As many of the citizens of the Dragon Country reluctantly resigned themselves to defeat, a faint plume of white smoke began to emerge beneath the Fiery Dragon One launch vehicle, slowly rising into the air.
Those with a keen eye immediately noticed this and began to send messages in the live stream.
Dragon Country User 1: "Look, there's white smoke coming from beneath Fiery Dragon One!"
As this observation spread, viewers quickly turned their attention to the screen, and indeed, they saw the smoke growing thicker and denser. A sense of hope was instantly reignited, sparking waves of excitement across the live chat.
The chat was soon flooded with rocket-themed gifts:
Wubai Niubi sent a giant rocket +1 Xiao Jingang sent a giant rocket +2 Universe Invincible Handsome sent a giant rocket +3
...
Rocket +999
...
Rocket +999999
The live stream was immediately overwhelmed by an outpouring of these gifts!
Some Dragon Country viewers also rushed to the live stream of White Yanlang, the American pundit.
Dragon Country User 1: "Did you see that, White Eyed Wolf? Our Fiery Dragon One has ignited successfully!"
Dragon Country User 2: "I told you, it was just the network delay! Haha..."
White Yanlang, looking at the screen, indeed saw the white smoke emerging beneath the rocket.
Based on his experience, he knew that once rocket fuel was ignited, a powerful thrust should appear within two seconds, lifting the rocket into the air. There was no way the Dragon Country's rocket could be taking this long.
He suspected that the white smoke might be a sign of something else, so he dismissively remarked,
"Don't get too excited. This white smoke could be a fuel leak, and the rocket may explode soon!"
Just as he finished speaking, the white smoke rapidly spread, quickly engulfing half the height of the Fiery Dragon One in less than a second. The rocket itself began to tremble.
All eyes in the Dragon Country were fixed on the rocket, praying nothing would go wrong. After all, if it took this long to ignite, there shouldn't be such a delayed response if the ignition was successful.
But just as the tension reached its peak, the rocket suddenly disappeared with a swish!
Everyone was left stunned.
"Where's the Fiery Dragon One?"
The camera operator, equally shocked, scrambled to locate the rocket in the sky. When he looked up, he saw Fiery Dragon One already soaring hundreds of meters above the ground.
Frantically, he adjusted his lens to capture the soaring rocket.
But no sooner had he focused, than the rocket shot out of the frame again.
"Wow, this is too fast!" the operator marveled in astonishment.
He quickly followed the rocket's flight, adjusting the camera to keep pace.
The live stream's viewers in the Dragon Country erupted in excitement.
Dragon Country User 1: "Our Fiery Dragon One rocket has successfully launched! Haha..."
Dragon Country User 2: "Amazing, my country is incredible! Haha..."
Dragon Country User 3: "Unbelievable, our thousand-ton thrust rocket has made it into space!"
Dragon Country User 4: "It's a success! Haha..."
Dragon Country User 5: "That speed is insane! I love it!"
The host, equally thrilled, exclaimed,
"Our Fiery Dragon One rocket with its thousand-ton thrust has made it! Haha..."
The entire Dragon Country erupted in jubilation, a wave of national pride sweeping through the people.
High-ranking officials in the Dragon Country also breathed a sigh of relief. The slow ignition had indeed startled them.
One leader, half-jokingly, said,
"We need to reprimand Jiang Fan later. You've almost given us old men heart attacks! Haha..."
"And not even a heads-up that solid fuel ignition is slow! You nearly scared the life out of me!"
The officials laughed together, relieved that the rocket had successfully launched despite the earlier tension.
...
In White Yanlang's stream in the Beautiful Country,
Dragon Country User 1: "Who said they'd eat a... something if the rocket launched? Hurry up and eat it! Haha..."
Dragon Country User 2: "White Eyed Wolf, kneel and apologize to the Dragon Country!"
Dragon Country User 3: "I've got the screen recording as proof!"
White Yanlang, unfazed by the barrage of comments, calmly responded,
"Just because your rocket launched doesn't mean it won't encounter problems in the air. Haha..."
The host in the Beautiful Country added,
"Professor White is right; there have been plenty of rockets that launched only to explode later!"
But just then, a bright white light appeared in the Dragon Country's live stream, cutting through the screen.
At such a high altitude, it was impossible to discern the shape of the light with the naked eye.
Everyone was left confused and bewildered.
Dragon Country User 1: "What is that thing?"
Dragon Country User 2: "Could it be a UFO?"
Dragon Country User 3: "Oh no, something's heading towards Fiery Dragon One!"
Dragon Country User 4: "It's getting closer!"
YOU ARE READING
Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion
Science FictionAchieving high scores is not frightening; it is the mastery of one's scores that is truly daunting. Reborn as a young scientist, the protagonist submits partial formulas and data for controlled nuclear fusion in order to gain admission to a prestigi...
