Chapter 998 Steel Is Our Footprin

The beginning of July.

A military base in the Eastern Theater Command.

Military vehicles drove through the camp, preparing for the upcoming exercise.

A weirdly-shaped silver-white plane was sitting in the middle of the camp, out in the open.

With two short and two long wings, as well as a large cylindrical engine, it didn’t look like something that was able to fly in the air. However, its perfect success rate was able to dispel any worries.

This plane was named Starlight.

After the spacecraft was delivered to the Eastern Theater Command, the aerospace forces gave it a more domineering name.

Which was, Thunderbird.

Just like thunder, it could soar hundreds of kilometers above the sky.

This aerospaceplane could be used to transport equipment to low-Earth orbit, as well as carry ballistic missile attacks in outer space.

Li Gaoliang got off the military truck. He was wearing special combat clothing and a rifle across his chest. When he glanced at the silver aerospaceplane, he couldn’t help but feel amazed.

He didn’t expect technology to progress at a rate far beyond his imagination; he would have never imagined the military to have this kind of technology.

It had been a month since he was discharged from the hospital and put into the aerospace forces.

This past month had been more rewarding than anything he had ever done.

He saw weapons he had never heard of before, pieces of equipment that he didn’t know existed, and was even taught secret combat tactics.

According to his instructors, they were the world’s most technologically advanced military base.

Both the requirements for deployment speed and scope of the aerospace forces were far higher than traditional marine and army troops.

They had extremely strict requirements for survival ability and physical fitness.

Their role was to quickly cross the front line during combat and perform precise strikes on important enemy targets. During peaceful times, they had to protect important facilities and dignitaries.

Apparently, their training tactics were developed by several professors at the National Defence University. And that this was the first time the training plan was put to use.

While Li Gaoliang was reciting the training outline in his head, a military officer in camouflage walked in front of them.

“Attention!”

“Yes, sir!”

The officer looked at the row of soldiers and nodded.

“Drill exercise begins in ten minutes.

“I hope you all have done your studies, so I won’t waste our time.

“I just have one thing to say. The faster you are, the more likely you will survive. Be ruthless, treat this drill like a real war!

“Now, tell me, what’s our first code of conduct!”

Li Gaoliang and his teammates standing behind him yelled, “To never surrender and evade capture!”

The officer standing in front of the soldiers shouted, “Let’s go!”

The soldiers began moving.

A total of twenty people were divided into five groups. They boarded the Thunderbird aerospaceplane in an orderly manner.

Li Gaoliang sat in the cabin seat and connected the life support system to his combat uniform. He then counted down in his heart and waited patiently.

Soon, he felt a gentle vibration from his chair, shaking his entire body.

Vehicles near the aerospaceplane have been evacuated. With the ground command center’s guidance, the Thunderbird slowly accelerated on the runway and took off.

A beam of hot blue plasma was ejected from the engine as the aircraft flew toward deep space.

Li Gaoliang looked at the clouds outside the window and took a deep breath.

They would reach low-Earth orbit in half an hour.

And from there, they would complete the world’s highest skydiving record…

A teammate’s voice was heard in the communication channel.

“Jesus, this is my first time flying this high.”

“We’re at 20 kilometers right now… Already above the limit of normal planes.”

“This is my first time skydiving at this altitude.”

“What if your parachute doesn’t open?”

“Shut up!”

For most people sitting in the cabin, this was their first time flying at such high altitudes. They were bound to feel a little nervous.

Therefore, Li Gaoliang didn’t stop his teammates from chatting.

Most of the time, chatting was a way to relieve pressure and nerves. Even though he preferred to close his eyes and rest his mind, other people coped in different ways.

Li Gaoliang looked away from the window and shut his eyes.

In order to perform his best, he wanted to meditate for a while.

However, one of his teammates talked to him.

“Captain, are we going to a space station?”

Li Gaoliang cogitated for a second.

Before the exercise drill, the officer told them they had to transfer to another “airplane” to complete the sky diving exercise, but he didn’t tell them where to transfer.

The Moon Palace was an international scientific research institution, which was obviously inappropriate for military purposes.

As for the other…

Li Gaoliang thought for a second and spoke.

“There’s no space station.

“But we do have a Magpie Bridge.”

…

Li Gaoliang didn’t expect his guess to be correct.

The Thunderbird aerospaceplane slowly approached the dark spacecraft that was the Magpie Bridge.

Due to their distorted sense of distance in space, it wasn’t until the two spacecraft were close enough that Li Gaoliang could finally see that Magpie Bridge he once saw on television.

Of course, this Magpie Bridge was different from the one that traveled between the Earth and Moon every day.

Just like the Thunderbird they were riding on, the “Magpie Bridge” was just its model name.

Its real name was the “Great Wall”.

The Great Wall was China’s first and only carrier-type ship sailing in outer space, just like its name implied, it was defending China’s outermost terrain.

Normally, the Great Wall was cruising outside in synchronous orbit, with four people stationed on duty. But when necessary, it could be used as the aerospace forces headquarters, providing support to all units flying in low-Earth orbit.

The two spacecraft finally completed docking.

Li Gaoliang sighed in relief, but he wasn’t relaxed at all.

Up until now, everything was done by the spacecraft pilots and the ground command center.

Their training mission had only just begun!

Li Gaoliang released the life support system and led his team to the spacecraft connection port, reaching the main cabin of the Great Wall.

Inside the cabin, there were five black pyramid-shaped airborne modules.

Just like their training, everyone boarded the airborne module and checked their weapons and ammunition.

Li Gaoliang tried to control his breathing as he completed his tasks and closed the airborne module door.

The second he closed the door, he heard his commander’s voice through his headset.

“Great Wall is entering orbit!”

“Current altitude is 117.4 kilometers, reaching the target area in two minutes!”

Li Gaoliang started breathing harder and harder.

Even though he couldn’t see outside the cabin, he felt like he was one step from falling out of the Great Wall.

They were 100 kilometers above ground.

There was no sound here.

There wasn’t even air.

However, they could still feel a sense of coldness.

“Target area reached, remember what your mission is!

“Good luck, soldiers!”

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