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墨書 Inktalez
The enormous Cosmic Airship requires only a little over a hundred crew members, and nearly half of them, like me, have never experienced manned space travel. Their expertise is primarily academic. The plan for this Armed Airship to ascend and search for Cosmic String Life has considered almost every possibility, resulting in a diverse range of professional backgrounds among these scholars. From what I currently know, there are linguists, military strategy experts, medical emergency specialists, and even puzzle enthusiasts among them.
"You and Academician Lian Hongbo are the only crew members proficient in the field of Cosmic String Life. My advisor Han Li will also accompany you on board," General Long said to me as I stood behind him, watching the crew line up to enter the VR testing room. "Han Li mentioned that your biggest concern is how to adapt to the supergravity generated during the airship's acceleration, right?"
"At least that's what I'm thinking," I replied. "I'm not someone who often flies on planes, so being suddenly thrust into Cosmic Space feels too abrupt."
"Actually, your concern is shared by everyone," General Long pointed to the small group ahead of us, most of whom had already entered the VR testing room. "You need to go in as well. Once you're inside, you'll know if you can handle it. If it's unbearable, just press the red button on the right side of your seat; we won't force you to board."
So I became the last one in line. By the time I entered the VR testing room, everyone else was either lying comfortably inside an Isolation Pod or had one foot already inside. Guided by artificial intelligence, I entered an Isolation Pod. As the hatch closed, a countdown appeared on the glass cover, and the AI's voice echoed inside: "After the countdown ends, we will inject Jelly Liquid into your Isolation Pod. Please do not panic; Jelly Liquid is an essential substance for cushioning acceleration in manned space travel, and your breathing and other vital signs will not be affected."
A row of circular openings appeared on both sides of my arms, and a pair of goggles and a mask were adjusted onto my face by four small tentacles. I tried to look down and saw blobs of jelly-like substance entering through the circular openings, accumulating rapidly until it was about to engulf my entire body. I immediately felt anxious and tilted my head back to gasp for air just as Jelly Liquid was about to cover my mouth and nose.
However, Jelly Liquid showed no sign of stopping its injection. Eventually, my whole body was submerged in it. To my surprise, I found that I could breathe freely like a normal person sleeping; Jelly Liquid truly did not affect any of my vital signs.
"Next, we will enter the acceleration increase test phase starting from 1G gravity. If there are any abnormal situations, you can immediately press the red button on the right side to stop urgently."
The AI's voice gradually faded into the background as it was replaced by the roaring sound of acceleration weakened by Jelly Liquid. The vibration frequency increased significantly, and I could feel a growing pressure in my chest; however, it was still bearable.
We lay in Jelly Liquid for a full ten minutes as gravity continued to increase. The Jelly Liquid inside the pod visibly compressed; I could clearly see various holes appearing within it through my goggles. Then these holes began to shift under pressure.
At the last moment, I felt something unusual in my chest; I couldn't help but gag as stomach acid surged toward my throat. Frowning uncomfortably, I was about to press the red button when I heard a cry from outside the Isolation Pod—someone else had pressed it first. At that same moment, the Acceleration Test was terminated. Under AI instructions, we lay in our pods for half an hour to recover before attempting to stand up and look at each other's expressions. Everyone generally gazed around with disbelief because no one exhibited severe symptoms; overall, the Acceleration Test was very successful and at least gave everyone basic trust in Jelly Liquid's protective capabilities.
"Very successful, right?" General Long beamed as each trainee crew member passed by him; he would pat them on the back and ask friendly questions. When I passed him, I couldn't hide my relief and excitement any longer and nodded vigorously at him. Because I understood that two major obstacles in my heart had finally been cleared—my faith issues and physical barriers. Everything was ready; we just needed a favorable wind.
That evening when I returned to my living quarters, I paused in front of the calendar and scratched off today’s date with my fingernail—The date for penetrating Venus was drawing closer. If everything went smoothly with Zhu Lin's side, we had to take off within five days.
If everything goes smoothly with Zhu Lin...
My thoughts drifted toward missing Zhu Lin; only when I relaxed did feelings inevitably seep into my life. I took out my phone; it was already past midnight, but Zhu Lin's message had come an hour earlier: "Still working on projects? I've taken a break." She had even retracted a message; I guessed she wanted to invite me out for a walk but withdrew when she saw that I hadn't responded. However, I genuinely hadn't seen her message and replied helplessly but wanted to salvage something: "I'm back now; are you asleep? Do you have time tomorrow? Let's go out for a walk."
To my surprise, Zhu Lin replied that she wasn't asleep: "I thought about it; this opportunity should be left for you when you return."
"Return? You mean wait for me to come back from space?" I thought she didn't know about it; apparently she had inquired about my situation. Thinking this way made me smile with relief.
"Yes, because I think it might be more meaningful for you to become a triumphant warrior who brings back humanity's hope to our homeland of love—just think how romantic that is."
"I didn't expect you to be such an emotional person."
"There's more than that! Look up at two o'clock from your position."
I looked up in that direction; all around me was enveloped in darkness except for one room at two o'clock where a light shone from the fourth floor. I saw a girl’s silhouette slowly morphing; focusing closely revealed it was Zhu Lin waving at me. It felt like receiving a surprise gift as I hurriedly ran over to the glass window to get a better look.
"Surprised? Hehe," she replied on WeChat. "It's my first time preparing a little surprise for a boy; I'm feeling a bit nervous—don't mind me."
"What kind of treasure girl are you?" I exclaimed with laughter while gazing out at Zhu Lin outside the window.
"Fengqi, I will stand among the crowd watching over you." On the other side of the glass window, she replied, "With the hope of all humanity, I will ignite the miracle that belongs to you."
Putting down my phone, across dozens of meters of fields and green belts, the light from the streetlamp illuminated my reflection in the glass, overlapping with her in the distance. We were immersed in each other's journey, unwilling to part until the golden light rose. I knew she could hear me saying thank you; falling in love with her needed no reason. She would see the promise I made to her with my gaze—our light.
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