Chapter 470: Chapter 272: Satellite Launch, Successful Return

He went to the rocket and reinforced both it and the satellite.

The reinforcement on the rocket focused on its propulsion, to ensure it could send the satellite into space!

As for the satellite, he focused on reinforcing its camera, flight systems, and re-entry mechanism.

After completing the reinforcements, Ren Yuanyang returned to the command room.

"Leader, all preparations are complete. We can launch at any time!" Wang Jun said as he approached Ren Yuanyang.

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Launch it."

"Yes, sir!" Wang Jun acknowledged, then signaled the engineer to begin the ignition sequence.

As the countdown finished, ignition was successful. The rocket’s tail spewed massive amounts of fire and smoke as it slowly ascended into the sky!

All the aerospace researchers present were amazed to find that the launch vessel was incredibly stable. Previous satellite launches had always produced noticeable vibrations, but this time, they felt nothing at all!

’The Leader’s reinforcement is incredible!’ everyone marveled.

As the rocket stages separated one by one, the satellite was successfully delivered into space. However, once it passed through the thick cloud layer, the command room lost contact.

"The rest will have to run automatically based on its pre-set programming," the launch engineer said, sounding a bit resigned.

"In past launches, we could track the satellite all the way into its designated orbit, but now... it’s like we’re flying blind!"

Ren Yuanyang asked, "According to the pre-set program, if the satellite is able to return, when should we expect it?"

"We estimate it will be back in twelve hours. It should return to a location fifty kilometers southeast of Dragon Base by 8:00 AM tomorrow," the launch engineer replied instantly.

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly and gave an order. "There are too many unpredictable variables right now. I want lookouts stationed at various points around the globe, constantly watching to see if a satellite enters the atmosphere."

"Yes, Master. I’ll make the arrangements immediately," Wang Jun replied in a solemn tone.

Upon receiving the order from Wang Jun, Long Zhan immediately dispatched over ninety percent of the base’s ships. Each ship was also equipped with ten speedboats to patrol the surrounding area.

Seeing nearly the entire fleet of Dragon Base mobilize, the surrounding factions grew momentarily panicked.

"Is Dragon Base making a move to conquer the world?"

But they soon realized the ships weren’t heading for them at all; they were sailing off into the distance.

"What are they up to? Did they find some kind of treasure?"

"Should we follow them and see what’s going on?"

"You have that much fuel to spare? If not, don’t go poking your nose in. Be careful you don’t run out of gas halfway there and have to call Dragon Base for a house call!"

"But with so many of their ships mobilized at once, their fuel consumption must be enormous!"

"I heard Dragon Base’s prison camp produces huge amounts of fuel every day. They’re not short on it at all!"

"Are the prisoners really working that hard?"

"Of course they are. I heard that if they perform well, they can become official members of Dragon Base! If that were you, wouldn’t you work your tail off?"

"No wonder. A chance to shed their prisoner status and become a member of Dragon Base... With an opportunity like that, you’d work yourself to the bone as long as it didn’t kill you."

"Why are you guys so concerned with the prisoners? Aren’t you curious about what Dragon Base is up to?"

"Of course we’re curious! But what’s the use? If they don’t say anything, what can we do about it?"

"Didn’t you guys just see Dragon Base launch a rocket?"

"We saw it, but what does that have to do with their fleet mobilizing?"

"Of course it’s related. They must be searching for the rocket’s debris, or maybe for the part that’s supposed to return."

"That’s very likely. All the satellites in the sky are dead. Launching a new one now is just fumbling around in the dark."

"I hope Dragon Base succeeds. At least then we might find out what’s happening in outer space... why there’s so much rain."

After the launch, Ren Yuanyang returned to his quarters to continue his Cultivation. By morning, there would be a result, one way or another.

「The next morning」

At 8:00 AM sharp, Ren Yuanyang arrived at the command room on the launch vessel.

"Any news? Did the satellite come back?" Ren Yuanyang asked.

Wang Jun shook his head. "So far, not a word."

"Let’s wait a bit longer. After all, things are complicated right now," Ren Yuanyang said, taking a seat in a nearby chair and beginning his silent vigil.

Meanwhile, the speedboats spread across the various sea regions patrolled relentlessly, their crews constantly scanning the skies for any sign of a falling satellite.

One hour!

Two hours!

Three hours!

...

The chief engineer in charge of the launch sighed with resignation, approached Wang Jun, and said, "Captain, the satellite launch was a failure."

Wang Jun nodded slightly, then addressed everyone in the command room in a clear voice, "Don’t be discouraged. This is just one failure. Everyone, keep your spirits up! We must learn from this failure to ensure our success next time!"

Everyone nodded, but the chief engineer gave a wry smile.

’If we knew *how* we failed, we could learn a lesson from it,’ he thought. ’But we have no idea what the external conditions are. How are we supposed to learn anything?’

Although that was the reality, the chief engineer didn’t say it out loud. He couldn’t let everyone lose hope now.

Just then, Ren Yuanyang’s phone suddenly rang. It was a video call from Long Zhan.

Ren Yuanyang answered immediately.

"Master, look! The satellite—it’s back!"

Long Zhan’s voice was so loud that everyone in the command room heard him.

His words instantly shattered the somber atmosphere in the room, and everyone erupted in excitement.

Ren Yuanyang projected the video call onto the main screen.

A Fireball, like a meteor dragging a brilliant tail, streaked across the sky. It was surrounded by many smaller, bright lines—tiny fragments burning up from atmospheric friction.

"It... it actually came back!" the chief engineer’s voice trembled.

Everyone else erupted in cheers.

At present, no other faction had the ability to launch satellites, so this Fireball was, in all likelihood, the one they had launched.

Of course, it could also be a meteor.

However, they quickly ruled out that possibility, because the satellite’s parachute had successfully deployed!

A meteor wouldn’t have a device like that!

Seeing this, everyone let loose and cheered wildly.

"Yes! We did it!"

Ren Yuanyang was also thrilled. He ordered, "Captain Wang, for all personnel who participated in this satellite launch, in addition to a reward of Peach Blossom Spring Coins, record one thousand Contribution Points for each. The chief engineer gets ten thousand, and each department head gets five thousand!"

Contribution Points were a new system introduced at Dragon Base. They could only be obtained by making contributions to the base. While Peach Blossom Spring Coins couldn’t buy everything, Contribution Points could.

"Understood. I’ll see to it," Wang Jun nodded.

On Long Zhan’s camera feed, the satellite splashed down into the ocean. A speedboat immediately pulled up alongside it and began the recovery operation.

"Master, we’ve successfully recovered the satellite! We’re transporting it back now!" Long Zhan reported.

Before Ren Yuanyang could speak, the chief engineer rushed over and asked, "Please ask Captain Long to mark the satellite’s splashdown location! We need it for our analysis!"

"Got it!" Long Zhan immediately sent the coordinates of the recovery site.

Ren Yuanyang pulled up the coordinates and saw that the satellite’s splashdown point was a full two thousand kilometers off from the projected landing zone.

The chief engineer looked at the map and remarked, "We’re lucky it was only off by two thousand kilometers. Any further, and we might not have even spotted it, even if it did return."

The prolonged rainfall had greatly expanded the surface area of Blue Star’s oceans. If it had landed on the other side of the planet, they would have faced a slow search or been forced to give up entirely.

Ren Yuanyang nodded in agreement. "It seems we were quite lucky. How long will it take to analyze the data from the satellite?"

"If the satellite isn’t damaged, half an hour should be enough. If it is damaged, it will take longer," the chief engineer replied after a moment’s thought.

Ren Yuanyang nodded. "Alright. I’ll be waiting for the good news. Let me know the moment the analysis is complete."

"Yes, Leader!" the chief engineer responded.

Ren Yuanyang stood up and left the launch vessel.

And the various ships that had been dispatched earlier began to turn back and return to Dragon Base.

"Huh? Why are all those ships coming back? Did they find the satellite already?"

"It’s also possible the satellite didn’t make it back, and they’ve given up."

"I agree with the last guy. The conditions for launching a satellite right now are terrible. The chances of success are just too low."

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