Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 457 No Team, Only Lin Ran

Behind Bezos, Natarajan wore a smug expression.

He lost money in America, but once he returns to India, there are a million ways to make it back.

Just hearing the name "Tata Group" makes you think of a glamorous, modern multinational corporation under capitalism.

It is a vast empire that owns everything from luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover to high-tech software company Tata Consultancy Services.

However, beneath the guise of a modern enterprise lies a monstrous beast parasitizing the Indian people, bearing a strong colonial character.

This sense of abnormality stems from the Tata Group's unique history and social positioning.

It perfectly combines the most glamorous cloak of charity with the most ruthless capital operation, creating an impenetrable moral halo.

The most striking characteristic of the Tata Group is that it indirectly controls most of its businesses through charitable trusts.

Externally, this was promoted as a model of "India's conscience" and "taking from the people and using it for the people."

For hundreds of millions of ordinary Indians, this charity has not brought about real structural change, but rather provided Tata with moral immunity for its monopolistic practices.

The most typical example is Tata Steel in eastern India.

Their expansion in the mining and energy sectors has led to the extreme exploitation of tribal lands and natural resources.

The living space of local people is squeezed by huge mines and factories, the environment is polluted, and the compensation and job opportunities they can get are insignificant compared with the group's profits and huge market value.

Public protests are often suppressed by the propaganda that "we are the most charitable company in India".

Tata cleverly circumvented stringent environmental regulations and land acquisition restrictions by leveraging its influence, disguising its plunder as nation-building.

This is just one of many cases.

The Tata Group successfully solidified the patron-servant relationship inherited from the colonial era using modern capitalist methods.

Under India's bizarre caste system, this system has rapidly become distorted.

In every decision they make, they exploit the people at the bottom of society in the most ruthless way.

Ten billion US dollars was within Natarayan's acceptable range, and he had already figured out how to pass on the costs to the Indian people.

Tata Power, Tata Communications, and Tata Consumer Products—all of these can reduce costs and increase efficiency.

As for the increased cost of living for the lower classes, that's of no concern to Natarayan.

As for the capital operations surrounding Blue Origin, that's the pure profit.

After Bezos successfully suppressed the Tata Group, he immediately reconnected with Lin Ran's private line.

At this moment, there is not much time left before the emergency separation ignition, which will determine the astronauts' life or death.

Lin Ran was making preparations before directing the course change when Li Xiaoman answered the phone.

Bezos said, "Ms. Li, let professionals handle the professional matters."

Li Xiaoman nodded and said, "We have already confirmed that the $10 billion deposit has been transferred to our account, and President Lin has also been in preliminary communication with your company's chief engineer, Ms. Lisa Carter."

Completing a cross-border transfer of up to $10 billion in less than 30 minutes is something that ordinary bank wire transfers, such as SWIFT, would certainly not be possible, as it would require multiple layers of intermediary banks and complex anti-money laundering audits.

Such speed can only be achieved through the private banking networks of the super-rich or through national-level financial channels.

When Bezos pressed the confirmation button in Florida, he used his top-tier account at JPMorgan Chase Private Bank's wealth management division.

This step is completed in an instant.

The funds were transferred directly from JPMorgan Chase's clearing account to Apollo Technology's designated emergency account via a dedicated high-frequency trading channel.

Because the nature of the funds is clear and there are high-level guarantees, anti-money laundering audits are minimized, and the system can complete the clearing and confirmation within minutes.

After a moment's thought, Bezos said, "The funding issue has been resolved. The Tata Group will cover all expenses. Now we need to discuss the public's perspective."

A thought flashed through Li Xiaoman's mind: "Just as I thought, you guys really know how to play the game. I knew the Americans wouldn't use their own money."

It turns out that an Indian tycoon paid the bill.

Li Xiaoman remained calm and said expressionlessly, "Please speak, Mr. Bezos."

We only care about the professionalism of the rescue operation.

Bezos said, "Great, we hope Apollo Technologies will characterize this operation as purely international humanitarian aid."

Regarding that $10 billion, I hope to present it as the initial injection of a long-term cooperative fund.

This funding comes from the Tata Group and will not appear in Blue Origin's financial statements.

Li Xiaoman nodded in agreement: "You hope to transform the cost of business failure into a model of ethics and international cooperation?"

Bezos explained, "That's exactly right."

Ms. Li, our astronauts and our spacecraft are facing a life-or-death test, and I must ensure their return so that our space program does not become bogged down in a long-term quagmire.

Similarly, your company in China also needs international prestige.

It's a win-win.

Our public messaging can focus on China's paramount respect for human life and its rapid response capability in achieving lunar landings.

After a moment's thought, Li Xiaoman agreed, since he had already forced out 10 billion US dollars from the other party, and it wasn't like he was keeping the fact that Apollo Technology was providing aid secret.

This is the Chinese philosophy of "forgive and forget."

Seeing Li Xiaoman nod, Bezos looked relieved. He didn't have to take the blame, and he could still cooperate with Apollo Technology. The money was squeezed from Tata. Except for the failure to land on the moon this time, it was perfect.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

We will prepare a live broadcast as soon as possible to explain this matter to the public.

The press conference room temporarily set up by Blue Origin.

Jeff Bezos stood behind a makeshift podium, with a giant screen in the background showing the Odyssey spaceship gliding alone into deep space.

His expression was tired yet solemn, with faint bloodshot veins visible in his eyes.

This is a carefully crafted image by his personal team: a moral leader who cares about the lives of his employees.

"Ladies and gentlemen, viewers around the world," Bezos said in a deep voice, with a hint of confidence.

"It is with great sadness that I announce that our Odyssey lunar module has suffered an unprecedented failure of its cryogenic fuel propulsion system."

Due to hardware locking, the spacecraft is unable to brake, and the three brave astronauts are drifting irreversibly into deep space orbit.

Due to the urgency of the situation, only a handful of local reporters who had rushed to the scene were present.

Most of the reporters are in Houston, waiting for big news from NASA.

As for Blue Origin? What kind of third-rate company is that?
The reporters present were both shocked and somewhat excited upon hearing this, as they were witnessing a major event firsthand.

Bezos looked directly at the camera in front of him, paused for a moment, and then said, "We have no time for blame. Faced with the dire situation in space, humanity must unite."

He pointed to the Apollo Technology logo on the screen.

Bezos continued, "At this very moment, I initiated an emergency contact with the office of Mr. Randolph Lin, Chairman of Apollo Technologies in China."

I requested that they utilize their spacecraft deployed on the moon for an unprecedented deep-space rescue.

I am pleased to announce that China has demonstrated the highest level of humanitarianism.

They agreed!
Without hesitation or delay, they immediately approved the rescue operation.

Bezos bowed deeply to the camera.

The official Blue Origin livestream room originally only had a few hundred viewers, but with the announcement of this explosive news, the number of viewers quickly climbed to 5.

After Apollo Technology's emergence, the influx of Chinese netizens brought the number of viewers in the live stream to over 100,000. Blue Origin had never experienced such a level of attention before.

Reporters in the audience raised their hands, hoping to ask questions and obtain more information.

"Mr. Bezos, is this aid provided free of charge?"

"We will cover the costs incurred by China, but the exact amount will be confirmed after the rescue operation." Bezos made no mention of the 10 billion dollar figure.

"Mr. Bezos, why did you request help from China instead of SpaceX? Is it because you and Mr. Musk have a grudge?"

"Of course not. This is because China has the most experience in lunar landings. Their spacecraft is already on the moon, while SpaceX's Starship has already been launched. Their spacecraft on the moon has limited carrying capacity, and they lack experience."

This concerns the lives of three astronauts; this is no joke. If SpaceX had this capability, I would put aside any animosity I might have towards Musk and beg him for help.

However, the reality is that China is the strongest in this regard. Bezos didn't forget to make a sarcastic remark about Musk and SpaceX.

"Mr. Bezos, there are rumors that you and Lin from Apollo Technologies have known each other for a long time. Is that true? Is that why you were able to contact Lin so quickly?"

"Yes, I knew Lin when he was still studying in America. At that time, I had the opportunity to cooperate with him, but some unexpected events occurred, which caused me to miss the early investment of Apollo Technology."

This remains the one thing I regret most in my career.

However, this never affected my friendship with Lin. We had a very good personal relationship, and we both believed that technology should drive human progress.

But what he showed today went far beyond friendship.

I must publicly and unreservedly praise Mr. Lin and his team for their noble character and humanitarian spirit.

Upon learning of the accident involving our astronaut, he did not hesitate and decided to launch a rescue operation.

This proves to the world a truth we firmly believe in: space rescue never discriminates against race, skin color, or national borders!
This is not a white person, not a black person, not an Asian person; this is a collective action of all humanity!
It tells us that it's not only white people who can conduct space rescues; Chinese people can too.

When our spacecraft, carrying astronauts from different cultural backgrounds, encounters danger in space, it is space heroes from another great nation who lend a helping hand.

The success of this rescue will send a clear message to Washington: competition may exist on Earth, but in space, human life and common goals must always take precedence over geopolitical differences.

We hope that this cooperation can be normalized and institutionalized in the future to jointly safeguard the safety and peace of the Earth-Lunar space.

Bezos's statement not only bestowed a huge moral halo upon Lin Ran, but also won him support for diversity and cooperation within the Democratic Party, successfully packaging a business failure as a great victory for the human spirit.

After handing over her work to Lin Ran, Lisa Carter watched her boss's speech in the YouTube live stream and inexplicably thought of Natarajan's whisper: America now is just a larger version of India.

After Bezos's public relations battle came to an end, the real technological battle immediately shifted to the Apollo Technology headquarters in Shenhai.

Lin Ran has now completely taken over command of the astronauts.

Apollo Technologies' remote command center had never been activated in an emergency before.

Who could have known that the first use would be due to such a special circumstance?

The troubles caused by the Indians to the American people should be resolved by the Chinese.

Bezos wasn't wrong; it was indeed international cooperation.

On the main screen in front of Lin Ran was a real-time trajectory prediction chart of the Odyssey spacecraft, the parabola relentlessly extending into deep space.

Lin Ran's voice was directly transmitted into the helmets of the three astronauts.

"Commander Jason, this is Lin Ran."

We have imported the RCS thrust performance curve of the 'Shiva Wings' escape capsule and the weight and center of gravity data you provided.

I recalculated the timing and vectors for the split ignition.

Lin Ran's voice was calm, without the slightest excitement, but every word carried an undeniable authority.

After Lin Ran's brief self-introduction, Jansen calmed down and regained his composure, entrusting his life to the other party.

The same applies to the other two astronauts.

"Listen, your escape pod has very weak RCS thrust, and it only has one chance. We will use an ultra-narrow window: ignition will be performed at the moment when the lunar gravitational gradient is at its maximum and the escape pod's attitude is at its most stable."

Lena Singh, please confirm the final available residual pressure of the RCS propellant.

We must use all remaining thrust to increase speed, while ensuring sufficient fuel for attitude control.

Our target value is 14.85 meters per second, which is the minimum requirement to ensure entry into a free-return orbit.

Lina, the propulsion engineer, was immediately impressed by Lin Ran's precise figures.

She knew that this was more accurate than the 15 meters per second calculated by their own team, meaning that Lin Ran's team had optimized the spacecraft's data in a short period of time than the original manufacturer.

Little did they know, there was no team, only Lin Ran.

Lena was no longer nervous, and she replied, "Yes, sir. The RCS propellant pressure is stable and can provide a safe upper limit for thrust."

14.85 m/s, received!

Lin Ran's gaze fell on the screen, where the spaceship was rapidly approaching the apex of the Earth-Moon transfer orbit.

Lin Ran said, "Commander Jensen, prepare to execute the avalanche separation ignition sequence."

The procedure will consist of three steps: 1. Ignition of the main compartment explosive bolts; 2. RCS attitude stabilization of the escape pod; 3. Ignition of the main thruster pulse.

He broke down the instructions clearly and precisely, ensuring that the astronauts could follow the procedures even under extreme pressure.

Lin Ran continued, "Sarah, before separating and igniting, please manually check the life support system and the integrity of the heat insulation tile protective layer of the escape pod. This is your guarantee of survival."

Sarah immediately threw herself into her work, her scientist's rationality and composure reactivated.

Sarah replied, "Life support system pressure is normal, insulation seal confirmed undamaged, awaiting ignition command."

Lin Ran: "Very good, Commander Jason, get ready, countdown begins."

Carl Jensen took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the numbers on the timer in front of him.

Lin Ran: "30 seconds countdown. Prepare for separation and ignition."

His voice echoed through the communicator, each number like a drumbeat on a heart.

"10 seconds."

The astronaut maintains a posture that withstands the highest acceleration.

5 seconds.

Preparing for separation.

3, 2, 1, Ignition!

At Lin Ran's command, Jason pressed the separation button.

At T+0 seconds, the escape pod separated from the paralyzed main cabin, and the massive explosive bolts ignited instantly, pushing the escape pod away from the main spacecraft.

At T+0.5 seconds, Lina felt a slight tremor.

She stared intently at the attitude control instrument; the RCS thrusters emitted a weak stream of air, quickly stabilizing the escape pod's attitude.

At T+2 seconds, two weak but steady flames instantly shot out from the RCS nozzles at the bottom of the escape pod.

This is the last of all our strength.

This thrust lasted for less than ten seconds, but it forcefully pushed the escape pod's trajectory from deep space orbit toward Earth.

Lin Ran: "Ignition complete! Lina, report the actual speed!"

Lina quickly checked the data: "Mr. Lin! The actual velocity is 14.84 meters per second! Within the allowable error range! I think we should have entered the free return orbit!"

(End of this chapter)