255: Chapter 255 The Confidence of the Xia Kingdom!

Upon hearing this, the originally excited atmosphere in the main control room suddenly froze.

"Not at the limit yet?"

Everyone's breathing hitched for a beat.

They subconsciously looked at each other, seeing the same shock and disbelief in each other's eyes.

However, no one spoke up to ask further.

Everyone just silently fixed their gaze back on the large screen, staring intently at the white dot of light cruising steadily in Near Space.

In the high-definition image at the center of the screen, against a space background so deep it was almost pure black, the miniature Controlled Nuclear Fusion reactor on the belly of the Xuan Nu Fighter Jet continued to steadily output surging energy.

In the next second, the faint blue light from the plasma engine nozzle suddenly became more dazzling, like an ignited blue star, pushing this white steel behemoth to continue piercing toward higher altitudes.

As the altitude continued to climb, the air became extremely thin, so thin it was nearly equivalent to a vacuum.

The sharp reduction in resistance made the Xuan Nu Fighter Jet look as if it had broken free from the shackles of the atmosphere.

The speed data on the right side of the large screen suddenly jumped, and then began to climb frantically.

"Report!"

"Flight speed is continuing to increase!"

"It has broken through Mach five... Mach six... it's still accelerating!"

In just thirty to forty seconds.

The altitude data on the right side of the large screen scrolled like a waterfall, the red numbers jumping frantically, each refresh stimulating everyone's visual nerves.

Sixty kilometers.

Seventy kilometers.

Eighty kilometers.

Ninety kilometers!

"Report! Current altitude is ninety-five kilometers! Approaching... the Kármán line!"

The operator's voice clearly carried a sense of disbelief when shouting the words "Kármán line."

"Hiss—"

Inside the vast main control room, the sound of a uniform sharp intake of breath rang out.

Several elderly military industry experts' pupils trembled violently as they stared intently at the images on the screen.

The Kármán line.

This line is the boundary between aeronautics and astronautics as defined by the World Air Sports Federation.

Below this line, it's called flight.

Above this line, it's called space.

It meant that the Xuan Nu Fighter Jet's current position was only a thin sheet of paper away from outer space!

One more step up, even just one step.

And it wouldn't be Near Space anymore.

That would be outer space!

Just when everyone thought the fighter would continue to break through upwards and completely exit the Blue Planet.

Lin Yuan spoke.

"That's enough."

His tone was flat, even carrying a hint of casualness.

"Stop the ascent, maintain the current altitude, and hover cruise."

The command was issued.

In the images on the large screen, the light from the Xuan Nu Fighter Jet's plasma engine nozzles dimmed slightly.

It elegantly leveled its flight attitude, like a white falcon folding its wings, steadily freezing near the Kármán line.

In the footage sent back by the onboard camera, the azure planet was below, its curvature clearly visible, with clouds covering the continents like thin veils.

Above was the boundless, deep starry sky.

Xuannü hovered between the two.

From a god's perspective, it looked down upon the planet that had nurtured human civilization.

Seeing the fighter stop steadily, everyone in the main control room finally let out a long breath of relief.

Nerves that were stretched to the breaking point suddenly relaxed, and the sound of heavy breathing rose and fell throughout the room.

Shen Changhe raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and turned to look at Lin Yuan, the muscles on his old face still twitching uncontrollably.

"Academician Lin..."

Shen Changhe smiled, half with emotion and half jokingly.

"Just now, I was really afraid you'd say 'not at the limit yet' and have this fighter fly straight off the Blue Planet!"

Hearing this, the several experts around also nodded with smiles, clearly sharing the same feeling.

Lin Yuan chuckled softly after hearing that.

"Flying higher and breaking through the Kármán line into deep space is actually not impossible."

"However, there's not much need."

"Xuannü's battlefield is in Near Space."

His voice was calm and steady, every word filled with certainty.

"At this altitude, looking across the entire Blue Planet—"

"There are no longer any conventional or unconventional weapons that can threaten it."

"As long as it hangs here, it is the Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all hostile forces."

"The global defense system that The Other Side of the Ocean is so proud of, in front of Xuannü, is just a thin sheet of paper that can be pierced with one poke."

In the main control room, everyone listened to Lin Yuan's powerful words, and the hot blood in their chests surged frantically.

A sense of pride erupted like a volcano.

This is Xia Country's confidence!

An altitude of one hundred kilometers, a speed of over Mach six, and full stealth.

Any existing air defense system on the Blue Planet, whether surface-to-air missiles or anti-satellite weapons, is completely useless in the face of these parameters.

In other words, Xuannü can strike anyone.

But no one can strike Xuannü!

Everyone was immersed in the extreme excitement brought by this absolute military power.

Lin Yuan's gaze swept across the faces of the people around him who were flushed with excitement, and then he turned back to the large screen.

"But in the end, Xuannü is just an Aerospace Fighter."

"Not a spaceship."

"When we build a spaceship in the future..."

"Then we can consider crossing the Kármán line that Chief Engineer Shen just mentioned and take a stroll in deep space."

As soon as Lin Yuan said this.

Everyone present in the main control room was collectively stunned.

A spaceship?

These words came out of Lin Yuan's mouth so lightly, as if he were casually talking about what to eat at the cafeteria today.

But in everyone's ears, they fell as heavy as a mountain.

Yang Tongan didn't speak; he just turned his head and gave Lin Yuan a meaningful look.

In that gaze, there was shock, understanding, and a deep expectation belonging to an "insider" that others could not comprehend.

While Yang Tongan watched in silence, Shen Changhe's reaction was much more direct.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently twice, and he finally couldn't hold back.

"Aca... Academician Lin."

Shen Changhe's voice was dry, carrying a hope he hadn't even noticed himself.

He stared at Lin Yuan's face and spoke tentatively.

"This spaceship of yours..."

"Could it be you're referring to... the kind of spaceship in science fiction?"

When he asked this, Shen Changhe himself felt it was a bit absurd.

spaceship.

Manned deep space flight.

Interstellar exploration.

These terms, half a year ago, before Lin Yuan appeared, were things that only existed in science fiction novels and on movie screens.

But now...

Shen Changhe looked at the young man before him, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

In the main control room, everyone's breathing stopped in unison.

Countless gazes converged on Lin Yuan, wanting to get a confirmed answer from him.

Lin Yuan meeting those gazes, tilted his head slightly and asked back softly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"What else could it be?"