Chapter 417

Chapter 417: Elimination Training

The week-long weightlessness training made all the candidates complain endlessly. They not only had to adapt to living upside down but also had to learn how to walk, eat, and even sleep in a weightless environment, relearning all the instincts they had mastered on land as children.

The new domestically produced large aircraft could withstand such wear and tear; a regular plane would likely break down after just a few rounds of this training.

This was only an adaptation test to see if all the candidates could adjust to life in space. Once they became astronauts, this training would become deeply ingrained in their bones, becoming second nature.

After the first round, where seven candidates were eliminated, the second round followed quickly, revealing the harsh reality to the surviving astronaut candidates. Nineteen candidates packed their bags, received their travel expenses home, and silently left the Fifth Aerospace Training Center.

The ruthless elimination system sounded the alarm for the remaining participants. This was truly a situation of “one minute in space equals a year of effort on Earth.”

Despite the glamorous appearance of astronauts, who might receive national support for their entire lives, few knew the enormous sacrifices they made.

The toughest challenges were still ahead. The super merry-go-round, devil’s centrifuge, loneliness tests, vibration training cabin, and high-temperature living cabin would take turns tormenting the astronaut candidates during the weeks to follow.

In the third week, the pressure of elimination remained immense, and twelve candidates had to leave the training center, where they had left their pride and sweat. Group B was completely eliminated, with both the group leader and all members dismissed. Group A had only one-third of its members left, Group C had just two members remaining, but their group leader was also eliminated and had to be replaced. Group E still had four members, with Lin Mo and Meng Yinan both surviving, while Group F had only half its original number.

The fierce eliminations in the second and third rounds reduced the initial group from twenty-one people to just one-third, creating an intense atmosphere that the remaining candidates felt keenly in the training center.

Even though they knew the pressure was intentionally applied by the training center, none of them dared to relax. Anyone who remained carefree during training would likely be eliminated at the first opportunity.

Wang Xuejun, who had initially displayed a rebellious personality upon his arrival at the aerospace training center, had to yield to the overwhelming pressure, his once-sharp edges smoothed down considerably.

The military is a melting pot, and the aerospace training center is an even more specialized furnace, creating only the best steel. Wang Xuejun could no longer think about anything else; he just hoped not to see his name on the next round of elimination lists.

It was not that easy to be kicked out; if friends and family learned that he was eliminated casually, he might never hold his head high again.

The fourth round of training focused not just on physical fitness levels but leaned more towards mental resilience. They were tasked with emergency fault training courses, where no one expected they would someday face situations akin to those of bomb disposal experts.

After two days of learning about spacecraft, they were placed in a troublesome simulated space module, where random malfunctions and dangers would appear without warning. If they could not respond calmly and perfectly, they would end up destroyed by the simulation.

As “life” entered the countdown, each person forced themselves to unleash their full potential. Sometimes, luck became a form of strength; even those who did not believe in supernatural beings found themselves praying for divine help to get through this challenge.

“Number one, do you still have the confidence to keep going? I’m about to reach my limit,” Wei Yuni’s voice came through Lin Mo’s earpiece. The two of them, along with three others, were randomly assigned to this simulated space module for emergency fault testing.

Unfortunately for their group, after just resolving a “burnt thruster control circuit board,” they faced a “seal breach caused by floating debris from outer space” just a minute later.

If they could not find the leak and address it within twenty minutes, it would mean the entire group would perish.

This troublesome space module could suddenly present deadly malfunctions, and the five of them needed to work together with all their might, calmly resolving each issue to get through. Otherwise, they would “die” amidst the at least 120 faults they had to face.

However, given their current abilities, perfectly resolving these at least 120 faults in one go was impossible. Even real astronauts could not achieve this; this was merely a training plan used by the training center for candidates and current astronauts. In reality, a spacecraft could not truly be so plagued with problems.

The simulated space module is located inside an incredibly large low-pressure sealed chamber. Although the atmospheric pressure is low, this chamber, spacious enough to accommodate a submarine, is filled with helium and oxygen, ensuring that the high-fidelity simulated accidents do not pose real threats to life.

The pressure readings inside the module continuously drop; these readings are half-real and half-virtual. The computer within the module operates like a virtual system, fully controlled by staff at the external working center. The participants in the training area are akin to characters in a role-playing game.

“Hang on! As long as there’s breath left, we must keep going! If we give up easily, our efforts will be in vain.”

Give up? The word “give up” has never existed in Lin Mo’s dictionary. If he had truly given up, he would have starved to death in a garbage heap during his childhood.

While rapidly typing on the keyboard, calling on the spacecraft system for adjustments and separate tests, Lin Mo habitually glanced at his left wrist. The gold giant dragon on the computer side was an expert, but the training center forbids participants from carrying their electronic products, even if they have passed security checks.

Gold Coin had no choice but to patiently stay in Lin Mo’s dorm room, unable to access the internet and limited to conducting resource-light experiments, such as circuit design experiments.

“I… I may not pass this test! Damn it, where is the leak?”

Wei Yuni’s breathless voice crackled through the radio. The heavy simulated spacesuit she wore drained her stamina as she moved outside the simulated space module. Although the air circulation and temperature control systems tried their best to maintain the environment inside her spacesuit, they couldn’t prevent her from sweating profusely.

“Shall we isolate the cabin and delay for a moment?”

Number fifteen from the same temporary team was checking the system’s operations without a moment’s pause, helping Lin Mo use the spacecraft’s system for emergency response. Meanwhile, numbers forty-five and fifty-one searched inside the module for the leak.

The entire simulated space module perfectly mimicked the size proportions of a real cabin. Wei Yuni hung outside in her spacesuit, looking for the leak. The elastic safety tether she was secured to played a vital role, not in preventing her from falling into the vast outer space but rather in stopping her from falling down.

After all, this simulated space module uses thousands of high-energy magnetic field nodes that employ the repulsive force of like poles to hover in mid-air, supporting the thirty-five-ton simulated space module as it slowly rolled, mimicking conditions in outer space.

One minute her feet were down, the next moment they were up. Although it couldn’t completely eliminate the force of gravity, moving inside was just as challenging as in outer space.

“Everyone, stay calm and have faith! I’m about to confirm the leak area. Number four, don’t stop; keep searching. You can help speed up our progress from outside.”

Lin Mo, secured in his seat with a seatbelt, frowned. The chief examiner had no authority to share the location of the leak. Finding the leak on such a large hull was no easy task.

Without a technical expert in their group, Lin Mo had to temporarily take on that role. Perhaps the base had considered this when they didn’t assign a technical expert to their team.

If a large object had impacted, they would have been doomed long ago, unable to hold out for twenty minutes. This suggested that only a tiny object had hit the spacecraft, creating a minor leak.

This test wasn’t without purpose. According to NASA statistics, there are about 4,000 operational or decommissioned artificial satellites and rocket debris currently orbiting Earth. Additionally, there are around 6,000 pieces of space debris that can be observed and tracked, while objects larger than one centimeter total over 200,000.

Most of these objects travel at speeds over 20,000 kilometers per hour. This means that a space station in orbit could be struck at any moment by such fragments. This test was indeed purposeful; even a speck the size of a grain of rice, traveling at 20,000 kilometers per hour—equivalent to sixteen times the speed of sound—could cause devastating harm.

When an object impacts, it doesn’t explode or burn but vaporizes instantly.

“I found it! In the S558 area, it’s in a corner! I need tools to take it apart.”

Number fifty-one’s delighted voice echoed down the cabin aisle.

“No, no, that’s not it! That’s just a heat dissipation chamber!” Lin Mo quickly adjusted the control system to check the S558 area, but the results disappointed him; it wasn’t the real leak area.

Five minutes left.

“Keep looking, fifty-one! We need to hurry!”

“Okay! I’m still searching for the leak! Where are you? Show yourself!”

As the module rotated chaotically, the people inside had to frequently change positions and adjust their centers of gravity to adapt to the continuously rolling chamber.

“I found it! Right here!”

“I found it! Over there!”

Almost simultaneously, the surprised voices of number one and number four sounded in the radio.