Chapter 298: The Ark Project Initiative

United States Houston.

Here lies the rocket launch site of the space agency.

When a massive earthquake in California created a fault line that allowed seawater to surge inland, if the United States hadn’t decisively used a nuclear bomb to halt it, California would have been split in two.

In the end, it appears the California peninsula has merely expanded.

At least the area around Old San Francisco in the north remains intact.

However, the famed Silicon Valley vanished. During California’s massive evacuation, the headquarters of renowned tech companies scattered across the nation.

The Space Exploration Company was among them, as Musk relocated its headquarters directly to Houston, where testing facilities and offices already existed.

Under these urgent circumstances, moving to an existing facility clearly saved time.

Seizing the opportunity, Musk covertly installed a new network line, evading the company’s GIA representative.

This network line connects to the military network involved in Musk’s current Ark Project, whose greatest challenge remains the design of the ark itself.

As for energy, although there’s no nuclear fusion, the United States boasts a world-leading nuclear fission reactor technology.

This technology is powerful enough to propel a massive spacecraft to Mars.

However, launching this colossal ark spacecraft from Earth’s surface poses a major challenge.

Building it in segments, launching each part into space, and assembling them in orbit is no small feat.

Musk had previously felt that the Ark Project was a huge sinkhole, trapping him completely.

Yet behind the scenes, old Morgan demanded it be finished quickly, even exclaiming, “There’s no time to lose.”

Initially, Musk lacked confidence, but the AI Lucky assured him it might help achieve the impossible.

The catch was that Lucky had to be connected to this network—without alerting the GIA.

Musk was irked by GIA assigning representatives to guard the control room; since Lucky needed to operate in secret, he preferred to keep it under wraps.

So, the dedicated network line was successfully installed without GIA’s knowledge.

Ever since Lucky tapped into the military network, progress on the Ark Project has surged.

Lucky assisted the ark design team in validating a plan: construct 1,200 segments on the ground, launch them through 1,200 separate missions to a 300-kilometer orbit, and then have Lucky control their assembly.

Lucky’s simulation of the plan invigorated the design team, who saw it as a groundbreaking project.

Before the excitement could fade, Dream Technology unveiled its operational Heaven Realm Space City.

Musk had glimpsed that enormous structure through his telescope.

Indeed, it was colossal—at least ten times larger than the ark as planned.

It remained a mystery how Dream Technology managed to loft such a massive creation into space. If only it could help catapult the United States’ ark into orbit.

Alas, that idea remained a dream, for the United States and Dream Technology were locked in mutual sanctions, precluding any high-level cooperation.

Musk was baffled by President Radack’s steadfast policy against allying with Dream Technology. A high-tech giant like that would surely be more valuable as a partner than an enemy.

Even a compromise—purchasing some of Dream Technology’s specialized products—could have accelerated the Ark Project.

Fortunately, with Lucky on his side, the Ark Project had finally entered the launch phase.

To save time, every component of the Ark Project was manufactured and launched one after the other, all under Lucky’s overall control.

This enabled Lucky to precisely assemble them in space, forming one colossal ark spacecraft.

When the spacecraft ignites in orbit, its powerful nuclear fission reactor will generate immense thrust, propelling it toward distant Mars.

Meanwhile, the Dragon spacecraft launched this December will carry out a preliminary Mars mission, ferrying two astronauts. There, the Space Exploration Company will use it to build the first Mars base.

In other words, the Dragon spacecraft is disposable—once it lands on Mars, it automatically converts into a Mars base.

At this moment, at Houston’s rocket launch site, the first two components of the Ark Project are about to be launched.

Starting today, with the latest reusable rocket technology, there will be three launches every day.

Musk’s original idea of using the Dragon spacecraft to carry the components was unfeasible, as its payload capacity simply wasn’t enough.

The 1,200 components will be launched gradually over the next 200 days, eventually assembling into a massive spacecraft.

To ensure success, the space agency will devote all its resources to this task, suspending all other missions.

In fact, amid escalating conflict between the northern and southern governments of the United States, the space agency has run out of funding, and everyone there now works for Musk.

Because only Musk can keep them paid.

Musk no longer worried about funding since old Morgan provided financial backing; he just needed to complete the Ark Project.

Musk had long wondered why old Morgan would invest so heavily in the Ark Project, as if Earth were heading for the apocalypse.

But in recent months, with natural disasters and man-made calamities ravaging Earth, the signs pointed to an impending doomsday.

Just look at the Japanese Archipelago—one moment whole, the next, a country erased.

It seems the Central American fault line is on the verge of erupting again. The southern government had only recently used a nuclear bomb to halt it, yet, as Dream Technology predicted, even nuclear weapons can’t hold back a fault line surge.

The sound of the countdown snapped Musk back to reality. On the launch pad stood the towering “Mars Ten” rocket, blending early Saturn V and recent heavy Falcon technologies.

Standing 120 meters tall, with a liftoff mass of 3,500 tons and a total thrust of 4,000 tons, it can deliver a 200-ton payload to a 300-kilometer orbit.

In other words, the combined mass of the ark’s components reaches 12,000 tons, and once Lucky orchestrates their docking in space, they form a ten-thousand-ton spacecraft capable of a Mars expedition.

This will be humanity’s largest spacecraft, capable of carrying 10,000 to 20,000 people—enough to serve as humanity’s final ark.

Musk squinted as he watched the lower section of the enormous rocket ignite.

Two minutes later, as he observed “Mars Ten” climbing higher on the big screen and listened to the command center’s continuous reports of flawless rocket performance, an overwhelming surge of pride filled him.

[I’m making history!]

When news arrived that Mars Ten had successfully delivered the two components into the designated orbit, the hall erupted in cheers.

Once again, American pride surged. The previous chaos and civil strife had left many uncertain, and the once-mighty empire seemed on the brink of decline.

Yet at this moment, the successful launch of the largest rocket in human history had everyone in the hall smiling broadly.

Musk didn’t join the festivities; he hurried back to his office and made a phone call.

“Morgan, the launch was a success!”

Old Morgan’s voice came through: “Excellent. This is only the first step. There will be 600 more launches—each must succeed. We can’t afford failure!”

Musk replied with a nod: “Understood. Rest assured, with Lucky on board, no mistakes will occur. Every launch will be executed with precision.”

Musk had reason for his confidence. Before this launch, Lucky had run a comprehensive test on the rocket using a robot, uncovering a few flaws.

These seemingly minor defects, though easily overlooked, could spell disaster once the rocket took flight.

In aerospace engineering, there is no room for error; any failure would deal a huge blow to the entire project.

“Alright, let’s speed it up—we can’t afford any delays.”