Did the world end today?

Chapter 7: Building a Space Shuttle?
Why was your answer so decisive?
Lin Xu was stunned.

He didn't know if Jiang Xingye was joking. To be fair, given her quick wit, it was normal for her to make a joke in this situation.

But strangely enough, Jiang Xingye's expression carried a certain natural sincerity.

Who can tell the difference between real and fake now?

He coughed and asked:
"Why? You answered without even considering it?"

"What's there to consider? You've already asked, so I have to give you face, right?"

Jiang Xingye put down the meat skewers in his hand and said in a serious tone:

"Sister, I'm going to give you a lesson in the workplace today."

"Look, you've presented me with a choice, so the choice itself is the most important thing."

"What doomsday scenario, what nonsense about all these preconditions doesn't matter."

"The important question boils down to this: Who should we choose?"

"At this point, no matter who I choose, it will expose the true nature of my interpersonal relationships, which is obviously not what I want."

"Then I'll answer that I'll choose you, and there definitely won't be any problems."

"If you keep pressing me about why I chose you, I'll just flatter you a bit and laugh it off."

"This is much better than having your true thoughts revealed by being tricked, right?"

".right."

Lin Xu sighed.

That's what they say, but the problem is, in that world, you really did choose me.

When she received Jiang Xingye's message, there were only 15 seconds left before the end of the world. That meant that she wouldn't have much time to notice the signs of the apocalypse and react.

In such a short time, she had to find her location and mobilize so many devices to send her information. Theoretically, she couldn't possibly be the one who was "last to be notified," right?

It should be the only one for it to be reasonable.

But why exactly is that?

Jiang Xingye may not know yet, or perhaps he doesn't want to say.

But clearly, we won't get an answer from her.

Lin Xu didn't insist. After having a simple late-night snack with Jiang Xingye, they headed home.

As they entered the elevator and were about to part ways, Jiang Xingye suddenly asked:
"So you called me out just to ask me this one question?"

"Forehead"

How should I respond to that?
Lin Xu scratched his head and said:

"Actually, there were other questions, but now it seems there's no need to ask them anymore."

"What's wrong? Someone asked you this question and you don't know how to answer it, so you've come to me for the answer?"

Wow, your imagination is truly amazing.

Lin Xu coughed and said:

That's pretty much it.

"Was it a girl who asked that?"

Jiang Xingye continued to press for answers.

".yes."

In an instant, a gossipy glint flashed in Jiang Xingye's eyes.

"So you've been treating me like an advisor all along? Don't you have any other female friends? But to be honest, the fact that someone would ask you this question means they're head over heels for you."

"What you answer will determine the future of your relationship, so think carefully before you answer."

"My approach is for the workplace; it has nothing to do with your situation."

"So how should I answer?"

Lin Xu simply went along with Jiang Xingye's words, figuring that as long as they could smooth things over, the matter would be over.

"How you answer isn't really important in this situation. You should think about what she hopes you'll say."

"If you want to continue developing, then answer properly."

"If you don't want to, then don't give her any hope."

"Understood, then I'll just copy your script."

Lin Xu was very serious, but Jiang Xingye rolled his eyes at him.

"you're so dumb!"

"The only answer a girl who asks this question wants to hear is 'I will save you.'"

"So, once you've given this answer, no further explanation matters."

"If you're not interested in her, you'd better not say you want to save her."

"so."

Lin Xu nodded thoughtfully.

But then he felt something was amiss.

Didn't I just ask you the same question?
Following that logic, why did you answer like that?

Tsk, even going to work means losing human rights; they're not being treated like normal members of the opposite sex anymore.
When the elevator reached the 6th floor, Jiang Xingye waved goodbye.

"Go to the company early tomorrow! I'll report you in a bit; there's an early meeting tomorrow."

“I know.”

Lin Xu gave a perfunctory answer, only to realize when he looked down that the cup was still in his hand.

Hey, your cup.

The elevator door slowly closed.

Never mind, I'll just take the company to her tomorrow.

Back at his home, Lin Xu lay down on the bed and fell asleep immediately.

This time, he did not venture into the bracelet world again.

the next day.

In the company conference room.

Amidst the heated discussion, Lin Xu, a lowly subordinate, listlessly typed code on his computer.

The project finance person sitting next to him, who didn't understand coding, probably thought he was working, but actually he was writing a Snake game.

The others who had just joined the project team were talking about the project's prospects, plans, and ideas. Lin Xu listened half-heartedly, while pondering the things inside the bracelet.

So, could this thing be an advanced holographic game console?
What kind of game can sense real-world information and then generate game content in real time?
If you think about it that way, it doesn't seem impossible from a technical standpoint, right?

After all, even mobile phones can listen to conversations and push ads to users. If we think boldly, it's not difficult to calculate in real time.
How about I take it apart another day and see?
forget it
Lin Xu's thoughts drifted away, and just then, he suddenly heard someone call his name.

"Lin Xu, why don't you share your thoughts?"

Lin Xu looked up and saw that it was Chen Yan, the leader of the new project team, who was speaking.

The latter looked at him expectantly and said:

"I heard that the idea of ​​space tourism was proposed by you, and the boss approves of it."

"So, do you have any more specific ideas?"

Lin Xu shrugged and said:
"Yes, there is, but I don't know where to begin if you ask me to talk about it now."

He was telling the truth, after all, he had indeed read the documents for Star Traveler One and had a general idea in mind.

However, turning ideas into something concrete and discussable is not actually that simple.

"It's okay. Today is just a project briefing, not a formal project approval discussion. You can say whatever you want."

"For example, regarding the spacecraft design that everyone just mentioned, do you have any good ideas?"

"this."

Lin Xu pondered for a moment.

"All I can say is that it's not feasible to directly apply the design of a vertical takeoff and landing cargo rocket to a commercial manned spacecraft."

"If we're going to do space tourism, then we need to focus on the user experience."

"And rocket-type spacecraft offer the worst user experience."

"In comparison, the space shuttle option is more suitable."

"space shuttle?"

As soon as Lin Xu finished speaking, the conference room erupted in chaos.

"How could we possibly use the Space Shuttle program? Putting aside the cost, the technical difficulty of the Space Shuttle alone is something we can't afford to embezzle."

"With tens of millions of parts, a complex launch system, and extremely high maintenance complexity, hasn't this thing been proven unfeasible by history and directly phased out?" "Exactly! Look at the Russians, they went through all the trouble to create the Buran, only to scrap it after one unmanned flight test."

"The government isn't even working on the space shuttle anymore. It's a technological trap. Bringing it up now is a bit of wishful thinking."

"Indeed, I don't agree with this suggestion."

Like a stone thrown into water, Lin Xu suddenly became the target of everyone's unanimous opposition.

Even Jiang Xingye, who had always been on his side, looked at him with a hint of confusion.

Lin Xu fully understood everyone's reaction.

Space shuttle? What an ancient relic!
Generally speaking, those who are still praising the space shuttle in 2025 are either public intellectuals who are out of touch with the latest information, or they are just space opera enthusiasts.

But since Lin Xu brought it up, it certainly wasn't something he just said offhand.

His reasoning was very simple.

Star Travel 1 is a space shuttle.

So he coughed and said:
"In fact, the various disadvantages and defects of the space shuttle were basically caused by historical limitations."

"Let's not talk about anything else. Is 250 million parts an exaggeration? Of course it was an exaggeration 50 years ago, but now, metal 3D printing is quite mature. As long as it's not a critical pressure-bearing component, manufacturing it with 3D printing is a piece of cake, isn't it?"

"Furthermore, the high cost is a false proposition. While the high cost of the US space shuttle was indeed due to the high technical difficulty and the difficulty in manufacturing parts, the main reason was the collapse of corruption caused by layers of subcontracting—this is no secret, is it?"

"In the current environment, we can easily outsource the manufacturing of most parts through competitive bidding."

"This is impossible."

Before Lin Xu could finish speaking, Chen Yan interrupted him:

"There are very few domestic manufacturers with the capability to manufacture aerospace-grade parts, so how can they compete for the contract?"

"Who said it's not much?"

Lin Xu shrugged and said:
"If you insist on using aerospace-grade components, then of course there aren't many."

"But what if you're using industrial-grade equipment? Isn't that what SpaceX is doing now?"

"A set of control systems for aerospace-grade components costs 1.4 million, and a single chip costs 500 million. The Dragon spacecraft directly uses Intel's x86 processor, and the entire main control system chip costs less than 4000 US dollars. Doesn't that already speak volumes?"

After he finished speaking, Chen Yan was speechless.

He always felt there was something wrong with what Lin Xu was saying, yet it also seemed somewhat plausible.
Unable to refute?

Outrageous.

Are all the newcomers this good now?

You're someone who works on flight control, how come you're so clear about the overall architecture design?
Chen Yan coughed and asked:
"You know about these things too?"

Lin Xu smiled.

"Know a little bit."

"I'll just say I know a little bit."

Chen Yan clapped his hands and said:

"Since the topic has been raised, why not let Lin Xu take charge of this part?"

"It's too abstract for us to just talk about it. If we're going to build a space shuttle, we need to come up with a preliminary technical plan, right?"

"Lin Xu, why don't you give it a try?"

After he finished speaking, everyone in the conference room looked at Lin Xu with a hint of schadenfreude.

Even a fool could see that Chen Yan was digging his own grave.

No, what did I do to offend you?

Didn't you tell me to say it?

Lin Xu suddenly felt a surge of anger and was about to lash out when Jiang Xingye, who was sitting not far away, suddenly spoke up.

"Mr. Chen, isn't it inappropriate to give this job to Lin Xu?"

"His major is flight control, so the overall design work would never fall to him."

“His FTE is already 1.5, he works an average of 12 hours a day, and we’re still giving him extra work.”

"FTE1.5 was developed in the previous project. This is a new project."

"It's always good for young people to get more exercise. Besides, we're not really talking about designing a plan, just systematizing our ideas and putting them in writing."

"We can't work for nothing, can we?"

Jiang Xingye interrupted Chen Yan, and one sentence completely stunned him.

In front of everyone, he felt embarrassed and his gaze towards Jiang Xingye changed.

However, Jiang Xingye was not afraid of him at all. After all, although Chen Yan was two levels higher than her, her position as the flight control team leader was not directly managed by Chen Yan's project team, but belonged directly to the group platform.

Getting me into your project is already a huge favor to you. The group has been incredibly kind to let you get in, and yet you try to take advantage of my people right away?
No way!
"You're really protective of your own."

Chen Yan helplessly shrugged.

"Then I'll make you a promise: as long as the product is completed, I'll lock in the bonus for you and report it to the authorities in advance."

Chen Yan spoke with confidence because he knew that Lin Xu would definitely not dare to take the job.

Nonsense, you're a newbie who just graduated a little over a year ago, what are you trying to do?

You can just mess with flight control, why did you have to refute me in front of so many people?

If they criticize you, just take it.

He looked at Lin Xu with a smile that concealed a dagger.

Jiang Xingye frowned, about to retort a few more times, when he heard Lin Xu answer without hesitation:

"Okay, then I'll challenge myself and give it a try."

"I promise not to let Mr. Chen down."

His two sentences were resounding and left everyone in the conference room stunned.

No, you really want to do it?
"Excellent! A young calf is not afraid of a tiger; that's courageous!"

Chen Yan clapped and said:
"Then it's up to Lin Xu. Good luck, and do your best!"

All eyes were on Lin Xu, who sat down without changing his expression, and Jiang Xingye's message immediately popped up on the computer screen.

Jiang Xingye 003876:

Are you out of your mind? You'd jump into this trap?!

Lin Xu 004267:

Don't be nervous, I have a plan.

Jiang Xingye 003876:

[Planning my foot! You think designing the overall plan is that simple?]

【You think this is a game, where you just press 'e' and something automatically builds itself?】

[If you're really that capable, you should just become the chief engineer. Why are you doing some stupid flight control?]

Jiang Xingye was clearly anxious. She confronted Chen Yan directly to prevent Lin Xu from falling into a trap, but before she knew it, Lin Xu had plunged in himself.

What are you doing?
But Lin Xu remained completely calm.

He typed slowly:

[I have a brilliant plan. You've done a great job protecting the king, and when the reward comes, you'll get ten thousand.]

Jiang Xingye 003876:

[Hey bro, what are you planning? What, you want to hack NASA and steal their stuff?]

Lin Xu 004267:

No, I just happen to know a few foreign friends who work at NASA.

After sending the message, Lin Xu stopped paying attention to Jiang Xingye.

He gently stroked the inconspicuous bracelet on his hand.

I don't have access to NASA's information.

But what about Sky Dome Technology?

Isn't it transparent?

Ah.

I don't know what the apocalypse is all about, and I can't solve it for the time being.

But a design scheme?
You can't take the contents of the bracelet out, but even if I force myself to remember them, I can still get them pretty close to what's inside.

You want it, right?

for you!

(End of this chapter)