Chapter 305: Americans That Are Filled with Love (3)
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Chapter 305 – Americans That Are Filled with Love (3)
Patting off the dust on his body, Chen Yu rubbed his shoulders and said to Musk, “It’s done. Have those two astronauts move the fragile equipment themselves.”
“Okay, okay!” Grasping Chen Yu’s hands, Musk gratefully said, “Mr. King, thank you very much for helping us to such an extent!”
“That’s something I should do. After all, this is for all of mankind.”
“I would like to thank you for your contribution on behalf of the s.p.a.ceX Company. If there is anything you need from s.p.a.ceX in the future, we will help you to the best of our abilities.”
While Chen Yu and Musk were conversing with each other, the two astronauts put on their helmets and lifted a piece of equipment supported by a tripod. They then carefully stepped toward the Interstellar Portal.
However, the instant the two astronauts were about to step through the spatial film, the Martian world in the portal disappeared, and replacing it was complete darkness.
Shocked, the astronauts hurriedly stopped their footsteps.
Meanwhile, Musk, who had been staring at the portal throughout his conversation with Chen Yu, was also stunned by this situation. “M-Mr. King, look at the portal! Why did it blacken?”
“Blacken?” Chen Yu turned around in confusion. Upon seeing the pitch-black metal arch, he frowned and asked, “Huh? What happened? Did you guys touch anything?”
“D-Did you touch anything?” the black astronaut asked his companion.
“No.” The white astronaut shook his head frantically. “Did you?”
“No!”
“B-Boss, we didn’t touch anything…”
“W-What’s going on?” Suppressing the bad premonition in his heart, Musk asked, “Mr. King, did it automatically go into standby mode?”
“It’s not a computer, so how can there be an automatic standby mode?” Maintaining a stern expression inside his helmet, Chen Yu approached the Interstellar Portal and carefully scrutinized it. After failing to find any abnormalities, he activated the console and found that the virtual projection was still usable. “c.r.a.p.”
“c.r.a.p?!” Clenching his fists subconsciously, Musk asked with a trembling voice, “Did it malfunction?”
“It’s not a malfunction.” Taking a step back, Chen Yu turned around and shrugged, “The portal’s out of batteries.”
Musk: “?”
Everyone: “???”
“Yes, it’s out of batteries.”
“This thing uses electricity?!” Musk asked in a raised tone.
“Of course. Go find me a perpetual motion machine, then.”
“No… What I mean is, can this portal from the future run out of power so quickly?”
“It’s not really quick.” Reaching out and patting the metal arch, Chen Yu sighed and said, “I haven’t stopped using it since my first official livestream. I’ve used it several hundred times already. It’s already amazing it could last for so long. Moreover, the energy consumption this time is indeed large. We tossed over 200 larger boxes from Earth to Mars, so it’s normal for it to run out of power.”
“T-Then let’s recharge it quickly?”
“It can’t be charged. It uses antimatter batteries.”
“What now, then?”
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine once we replace the batteries,” Chen Yu said, waving his hand.
Hearing this, Musk breathed out a sigh of relief. “That scared me. I thought the plan was going to be a waste. How long will it take to replace the batteries?”
“Not long; just half a month.”
“Okay, then. We’ll—half a month?”
“Yes, half a month.”
“Half a month?!”
“Mhm.”
“Half a month?!!”
“Are you a voice recorder?”
“Why does it take half a month to change the batteries?!” Musk couldn’t help but snarl.
“I don’t have this kind of battery at hand, so I’ll have to get one delivered from the future. The soonest I can get one is half a month.”
“B-But if we delay it for half a month, the first to land on Mars will be…”
“It can only be China.” Shrugging, Chen Yu said, “Who would have that that the batteries would die at this time? But fortunately, the materials we worked so hard to transport wouldn’t go to waste. China’s astronaut team can use them.”
Immediately, a variety of abnormal colors dyed the faces of everyone present…
“We human beings are of one body. What does it matter if someone else uses the materials? It’s just a matter of switching from the left hand to the right hand. It just so happens that the Chinese astronaut team left in a hurry. They must’ve had a problem with the logistics supply.” Patting Musk on the shoulder, Chen Yu concluded, “Don’t fret.”
His hands and feet growing cold, Musk muttered, “T-The losses…”
“Do you think a country as wealthy as China would dine and dash? When I return, I’ll have them pay your company at 15% above the normal price for the materials. I definitely can’t let my partner suffer a loss.”
“…”
With the results placed before his eyes, Musk naturally understood that this was Chen Yu’s ploy.
From the moment the other party said “that won’t be possible,” he should’ve known that it was wishful thinking to break the originally formulated cooperation plan and damage China’s interest to become the first country to have someone land on Mars.
The subsequent “performances” were merely a punishment for his refusal to back off…
Thinking up to this point, Musk relied on his superhuman endurance to suppress his negative emotions. He then bit his tongue before saying, “Mr. King, I understand. Let’s proceed with the colonization plan as planned. We will re-prepare the materials and personnel.”
“Okay. We will proceed according to the contract and set the departure date in three months. We must all have the spirit of the contract.” Sliding his finger across the virtual globe and establishing a spatial link to the floating castle, Chen Yu nodded and said, “Today’s problem is due to my negligence, so I’ll increase the cargo you can carry next time by another 20% as compensation.”
Hearing this, Musk’s expression loosened significantly. “Thank you, M.r King. We have caused you trouble this time.”
“No problem,” Chen Yu said, waving his hand. Just as he was about to enter the metal arch, however…
“UP! Didn’t you say the portal is out of power? How can it be used now?” a young and energetic white man in the corner shouted suddenly.
Pausing his footsteps, Chen Yu turned around and focused his gaze on the young man.
“Uh…”
The young man stepped back subconsciously, his body feeling cold all over.
“The energy required to connect Earth with Mars is much greater. The remaining energy is barely enough for me to teleport around Earth once,” Chen Yu said in a flat tone. “Is that reason enough?”
“I-It’s enough…”
“Good, then. Goodbye.”
After Chen Yu pa.s.sed through the spatial film, the metal arch gradually disappeared into the darkness.
Meanwhile, in a corner where n.o.body was paying attention to, the infrared sensor of a surveillance camera flickered…
…
After returning to the Headmaster’s Tower, Chen Yu disconnected the spatial link and changed the portal’s appearance while he was at it.
Previously, the portal went black because he had activated a function called “teleportation limitation.”
In the future, the use of Interstellar Portals was mainly for transporting. And due to cost considerations, only products of high quality were allowed to be transported. To put it simply, a “fat person” cost more energy to transport than a “thin person.” To ensure profitability, one would place restrictions on the portals and prohibit the “fat person” from using them…
Afterward, Chen Yu went into the study, removed his protective suit, and took a quick shower. He then changed into casual clothing and established a spatial link to his home.
Buzz!
Once the spatial link was established, Chen Yu stepped through the portal. However, to his surprise, Little Peach was absent from the room.
The door of his bedroom was also wide open.
Startled, he hurriedly ran out of his bedroom, only to be bewildered immediately afterward.