Chapter 213: “Epic” Rescue! (2)
Chapter 213 – “Epic” Rescue! (2)
Pa.s.sing through the Interstellar Portal’s spatial film, Chen Yu stepped on the asteroid’s irregular surface. Simultaneously, Earth’s gravity that was acting on him disappeared.
“This is the asteroid, Bell. It is elliptical in shape, and most of its surface is composed of a mixture of iron and nickel. It seems there is the presence of calcium oxides as well, so the asteroid looks a little whitish in color.
“I’m sure everyone should’ve heard about the asteroid’s diameter just now, but it’s six kilometers. It’s not a small asteroid. As for its speed and ma.s.s, there is nothing much to say about them. Let’s start working and try to finish it sooner.”
Seeing as the success of the interception plan for Bell wasn’t certain, Chen Yu chose not to reveal too many details for now.
Immediately, he activated the plasma engine to a.s.sist him in standing on the asteroid. He then lifted the paint drum and inserted it into the pipe at the giant paintbrush’s end. Afterward, he pressed the activation b.u.t.ton on the paintbrush.
Buzz…
Several motors started vibrating simultaneously, and the big brush began spraying pure black paint! Drops of paint flew out of the brush tip one after another. And without the restraint of gravity, they condensed into round spheres that floated about.
Yes. The so-called “brush” was actually a combination of thousands of densely packed flexible pipes. So long as there was a sufficient paint supply, a special oil pump would continuously pressurize and spray the paint out of the brush, significantly improving the “painting” efficiency.
“A great device, isn’t it?” Chen Yu shrugged while looking at the camera. Propelled by the plasma engine, he began his great undertaking of saving the world. “The gravitational force provided by the asteroid is negligible. If you want to smear a thick coat of paint on the asteroid, you’ll have to move the brush slowly against the asteroid’s surface.”
While Chen Yu gave his explanation, the Purple Mountain Observatory’s staff members started tossing paint drums through the Interstellar Portal one after another.
The big brush had many horsepowers, and it had emptied a 20-liter paint drum in less than half a minute.
After removing the empty drum, Chen Yu flattened it against the asteroid. He then grabbed a new drum floating in the air and neatly inserted it into the tailpipe.
“It won’t take long before paint drums fill the sky. At that time, I’ll have a difficult time differentiating the full ones from the empty ones. So, destroying the empty drums will help speed up the work.”
[How professional!]
[Maybe UP’s main job is a painter, lolol.]
[Shocking news! A certain livestreamer earns millions a day by painting!]
[Won’t littering so recklessly create s.p.a.ce junk?]
[You’re still caring about garbage? Do you know what kind of situation we’re in right now?]
[You guys don’t understand. The host is adding some flair to himself. This is a rare opportunity for him to save the world. Even if all he’s doing is painting, he has to do it in a domineering manner!]
[Lololol.]
[I’m more interested in UP’s next official livestream. It seems his access level has been elevated already? I look forward to it…]
[Hopefully, it’s a colony s.p.a.ceship…]
As Chen Yu stood on the lonely asteroid, he could feel the universe’s emptiness and depth much more clearly.
Meanwhile, the six-kilometer-diameter asteroid was like a boat sailing across the vast ocean with no end in sight. At his current location, the Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter… They were all as small as mosquitoes and flies. They were practically invisible to his eyes.
Aside from the blazing fireball in the distance, the only other things he could see were the stars of the Milky Way.
Studying could improve one’s grades, while working could improve one’s technical skills.
As Chen Yu continued painting the asteroid, his proficiency at the task also continuously improved. He had even discovered a trick to the job. If he clamped the brush between his legs, he could ride it like a magic broom, as seen in movies like Harry Potter.
Now, he held a paint drum in each hand, manipulated the paint brush’s direction with his leg muscles, and propelled himself forward with the plasma engine…
“Ahahaha! ಠᴗಠ!”
Chen Yu waved the paint drums in his hands while bouncing and flying around on the paintbrush, making it seem as if he was Li Yuanba fighting on the battlefield with his dual hammers.[1]
[Hahaha…]
[Host, you really are a genius.]
[I really look forward to how future historians will describe this “magnificent” feat of saving the world.]
[If aliens see this, they might lament how vast the universe is…]
[I label this a unique skill!]
[I want to play as well.]
[Kid, this is called saving the world. It’s not a game.]
[The sense of disharmony of this scene is so great that I don’t know where to start commenting…]
[I’m dying from laughter…]
Forty-seven minutes later.
Chen Yu finally finished painting the last crack on the designated area. Shaking the brush and paint drum vigorously, he shouted, “Dammit! I’m finally done!”
After giving his waist a stretch, Chen Yu flew back to the Interstellar Portal and returned to the Purple Mountain Observatory’s plaza. He then removed the protective suit’s glove and looked at the time and bullet comments. “What should I do next?”
“Set up this solar reflector on the asteroid’s rotation axis,” the site supervisor said. He then hailed the staff members to carry a nearly 30-meter-long device to Chen Yu. “It’s a little heavy. Do you need help from a few astronauts?”
“No need. Just find a few people to help me lift the other end,” Chen Yu said before raising the lighter end of the device. While backing up to the portal, he asked, “How should I install this thing?”
“Welding is required. The s.p.a.ce welding tools are in the device. When you arrive on the asteroid with the solar panel, the observatory headquarters will send unfolding instructions to the device. All you need to do is weld the reflector’s supports together with the asteroid’s surface.”
“I’m not proficient at welding.” Chen Yu frowned.
“It’s very simple. Just find a sufficiently tough iron surface on the asteroid and tightly weld the supports to it. The bottom of the solar reflector has a high-power suction cup. It will play the main role in holding the reflector in place.”
“Oh, I understand.”
In other words, all he needed to do was to randomly weld the thing together…
Chen Yu nodded and retreated into the portal with the device.
After entering s.p.a.ce, the weight of the solar reflector suddenly disappeared. After waving at the staff members beyond the portal and signaling for them to leave, Chen Yu pulled hard on the solar reflector, dragging the whole thing into s.p.a.ce!
While hugging onto the 30-meter-long device, he flew to the asteroid’s axis, landed, erected the device, and inserted it into the ground.
“You can expand it now.”
A minute after Chen Yu said so, the solar reflector slowly unfolded like an umbrella.
This was just how vast the universe was.
Even sending a simple command across such a “close” distance required dozens of seconds.
Unless humanity’s quantum communication technology had reached a mature state, any attempts at a cosmic voyage would simply end in disaster.
Buzz…
The vibrations generated by the solar reflector’s drive shaft were transmitted to Chen Yu’s feet through the asteroid’s surface.
As the solar reflector continuously unfolded, its height continuously increased as well. Not long after, a huge solar reflector with a diameter of 50 meters and a height of 200 meters was erected on the asteroid.
Reaching out, Chen Yu shook the reflector’s support pillar. To his surprise, the reflector’s suction cup had firmly adhered the reflector to the asteroid. Seeing this, he stopped wasting time and opened the big toolbox clipped to the support rod. After taking out the welding equipment inside, he started welding the thick steel bars dangling off the reflector.
[Of all the heroes in the world, you’re the most heroic.]
[I’m in tears.]
[Stop talking.]
[Huh? What’s the host doing? Shooting a film? Isn’t the production quality a little too amazing?]
[c.r.a.p! There’s a newbie here! Quick, bully him!]
[I prepared the pot.]
[I’m cooking the water.]
[I prepared the seasonings…]
Pzz! Pzz!
Pzz, pzz, pzz…
After welding the first steel bar, Chen Yu tentatively pulled on it. Seeing that it wasn’t breaking off from the asteroid’s surface, he said, “It looks relatively tough. It seems some people just have a knack for everything…”