Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Ninghe was in position at the start of the runway and the flaps had been adjusted to the takeoff position.

In front of Shangluo, the two captains with their backs to him were making the final confirmation.

The aircraft had two systems: solid propulsion and pulse detonation, each with its own four sets of instruments arranged in the cockpit: oil, electricity, hydraulics, and gas. Eight sections in total. In front of the pilot, overhead, and to the side, every area within reach was crammed with gauges and switches. Anything that couldn't fit was piled onto the panel wall next to Shangluo.

The two systems were forcibly juxtaposed, leaving little room for double-checking. Beyond the basics like the gyroscope and altimeter, the instruments before the two pilots featured no duplicate dials or switches. Every switch served a unique and essential purpose. Specifically, the pulse detonation system was in the pilot's seat, while the solid-propulsion system was in the co-pilot's seat, with each pilot controlling each system independently.

Even if a normal person had three heads and six arms, they couldn't handle this mechanical monster. But a cultivator in the Qi training stage could.

"Unlock the fuel shutoff valve, start boost pumps one through six, and prime the oiler."

Captain Lin performed a final check on the deflagration pulse engine. Though appearing unhurried, they were actually quite tense. Every maneuver was meticulously communicated to their colleagues in the adjacent seats, and nothing was done without verbal instructions. However, these two Nanyang captains not only spoke in Minnan dialect, but also at a speed so rapid it sounded like garbled text, completely catching Shangluo's blind spot.

"Adjust the igniter to the double-fire position. Prepare to ignite!"

With that, they both placed their hands on the buttons on the central console. To prevent the plane from becoming a bomb by mistake, the booster rockets were set to require pressing both sides simultaneously to ignite.

The ignition command was given by the captain himself. Captain Lin took a deep breath and began to count down:

"Five, four, three, two, one. Fire!"

The huge push on his back pressed Shangluo directly onto the seat. His mind was blank and he even ignored the terrifying scream of the rocket.

The mechanic's seat had a fantastic view. Shangluo was lucky enough to be in the front row of the roller coaster. The scenery on either side rapidly receded, then suddenly turned the color of the sea—the plane had already lifted off and was over the sea, but he was still pinned down to the seat, with no sense of weightlessness at all.

"It's time to climb, grit your teeth!" Captain Lin took the time to turn around and shout, and without caring whether Shangluo could hear him or not, he started to pull the control stick hard.

The gas rudder and wing surfaces worked together, and the aircraft suddenly lifted its nose, changing from level flight to a climbing attitude in more than a second.

Inertia dragged the blood away from his brain. Shangluo's vision darkened, he could hear nothing, and the world seemed to recede. But the anti-gravity suit, tightly pressed against his limbs, forced some of the blood back in, preventing him from completely blacking out.

The blackness gradually faded, and the vibrations and roaring returned. Shangluo's hips were completely numb, as his entire body was pinned to the backrest. Pressure surged through his body, like being wrapped in a python, gradually tightening.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the pilots—not wearing any protective gear, they were still operating the aircraft, their hands never leaving the joysticks, even able to hold a conversation. It was just that the noise was so loud that Shangluo couldn't hear a word.

He noticed that the joystick remained motionless in their hands, as if nailed to the ground. The vibrations transmitted through the wing wires were firmly locked in place by their arms. Despite the vibrations of the rocket, the entire aircraft flew incredibly smoothly, leaving Shangluo with no sensation other than the "push on the back."

When everything stabilized, the plane began to climb steadily. Although the push on his back still pressed him against the seat, at least he could breathe now.

Suddenly, without any warning, the push on my back disappeared.

"Altitude 11721 meters. We have reached the scheduled altitude." Captain Chen in the co-pilot seat reported the data.

We're there so soon? Shangluo didn't even have time to adjust before the climb ended.

"Separate the boosters." Captain Lin gave an order to the person beside him.

"Understood." The co-pilot pulled the handle to separate the booster rockets on both sides - however, he did not report the reply of "booster separation" back.

Captain Lin looked over and asked, "What's going on?"

"It's stuck, there's no separation."

"Take out the manual and turn to page 42." Without saying a word, the two men seized every opportunity to start flipping through the book.

The high-speed divine speech continued, still in the ridiculously fast Minnan dialect, and Shangluo couldn't understand a single word.

"Well, what's the matter?" he asked Apollonia.

【Would you like me to provide simultaneous interpretation for you? 】

"No, but why are they talking so fast? What happened?"

This is their normal working speed. They are professionally trained Qigong pilots, the aces of the Aurora Air Force, capable of flying aircraft that ordinary people cannot operate. For example, some advanced fighters use statically unstable configurations, requiring constant manual balancing. An average person's energy and attention would be drained in the first half hour of takeoff, but Qigong practitioners can do it, even relying on their own Qi sense. Remember the exercises Wen Yuan practiced?

"Are you talking about the Leilangtian Sutra?"

If I'm not mistaken, the Leilang Heavenly Scripture aims to cultivate such ace pilots. They won't be drained of their aircraft's energy, but rather can exploit it to its full potential, allowing them to perform incredible maneuvers in aerial combat to evade incoming fire. They then find the perfect angle of attack, capitalizing on every opportunity to fire and deliver a single kill. A single sortie can annihilate an entire squadron of enemy aircraft, or even suppress the entire air force of a small nation.

"Ah this."

"Want to learn? Just call me Master. What are you doing? Don't bring the hammer! I was wrong! I can't teach you! But I can open it for you. Remember that card? And now this music box. I can push their power to its limits, and even outperform those Qigong practitioners."

"So you can fly this plane too?"

"Of course. So don't worry, they're currently troubleshooting the problem by consulting the manual. If they can't fix it, I'll be able to take over. But that's a last resort, as I'll be exposed. So you need to convince them to leave the cockpit first. So, read it yourself; I can't do this 'action'."

"I can only touch what's at hand. Each system on this aircraft is independent of itself. How would I know which one to read and where to start? Can I even open the door and climb out to feel around?"

"If that's what you want, wait a minute. Actually, you can do this. Take me out and put me next to the dashboard."

Shangluo took the ball from the music box and brought it close to the mechanic's panel. A golden thread extended from the ball, spreading out and seeping into the interior of the instrument panel.

This technique is called "Pulse Diagnosis with a Hanging Thread." Sun Wukong is not lying. This way, you can read information without interfering with the machine's operation. Because you are the one doing the "reading," not me. I am merely a tool. You read me. How's it going? Did you get it right? Doctor Shang.

Chapter 53 Big Plan!!!

"Hmm?" Shangluo frowned and thought for a while.

The plane had already leveled off, and the two pilots ahead were still looking through the manuals. Following the principle of "eight shoulds and one against," they wouldn't act blindly, but would first try to troubleshoot the problem according to the procedures.

"No, we're running out of time." Captain Lin looked up. "We don't have time to check everything later. We need to operate now. Our speed and altitude are dropping very quickly."

"The probability is about 23%." Captain Chen calculated on his fingers. "According to the manual, the probability of rescue is only this high. Let's make an emergency landing and go back first."

"Okay, divert." Captain Lin picked up the transmitter and began to tune in to the airport radio. Suddenly, he noticed a shadow behind him.

Shangluo unbuckled his seatbelt and came out by himself, looking around.

"Xiao Shang, don't be anxious, let's do it now. Hey! What are you doing? Why are you holding a hammer?" Captain Lin was about to stand up to stop him, but Shang Luo jumped and hit the ceiling with a hammer.

The fuselage suddenly became lighter.

"Holy crap! The boosters separated!" Captain Chen yelled. "Look, Old Lin! The lights are on!"

"Huh?" Captain Lin was stunned for a moment. He looked at the indicator light, then at Shangluo.

He opened the cockpit door and walked out. The wing was at the rear, out of sight from the cockpit, so he had to go to the passenger cabin to look.

Ten seconds later, he came back with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

"What did you do? How did you get out? The release valve here hasn't been pressed yet."

"I pressed its Baihui acupoint." Shangluo answered truthfully.

The cabin fell into silence. The two people stopped operating the plane and just looked at him.

"Professional!" Captain Lin suddenly led the applause, and the other pilot followed suit. Both pilots stopped flying and applauded him.

"Oh, I remember now." Old Chen slapped his forehead. "He's that Shangluo! Isn't he the one who brought the generator back to life with a single hammer blow? What's his name? He's got a very sharp mind, right? He's very professional. We feel relieved to have you around."

"Are you hungry after the ritual? Come here, we have airplane meals—actually, we also have flight attendant service, but we don't have it on this flight. We have airplane meals ready."

The small tabletop fell down, revealing Shangluo's table laden with food. Everything except radishes. Snacks like jelly were handed to him right in the packaging, piled in front of him.

Why do they always think you get hungry after performing rituals?

"Maybe that's how Qigong practitioners get hungry after hearing about luck. Wen Yuan is like that. He just ate a lot. But I don't have any luck at all. I'm not hungry at all, and I can't eat anything in this situation."

After jettisoning the boosters, the aircraft has now entered normal operating conditions.

But this "normal" state wasn't quite normal. The four pulse detonation engines were operating at full power at 12000 meters, the aircraft having long since broken the sound barrier. The sounds of the world were forgotten, but the vibrations from the engines were even more intense than before.

The four engines' operating frequencies were not only uneven, but also formed a strange resonance, vibrating him so much that his whole body was in a trance and his head hurt.

The two pilots didn't care at all. They hadn't just been heating up Shangluo's food; the climb had consumed a lot of their "true energy," and they needed to replenish it.

While Captain Lin gripped the joystick, Captain Chen was eating with his plate in hand, but the violent vibrations didn't stop him from enjoying his food. He held a water cup in his right hand, the water inside stagnant, the vibrations from the engine absorbed by his body.

As if sensing a strange gaze from behind, Captain Chen turned back to glance at Shangluo:

"Shangluo, aren't you hungry?"

"I'm a little~~shaky~~~and can't eat~~~~" Shangluo's voice shook along with the vibrating fuselage.

"A little, indeed. Then you should eat the jelly. It's good stuff and can help you regain your strength quickly. And the jelly has a straw, so it won't spill even if you shake it."

Jelly. Shangluo opened the jelly box and saw the jelly.

Those children's foods labeled "jelly" on the packaging had now been shaken into a finely divided and evenly distributed semi-solid paste, even separated into layers, as if they had just been taken out of a centrifuge.

"Uh" Captain Chen looked for a while, took out a small notebook and wrote down the situation.

"Jelly, its appearance has changed and it's not suitable for boarding. So, Shangluo, do you have any opinions or suggestions for this flight?" After the rocket separated, the co-pilot seat was much emptier than before. Before Captain Lin asked him to take over, he could do some non-flight work, such as collecting passenger opinions.

"Article 15." Shangluo pointed to his back. "You've almost straightened my spine. Can you give this chair a little curve?"

"That makes sense, that makes sense. After becoming Qigong practitioners, many of our ideas have changed, so your opinions are invaluable." He nodded as he took notes. These valuable interview records, along with the aircraft's operational status, would be compiled back to Nanyang to prepare for the next generation of supersonic passenger aircraft.

He was just taking notes when suddenly the sun shone from behind him. It was daybreak.

Shangluo also looked out the window. The sun was near the horizon, but it hadn't yet risen from the ground. A golden ray of light spilled out, illuminating the sea of clouds and the entire skyline.

That's the terminator.

"Yes." Captain Chen closed his notebook. "Although you have so many opinions and suggestions, your trip is definitely not in vain. What you are witnessing now is a shining moment of human civilization. We are chasing the terminator, and soon we will surpass it. The linear speed of the Earth's rotation at this latitude is 1447 kilometers per hour. We have already surpassed the Earth."

"Lan Fang will show the world the height of human civilization." Captain Lin added, looking forward:

"But we won't stop here. We certainly know this plane is dangerous. But as Qigong practitioners, we will charge to the frontiers of human civilization. We will demonstrate the heights that humans can reach, and in doing so, inspire the entire world to move in a brighter direction. This is our responsibility, and it is also the teachings of the Taoist Ancestor. Humanity will eventually fly faster, higher, and even stronger. Do you understand me?"

He's not talking nonsense. He seems to be trying to get you to talk, and he seems to have guessed that you really want to ask about 'space suits'.

"Can we go further? What should we use?" Shangluo asked.

"Well, actually, this isn't really a secret. The court knows about it. But we're willing to tell you this because you've demonstrated a talent that's enough to propel humanity to new heights. So, it's okay to tell you. But you can take a guess."

"I guess you want to build a rocket to launch it into space?" Shangluo chose the correct answer right away.

"Ha, kid, you saw this rocket and think we're going to go the rocket route? You're too pessimistic. This rocket is just a scrap. We've researched sounding rockets, but we found that delivering a payload of just a few dozen kilograms would require a rocket weighing thousands of tons. That's a complete waste of resources. How can we use such inefficient and makeshift technology? Humanity deserves a brighter future. How can we afford to waste time like salted fish playing with firecrackers? Lan Fang's sounding route has been a grand plan from the very beginning, bigger, more complete, and all-in-one!"

He turned to look at Shangluo. "Lan Fang's headquarters, Pontianak, is located right on the equator. Leveraging this unique geographical advantage, we plan to build a spaceport in Lan Fang, a true ladder to heaven! This ladder will be able to conveniently transport materials and personnel into space, thereby opening up new frontiers for human civilization, even all the way to the moon and the vast sea of stars beyond!"

"Oh!!!" Shangluo understood and became a little excited. "Could it be that what you are going to build is..."

"That's right! Lan Fang's plan is this—the Moon Cannon!!! We're going to build a giant cannon, the likes of which has never been seen before and will never be seen again. We're going to use this cannon to send Qigong astronauts to the moon! Ha, kid, judging by your expression, you must be frightened by our ambitious plan!"

Chapter 54 Lunar Cannon

"Moon Cannon." Shangluo's first reaction was outrageous. He wondered if the people at Lan Fang Company were being overly optimistic, because this was clearly a wrong path.

But if you think about it carefully, this outrageous plan is not completely impossible.

Qigong practitioners have unlimited room for development. Even piloting a piston fighter jet can suppress an entire nation's airspace. They can obviously do much more, even opening a true "ladder to heaven" leading to the sea of stars.

But is it really reliable to use cannons to send humans into space?

[Well, actually, from a psychohistorical perspective, humans did have a period of optimism. For example, in 1865, Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon described a cannon that could launch humans from Earth to the Moon.]

"Wait, I've always had a question - how do you know what's happening here? Did you also travel through time?"

"Of course not. I know because your knowledge has been projected into the Akashic Records. You have a place in that 'library.' Of course, that's limited to 'knowledge.' I can't access the content you consider private. Only the knowledge you consider 'public domain' is accessible to me. For example, you seem to know how to use a string of tags to drive AI, generating some strange and obscure things."

"Hold on! So the previous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was also that?"

"That's a movie you really like, and it's clearly not your 'privacy,' so I looked it up. I'm actually wondering who uploaded the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill, since it clearly doesn't come from your 'knowledge.' It's hard to say whether it's the 'pill' you're talking about, but it does seem to help you build your foundation."

"So what do you think of this lunar cannon project? Can you find out about it?"

"I can't find it. It's a semi-public secret, but it's still a secret. The Akashic Records have denied me access, so I can't find anything as classified as this. Unless someone leaks the information to a newspaper or publishes it in some public publication, then I can find it. But I can provide you with some public information."

"Well, tell me, is it related to those moon cannons?"

Around Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in central Borneo, some have witnessed large Lan Fang construction teams. They were carving high-standard roads through the mountains and transporting massive tubular metal structures to the summit on multiple occasions. Others observed from the air the emergence of massive man-made structures amidst the mountains of central Borneo, with large swathes of the mountain covered in concrete and metal. Lan Fang's Customs Police were on high alert, and those who approached never returned.

“How can I verify the information you provided?”

Public publications all have their own serial numbers. Simply take them to the library and look them up. You can trust me with this. As long as it's public domain information, I can help you gather it and provide verifiable sources. Don't underestimate this ability. The hardcore ruthless Garcia of World War II was able to grasp the movements of the entire British army through limited public intelligence, even faster than British Prime Minister Churchill. However, for non-public intelligence, you can only ask specific people.

"So, Captain Lin, can I ask a question?"

"Ask, ask whatever you want." Although he didn't look back, Captain Lin was in high spirits. After witnessing Shangluo's abilities firsthand, he knew he had found a treasure, and that this person behind him might be a huge help to Lan Fang's grand plan.

"Since you have plans to build a lunar cannon, what is preventing you from officially starting space exploration?"

"There are two major obstacles. Well, before I explain this, I need to give you some additional definitions. First, we need to clarify the concept of a Qi cultivator. I'm referring to cultivators in the Qi training stage, not all cultivators. This is because cultivators at this stage are the backbone of the entire cultivation world. Reaching the 'heavenly realm' of the foundation-building stage is extremely rare, with only one or two emerging in a generation."

"I know that, so what's the reason?"

"The first reason is that according to calculations, even a Qi cultivator wouldn't be able to withstand the impact of a lunar cannon. For example, I wouldn't be able to withstand it. Even I would be shattered into pieces by the explosion, probably like the jelly in your hand. Therefore, we need a celestial being in the Foundation Establishment stage to volunteer. We've searched for famous scholars but to no avail; we can't even find their presence. Only General Bai Feng hangs around a lot, and we can sometimes run into him on the street, so we extended an invitation."