"Found the Type-15. Starting EVA," called the two astronauts as they left through the airlock behind the cockpit and opened the cargo bay doors.
Of course, Liu A'dou wasn't going to sit around waiting to be rescued—he stepped out on his own. The rescuers were stunned. Under such extreme conditions, they never expected him to look so energetic.
"Liu A'dou, are you alright?"
Liu A'dou saw it was the guy who'd bet he'd fail this mission. "I'm fine. Let's haul the prototype back."
In the vast emptiness of space, there was no up or down. The three of them clipped their tethers together and started towing the Type-15. Liu A'dou had been stuck in the spacecraft for 7 hours. But it wasn't wasted—he'd figured out how to use Ripple without breathing, among other things, though he wasn't skilled with these new techniques yet.
"Dr. An, when the production model comes out, make sure to install a glass canopy. Not being able to see anything in there nearly drove me insane."
Everyone was surprised Liu A'dou seemed perfectly fine. They'd thought after being stuck in a low-oxygen, freezing cockpit for so long, he'd be half-dead. But he looked great, completely unexpected.
An Rong ignored him and pounced on the Type-15 with her computer, eager to collect data. Liu A'dou shook his head and climbed into the cockpit—he still needed to thank the general. He never imagined they'd decide to launch the Wu Gang early. He'd been prepared to have Little Bunny teleport him home. But it was the general who told him not to give up, that they'd do everything to rescue him, giving him the strength to hold on for those 7 hours.
The feeling of being valued was incredible. That was real proof of self-worth. Sure, Liu A'dou didn't care about money or power; he just liked showing off. And what better way to prove yourself than having everyone recognize your importance? Right now, Liu A'dou truly felt how needed he was.
The general was relieved. It was a close call—in the final hour, power had died, and communications were lost, which had really worried everyone.
"Here, eat something," someone offered, handing over a bag of liquid food.
Liu A'dou was starving. The stuff looked like ointment, but it tasted fine—and in space, anything edible was a blessing. "We're planting vegetables on the moon this time. Next time, I'm coming along to eat them."
"That's the spirit! With your physical fitness, it's a waste not to be an astronaut. How about I talk to the general and make you an official Type-15 pilot?"
"The Type-15 still needs work," Liu A'dou said. "Do you even know who I tangled with today?"
"It was American space fighters," the man answered. "America sure has some impressive toys. Didn't think they'd already started training space fighters."
Liu A'dou remembered Ada had found records about an American space station project while clearing out an old NASA division, but that was a decade ago. He never expected the U.S. space force to already be organized—and they'd fought him with a proper squadron. Their numbers were overwhelming. If it had been anyone else, they'd be dead by now. Only one country could be so aggressive around Earth: the biggest bully of all, America. No surprise there.
"A'dou, with a name like yours, we thought you'd need a push to get moving. Turns out you're unstoppable," someone joked, and the tense mood finally eased.
Meanwhile, An Rong's expression grew more shocked as she reviewed the data. She found the operating system had been rewritten, and that during an attack by 10 enemy fighters, Liu A'dou had taken out 5 and escaped. Liu A'dou hadn't mentioned the details during the fight—everyone thought he'd faced maybe one or two, three or four at most. They never imagined it had been 10.
What kind of monster was Liu A'dou? An Rong's eyes went wide, and she didn't even know what to do with her hands. She also realized Liu A'dou had lowered the laser gun's power during the fight, which was why he hadn't outright destroyed the enemy fighters. Her view of him changed. Though she designed weapons, she hated killing. Liu A'dou was becoming more and more of a mystery to her.
They were heading to the moon. This was Liu A'dou's second time there, but it felt completely different. Last time, he'd been teleported in, busy with urgent tasks, and only got a brief glimpse. This time, he'd be staying on the moon for days, until the forward base was fully set up before returning.
"We've arrived at the moon."
"So fast!"
It really was fast—from launch to now, even including the stop to retrieve the Type-15, it had only taken 6 hours—quicker than a bullet train from Shanghai to Beijing.
"It's like going home for the Lunar New Year."
"Looks like we'll be flying to the moon regularly soon—easier than traveling abroad."
Liu A'dou felt proud. He'd experienced three worlds, and this was the first where his presence had triggered such a massive change in his country. Because of the technology he'd provided, his homeland was now leading the world—he couldn't help feeling proud.
"We'll circle the moon once, then land at the Yutu site."
No one objected. Everyone pressed up to the windows to look out. The moon—finally, they were here. China's first people to set foot on the moon, and soon the first to build on it, realizing the legends of Chang'e in the Moon Palace from a thousand years ago.
As they reached lunar orbit, their anxious, excited hearts gradually calmed. They scanned the surface, searching for traces of myth: the Moon Palace, the laurel tree, the jade rabbit pounding medicine.
In their minds, the cold, desolate moon took on color—graceful fairies seemed to dance, fluffy rabbits bounced around, Wu Gang kept chopping at his unbreakable laurel tree. This was the moon, the place poets and scholars had dreamed of for centuries. Now their descendants were finally here.
"Moon, we're here!" An Rong set aside her research and gazed outside.
Moon, we're here, everyone echoed in their hearts.
The Wu Gang descended vertically, landing steadily on the lunar plain, the Sea of Tranquility. In the cockpit, the 15 crew members glanced at each other, wondering who would be first to step out.
"Ladies first, Dr. An—you're the only woman here. You should go first," Liu A'dou said. After all, he'd already left footprints on the moon before.
Everyone nodded, showing gentlemanly respect. An Rong was stunned by the honor but couldn't refuse such kind encouragement, so she agreed to be the first out.
She was a little nervous. A dozen eyes followed her every move as she stepped outside, down the ramp. Movement was awkward, but the lower gravity made her spacesuit feel so light. Each step seemed to push her forward gently, effortless and buoyant.
Plop.
Finally, An Rong's boot touched the lunar surface, leaving a print in the fine moon dust. She was really standing on the moon now. She yelled, "Ahhh, Mom, Dad—I'm on the moon!"
…??
No one expected the first words spoken on the moon by a Chinese person to be that, but it was what it was.
Speechless, everyone followed her down, one by one, experiencing the moon's unique scenery. Some babbled in awe, some gazed far into the distance, each reacting differently—but all of them were thrilled.
"We drag our muddy feet but never forget to look up at the stars. Our eyes face forward to remind us the road ahead has no end. We are here. The moon will no longer be lonely. We will use our ancestors' wisdom to make it more beautiful than any myth. We'll plant laurel trees, build celestial palaces, and transform the moon. Our children will witness a new age of legends," the general at Kunlun Mountain Base said with emotion. Setting foot on the moon truly carried profound meaning.