Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 175 Lunar Flight: The Space Race Resumes
The next day, Emil strode into the office, his shoes gleaming, his expression solemn, perfectly embodying the self-cultivation of an outstanding federal bureaucrat.

He first summoned the subordinate who had suggested "outsourcing".

Seated in a large, comfortable leather chair, Emil crossed his arms and placed them on a gleaming oak table, speaking solemnly and righteously.

"I have carefully reviewed your proposal."

He drew out his words, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table. "The idea is bold, but have you considered the President's supreme directives? Have you thought about the significance of 'self-sufficient and controllable supply chains'?"

Emil gave his subordinates no chance to defend themselves, continuing his long-winded explanation, from the grand narrative of national security to the strategic value of containing the development of Dongxia, finally concluding with an unquestionable statement: "Therefore, I cannot approve this plan!"

Then, he changed the subject and pulled a new task sheet from the folder.

"Since you have the energy to think about those advanced ideas, why not put it into more practical work? This is the latest assignment, take a look!"

He casually pushed the task sheet over, as if he were just arranging an afternoon tea.

Undoubtedly, this is a demanding task with an extremely short timeframe that is simply impossible to accomplish under the existing conditions.

Yes, just keep kicking the ball down.

The rest is up to the subordinates to "fully utilize their initiative".

What's a little heartbreaking is that while throwing away the risk, the profit was also thrown away along with it.

However, without these profits, what incentive would his subordinates have to "complete the task"?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A few hours later, on the other side of the ocean, in the technical department of a top precision instrument manufacturing company in Dongxia, several experts were whispering and looking at each other, looking at a photocopy of a technical drawing marked "urgent need" that they had received from a "special commercial channel".

"That's it?"

"What is this garbage..."

"It's just a return to glory, nothing new at all!"

The senior engineer in the lead finally shook his head: "Forget it, the customer comes first. I don't understand, but I have to respect them!"

"Report to the relevant departments, and once approved, start production immediately. Oh, and tell the production department to strictly follow the drawings, and the precision must only meet the lower limit!"

"In addition, have the colleagues in the overseas sales department quickly confirm with the agent where this batch of goods will ultimately be shipped and where it will be 'transferred' from. The process needs to be clear and the paperwork needs to be complete!"

Although the process was full of absurdity and twists and turns, once some high-precision standard parts with "mysterious origins" and "just the right" precision were finally in place, the vast industrial machine of the entire Imperial Federation seemed to finally unleash its last potential, or rather, squander its last reserves!

After numerous delays and technical checks, a rocket carrying a new lunar probe was finally, albeit with difficulty, pushed onto the launch pad.

Well, it's worth noting that the mission objective has quietly changed this time.

The space agency abandoned its previous insistence on a ground landing and instead opted for a more conservative and safer approach—lunar orbiting flight—to conduct long-range lunar reconnaissance.

The official explanation from NASA is: "In order to conduct more comprehensive and systematic multi-angle, long-term scientific observations of the lunar environment, especially of certain 'anomalies,' to lay a solid foundation for future manned landings."

But many people inside the company knew the truth.

The Federation's lunar landing technology was not mature enough; even if they were lucky enough to land on the moon...

Since this creature on the moon has no scalp, the Federation obviously doesn't have a good solution for it for the time being.

We can only wait and see how things go.

The launch of the bald eagle was still filled with a unique kind of noise, with the commander and deputy commander performing, celebrities lending their support, experts praising it wildly, and the stock market soaring.

However, observant viewers will notice that the camera deliberately avoided certain technical details, and the live broadcast was changed to a combination of animation and pre-recorded footage.

This time, Lady Luck seemed to favor the Bald Eagle Federation. The probe successfully entered orbit and, after a period of orbital adjustments, finally began its lunar orbit.

The world's attention is once again focused on this.

The first images of the lunar surface transmitted back by the probe caused a new sensation.

Although the strange lunar creature was not captured, the long trail left by the previous white eagle lander on the lunar surface was clearly visible under high-definition lenses.

Those were not naturally formed ravines or remnants of a meteorite impact.

A messy and rough trail, like a giant plowshare slashing across the lunar surface, began at the landing site of the "Return to Glory" lander and stretched into the distance.

The soft lunar soil was roughly turned over, revealing a darker layer of rock underneath. Large and small, angular pebbles were scattered around the edges of the trace, clearly caused by some kind of collision.

What's even more astonishing is that this shocking "scar" doesn't extend in a straight line; it actually makes several obvious turns and changes in direction along the way.

Clearly, the dragger was not aimlessly moving, but was consciously choosing its path, avoiding obstacles such as larger lunar rocks and meteorites.

The trajectory meandered and twisted until it finally disappeared at the entrance to a huge, deep lunar cavern, resembling the eye of a demon, where it abruptly ended.

It seems that the indescribable, eerie creature, dragging its spoils—the valuable lander—silently slipped beneath the lunar surface and returned to its unfathomable lair.

This scene, broadcast live, instantly ignited the boundless imagination of the audience.

On social media, topics such as "lunar drag marks," "it's home," "the abyss beneath the moon," and "the underground world" instantly went viral.

Meanwhile, another group of people were staring at the screen, their minds wandering.

This is not only evidence of the existence of life, but also suggests a possible, complex underground ecosystem or structure!

Even those long-dormant legends about the moon possibly being some kind of man-made celestial body, or even an ancient alien spaceship, have once again resurfaced and surfaced in the minds of countless people.

The world's curiosity was completely aroused by this bizarre, underground final answer.

Following this great achievement, the media in Bai Diao began to report on it extensively, forcibly creating a new round of victory celebration.

"The Empire has obtained the latest secrets about the moon!"

"Blue Star's leading exploration technology reveals unprecedented details about the mysterious creature!"

"Dongxia's ten lunar explorations yielded nothing, while the bald eagle's one observation revealed nothing. Even God is on the bald eagle's side!"

You know what, you really can't believe it, as long as you find the right angle, you can win no matter what!
Of course, this thing, which was hastily launched, still has a lot of minor problems.

In particular, some of the parts came from the Ganges Lotus Federation, the place known as the "Father of Democracy".

Of course, there is still a little controversy surrounding this term.

The Bald Eagle Federation considers itself the "Father of Democracy," while the Ganges Lotus Federation, the most populous democratic nation, should naturally be called the "Mother of Democracy!"

The two major democracies combined are invincible!
But the Ganges Lotus Federation disagreed, because they saw everything as female... so they felt they should be male!

In short, this lunar flyby was fraught with peril. The main camera's focusing motor would occasionally malfunction, resulting in photos that were sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, and sometimes a complete mess.
Several additional scientific detection systems on the probe inexplicably and intermittently failed, like a seizure, working on and off, and you never knew which one would be able to function at any given moment; the energy output was also a few percentage points lower than expected, and it was unknown when the low-voltage protection would trip.

Every instruction uploaded and every data received was accompanied by the devout prayers of the engineers at White Eagle.

Finally, when the probe completed its seventh lunar orbit and began to show obvious signs of attitude instability and inability to be calibrated, the control center issued an order to terminate the exploration and focus on transmitting data back.

When the last batch of encrypted data packets was successfully transmitted back to Earth, cheers and applause erupted in the control center, a sound akin to surviving a catastrophe. Despite the chaotic process and high costs, they had ultimately completed a lunar reconnaissance mission and obtained invaluable data!

As for that lunar orbiter, it should be able to stay around for a while longer and continue to serve its purpose.

The media began to hype up this "great technological victory," claiming that the White Eagle had regained the initiative in the lunar race.

Dongxia offered their congratulations politely, while continuing to advance the "Invitation to the Moon Project" with an almost suffocatingly calm demeanor.

On the one hand, the East China Space Agency announced that it would advance all its original lunar exploration and base construction plans, stating that it would complete the initial deployment of the first small modular lunar research base within the next three years.

The location of the base clearly points to the landing site of the earliest Dongxia lander on the moon—the polar edge region where the bald eagle relentlessly pursued and fed their "Return to Glory" lander to the "little white" eagle.

It adopted a tough stance of relentlessly vying for control of this strategic location from the bald eagle, sparking numerous speculations about "land grabbing on the moon."

On the other hand, the latest instructions were sent to the lunar surface through the opening of the second teleportation altar.

"Take all available supplies and equipment and move southeast along the lava pipe, being careful to stay within the underground cavern."

"According to the designated schedule, conduct a brief ground maneuver, re-enter the underground from the predetermined coordinates, and after reaching the new secondary cave branch, immediately deploy equipment and rebuild the forward base."

"Mission Name: [Deep Nest]!"

This is a classic case of feigning one's intentions while secretly advancing another.

Using the latest batch of engineering robots, hastily produced after the altar was opened, and in conjunction with the newly transferred miniaturized and stable magic array base, the teleportation beacon located on the lunar surface was safely moved more than 100 kilometers to the southeast!
This is the core of lunar surface development!

Thus, beneath the surface of the moon, in that vast, dark labyrinth never before visited by humankind, a silent relocation began.

Little White faithfully carried out the order.

Its specialized multi-legged skeletal structure moved swiftly across the rugged cave floor, directing the engineering machinery to work together to disassemble, pack, and secure the precious equipment from Dongxia—miniaturized 3D printers, material processing units, solar charging panels, energy storage modules, and most importantly, the secondary seat of the teleportation altar.

According to the precise timetable given by Dongxia, when the white eagle's lunar orbiter was overhead, Xiaobai and the newly arrived engineering robot were hiding deep in the cave, staring at each other.

When the lunar probe wobbled and flew to the other side of the moon, temporarily losing its ability to monitor this side, "Xiaobai" and the engineering robots immediately went into overdrive, carrying, dragging, and shouldering large and small bags, hurrying on their way.

The engineering robots bringing up the rear would carefully start small jet engines, kicking up lunar dust to erase as many traces of their journey as possible.

They moved along, stopping and starting, taking advantage of time differences to sneak around, and after more than a dozen Earth days, they finally arrived at the new location chosen by Dongxia.

Once again, they ventured into deeper and more hidden underground caverns, and Xiaobai took the lead in starting a new round of base construction.

Thus, with two bases, one overt and one covert, the overt bases used rockets and lunar landers to conduct exploration and lay the groundwork bit by bit, while the covert bases used altars to transport supplies and carry out on-site construction operations.

Xiaobai's first task was to level the ground, and then use the materials he brought to print out the basic structural components to build a simple but sturdy sealed cabin frame.

Next came laying the wiring and installing miniaturized air circulation and hydroponic system units transmitted from the altar.

Energy is the biggest challenge. In the overall plan for Dongxia, the construction of the basic living environment must be completed first, then personnel can land, and finally, under the guidance and operation of personnel, the nuclear fusion power plant can be set up.

The main focus is on stability.

At present, only a small amount of thermal and solar energy can be used to supplement electricity, and we also have to avoid the occasional flying white eagle aircraft. Therefore, the main force for stable construction is still the white eagle.

Every step was difficult and slow.

This was the first permanent settlement established by humanity beneath the moon. There were no cheers, no spectators, only a cold, burning soul and a few tireless arms, slowly but surely expanding their alien home.

During this period, the East China Space Agency launched several high-performance relay satellites, which were deployed at the Earth-Moon Lagrange point and in lunar orbit, and began to systematically build navigation, communication and remote control support modules covering the lunar surface.

Not to be outdone, the bald eagles, building on their initial technological accumulation, united dozens of participating countries in the Cynthia Project. Those with money contributed, and those without... also contributed!
Despite the enormous costs and the dilapidated state of its industrial base, it forcibly launched a series of ambitious projects, including a lunar orbiter, unmanned lunar landings, manned lunar landings, and super-powerful rockets.

A new era of space race, with a wider scope, has begun once again.
During this process, the bald eagle also launched several strategic counterattacks against Dongxia, which the Grand Commander described as "extremely beautiful" and "genius-like."

First, they regained the support of the Twin-Headed Eagle Federation.

Through a series of secret diplomatic maneuvers and exchanges of interests that critics have called “betraying allies and appeasement,” the Bald Eagle and the Twin Eagle Federation, two historical rivals, have once again re-established deep cooperation in the field of aerospace technology.

The Twin-Headed Eagle Federation, a long-established superpower that once rivaled the Bald Eagle in the field of space exploration for decades, possesses profound aerospace technology, ranking among the top three on Earth.

Despite the near-stagnation of its space program in recent years due to economic hardship and a loss of direction, the loss of a large number of talents, and the aging of equipment, the blueprints sealed in the archives, the classic "clumsy and crude" rocket designs that have long been discontinued but are still in operation, and the self-contained engineering philosophy that has withstood the test of extreme environments, remain irreplaceable treasures.

The White Eagle's commander-in-chief had been exchanging pleasantries with the tough leader of the Double-Headed Eagle. In the wars over the years, the White Eagle had never personally intervened, leaving much room for negotiation between the two sides.

The Bald Eagle's leader personally called the Two-Headed Eagle's leader, known for his toughness and pragmatism. The content of the call was not made public, but it is widely speculated that it must have included a large number of technology-sharing commitments.

As for what the double-headed eagle gained, who knows?

After all, they were the kind of people who would sell themselves to join the free society back then. Now, the free society is beckoning them and legitimizing some of their less-than-honorable invasions. When interests are at stake, what enemies are there?
Soon, the cooperation between the two parties began in full swing.

The Twin-Headed Eagle presented a high-thrust liquid oxygen/kerosene engine; durable materials proven in extreme cold and radiation environments; and a simple, rudimentary, yet extremely reliable life support system design…

The archaeological-level space technology of the double-headed eagle made up for some of the shortcomings of the white eagle and greatly accelerated the white eagle's lunar landing process.

The media in the White Eagle began to revel in the powerful alliance of technologies from the free world, while the media in the Double-Headed Eagle hailed the return of ancient glory. The deal was touted by both sides as an "elevation of traditional friendship" and a "strategic collaboration to address common challenges."

The Eastern Xia were quite used to this.

Over the years, this has happened more than once or twice.

According to the "Cihang" project command center and analysis experts in Dongxia, this is more like an attempt to huddle together for warmth between "antique technology" and "deindustrialized bloated body".

A senior analyst made a vivid analogy during an internal briefing.

"An old boxer who was once strong enough to lift a heavy weight but now has atrophied muscles met a playboy who, although wearing an expensive suit, has long been ruined by wine and women. The two supported each other and declared that they were going to climb Mount Everest."

"Even without the technology of the Starry Sky World, we are not afraid of them!"

The Bald Eagle Federation's second move was to deliberately create local conflicts around Dongxia.

While competing head-on with rivals, how can one live up to the title of the legitimate heir to a maritime power without resorting to underhanded tactics, sabotage, or poison?

Looking at the policies of the Bald Eagle in recent years, there is no doubt that they are full of this style: putting aside whether it is beneficial or not, harming others is the most important thing.

As a result, with the adjustment of the Bald Eagle Federation's strategic deployment on Blue Star, a large amount of military, diplomatic, and economic resources began to be tilted towards the surrounding areas of Dongxia.

Leading the charge were two “tense neighbors” of Dongxia, two vicious dogs, one in the east and one in the south.

(End of this chapter)