Chapter 438

Chapter 438: Five Hundred Years Too Early

“Number eighteen, follow orders!” Lin Mo’s voice floated over, reminding everyone not to let their new astronaut candidate status go to waste by clashing with superiors.

“Uh!” Meng Yinan saw Lin Mo’s stern gaze and hesitated to speak, feeling very reluctant to close her mouth.

“Major General Sun, why is that? Can you explain the reasoning to us? I want to know if this selection process is fair?”

It was Wei Yuni who spoke again. She didn’t directly question her superior’s decision but shifted the topic to the issue of “fairness,” changing the tone significantly.

Even the training center had to face the attitudes of the astronaut candidates, especially since others shared the same puzzled expressions.

Major General Sun seemed to understand their feelings but stated without bias, “I originally had high hopes for number one. However, the decision was not mine; it was higher up. The reasons for elimination are certainly not one but are a composite consideration. I assure you, I have looked into the reasons for each person’s elimination. This selection process is absolutely fair and just; regarding number one…”

His next words captured everyone’s attention, making them listen intently. Many found number one’s elimination unbelievable; after all, who could have poor mental resilience while executing an ultra-low altitude Cobra maneuver?

Physical fitness? That was limitless; he had sent the Punching Power Test Machine flying! Even if his IQ and memory weren’t the strongest, his attention allocation ability put everyone miles ahead, and with perfect piloting skills, wasn’t he the best choice to be captain of the space shuttle?!

“According to the selection criteria, number one is impeccable in physical fitness, mental resilience, intelligence, and skills. In fact, he is one of the best candidates I’ve seen since I’ve taken on this responsibility.”

“However!… Despite his excellent qualities, which even exceed our requirements, he still has shortcomings. This is not the training center nitpicking; everyone has their flaws. While some people’s weaknesses impact other areas without affecting space careers, the training center couldn’t possibly let him pass. Unfortunately, number one’s weaknesses do not align with the demands of a space profession.”

“The issue with number one has sparked several heated discussions among the training center’s higher-ups and dragged on until the very last round. Medical experts, biological experts, engineering experts, and several of the nation’s top specialists held discussions. In the end, they still made the decision to eliminate him, citing a few reasons for his unsuitability for a space career.”

“The first reason is that number one has an enormous appetite. The record for food consumption is 40 people’s worth. Yes, he directly set a new record for the Aerospace Department’s greatest eater. While that isn’t too bad, eating a lot isn’t a crime, and it’s not his fault. The astronaut center has a solution: Concentrated Energy Bars, which won’t require more weight than regular space food and can even save load weight. However, as with most things, there are pros and cons. The downside is that, from a biological perspective, while he can fully digest this food and convert it into bio-energy for physical needs, it doesn’t place excessive stress on water reserves, since water is always recycled. However, according to the law of conservation of energy, he needs to consume 17% more oxygen than the average person.”

“A meal can be skipped, but breathing cannot stop. If he goes into outer space, his oxygen consumption will significantly burden the spacecraft’s oxygen reserves, which could even affect the efficiency of the oxygen conversion unit. In a sealed environment, excessive carbon dioxide, if not cleared in time, poses a severe threat to the health and safety of others.”

“The second point is that number one’s explosive strength exceeds the limits of the spacesuit. It is highly likely to cause damage. Currently, there is no better space gear that can accommodate number one’s action limits. If something goes wrong, it will not happen on Earth but in outer space, where any damage could be deadly. While the military possesses full-body protective gear for number one, it is only meant for atmospheric use, with oxygen support far inferior to that of a spacesuit. Furthermore, its ability to defend against various radiations in outer space is inadequate.”

“In addition to these two points, there are a few other factors, but I won’t delve into them here. If we evaluate number one as a star soldier, he completely meets the standards. However, at our current technological level, the nation hasn’t developed suitable spacecraft or spacesuits for number one. Even if they were made, it would take decades or even centuries, long past number one’s viable career period in space. Therefore, the training center cannot waste taxpayers’ money on number one.”

Major General Sun shrugged and raised his hands, standing up as he added, “Alright, I’ll stop here; you all should rest well today. Tonight, the training center will host a banquet attended by the leadership. There will be a small amount of drinks, and there will not be a next time.”

As they watched Major General Sun leave, the candidates—now astronauts and the eliminated ones—exchanged glances.

The reasons for number one’s elimination were hard to believe. Everyone here was highly intelligent and soon realized a deeper layer to the situation.

It wasn’t that he didn’t meet the standards, but that he had surpassed them, exceeding the training center’s current capacity.

Perhaps only a space battleship or an aerospace fighter could suit Lin Mo, but neither was available now. No country had produced such super-tech products, and even if the nation’s top technology reserves could achieve it, there were no suitable astronauts, nor could they build one just for Lin Mo.

How frustrating to be born five hundred years too early!

Everyone looked at Lin Mo with a mix of sympathy and pity.

Yet Lin Mo himself remained unperturbed, maintaining a calm smile, continuing to snack on treats from the table. With low blood sugar, he thought, “If you’re not eating, I will.”

As for whether or not he became an astronaut, it truly didn’t matter to Lin Mo.

“Boss, you’re not sad, right?” Seeing her boss happily munching away, Meng Yinan wondered if Lin Mo was channeling his disappointment into his appetite now that he wasn’t selected.

“Sad? Why would I be sad?” Lin Mo casually finished his own treat, feeling justified as he reached for others’ snacks.

Major General Sun’s words were not exaggerated; the chef’s skills were indeed excellent—both exquisite in presentation and surprisingly good in taste.

“Ah? Uh! You’re not sad? Shouldn’t you express something about being eliminated?”

Meng Yinan, as a junior, couldn’t understand Lin Mo’s mindset at all.

The other three who were also eliminated seemed to lack any appetite, their faces showing a subtle disappointment. But Lin Mo seemed completely unfazed, as if he was just there to snag food, not to audition for astronaut positions.

“Express? Express what? I’m just here for the experience. I have more important things to do,” Lin Mo said, brushing crumbs from his hands. His watch, adorned with gold coins, shook slightly, concealing storage chips that held a part of the training center’s complete technical archives.

Such a stroke of luck, unexpected technology fell from the sky, almost complete enough to create replicas easily.

If even a tiny bit of this space technology leaked, it would surely lead to disaster; one person and one dragon could end up being shot to the moon without a spacesuit.

Even now, the training center and the Aerospace Department held deep resentment—if they caught the culprit, they would surely exact revenge.

The Long March II is capable of carrying offensive weapons, including nuclear warheads, allowing for a devastating global strike with no dead angles. It’s incredibly ruthless!

Besides the Second Artillery, the Aerospace Department is another force not to be underestimated.

At this moment, Lin Mo just wanted to leave. Only he and the gold coin knew that in the recent attack, they had been the biggest winners.

As for the attackers who did the dirty work, the sly gold giant dragon subtly made traps, ended up getting nothing and bore the full brunt of the anger from the Aerospace Department and the Chinese military.

The truth is indeed unspeakable!

Wherever the Dragon Knight goes, robbery follows, and even their own people are not spared; this “crime” has been thoroughly solidified.

Moreover, an unfinished super fighter rested in the hangar of “Night.” Upon seeing the technical catalog given by the gold coin, he had a surge of ideas, eager to rush back and make adjustments.

Although space and aviation differ by just one character, space technology is on a level far beyond aviation technology. Lin Mo and the gold coin could surely digest this technology and apply it, transforming it onto that unfinished “monstrous” aircraft.

“More important things?” Meng Yinan felt that nothing could be more important than becoming an astronaut; her boss’s seemingly casual attitude puzzled her.

What a pity if he didn’t become an astronaut!

Not just Meng Yinan, even Wei Yuni felt it was a shame. With strengths in technology, fitness, and mentality, number one was exceptional. However, Major General Sun’s reasoning made sense; the carrier capacity for space was strictly limited, making every gram increase in payload challenging. Otherwise, the capacity of the rockets would not only barely reach around ten tons.

Wang Xuejun, who usually looked down on Lin Mo, didn’t feel any schadenfreude at that moment. If he opposed the consensus now, he would surely be sidelined in the future. An astronaut without cooperation was destined to sit on the sidelines forever.

To show concern for number one, he also shared a few comforting words.

However, no one believed Lin Mo’s claim of being indifferent and at peace.