Two Realms Shuttle Gate: Don't Call Me a Demon!-Chapter 680 - 408: Maiden Flight and Rocket Recovery

Inside the Red Sun Rocket Launch Site, Ma Lin, a reporter from CBS of the Beautiful Country, was broadcasting live to the audience.

Although a reporter from the Beautiful Country, she was not of European or American descent but had immigrated to the Beautiful Country from Hua Country and had settled there for many years.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please look behind me. This is the Kunpeng Rocket manufactured by Jieke Group. According to data released by Jieke Group, the Kunpeng Rocket is 185 meters long and 15 meters in diameter, equipped with 44 Kongpeng engines, with a launch mass of 11,380 tons and a payload capacity of 850 tons for low Earth orbit, making it four times larger than Saturn V, which was once the largest rocket ever made by humanity."

Facing the camera, Ma Lin had a charming smile on her face. After stating the data, the camera then focused on the Kunpeng Rocket, which was positioned on the launch pad, poised for launch.

"However, that's what Jieke Group claims—whether this rocket can successfully launch still remains a question mark."

"Let's interview some of the visitors present to see what they think."

"Sir, hello, I'm a reporter from CBS. Do you think this Kunpeng Rocket will launch successfully?"

With microphone in hand, Ma Lin approached the visiting tourists, asking each one in turn.

"If Jieke Group was making Mechas, I think they could pull it off, but rockets? I hate to say it, they just don't have the knack."

"It's tough, I feel like the rocket will disintegrate in mid-air."

"I'm here for the spectacle. Go Jieke Group! Whether it explodes or succeeds, I'll get my fill of excitement."

After interviewing several tourists, the consensus was generally pessimistic about the launch of the Kunpeng Rocket.

"It seems nobody really believes in the Kunpeng Rocket. As a newcomer, Jieke Group has a long way to go if it wants to join the space party," she concluded.

Ma Lin's bright eyes sparkled, and with a charming smile, she faced the camera and broadcast the live feed back to the Beautiful Country.

Reporters and media personnel like Ma Lin numbered over a hundred in the specially designated media area.

Under the hype of the strongest rocket in human history, the audience watching this maiden flight live via television and social networks like the Internet was conservatively estimated to exceed three hundred million.

Inside the rocket command center, Su Jie had come here again with Liu Yingying.

"Mr. Su, please press the launch button," Pang Liangzhi said, standing in front of Su Jie with visibly nervous expressions.

Su Jie patted Pang Liangzhi on the shoulder and laughed, "No need for such ceremony, you are the chief designer of this rocket, you should press it yourself."

Taking a deep breath, Pang Liangzhi, filled with excitement and anxiety, walked up to the launch button.

The nearby staff watched the electronic clock and continuously reported, "Five minutes preparation... three minutes preparation... one minute preparation..."

With the final minute arriving, all kinds of tracking and measuring equipment at the site were turned on, including high-speed cameras, tape recorders, and other recording devices.

"Launch ten seconds countdown, 10, 9..."

Everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed unblinkingly on the screen, their fists clenched tightly.

"3, 2, 1, ignition."

When the countdown reached zero and Pang Liangzhi pressed the button,

the rocket launch site was immediately filled with a continuous, tremendous roar like a mountain collapsing or a tsunami, shaking the ground.

At the rocket's base, massive flames and thick smoke burst forth, with deafening noise and powerful shockwaves; even the spectators and media outside could feel the ground vibrating.

Amidst the screams of tens of thousands of spectators, the Kunpeng Rocket, powered by the strong thrust of its fuel, shot up, propped by high-pressure gas producing a reactive force, soaring directly upward.

In just over ten seconds, the rocket accelerated to the speed of sound, its tail blazing with brilliant flames, the expelled gases condensing into smoke in the sky, forming a white vapor trail stretching across the sky, creating a spectacular cloud formation.

"It's flying."

"Holy shit, that's awesome, amazing!"

"Shit, it's really flying. I thought it would just explode on the spot." freёnovelkiss.com

The spectators' mouths hung open as the immense size and weight of the Kunpeng Rocket took off like a ten-thousand-ton destroyer right before their eyes.

That stunningly beautiful scene made every spectator who witnessed it tremble with awe, able to genuinely feel the charm of human-engineered technology.

It started with a few scattered claps, which soon turned into a continuous thunderous applause.

"Explode! Explode! Explode!!!"

Of course, not everyone was pleased—Ma Lin, the CBS reporter, watched the launching Kunpeng Rocket with eyes wide open, muttering under her breath, as if she wished she could smack it down with a slap.

In Ma Lin's view, the Beautiful Country was the world's most powerful nation, with the strongest technological capabilities.

For a force like Jieke Group to surpass the Beautiful Country in the space domain was difficult for her to accept; her patriotism for the Beautiful Country even surpassed that of many Beautiful Country people.

But no matter how much she grumbled, the ascending Kunpeng Rocket flew higher and more steadily until it pierced the clouds, eventually diminishing to a tiny speck and finally disappearing completely from view.

The absence of an explosion and mid-air disintegration on the Kunpeng Rocket greatly disappointed Ma Lin.

With no other choice, Ma Lin had to suppress her frustration, walk up to the camera, and force a stiff smile, "As we've seen, the Kunpeng Rocket has successfully ascended and completed its lift-off stage; however, whether it can reach space and successfully deploy satellites still remains to be seen. Only if the satellite can truly begin its operations will the Kunpeng Rocket be deemed a success."