Chapter 8: Come, Let Us Journey to the Moon, Set Foot Upon Its Surface, and Establish a Lunar Base!

In a vast, white expanse, Fang Jing stared at the strange machine. Once again, peculiar memories surfaced in his mind. A line of text appeared in his consciousness, unbidden:

"Come. Come to the moon, land on the moon, and establish a lunar base."

"What is this?" Fang Jing wondered.

Suddenly, his vision spun, and he found himself back in the decontamination room of his home universe.

"Fang Jing is back!"

In the monitoring room, Zhao Guangyao watched the figure appear on the screen, overjoyed. He was back!

"How is he? Is he injured?" Wu Xi and the others crowded anxiously in front of the monitors. Only when they saw that Fang Jing bore no signs of external injury did they breathe a partial sigh of relief.

"Let’s go to the decontamination room to welcome him!" Li Tianming suggested, exhaling.

"Haha, yes, we certainly should welcome our little hero properly," the burly Zhou Yuan laughed aloud.

"Let's go, quickly!" Sun Wang agreed. The five of them quickly dashed out of the monitoring room together. Even Zhao Guangyao hurriedly ordered someone to keep watch before scurrying off to join them.

The soldiers permitted to enter the Xishan Base were all of impeccable character. Facing a man like Fang Jing, who had risked his own safety for the future of China, everyone felt a heartfelt sense of admiration.

Inside the decontamination room, Fang Jing performed a self-check. Finding no abnormalities, he stepped out after half an hour.

"Fang Jing, you’re not hurt, are you?" Zhao Guangyao and the others immediately surrounded him, looking at him with concern.

"I'm not hurt, Brother Zhao. Look at what I’ve brought back!" Fang Jing spun around to show he was unharmed.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Zhao Guangyao said, exhaling. Hearing Fang Jing’s words, he noticed the small box Fang Jing was clutching tightly to his chest. "This is?"

He had a suspicion, but it seemed too incredible. Could they have really obtained it on their very first official exchange?

"It’s the technology for the full-coverage exoskeleton, including the production line specifications. The other side was incredibly sincere!" Fang Jing said, presenting the box as if asking for credit.

"What? The complete technology and the production line information?!" Zhao Guangyao, Zhou Yuan, and the others stood frozen in place, their eyes wide.

They were in total disbelief. It felt like a dream—to have secured such technology so easily. Zhou Yuan, in particular, wore his joy openly.

"Their technical capabilities are beyond my imagination..." Fang Jing paused, teasing the group as they looked at him with anticipation.

"What else is there?" Zhao Guangyao asked impatiently. The others were equally restless.

"They have the technology for a space elevator!" Fang Jing dropped the bombshell.

The mere mention of a space elevator left the five of them completely stunned.

"Hiss—" A collective intake of breath echoed through the room. Zhao Guangyao and the others exchanged glances, their surprise impossible to conceal.

"There might be even more staggering things. They seem very well-disposed toward us. Come, let’s go to the office to discuss the rest," Fang Jing said with a chuckle.

This was only the beginning. The civilization of *The Wandering Earth 2* was one that possessed true interstellar colonization capabilities. These technologies alone were enough to propel China forward in giant leaps.

"Brother Zhao, I won the gamble this time. China is about to take off!" With the backing of technology from *The Wandering Earth* universe, what could the United States possibly use to compete with them?

"Good, let’s talk in the office." Zhao Guangyao still felt as though he were in a dream. He pinched himself hard. "Hiss—that hurts! It’s real!"

"Hahaha! Heaven bless China; this calls for a grand celebration!"

...

In the Project 237 office, Fang Jing recounted his entire experience in the *Wandering Earth 2* universe to the group. He left nothing out. This information was crucial for the research team to formulate their strategies, and he couldn't afford to be careless. After all, he was the only one currently executing these missions. He didn't want to sabotage himself by withholding information.

"You’re saying Universe No. 1 is the *Wandering Earth 2* universe, and you met Zhou Zhezhi?" Zhao Guangyao had pulled up the film. Watching it, he found it impossible to calm his heart.

"That’s right. Although his appearance is slightly different from the movie, his name is the same, and the solar crisis is no fabrication," Fang Jing affirmed.

"That’s not entirely incomprehensible, given that we’ve already achieved travel between parallel universes," Li Tianming remarked, finding it fascinating. "The fact that Universe No. 1 is the *Wandering Earth 2* universe is actually to our advantage. Knowing the general trajectory allows us to maintain more initiative."

Zhao Guangyao calmed down, exhaled, and gestured toward the box on the table. "Because that world has the AI known as MOSS, you were afraid to open this tech box while connected to the network?"

"Exactly. The 710 Institute might be where MOSS was born. I’m not certain if it could infiltrate this box," Fang Jing explained his concerns.

"Your caution is well-founded. I will arrange for a completely air-gapped location to open and verify this technology," Zhao Guangyao said, satisfied with Fang Jing’s prudence. He moved on, asking, "And then, when you were being transported back by that machine, a line of text inexplicably appeared in your mind?"

"'Come. Come to the moon, land on the moon, and establish a lunar base.' That was it, right?"

"Yes, I don't know what it means. It just suddenly appeared in my head," Fang Jing explained.

"I will draft a report and submit it." Zhao Guangyao patted Fang Jing’s shoulder, smiled slightly, and said softly, "Don’t worry."

"Since 'He' wants us to go to the moon and build a lunar base, we will do exactly that. Once we’ve built it, we’ll naturally understand what it all means!"

"Understood!" Comforted by Zhao Guangyao, Fang Jing felt much calmer.

After a few more words, Zhao Guangyao left in a hurry, taking the tech box with him. Once he was gone, Zhou Yuan rushed over and gave Fang Jing a massive bear hug.

"Good lad! You did a beautiful job this time. You brought back exoskeleton technology on the very first try!"

Zhou Yuan, a man of humble farming origins who had later advanced through the military, still possessed a blunt, sincere nature. He expressed his joy directly, without a hint of pretense. The others, like Sun Wang, were all military men and followed suit, giving Fang Jing hearty embraces.

This was what Fang Jing loved about them. These "most beloved people" were open and honest, dedicated entirely to their country, with none of the backstabbing or intrigue found elsewhere. Of course, the reason Fang Jing felt no intrigue was because Elder Zhu Jincheng had shielded them from it, keeping it all outside the scope of Project 237.

"Yes, yes, I understand. That is indeed good news. I will discuss it with the Chairman." Hanging up the secure line from Xishan Base, Elder Zhu let out a long breath and gave a cold snort. "Those little brats are starting to jump around again. We’ll have results soon enough to scare the life out of them!"

Thinking of the treasures Fang Jing had brought back, Elder Zhu chuckled.

"This stagnant world—are you ready for our depth charge?"