Chapter 316 - 16th of July, The Day Finally Arrives (1/2)

Chapter 316 16th of July, The Day Finally Arrives

If Zhang Heng remembered correctly, Apple’s Bluetooth Wireless AirPods were released in 2016.

The Apollo quest was set in 1969. Seven years later, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Computer together. As for Bluetooth technology, it was created in 1994 by the famous telecommunications company, Ericsson. In other words, these AirPods were definitely not a product from this era. So, who in the world was the man calling himself Einstein?

Einstein didn’t come to see Zhang Heng because life in Area 51 was boring. He had his own agenda when he came to meet the astronauts preparing to set off for the moon. Other than Zhang Heng, he didn’t look for Jia Lai and Bruno. Zhang Heng didn’t even know if he was really one of the engineers in Area 51, let alone figuring out why he gave him the headset that way ahead of this time.

An important thing to note was that Einstein only gave him one earbud, the one for the left ear. Even so, Zhang Heng put it together with the other game items that he collected. The entire mission to the moon would last only eight days, and there would be little remaining time for Zhang Heng’s quest. This meant that when the quest ended, there was a good chance that he would still be at the moon. That could only mean that he had to pack in advance.

Fortunately, NASA allowed their astronauts to bring a small number of personal belongings to s.p.a.ce, provided they were meticulously listed down. During the quarantine period, Zhang Heng had visitors. Four days after the sandstorm, the captain returned to the s.p.a.ce center and brought back the results of the initial search and rescue. A joint effort between Area 51 and NASA saw them pull together their search a.s.sets, and after three days and three nights, Jia Lai’s body was found. He was confirmed to have died from suffocation. Bruno, on the other hand, was still missing.

The sudden sandstorm had blown millions of tons of sand hundreds of kilometers away, enough to bury all traces of anything living. Coupled with the high temperature and dryness of the desert, it was a dire task for the search to continue. However, the captain insisted that he would carry on until Bruno’s body was found.

In fact, no one thought that Bruno would survive. Public Relations also notified the media of the unfortunate news as soon as possible. Even President Nixon himself expressed his condolence for those who lost their lives during training. At the same time, the president had a brief conversation with the only survivor, Zhang Heng.

Due to the accident, Zhang Heng failed to attend the pre-launch press conference. However, this wasn’t bad news for him, and although it wasn’t his first time dealing with the media, he hated being bombarded by questions since he couldn’t provide information about his family and background. Moreover, unlike Armstrong and Collins, he was just a visitor that was pa.s.sing by this world. All he cared about was whether he could complete the main quest or not. He didn’t need to become famous in this world.

After a six-day quarantine, Zhang Heng put on the right mental att.i.tude and made the final preparations for the moon landing. He had done everything he could, for now, having already eliminated all threats and obstacles along his way. Even so, the mission was set to be a perilous voyage from the get-go, filled with unknowns and uncertainties.

It was July the 16th in no time.