Chapter 214 - 130: Looking Up

Chapter 214: Chapter 130: Looking Up

Jiang City was densely populated, and its buildings were mostly remnants from the old era or emergency structures built after the cataclysm. Structural integrity was of paramount importance. If everyone just dug randomly—your cellar breaking through my foundation today, his excavation severing a water main tomorrow—the city would collapse on its own long before the zombies or the scorching heat could do the job. The government’s strict control was entirely necessary.

This also made the vague suspicion in Xu Mo’s mind even clearer: Jiang City, or rather, its administration, had very likely already built large-scale, well-equipped underground facilities.

These could be wartime command centers, important supply depots, critical production lines, or even a final shelter for the worst-case scenario. It was precisely because Jiang City possessed its own superior and more secure underground spaces that they understood the dangers of unplanned excavation so well, leading them to so strictly prohibit the populace from such reckless activities.

’A sly rabbit has three warrens. Survival in the apocalypse really can’t just be about what’s on the surface,’ Xu Mo mused.

He carefully covered the entrance to the newly dug trap with a cut stone slab. It was empty for now, and Xu Mo didn’t know if the trap would ever be needed.

In the end, Xu Mo decided against building a permanent canopy in his courtyard. Instead, he had a change of plans. He used Contribution Points to get some light yet sturdy sun-blocking netting and a few bamboo poles, using them to rig up a simple, retractable awning in a corner of the yard. It was crude, but it was enough for some emergency shade.

The scorching heat continued, but Xu Mo had found himself a sliver of shade.

With the awning issue solved, Xu Mo’s life seemed to fall back into a regular, leisurely rhythm. He even went out of his way to scour the flea market for an old, but seemingly sturdy, wicker lounge chair. After cleaning it, he placed it in the cool shade beneath the awning in his courtyard.

Every day after finishing his cultivation and letting his qi and blood settle, Xu Mo would lounge lazily in the creaking wicker chair. With a glass of water perhaps sitting beside him, he would gaze up at the soft, dappled sunlight filtered through the netting, listen to the faint sounds of the city in the distance, and feel the hint of coolness from the summer breeze against his skin.

It was a long-lost, almost luxurious sense of peace. He didn’t have to be constantly on guard for the roars of zombies or worry about the threat of bird flocks overhead. The food crisis was temporarily abated. It was as if all the cruelty and pressure of the apocalypse were momentarily sealed beyond his courtyard walls. At times, Xu Mo would even find himself in a daze, reminiscing about the ordinary yet peaceful afternoons before he’d crossed over.

However, this tranquility was like an exquisite ice sculpture under the midsummer sun—beautiful, but destined to be short-lived.

In the afternoon, just as Xu Mo was settling comfortably into his wicker chair for a short nap, the introductory music for the top-of-the-hour news report played from the radio perched under the eaves.

The announcer’s voice came on—the same familiar, slightly magnetic male voice. But today, it seemed to contain a thrill and excitement that he was trying desperately to suppress, yet it threatened to erupt like boiling magma. The first few words he spoke were even laced with an almost imperceptible tremor:

"To all residents of Jiang City, this is the Jiang City Central Broadcasting Station. We now bring you a piece of joyous news of monumental historical significance!"

That opening line alone was enough to make Xu Mo, who had been about to close his eyes, open them again and tilt his head to listen.

The announcer took a deep breath—the faint sound of his inhale was clearly audible over the radio waves—and continued in an unprecedentedly solemn and spirited tone:

"Under the strong leadership of the Administrative Committee, and after one year and three months of arduous work and unremitting effort by all of Jiang City’s scientific researchers, engineers, technicians, and related support units, we have successfully restored and mastered the key manufacturing and launch technologies for artificial satellites."

A SUDDEN MURMUR—!

Even through the radio, Xu Mo could almost hear what must have been the irrepressible, low cheers and sharp intakes of breath from the control room behind the announcer.

As for himself, the moment he heard the two words "artificial satellite," it was as if a high-voltage current had shot through him. He sprang up from the creaking wicker chair! The movement was so sudden it kicked up a gust of wind, rattling the water glass on the small table beside him.

"What?!" A low, almost instinctual whisper of astonishment escaped his lips.

Xu Mo’s pupils constricted, his face a mask of utter disbelief. He had speculated about Jiang City’s technological reserves.

He had guessed that Jiang City might have secretly preserved a pre-cataclysm strategic arsenal, complete with nuclear warheads for ultimate deterrence. He had guessed they might have constructed a vast and sturdy Underground City as a final sanctuary. He had even guessed they might have made breakthroughs in certain biotechnologies or energy research...

But Xu Mo had never imagined, never dared to imagine, that Jiang City had regained the ability to launch satellites.

This wasn’t about repairing a few tanks, restarting a production line, or setting up a radio network. This was aerospace engineering! It involved an entire top-tier system of incredibly complex, highly integrated processes: rocket manufacturing, fuel refinement, precision instrumentation, orbital calculations, ground-based tracking and control, and so on and so forth, all requiring the support of a massive industrial base.

Even in the golden age, it was a major symbol of a great nation’s comprehensive power.

After surviving a global cataclysm, societal collapse, resource scarcity, and being surrounded by powerful enemies, Jiang City had not only found its footing, fed millions of people, and re-established a rudimentary industrial and social order, but was now actually turning its gaze to the stars?! It was beginning to attempt a recovery of its presence in space?

The announcer’s excited voice continued, detailing the launch plan: "According to the plan, in five days, we will choose an opportune moment to launch the first experimental communications satellite, ’Jiang City No. 1.’ Its primary mission is to test long-range signal relay and stable communication capabilities. This will lay a solid foundation for establishing a stable, reliable information network that can overcome geographical barriers and connect with other large surviving shelters in the future. This will be a crucial step for human civilization to reconnect and consolidate its strength after the cataclysm."

A communications satellite, with the goal of contacting other large shelters.

Xu Mo slowly sank back into his wicker chair, but his body remained leaning slightly forward, hanging on every word. The shock in his heart gradually gave way to an indescribable, complex mix of emotions—admiration, awe, and a deeper contemplation.

Just how deep were the foundations of the Jiang City Shelter, or rather, the pre-cataclysm preparations and remnant strength of this country? And what about those places that had vanished from the broadcasts and rumors—"Dragon City," "Starfire," "Dawn"... Did they possess similar, or even greater, capabilities?

Perhaps the flame of human civilization hadn’t been flickering on the verge of extinction as it appeared. Perhaps, deep within certain sturdy "fortresses," it was still burning tenaciously, even attempting to once again light up the vast sky.

The broadcast was still reporting some technical details, the choice of launch window, and requests for cooperation from relevant areas, but the world outside had already erupted.

Almost as soon as the broadcast announcement ended, Xu Mo heard the once-quiet streets and alleys explode with noise, like a placid lake shattered by a giant boulder.

Cheers, screams, and cries of disbelief converged from all directions, breaking through the barriers of doors and windows and soaring to the heavens.

The cheering was more fervent than at the end of the summer harvest, more unrestrained than when the bird threat was lifted. It was a total eruption of long-suppressed feelings, a catharsis for all the despair and isolation, and the most direct, passionate outpouring of hope for the future.

Stepping out of his home and onto the street, Xu Mo saw people flooding the roads, excitedly hugging, jumping, and high-fiving each other, whether they were strangers or not. Someone was shouting at the top of their lungs, "Long live Jiang City! Long live humanity!" Their voice was hoarse but full of power.

Immediately after, a CRACKLE-POP sound filled the air—it wasn’t gunfire, but someone setting off firecrackers that had been saved for who knows how long and might have even been damp. Others started banging on pots and pans, CLANGING and CLATTERING, creating a chaotic yet triumphant symphony of victory.

Xu Mo saw the streets teeming with people, every face overflowing with an almost frenzied joy. Many shopkeepers rushed out, eagerly slapping red paper signs onto their storefronts: "Celebrating the satellite launch, all items 20% off!" "Proud of Jiang City, all drinks half price today!" and so on, even if they had very few goods to sell. A festive, carnivalesque atmosphere swept through every corner of the city with astonishing speed.

The radio had already started looping rousing military marches and hopeful propaganda slogans.

Xu Mo closed his door, shutting out some of the clamor from outside. He lay back down in the wicker chair, but his state of mind was far from its previous tranquility.

He looked up at the sky, his gaze seeming to pierce through the azure canopy and reach into the vastness of space.

In five days, a burning rocket, carrying humanity’s indomitable will and remnant wisdom, would break free from Earth’s gravity and soar toward that long-silent, star-filled sky.