How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 719

Yang Chen, now in his thirties, really should think about having children. Given his position, it’s practically expected.

With so many women in his life, he couldn’t bear to abandon any of them, nor did he want to.

So, he decided to gather everyone together and lay all his cards on the table.

Those who didn’t want to stay would receive a generous sum of money to start a new life, while those who chose to remain would await the opportunity to ascend to the moon together.

Yang Chen currently possesses 100,000 years of disposable lifespan, enough for them to live comfortably on the moon for tens of thousands of years.

He also believes that, in the future, he might acquire even more disposable lifespan, potentially granting them all immortality.

However, he’s keeping this last bit of information a secret for now, planning to reveal it only after they’ve reached the moon.

For the time being, he wants them to make a completely free choice, with the freedom to leave or stay as they wish. He would never force anyone.

Unsurprisingly, none of them expressed any desire to leave him.

After a few days of fun at sea, Yang Chen took them to the launch base to witness the launch of the Sky Station.

With the system providing absolute certainty, there was no concern about launch failures. Therefore, the launch and docking of Starcraft-1 Space Station was broadcast live to the world, showcasing their unwavering confidence.

The reactions from Chinese netizens were predictable. Everyone was singing Yang Chen’s praises, with some witty individuals jokingly calling him “Dad” or “Hubby,” hoping he’d take them along when he eventually ascends to the moon.

The comments from foreign viewers were far more diverse and revealing. You could easily discern which countries were rational and which were… not, based on their remarks.

American netizen Jeffrey Johnson: “Oh my god, is this real? Is it confirmed that a Chinese private company launched that space station? China’s technology is advancing so fast! Not only has the government launched a space station, but now private companies are doing it too. Meanwhile, the United States, which claims to be the world’s technological leader, still has two astronauts stranded in space!”

French netizen Ribery: “Aren’t they always saying they’re a ‘developing country’? How come other countries can’t independently build space stations? Now even their private companies can do it? Our media feeds us fake news every day. How can such a country be poor and backward?”

British netizen Elizabeth: “The BBC tells us every day that China is desperately poor, backward, and can barely feed its people. Yet, they’re constantly launching lunar probes and space stations. Something doesn’t add up. They’re clearly technologically advanced, yet they still insist on being a ‘developing country.’ Does ‘developing country’ just mean a country that is still developing? If that’s the case, all countries are developing, and everyone can call themselves a ‘developing country’.”

South Korean netizen Kim Gen-suk: “They must have plagiarized our space technology, or they’re just imitating American technology. They don’t have any original technology of their own. Our Great Stick Republic [a sarcastic reference to South Korea] is the most technologically advanced country in Asia. And don’t worry about products made in China; they’ll break down within a year due to quality issues.”

Indian netizen Salman: “There’s no need to worry at all, because our astronauts have already landed on the moon! They’re still playing around near the Earth, while we’ve already begun exploring the moon and building a lunar base. I am honored to be born in India; our country is so great!”

UAE netizen: “It is said that… Our country has a very good relationship with the boss of Starcraft, and I think we will have preferential treatment. Please take your money and leave our space station. Thank you. Is 30 billion US dollars enough? We can add more to send our astronauts up, and the transportation costs can be calculated separately. As long as you respect our money, we will respect your technology.”

…

After the space station successfully docked and completed its assembly, the four astronauts communicated with ground control from inside.

Elon Musk, who had been closely following the launch, posted a message on Twitter.

“Wow, what an amazing achievement! I am honored to lose to such an opponent. Honestly, I think the reason why the Catwoman robot didn’t sell as well as his before was due to cultural differences, not because our technology and products were not good enough. Now, haha… I want to say, I’m convinced. May I ask, if I say I’m convinced, can I be taken up to experience it? Haha…”

Meanwhile, astronaut Guo Hai, fully equipped, prepared for his spacewalk. He also needed to place the lunar soil bricks he had brought up outside the station for exposure experiments.

Researchers from the Aerospace Bureau, including Hu Ming, were glued to the live broadcast. They only breathed a collective sigh of relief after seeing Guo Hai successfully place all the lunar soil bricks and safely return to the cabin.

At the celebratory banquet, Yang Chen made a personal appearance to celebrate the successful launch of Starcraft-1 with everyone. He personally toasted all the staff, including the four astronauts currently in orbit.

After the banquet, Yang Chen returned to his sea-view room in Sanya.

Before going to bed, he posted a message on Weibo [a Chinese microblogging website].

“Today’s launch went very smoothly; thank you for your attention. We will continue to expand the space station in the future. Starcraft-2, 3, 4… As long as there’s a need, we will continue to launch and build an artificial space corridor. Once the results of the lunar soil brick exposure experiment are available, we will begin construction of a lunar base. In addition, the space station tourism service that everyone has been asking about is now officially open for registration. Those interested can contact Starcraft Interstellar Express Company; our staff will evaluate customers based on their physical condition and other comprehensive factors. Customers who pass the review and training will be able to visit our space station for tourism. Good night, China. Good night, friends.”

Night owls immediately flooded the comments section.

“So, are you planning to put a cover outside the Earth? Will it block the sunlight? I still want to sunbathe; leave some sunlight for our area!”

“I can probably imagine what the space corridor that Boss Yang is talking about looks like. Does that mean we’ll be invincible? If we send missiles to the space corridor, wouldn’t we be able to hit anywhere we point, with no possibility of interception?”

“Selling the house, selling the house! I must go up and see whether the Earth is round or flat in my lifetime. I think those who insist on the flat-Earth theory should go up and see for themselves. After seeing it, they’ll know whether their persistence is right or wrong. Otherwise, they won’t believe what others say, and it feels like there’s something wrong with their brains…”

Meanwhile, in the United States, it was daytime.

After seeing Yang Chen’s Weibo post, Elon Musk immediately contacted Starcraft Interstellar Express Company to inquire about space tourism.

NBA star Kyrie Irving, a staunch believer in the flat-Earth theory, also contacted Starcraft Interstellar Express Company.

As some netizens had suggested, he wanted to see for himself whether the Earth was round or flat.

The European Space Agency also contacted Starcraft Interstellar Express Company, hoping to send astronauts for scientific research and requesting any possible assistance.

The UAE, along with other wealthy nations, also contacted Starcraft Interstellar Express Company, as some of their princes and princesses were interested in visiting the space station.

Starcraft-1 Space Station was designed with two distinct sections: one for astronauts to work and live, and another specifically for tourists.

For sightseeing trips, tourists would be directed to the tourist area upon docking.

Scientific research missions, however, required docking at the experimental area.

The cost of tourist travel was in the millions of US dollars, while scientific research missions were priced in the hundreds of millions.

Later that day, after Yang Chen took Xue Yinong and Yu Shishi for a prenatal checkup, Qiu Yuhong called him.

“Mr. Yang, we have news from the United States. The whereabouts of the legendary Empress Dowager Cixi’s night-luminescent pearl may have been discovered. It’s believed to be in the possession of Kenny Coster, the current head of the Coster family,” Qiu Yuhong reported.

Yang Chen asked excitedly, “Is the news accurate?”

Qiu Yuhong replied immediately, “Based on the available information, we’re fairly certain it’s in his hands, but we can’t verify it at this time. Doing so might alert him and jeopardize your plan.”

Yang Chen fell into deep thought. The individuals in China responsible for his parents’ deaths had already been punished, but the perpetrators abroad remained at large. If the pearl was indeed in Kenny Coster’s possession, he would stop at nothing to eliminate him.

At that moment, the system issued a notification.

“The system has triggered a temporary mission: Eliminate Kenny Coster and retrieve the night-luminescent pearl. Upon completion, the system will reward the host with the opportunity to travel through time and space to save his parents.”

Yang Chen was stunned, overcome with excitement.

If he could go back eighteen years and prevent his parents from taking that fateful business trip, he could save their lives. The 100,000 years of disposable lifespan stored in the system would ensure their well-being, and the whole family could eventually ascend to the moon together.

Yang Chen swallowed hard and said quickly, “Qiu Dong, send someone to acquire the night-luminescent pearl. Publicly announce that we’re willing to pay 500 million US dollars for it, and offer 1 million US dollars to anyone who can provide reliable information. When the opportunity arises, have our people directly confront Kenny Coster. Keep me updated on the progress.”

Qiu Yuhong replied promptly, “Understood, Chairman Yang. I’ll make the arrangements immediately and report any news to you.”

Hanging up the phone, Yang Chen’s hands trembled.

His deceased parents had a chance to come back to life and spend thousands, even tens of thousands, of years with him. It was understandable that he was so excited.

Yu Shishi asked quickly, “Chen Ge, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Yang Chen replied with a smile, “It’s nothing, really. Don’t worry about it. Just focus on taking care of your pregnancy. Let’s go; I’ll take you home.”

Women’s intuition is often accurate. Yu Shishi and Xue Yinong sensed that something significant was happening; otherwise, Yang Chen wouldn’t be so agitated. It was the first time they had seen him so nervous that his hands were shaking.

Xue Yinong said, “You can discuss anything with my dad; he might be able to help.”

Yang Chen smiled and said, “Yes, I know. If necessary, I’ll definitely ask for his help.”

Yang Chen took Xue Yinong and Yu Shishi home and made sure they were settled in. Aunt Lan was there to care for them, so he didn’t have to worry. He immediately went to the Starcraft Research Base, determined to accelerate the construction of the lunar base so that his entire family could live on the moon.