Chapter 426

Chapter 426: Troubled Feelings

Lin Mo tried to reassure Number Four, Wei Yuni. He wasn’t particularly concerned about whether they would become astronauts or not. Besides, that Gold Coin guy would probably be a hassle in outer space. He felt uneasy leaving him on Earth, too; without Lin Mo around, who knew what trouble he might cause?

The way dragon kin thought was completely different from humans. Relying on a dragon to act according to human rules was clearly an unreliable expectation.

“Just set your heart at ease…”

Just as Lin Mo was about to say more, there was another knocking sound at the door of his dorm room.

“Hey! Number 11, Number 9, why are you two here?”

Wei Yuni was surprised to see these two candidates, who were both technical experts. One was a medical doctor, and the other held a master’s in engineering, specializing in tasks while also studying piloting and astronomy.

“It’s a long story. I’m restless and can’t sit still, so I came to Number One’s place. Number 11 feels the same way,” replied Number 9, the medical doctor, who was still shaken after the scare that afternoon.

Everyone has certain ingrained ways of thinking and a natural instinct to seek benefits while avoiding harm. Lin Mo’s calm demeanor that afternoon had impressed everyone, especially when he single-handedly fended off the six-legged robot invaders, ensuring everyone’s safety. This unintentional display of authority made everyone acknowledge him as their temporary leader.

In the tense atmosphere of the training center, everyone instinctively turned to this makeshift leader, seeking some psychological comfort.

“Then come in.”

Lin Mo had no intention of refusing.

The dorm room was quite spacious, a one-bedroom with a living room and a bathroom, about twenty square meters in total. Even if all the candidates squeezed in, it wouldn’t be a problem.

However, Lin Mo’s thoughts soon became reality. Candidates Number 23, 34, 35, 45, 51, and 53 arrived one after the other, seemingly with a shared understanding that led them all to Lin Mo’s room.

As the knocking continued, the faces of those who entered the room showed curiosity. It seemed odd that everyone wanted to gather in Number One’s room. Was it safer here?

These candidates weren’t fearful, but they hoped their special skills could be put to good use and not wasted, given the immense cost the nation invested in them.

Just then, Number Two, Wang Xuejun, awkwardly squeezed through the door, chuckling nervously, “I wanted to find someone to talk to, but I didn’t see anyone else. I didn’t expect to find you all here.”

His explanation felt somewhat disingenuous.

Wang Xuejun was the last of all the candidates to enter. Thus, for some mysterious reason, those astronaut candidates were all gathered in Lin Mo’s dorm room.

Some sat on the sofa, others perched on the windowsill, and some brought out stools, while a few simply sat cross-legged on the soft carpeting.

The room fell silent. The brothers in hardship exchanged glances, saying nothing yet wanting to say something. They all understood each other’s feelings, even the unspoken communication in their eyes conveyed their shared concerns.

In this troublesome time, everyone’s thoughts were very complicated.

There was only one topic of conversation, and their thoughts were alike.

Even if the others held their tongues, Lin Mo could tell that what Meng Yinan and Wei Yuni expressed mirrored what the rest felt.

Everyone was worried, fearing they might be innocent victims. They had come so far in this long journey, just a few steps from the end; no one wanted to give up now, even the most doubtful among them. They didn’t want to lose their final chance.

“Oh! You’re all here, just in time. I needed to notify you.”

With the twenty-first knock, the voice outside belonged to Major General Sun Huabin, who oversaw their selection and training programs.

Having rushed from one dorm to another with no one in sight, Major General Sun finally found everyone in Lin Mo’s room.

He nearly thought that yet another crisis was at hand, expecting something big to erupt again. If these future astronauts caused any more trouble, he could only shoot himself; nothing could save him from such a folly.

The twenty-one candidates in the room instinctively stood at attention and saluted, a deeply ingrained military practice in each one’s bones.

“Major General Sun!”

No one in the room spoke. Everyone’s gaze turned to Lin Mo. Unknowingly, Lin Mo, Number One, had truly become the center of attention for everyone.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Lin Mo cleared his throat and addressed Major General Sun, “Major General Sun, is there any new information?”

Major General Sun felt a sense of relief in his heart as he realized that these twenty-one candidates had subtly formed a core. It was not easy for people who were all proud and ambitious to unite behind one person.

He paused for a moment and informed the remaining candidates about the decision from the training center: “Due to unexpected events at the training center, the elimination list for the fourth round has been postponed by a week. Next week, there will be no aerospace training but instead flight training. Congratulations to those of you who are fighter pilots; you will be able to fly planes for seven days. However, once the elimination list is released, those of you who remain will face the final round of eliminations.”

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. A week’s delay in announcing the elimination list did not mean they could celebrate having another chance; it merely changed their immediate execution to a reprieve.

The list had likely already been made but the leaders had been too preoccupied with the attack to address their situation.

“Yes! Major General Sun!”

“Fly a fighter jet? I’m a medical person; how can I fly?”

“What are you afraid of, Number 11? I’ll teach you. There are two-seat advanced training aircraft here. In just one day, you’ll be able to do it; it’s that simple.”

“Really, Number 23? You better keep your word. I’ve never flown a plane in my life!”

“A plane? Who knows, you might get to fly a spaceship in the future!”

“Major General Sun, what’s the situation at the training center? Can you update us?” Lin Mo interrupted, eager to know what was happening. That Gold Coin guy had yet to return, and he was worried about whether he had been eliminated or what had happened.

Lin Mo’s question resonated with the other twenty candidates, and the whispering abruptly ceased.

Major General Sun nodded in understanding. While this attack had nothing to do with the astronaut candidates, it would still impact the selection process.

“This attack was merely to create chaos!”

Major General Sun’s first words left everyone stunned. What? A chaotic battle akin to a science fiction movie was just a ruse? Those fearsome robots were just disposable pawns?

What a joke! What a grand scheme!

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Major General Sun affirmed with a serious tone, “Correct. Just as you think, they were indeed pawns. The enemy prepared for at least three years for this operation, piece by piece sending in parts and assembling them domestically. Perhaps on some inconspicuous device, parts were disassembled to create these robots, combined with special equipment and thorough investigations that bypassed our security department and intelligence department. That is why we were caught off guard. Their objective was not only to infiltrate our important warehouses to steal technical products and cause destruction but also to forcibly invade our computer system to download vital technical data.”

Three years of planning had overturned the initial two years’ judgments. Only such a lengthy timeline and various deceptive tactics could avoid the monitoring of the security and intelligence departments. There might also be external spies and traitors involved.

The news left the candidates in shock. It was hard to imagine that a national strategic area had been penetrated. Even more astonishing was that this training center harbored a significant secret, enough to entice unknown invaders to risk retaliation to orchestrate an attack.

Could there be extraterrestrial technology hidden within this aerospace training center, perhaps remnants of an ancient civilization, or even a hidden spaceship?

There were countless ideas, yet the direction was right while the answers were completely off the mark.

Lin Mo furrowed his brows after hearing Major General Sun’s words, realizing the losses were likely severe.

Lin Mo pressed on, “Was the loss at the training center substantial?”

Gold Coin had still not returned and hadn’t sent any word. Lin Mo was concerned about this old acquaintance from another world going missing at such a critical moment.

Even though they had been rivals, they shared a common secret, and Lin Mo trusted him more than anyone else.

“The warehouse door was almost opened, but fortunately, it was not breached. However, some technical data from the computer center was downloaded.” Major General Sun regretfully conveyed this information they were authorized to hear, which was already fortunate. If the enemy had succeeded, the Aerospace Department would likely face a major uproar, and many senior officials would resign in shame.

If the “warehouse” had indeed been infiltrated, it would be akin to the core area of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center being bombarded by a volley of Katyusha rockets, setting back China’s aerospace technology by another five to ten years, wasting the decades of hard work from countless researchers and technicians.

But what lay within that warehouse and which technical documents had been downloaded could not be disclosed to these candidates.

An extensive investigation was already underway, and once confirmed, there would be a fierce counterattack.

In official terms, that would be the most naive approach; only secretly striking from the shadows would be most effective.