale public beta test," a technician replied. "Player feedback has been very positive, and progress in this area is very fast."

Su Ming nodded, but then realized something was wrong. "Public beta? This crappy game—uh, this professional simulation system—is anyone still playing it?"

Calling it "broken" is actually a bit unfair. The basic architecture of this simulation system was started as a military reserve project a long time ago. The company's original intention was to provide theoretical guidance and a tactical simulation platform for possible future battles with other worlds.

The weapons development team led by Jisu and Fengshou designs and improves their weapons on this platform.

It wasn't until Su Ming made the request that development began on the basic architecture, resulting in this simulated combat training system for the dragons.

"Yes, and there are a lot of players." The technician sighed helplessly. "Just selling skins for different dragon species, such as the Lava Fire Dragon Scale Pack, the Shadow Nightwing effect, and various dragon breath effects, we've almost recouped most of our development costs."

"You guys are amazing!" Su Ming exclaimed in amazement.

****

After the meeting with the development team concluded and an agreement was reached to submit the official version within 24 hours, the members of the game development team left one by one.

Jin Rongjia pushed open the door and walked in. "Long time no see!"

"Long time no see," Su Ming replied. "As the core planner of this game, do I receive a salary or bonuses?"

"Hehe." Jin Rongjia grinned, "You should hurry up and get your hands on the manufacturing process for that 'Gospel ' material. Then you'll have everything you need. Why would you care about these pittances?"

A sudden commotion erupted outside the meeting room, and someone could be faintly heard shouting, "Ha! It's blown up! It's blown up!"

"What exploded?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

Jin Rongjia picked up the remote control on the table and turned on the large-screen TV in the conference room. Soon, a breaking news report was broadcast: a certain Lighthouse carrier rocket had just exploded during launch, carrying two weather satellites commissioned by Pakistan.

"What's so strange about a rocket going down?" Su Ming couldn't understand why this would attract Jin Rongjia and the others' attention.

"These two weather satellites were actually built by the Sangzi Group," Jin Rongjia explained. "One carries testing equipment for quantum entangled electron-pair communication, and the other is a new type of space observation equipment."

Su Ming knew that Sangzi's team needed to conduct quantum communication tests in a wider and more complex environment, and space was a good choice. But he pressed for details about the latter, asking, "What are space observation devices?"

"I don't quite understand the specific principles either," Jin Rongjia replied, shaking his head. "But by analyzing the spatial data generated during your interdimensional teleportation, researchers discovered that some of our current fundamental understanding of the universe may have significant flaws. Therefore, they designed a device to attempt to observe the universe from a completely new perspective."

"The iterative updating of scientific understanding is a normal phenomenon," Su Ming said.

Humanity's cognitive models of the universe undergo large-scale upgrades every so often, from a static infinite universe to a relativistic finite universe, from continuous expansion to accelerated expansion and then to decelerated expansion, from dark energy dominance to the diminishing influence of dark energy. This change has never stopped.

"Yes," Jin Rongjia said, "Each iteration represents a step closer to the truth of the universe."

"So why are these two weather satellites launched using United States rockets under Pakistan's name?" Su Ming questioned.

"Let me explain this a little further," Jin Rongjia said. "First, there's the group of intruders. Our in-depth investigation over this period shows that they planned at least a double-digit number of murders. Some targets are understandable, like Si Zai and Gao Boyang, who can be considered outstanding talents. But someone like Miao Xin, who didn't show any special characteristics, makes no sense."

"Prophecy," Su Ming said immediately. "Zijin and I have also discussed this. Intruders use some kind of prophecy to lock onto potential, high-value targets and then launch their operations."

Su Ming had already told Jin Rongjia this information. Although prophecy exists in other worlds, its use is subject to strict conditions and countermeasures exist. It's just that on Earth, there might not be any defenses against such supernatural methods, which is why there are problems.

"That is indeed one possibility," Jin Rongjia said, "But it doesn't explain why the Jackal Organization unknowingly walked into our trap last time and lost a member!"

"They also lost a member at the Vietnam industrial park incident," Su Ming agreed. "If the Jackal Organization truly possesses prophetic abilities, it's highly illogical that they couldn't avoid such a huge pitfall twice."

"So we must figure this out," Jin Rongjia said firmly, "Is it that their prophetic methods have fatal flaws that we don't understand, or that they actually obtained the information through other channels and means?"

He pointed to the television screen still showing footage of the explosion, "After the last trap operation, they've been holed up overseas and unwilling to enter the country easily. So the Sangzi Group came up with a plan: take this space experiment equipment overseas and launch it, see if the other side will take the bait."

Su Ming instantly understood, "The rocket exploding means they really did make a move, right!"

Jin Rongjia nodded. "With the characteristics of their ' Calamity Mark,' this bizarre ability, causing a rocket launch accident would be far too easy."

But Su Ming still didn't fully understand the logic behind it. "What does this specifically represent? Just based on a single rocket explosion?"

"Who said it was just once?" Jin Rongjia grinned. "Of course we'll do this kind of thing a few more times."

At the same time, we need to figure out their modus operandi so we can catch them red-handed!

"You're coming back?" Su Ming's eyes widened.

"Why not?" Jin Rongjia answered matter-of-factly, "We have plenty of backups for weather satellites." A hunter's glint flashed in his eyes. "It all depends on whether the Jackal Organization follows us or not!"

"This cost is just too high!" Su Ming exclaimed in surprise at the company's extravagant spending.

"The cost of yarn!" Jin Rongjia waved his hand. "We signed a one-time lump-sum contract with the rocket launch company over there. No matter how many times the rockets fail, they're responsible for launching our satellite!"

"What about the loss of the satellite?" Su Ming pressed.

"Oh, a satellite," Jin Rongjia said casually. "We took out a high-value commercial space insurance policy with an insurance company in the United States." A smug smile appeared on his face. "The insured amount is as high as 50 million, twice the actual cost of the satellite. After this explosion, the insurance company will pay out a considerable sum, and we'll actually make a good profit!"

"----" Su Ming was silent for a moment, then sighed sincerely, "Has anyone ever told you guys---- that you're really immoral?"

"Thank you for the compliment!" Jin Rongjia accepted it gladly.

Enjoy