mynovelweb Chapter 35: Advancing Together
Chapter 35: Advancing Together
On the vast Manaus Plain of the Central Continent of Gesang Star, near the mountains, the outline of a colossal, four-sided, pyramidal structure has emerged. Each side of the pyramid is over 960 kilometers long, and the interior is hollow. The Gesang people seem to possess a natural talent for architecture, metalworking, and toolmaking. Initially, they utilized the plain's rivers and animal power to transport materials, built large metallurgical plants nearby to manufacture metal parts and tools, and quarried and rammed earth from the mountains. During this massive construction project, they invented gunpowder, steelmaking, the slide rule, a mechanical computer, optical telescopes and microscopes, the "wireless kite" for high-altitude manned flight, steam trains, and railways. It can be said that the Gesang people accomplished in 22 years what would take humanity nearly 140 years to achieve. The Gesang people later built their "sky ladder" at an increasingly rapid pace, currently reaching an astonishing height of two kilometers.
In the latter half of the 22nd year of the Gesang people's construction of the "Sky Ladder," a rumor spread on the planet Gesang that even if the entire Manaus Plain were encircled, the "Sky Ladder" could not possibly reach the height of Ges. The Gesang scientists (formerly sorcerers) then rationally recalculated and indeed confirmed the rumor was true. They calculated that to reach the height of Ges, the ladder would need to have sides nearly four thousand kilometers long. Therefore, the "Sky Ladder" project had to be halted.
The Gesang people were completely dumbfounded. Overnight, many Gesang people wept bitterly. This was their dream of 22 years.
The Gesang people have seen through optical telescopes the various aerial fortresses (human warships and portals) of the gods on Ges, which have become increasingly active this year (this is because humans on Earth are making a large-scale migration to Ges).
Then, another rumor spread from Gess: to reach Gess, one would need to start with Gesang gunpowder rockets, steam trains, and manned "wireless kites."
So, the Gesang scientists gathered again to discuss the matter. They analyzed gunpowder rockets, steam trains, and manned "wireless kites," and finally, they really got to the bottom of it. After ignition, the gunpowder in a gunpowder rocket burns, producing a large amount of gas that is ejected backward at high speed, generating forward thrust. Steam trains use coal to heat water, turning it into steam, which drives a piston, propelling the train. Manned "wireless kites" rely on wind power and buoyancy to fly. All three of these devices require force (thrust).
In the 29th year, a figure reminiscent of Newton emerged among the Gesang scientists. His name was Niuger, and he proposed the three laws of motion.
In the 32nd year, the Gesang people successfully test-flew their first glider, which flew in the air for nearly three minutes.
In the 33rd year, the Gesang people successfully test-flew their first airplane, which flew in the air for nearly 30 minutes.
In the 35th year, the Gesang people, Niuge, proposed the law of universal gravitation. The Gesang people subsequently learned about the first, second, and third cosmic velocities.
In the 49th year, the Gesang people launched a small, liquid-fueled unmanned rocket. The rocket stayed in the air for five minutes before crashing, but it delighted the Gesang people, who felt they had finally taken a big step closer to the gods. In the same year, automobiles and jet aircraft were successfully developed.
In the 62nd year, the Gesang people launched a large liquid-fueled rocket, which remained airborne for half an hour before crashing. That same year, they invented the astronomical telescope, camera, and other inventions. They also discovered electromagnetic waves and subsequently invented electricity.
In the 67th year, the Gesang people launched a large, liquid-fueled, multi-stage rocket, which finally escaped the gravitational pull of Gesang Star. In the same year, they invented radio communication and the vacuum tube, taking a giant leap towards the invention of the electronic computer.
In the 75th year, the Gesang people launched another large liquid-fueled multi-stage rocket carrying various probes. These probes, released after the third stage separated, would conduct long-distance probes of Gliese star. The results sent back by the probes were more detailed than those observed by astronomical telescopes. The photographs showed countless moving, floating metal fortresses of varying sizes around Gliese star, some of the larger ones stretching hundreds of kilometers in length. These metal fortresses reflected the sunlight from Gliese 667C, appearing bright and polished. In the highest-resolution photographs taken at close range, portholes of these fortresses appeared to be visible.
In the 77th year, the Gesang people invented the electronic computer.
In the 79th year, the Gesang people invented the machine gun and the fighter plane.
In the 87th year, the Gesang people launched their first geostationary satellite.
In the 96th year, the Gesang people launched their first manned spacecraft into the near-Earth space of Gesang Star.
In the 99th year, the Gesang people launched their first satellite to Ges. The satellite orbited Ges and returned the probe data to Ges. For the first time, the Gesang people clearly saw a large number of large buildings and intricate network structures on Ges.
In the 102nd year, the Gesang people began to propose a plan to land on the planet Ges.
While the Gesang aliens' technology was developing rapidly, Earth's humans were thriving on the three super-Earths, building more warships and teleportation portals in near-Earth orbit. Trade, economy, tourism, and technological exchanges were very close among the three planets.
Humans on Earth have long since made small teleportation portals lightweight and accessible to everyone. Humans can carry invisible teleportation portals with them and easily "conjure" things out of thin air.
In the year 296 of the Galactic Era, 77 years after Gesang created the "Sky Ladder," and 214 years after Zhou Yuan proposed the concepts of photon and quark engines, thanks to the surge of technological exchange among the three Earths—based on fundamental theoretical science, advanced manufacturing technology, and basic science—the Earth Federation Academy of Sciences achieved a major technological breakthrough: they finally invented the photon engine. This signified that intelligent energy entities could not only possess intelligence but also be guided to change the direction and path of their attacks. This invention was immediately deployed to various types of warships.
The principle of a photon engine is that quark circuits rapidly manipulate the states of single and multiple photons. When a single photon moves through a quark circuit, the circuit is reconfigured, thereby changing the photon's path and polarization direction. This method can not only rapidly process and manipulate the quantum states of light, but also open and close light packets to transmit conventional information along predetermined routes.
Combining the technologies of intelligent energy bodies, quark circuits, and photon engines, humanity has finally created the quantum relay needed for long-distance quantum communication. This means that with the quantum relay, humanity can transmit encrypted communication information over infinite distances, no longer needing to worry about the 210 light-year limit on ultra-long-distance communication. This technology was immediately transmitted via ultra-long-distance encrypted communication to the gamma fleet, which was traveling approximately 60 light-years away, to allow them to manufacture quantum communication relays and thus enable ultra-long-distance communication.
In the year 315 of the Galactic Era, 96 years after Gesang created the artificial "sky ladder," the theory of teleporting stars through the portal was basically completed. Various simulations by the super-large artificial intelligence quantum computer were completed, and the knowledge reserves and simulation experiments for teleporting stars were completed. The Earth Federation Fleet was waiting to decide when to conduct an actual star teleportation experiment.
In the year 328 of the Galactic Era, 109 years after the Gesang people created their "sky ladder," the Gesang people finally awaited the day they would meet the gods, and humanity on Earth finally awaited the moment the Gesang people would land on Goss. Both sides eagerly anticipated the event. To facilitate the Gesang people's landing on Goss, humanity on Earth even moved all warships, shipyards, and teleportation portals in the vicinity of Goss to prevent them from colliding with the Gesang people's manned spacecraft and spoiling everyone's excitement. Even the governor of Goss issued a temporary no-fly order for all air traffic on Goss.
Almost everyone on Gesang Star watched the live television broadcast, and of course, the inhabitants of the three Earth planets also watched along.
At 9:43 AM Gesang Star time, at the Shenzhou Aerospace Launch Center in Dongzhou, with a ignition command, the Feishen-12 solid-fuel six-stage rocket, carrying the Baishen-1 lander, was launched into space. Half an hour after launch, Feishen-12 entered Gesang Star orbit. After orbiting Gesang Star three and a half times, the third-stage sub-rocket ignited, propelling Feishen-12 to accelerate at an even faster speed. The fourth-stage sub-rocket ignited, further accelerating Feishen-12, followed by the fifth-stage sub-rocket, whose immense thrust propelled Feishen-12 to an even faster speed, preparing it for insertion into the Gesang Star transfer orbit.
Four days later, the command module and service module separated from the "Feishen 12" and rotated 180 degrees to connect with the landing module in the landing adapter inside the sixth stage rocket.
The command module is cone-shaped and divided into three parts: the forward compartment, the astronaut compartment, and the aft compartment. The forward compartment houses landing components, recovery equipment, and attitude control engines. The astronaut compartment is a sealed cabin containing necessities and life-saving equipment sufficient for the astronauts to live in for three months. The aft compartment contains 42 attitude control engines, various instruments and storage tanks, as well as attitude control, guidance and navigation systems, onboard computers, and radio systems.
The service module is cylindrical, docking with the command module at the front and housing the main propulsion engine nozzles at the rear. The main engines are used for orbital transfer and maneuvering. The attitude control system consists of 34 rocket engines, which are also used for separation of the spacecraft from the sixth-stage rocket, docking of the landing module with the command module, and separation of the command module from the service module.
The landing module consists of a descent stage and an ascent stage. The descent stage comprises landing engines, four landing legs, and 14 instrument bays. The ascent stage, the main body of the landing module, can accommodate multiple astronauts. After completing the landing activities, the astronauts pilot the ascent stage back to orbit around Guss and rendezvous with the command module. The ascent stage consists of an astronaut cabin, reentry engines, propellant tanks, instrument bays, and a control system, equipped with navigation, control, communication, life support, and power supply systems.
Six days later, Flying God 12 quickly ignited its main rocket, slowing the spacecraft and putting it into orbit around Gess. During its orbit around Gess, the six Gesang astronauts identified the planned landing site in mid-air, 5 kilometers south of a giant spherical structure in the northern part of Gess.
Eight days later, one of the Gesang astronauts remained in the command module and orbited Gess. For the next week, he could only monitor communications between the control center and "Bai Shen 1". If "Bai Shen 1" encountered an accident, he would have to return to Gesang alone. However, he would pray that God would save his companions and would not believe that God would abandon them.