Countdown: Humanity's struggle to survive against yesterday

Chapter 78 The Young Astronaut

The classroom, which had been filled with whispers, fell silent after everyone entered.

But the word "brother" and a few more "Master Chang" caused a slight commotion again.

The one who called him "brother" was Jiang Yuan.

He stood up in great surprise, unable to believe that he could meet Jiang Ning here.

Jiang Ning was also extremely shocked. On the way here, Political Commissar Zhou had already briefly explained the reason for coming to the space city.

The discovery of outer space will be announced on New Year's Day. In the 20 days leading up to the announcement, the country plans to establish a class of young astronauts, with the aim of sending a group of people into space as soon as possible in the event of future disorder.

This group of people is not only composed of young astronauts, but also mostly of prospective astronauts.

The purpose of sending young astronauts into space is to directly transport them to the lunar space station, where they will serve as advance sentinels to adapt to life in space and to prepare talent for the subsequent construction of the lunar base.

This plan is also "experimental," and putting aside the risks and feasibility, it is entirely an experiment with human lives.

Jiang Ning did not comment on this at the time, because the mission only required him to "stay" in the space city with these young astronauts, giving them time to undergo professional training.

As for whether this group of people, located in the space city, will have the opportunity to go to space later, will they continue to roll back again as the world goes backward?

Nobody knows.

That's why it's called an "experimental" project!

In space, 1000 kilometers above the Earth, unaffected by the world's backward movement, no one knows whether a person anchored on Earth could break free of their anchor if they left the planet within a day.

This test was originally intended to be conducted by Wang Kai and Tang Fei in Jiuquan, as these two have been repeatedly going into space to collect data recently, making them the most suitable candidates.

However, astronauts are such valuable talents that after much deliberation, the organization ultimately decided against using them.

Jiang Ning could have understood this decision.

But at this moment, seeing Jiang Yuan, Jiang Ning's feelings became somewhat complicated.

Jiang Ning gave an awkward smile: "Xiao Yuan, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Yuan stood up and said somewhat awkwardly, "Brother, I was brought here today after the world went backward. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do, but I heard that I'm going to participate in the selection of young astronauts."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning turned to look at Chen Xiao.

When Chen Xiao saw Jiang Ning's gaze, a fleeting hint of unease crossed his face, as if he had done something wrong.

Jiang Ning stared at him intently for a few seconds, then glanced back at the sixty boys and girls in the classroom, hesitated, and ultimately said nothing.

On the other side, five or six teenagers in the fifth row by the window stood up and looked intently at Chang Niankong.

Chang Niankong glanced at it and then smiled.

He recognized these kids; the one leading them was Yang Haoran, who had cheered him on in the memory competition in Lanhe Town.

"You're here too, what a coincidence!" Chang Niankong nodded in response.

Then, he glanced around the classroom and saw countless boys and girls staring at them curiously. These boys had clean features, bright and clear eyes, and a unique blend of youthful innocence and stubbornness.

"Alright, students, let me introduce you. This is Chen Xiao, the head of the National Emergency Organization. I'm sure you've all seen him on TV. And this is Team Leader Jiang Ning, a very special person..."

Jiang Ning didn't listen carefully to Lu Zheng's introduction and brief speech.

After that, Jiang Ning seemed to be lost in thought when faced with the group of teenagers' surprised and excited chatter. Only when they met Jiang Ning, who was equally astonished, would he give an unnatural smile.

"Students, I have just explained the purpose and risks of the gifted youth program. You will have a day to consider it, and you can also call your parents to discuss it. If you are willing to stay today, Team Leader Jiang will send you off again in the end."

"Of course, if your family disagrees, or you don't want to stay, that's okay too. Our online courses will remain open to everyone indefinitely. We just hope that everyone will keep this a secret for now..."

After the brief meeting ended, the students filed out, and each time they passed Jiang Ning, they would pause for a couple of seconds out of curiosity.

Jiang Ning responded to each of these with a smile.

"You guys should go too!"

Chang Niankong waved to Yang Haoran and the others, "Go and think it over carefully. After you make a decision, I'll treat you to a meal in the cafeteria."

Yang Haoran and the others nodded, took another deep look at Jiang Yuan, and then quickly left.

Jiang Ning felt that their behavior was absurd as he watched them leave.

Based on his understanding of teenagers' mindsets, this group of people is the most prone to getting carried away.

Although Lu Zheng and Chen Xiao had just explained the risks clearly and did not incite anyone, they simply stated that the country needed a group of people to go to space to take a look.

But this one sentence alone is incredibly tempting.

These kids have no idea what it means to be stranded in place, let alone what it means if they fail to reach space.

"elder brother……"

Jiang Yuan had been secretly observing his brother's expression. Ever since the other brother entered the classroom, he had seemed unnatural. When Commander Lu introduced his abilities, all the new students in the class were astonished and started whispering among themselves.

My brother seemed lost in thought at that moment, I don't know what he was thinking.

"Brother, did I get special treatment because of you?"

Jiang Yuan tried to speak casually, with an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Of course," Jiang Ning stepped forward and ruffled Jiang Yuan's hair, only to realize that the other was already as tall as herself. "Go and think about it yourself first, then call our dad. Whether you stay or not is entirely up to you."

"I see!"

Jiang Yuan frowned, hesitated as if he wanted to say something, and then nodded emphatically as if he had thought of something.

"Okay, brother, you go ahead with your work! I'll go think about this by myself..."

"Go ahead!" Jiang Ning waved his hand.

After all the boys had left and only a few people remained in the room, Lu Zheng was about to invite them to rest for a while.

Jiang Ning suddenly said, "Director Chen, can we talk?"

Chen Xiao nodded upon hearing this, "Let's go outside and talk."

The park was shrouded in deep shadows, and a cold wind swept through the woods. The main road was desolate. Compared to the bustling capital city, this place was as if it had been isolated from the outside world's noise. The entire space city was so quiet that you could hear the low hum of the equipment.

The two walked side by side for the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, neither of them speaking first.

Finally, Jiang Ning finished another cigarette, stubbed it out forcefully, and turned to Chen Xiao calmly, saying, "Director Chen, is this really necessary?"

Chen Xiao let out a long breath and did not immediately reply.

What are Jiang Yuan's abilities? A little inquiry will tell you that if he develops normally, he'll at most reach the level of an average second-tier university graduate.

However, he was selected as a junior astronaut.

This must have been a favor the organization showed to Jiang Ning, which is why they opened this back door.

But Chen Xiao knew that Jiang Ning wasn't angry about this, nor did he have a strong sense of justice.

Jiang Ning was angry because he felt he was being controlled, that an unseen hand was infiltrating his life and trying to hold him tightly.

Chen Xiao calmly said, "Jiang Ning, you should have known this long ago; it was inevitable. Although the Emergency Organization holds great power during this special period, it's not something I can decide on my own."

"But you didn't notify me beforehand?"

Jiang Ning didn't make a scene. Instead, he took out another cigarette, leaned against a tree by the roadside, and spoke in a very cold tone.