Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 428 Rocket Launch
"Suspend the acquisition?"

Inside the Twin Stars Bar, Black Star and Guan Tong sat at a round table. He was slightly surprised to hear Guan Tong say that he wanted to suspend the acquisition of Flowing Mental Force.

It's been almost two months since the acquisition began, and it's been going on non-stop every day. There must be a reason for its sudden halt. However, the transaction itself wasn't bound by any contract, and Guan Tong didn't specify how long the acquisition would continue.

"If nothing unexpected happens, it will recover next month," Guan Tong said.

Today is the 28th, and tomorrow he will conduct an exploratory experiment.

If everything goes smoothly, that would be best. After the rules are over, he will acquire Flowing Spiritual Power through both North Star's official channels and West Asia Black Star's channels.

“No problem,” Black Star readily agreed. “I will pass the message on to the sellers.”

"Ah."

Guan Tong had only come to give a heads-up, and was about to leave when Bai Xing came over from the bar and called him back.

"Please wait a moment."

Guan Tong stopped and looked at her.

Black Star stood up and lightly scolded her younger sister, White Star: "White Star, what are you doing?"

Bai Xing said, "Hei Xing... Brother, Allen doesn't have much time left. I think we need to seek help! I think this person is more reliable than the one we're looking for!"

Guan Tong seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

When he came with Shangyuan Zi last time, Bai Xing hesitated to speak. It seems this time it's about the same thing.

When Black Star heard his sister mention "Alan," his face darkened, but seeing her stubborn expression, he sighed helplessly after a moment and turned to Guan Tong.

“We do have something we need help with, and we don’t know if you could spare some time to listen to it. If you can help, we are willing to offer all our savings as a reward.”

"what's up?"

Guan Tong wasn't particularly interested in the reward; he was more curious about what could possibly stump Black Star, this well-connected and top-notch middleman.

If I can help, that would be good. After all, it's a good thing to do a favor for a reliable middleman like Black Star.

Black Star looked at White Star: "Since you insist on saying it, then you say it."

Bai Xing nodded, took a photo from the inside pocket of her denim jacket, and handed it to Guan Tong.

Guan Tong took the photo and saw that it was a group photo of three children who looked similar: two boys and one girl.

One of the boys and girls, judging from their eyebrows and eyes, resembled the black and white stars from when they were young. There was also a boy who looked even younger and had a bright smile.

“This is a photo of the three of us siblings,” Bai Xing said. “The youngest one is our brother, Alan.”

Guan Tong returned the photo to Bai Xing and asked, "What happened to him?"

Bai Xing's eyes reddened as she mentioned her younger brother: "Alan... had an accident during the tenth rule."

“Rule number ten,” Guan Tong recalled briefly, “is the rule about [eliminating the five senses].

“Yes.” Bai Xing wiped her reddened eyes. “At the end of the rules, after all five senses were eliminated, Allen fell into a coma and never woke up after the rules ended. Black Star and I tried to use various items and abilities through commissions during those days… but we couldn’t wake him up.”

"..."

Guan Tong knew that although the rule of "eliminating the five senses" had not lasted long, it had left a lifelong shadow on many people.

Many people have developed claustrophobia and other mental illnesses due to this rule. The most severe cases are like Alan, the younger brother mentioned by Shirahoshi, who suffered complete sensory dysfunction during the period when all five senses were lost, becoming a kind of vegetative state from which they could never wake up.

“You are the famous ‘Shadow,’ you must know many important people. I wonder if there is any way to wake Alan up?” Bai Xing asked Guan Tong with hopeful eyes.

Not only her, but even Hei Xing, who was not in favor of her telling the story, was now hoping to hear good news from Guan Tong.

Guan Tong considered for a moment and said, "Since you have already tried various abilities and tools, it means that ordinary medical methods are not working for your brother."

“That’s right,” Bai Xing said. “So we had planned to take a different approach and start from the outside.”

"White Star," Black Star reminded him.

"Why can't we say?" White Star glared at Black Star. "They didn't ask us to keep it a secret, and besides, Allen might not live to see that day!"

"..."

Seeing the two of them behave like this, Guan Tong guessed that the "alternative approach" must be quite special.

Bai Xing paused for a moment, then explained, "We contacted a research lab in Soroma. They offered a feasible method for the future—digitizing Allen's memories via a brain-computer interface, uploading them, and then loading them into an intelligent body, thus allowing him to regain consciousness and wake up in another way."

Digital upload of memories...

Guan Tong asked, "Isn't digital memory backup a technology that several major countries are currently promoting?"

“That’s true, but Allen’s health is deteriorating rapidly. The doctor in charge of his life support system says it’s not a problem with the equipment, but rather Allen’s own will to live is getting lower and lower. If this continues, Allen might not be able to hold on before the memory digitization technology matures, and he’ll have to have surgery sooner! But the risks of doing it sooner are just too high…”

"I see," Guan Tong understood.

"So, you originally planned to take a gamble with this immature technology."

“Yes,” Black Star chimed in. “We know the technology is still very immature and the risks are high, but Allen can’t wait any longer. The surgery is scheduled for the end of next month, but… White Star thought you might have other options, but I didn’t have high hopes.”

As an intermediary who had come into contact with thousands of Ascended, Black Star saw things more clearly and profoundly than her sister White Star.

He knew that although the Ascended Ones had different abilities and tools, and came up with all sorts of strange and varied methods, they had one thing in common: they were very difficult to change the consequences of the rules on humanity.

"The rules are irreversible; this unspoken rule has manifested itself in many ways. For example, parasites cannot revert to being human, and liar-eaters cannot lie again after the rules end. Perhaps Allen..."

“That’s not absolute,” Guan Tong objected. “For example, a mind lock can be broken by circulating mental power.”

Bai Xing wholeheartedly agreed: "You're absolutely right! Bro, you're too pessimistic."

Black Star remained noncommittal, while White Star asked Guan Tong, "Then..."

Guan Tong pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps I can try to help with your brother's matter."

"real?!"

White Star was overjoyed, while Black Star was quite surprised.

"Then let's go take a look now, Allen is in the room behind!" Bai Xing's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

Guan Tong shook her head: "When I said I could help, I meant I would ask someone to try it. I don't have the ability to treat myself."

The person he was referring to was naturally Shi Jingyi.

Shi Jingyi's mastery of mental power was unparalleled; she had previously used it to treat Guan Tong's illness. If Alan was affected by the power of rules, perhaps she could use her precise manipulation of mental power to eliminate the lesions. "Is that so..." Bai Xing was slightly disappointed, but Hei Xing immediately said, "Then please act as an intermediary and make some communication. Regardless of success or failure, we will provide a reward."

"Let's wait until April," Guan Tong said.

He's going to conduct an exploratory experiment tomorrow, and it's too late to ask Shi Jingyi for help now.

After leaving the Twin Stars Bar, Guan Tong teleported back to Pinglu Valley.

As if it could smell his scent, Coal Ball soon rushed out of the forest, ran up to him, wagged its tail, and rubbed its head against him.

Guan Tong patted Coal Ball's head and noticed that its fur was much shinier than before. He smiled and said, "It seems that nature suits you better."

After deciding not to keep the coal briquette in the shelter, he let it live in the mountains. Now it seems that decision was right; for animals, nature allows them to better express their nature.

"I'm going to space tomorrow," Guan Tong said. "It's almost unbelievable to me."

Zhang Minglu's suggestion, though somewhat crazy, was not without reason.

In the unlikely event that the pupil-closing experiment fails and the creature goes out of control, then humans in space would naturally be the safest—this safety refers to humans on Tianshui.

Although this was just Zhang Minglu's opinion, Guan Tong actually knew that his [Shadow Shift] ability had no distance limit.

This means that as long as his mental creations exist on Tianshui, he can return without the aid of a spacecraft, even if he is in space.

But to put Zhang Minglu and the others at ease, he agreed.

It wasn't just that he was so selfless; on the contrary, his own selfishness was a bigger reason—going to space was his dream.

……

Two days ago, Zhang Minglu and Gao Liangwei had a conversation.

"You mean send him into space using the 'Imperial Pioneer' manned rocket?" Gao Liangwei was somewhat surprised by the suggestion after hearing Zhang Minglu's report.

“That’s right!” Zhang Minglu said. “Robert on ‘Dreamboat-1’ sent out a distress signal earlier. At that time, the Soma Space Agency had a launch plan and contacted our agency’s director, Chen Shi. Chen Shi even came to the research lab at the time. Later, because the situation of Robert was uncertain, the rescue plan was temporarily suspended.”

"You want Guan Tong to carry out this plan as well? That's impossible. He's not a professional astronaut, and he probably wouldn't agree to do anything outside the rules of exploration."

“That’s not what I meant. Manager, what I meant was that since Soroma has a launch plan, it means their manned rocket is ready and can be used to send Guan Tong into space. Soroma will definitely agree because they also want to get the exploration results.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Liangwei thought for a moment and said, "Wouldn't this put the astronauts who went with him in danger?"

"That's the key point. I think we can send a smart robot with Soloma to go up there!" Zhang Minglu said. "After the last space colonization plan failed, Soloma decided to replace humans with robot astronauts to avoid danger. Once the robots have established a safe alien survival base, then we can transfer humans there to live there."

"Send Guan Tong and some intelligent robots into space? Would he agree to that?"

"It should be fine. After all, he has been to the city of Solmar and seen how advanced the intelligent robots there are. Without adding any markings, it is almost impossible to tell whether they are human or not. Moreover, the robot's data is transmitted back in real time, so if any problems occur, the ground space center can make remote corrections."

Gao Liangwei shared the same sentiment.

He also recalled that when he first went to Solma to attend the World Federation of Humanitarian Associations meeting, he was amazed by the fact that everyone from the driver to the restaurant waiter was an intelligent robot.

If Soromar can train intelligent robots to drive and work as waiters, why can't they be trained to be astronauts? Perhaps the latter training would be easier, since even the most complex rocket operation is not as complex as the various interpersonal interactions and emergencies in real life.

"Then let's do it this way. I'll report this to the higher-ups, and they should approve it."

After the decision was made, the Beixing decision-making team quickly approved it, and Zhang Minglu then contacted Soloma as a representative, who agreed almost immediately.

First, they also wanted to obtain the results of the exploration; second, after the previous scandal, the Senate was eager to clean up the country's image, and this operation was undoubtedly an opportunity.

And just as North Star had predicted, Soroma had indeed already produced a batch of "astronaut robots." But unlike the humanoid robots used for car pick-up and drop-off, these space robots were almost all in the shape of "multi-clawed octopuses."

That's not surprising.

The design of a robot should serve the application scenario. Robots designed to interact with people are more likely to be humanoid and easier to contact humans. However, robots used in aerospace do not necessarily have to be humanoid; ease of operation is the most important factor. Compared to a humanoid robot with only two short hands and ten fingers, a multi-clawed robot that can freely extend and retract is undoubtedly more suitable for manned rockets.

After both parties made the decision, the matter was secretly advanced to prevent external sabotage.

Over the course of three days, the Countermeasures Research Office at Beixing was responsible for collecting flowing mental energy for Guan Tong to store, while Soroma was working on debugging and optimizing the manned rocket and robots.

……

On the morning of the 29th, Guan Tong arrived at the Somali rocket launch center.

Because the entire experiment was kept secret, very few people knew about it, and only a few essential staff members were at the launch center.

Before Guan Tong boarded the rocket, several professionals explained some key points to him.

“Space travel is different from the near-Earth orbit sightseeing that the wealthy like to visit. Ordinary astronauts need at least six months of training from selection to going into space, including various physical adaptation tests and medical examinations. Now time is tight, and there is no time for that, but fortunately you are a powerful ascendant, and your physical fitness absolutely meets the requirements, so it is not a big deal to skip a lot of training.”

"Along with you on the rocket are six aerospace-grade multi-functional robots. They can handle all the necessary work, so you won't need to touch any of the operating buttons inside the rocket; the robots will do everything for you. If you have any needs, you can speak to them directly in natural language, and they will understand. If you encounter danger, they will guide you to the rescue capsule immediately."

Guan Tong nodded.

Zhang Minglu had already told him this, and he didn't mind going into space with the robot.

Even if he encounters any danger outside the rules, he can immediately use his teleportation ability to return to Tianshui Star, so there is no need to worry too much.

"Finally, we all wish you all the best," the professional said earnestly. "We know you're risking your life for humanity, and that deserves our utmost respect!"

"Thank you," Guan Tong said. "I also hope this trip will be fruitful."

Once everything was ready, he followed the guides to the tower and took a special elevator to the orbital module platform.

Several key personnel from Soma and Beixing were present below the platform. Zhang Minglu, as the initiator of this plan, had also come from Beixing. He gazed at the platform above and saw Guan Tong, wearing a pressure suit, enter the capsule. He thought to himself, "It must succeed!"
As soon as Guan Tong entered the cabin, he smelled a complex, slightly sweet metallic scent, a very novel experience for him.

"Hello," a space robot resembling an octopus with twelve slender metal tentacles announced. "Please take your seat and connect to the equipment."

Guan Tong sat down and connected the oxygen tube, ventilation tube, and telemetry cable on the ground for medical monitoring to her spacesuit.

"Astronauts have been seated. Self-check of the cabin has begun."

"All equipment has been tested and communication is normal."

"The hatch is closed."

With the prompts from the space robot, Guan Tong closed the helmet visor and quietly awaited the final launch.

Externally, the launch tower's rotating platform, which envelops the rocket, unfolds layer by layer, like a giant steel lotus flower, awaiting its final bloom.

About twenty minutes later, everything was ready, and the Somali Space Agency director pressed the red button on the control panel as planned.

"ignition!"

(End of this chapter)