Chapter 81: Spacewalk Inside the Enormous Satellite

After observing the operations of the Kongren astronauts for a while, Zhang Desen immediately realized what was happening. This was a Kongren repair team; it seemed the satellite had developed some malfunction and was currently under maintenance. Zhang Desen couldn't help but turn to Li Longfang and say,

“Our luck seems to be quite good. Look, they’re showing us exactly how this satellite should be modified.”

Li Longfang asked, “So, who are they?”

Zhang Desen replied, “This is the repair crew I mentioned before. Whenever a satellite suffers a minor malfunction, they send out a team for repairs.”

“So this is what satellite repair looks like?” Li Longfang asked, a bit surprised.

“Yes,” Zhang Desen confirmed. “Now I can see exactly how they do it. When it comes time for us to do our own work, we won’t have to fumble around—just get straight to it.”

“That’s wonderful!” Li Longfang exclaimed.

Zhang Desen said, “The recorder is already running. Let’s just observe quietly for now.”

The observation mode was quickly activated, and the two watched as the Kongren astronauts floated in the void, performing various tasks. Some of them were carrying almost cubic modules from their ship to an open hatch, behind which were all sorts of electronic components.

Meanwhile, several other Kongren astronauts emerged from the hatch, carrying out a similar cubic module. After exchanging parts with the first group, they carried the new module back inside the satellite while the others returned the removed component to their ship.

Seeing this, Zhang Desen understood—they’d replaced a component. He was grateful to be able to watch from inside the ship; otherwise, he wasn’t sure they could have remained undetected. The spacecraft provided much more abundant oxygen than a spacesuit ever could.

After some time, the Kongren astronauts finished their repairs. To Zhang Desen’s surprise, the Kongren of the Ormei Empire left most of their tools in a secured toolbox near the hatch rather than bringing them back to their ship. Clearly, these tools weren’t meant to be taken away.

The astronauts then completed their final checks, making sure the toolbox was properly secured and nothing was left behind. After that, they all returned to their vessel and departed.

Seeing this, Li Longfang asked, “Desen, what now?”

Zhang Desen answered, “Now we prepare to go out and install our data collection device!”

Li Longfang asked with some concern, “They aren’t going to come back suddenly, are they?”

“In space, people don’t usually double back on their work,” Zhang Desen assured him.

“Is that so?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll go out and install our data collector. You stay here in the ship.”

Li Longfang protested, “Desen, let me go with you! I’m strong enough—”

“No,” Zhang Desen cut him off firmly. “You’ve never done a spacewalk. Out there, you might not even be able to move properly.”

Li Longfang was dissatisfied, but thinking back to how dizzy he’d felt just unbuckling his seatbelt, barely able to keep his balance, he had to admit Zhang Desen was right.

Zhang Desen continued, “I’ll teach you how to walk in space in the future. And you’ll have to teach many others as well.”

Li Longfang was moved. “Thank you for your guidance, Young Master!”

Zhang Desen replied, “There you go again. All right, keep monitoring the ship for any messages from ground control. Watch the radar for any unidentified flying objects that might approach. Use this camera to record my EVA. We’ll stay in contact via communicator. Understood?”

With each instruction, Li Longfang replied with a crisp “Yes,” finally adding, “Understood.”

Zhang Desen then began changing into his extravehicular suit, gathering his tools and the data collection device, preparing for his spacewalk. Before exiting, he had Li Longfang put on a suit as well, just in case the latter couldn’t resist following him out.

After making all necessary preparations, Zhang Desen took his tools, equipment, and a pulse gun, exited the rescue craft, and began his spacewalk. This time, it was a free-form walk, different from before, as he was inside an enormous artificial satellite—a place with no oxygen, of course, and certainly no artificial pressure. However, the lighting system inside the satellite was sufficient, especially near the core, making it convenient for his movements.

Once outside, Zhang Desen steered his maneuvering unit toward the place where the Kongren astronauts had just been working. It wasn’t far, so he arrived quickly. He found the fixed toolbox they had used and saw that it was secured with a combination lock.

It didn’t look difficult to open—a specialty of Zhang Desen’s. Not wanting to leave traces, he played back the footage he’d just taken, watching the Kongren repair crew enter the code. He then entered the same sequence and successfully opened the toolbox.

Incidentally, the keypad was transparent and only displayed when activated, a touch-screen interface Zhang Desen was quite familiar with.

After taking out the tools, Zhang Desen felt as though he’d overlooked something. The wiring here didn’t look any different from elsewhere. He looked around, puzzled.

Noticing Zhang Desen’s hesitation, Li Longfang asked over the communicator, “Desen, is something wrong?”

Zhang Desen replied as he kept observing, “I think I’ve missed a detail—I’m approaching this the wrong way.”

“Is it impossible to install our device?”

“It can be done, but not right here.”

“So this isn’t the satellite’s core?”

“No, this is the core section, but these wires aren’t the central processor—just data cables connected to it.”

“But the Kongren were repairing something here, weren’t they?”

“They were fixing a faulty section, but it doesn’t have to be the central processor—it could be any component.”

“So what do we do now?”

“Don’t worry. Since this is the core area, the central processor must be nearby. Our only mistake was not looking closely enough. The closer to the processor, the denser the cables. Let me check.”

“Understood!”

Zhang Desen began scanning the surroundings. The cables everywhere seemed dense, but then he noticed that above, the data lines thinned out somewhat.

Suddenly, he realized something. He looked down, and about two hundred meters below, he spotted a massive spherical electronic device. Excited, he said to Li Longfang, “Longfang, I’ve found it—it’s right below me.”

“Directly beneath you?”

“Yes. I can head down there right now. It’s not far. I’ll install the data collector and be right back—don’t worry.”

“Do you need a rope?” Li Longfang asked.

“No need. Don’t forget, there’s no gravity here. It’s not far; I’ll just float down. Nothing to worry about.”

“Should I come with you? I feel uneasy when I can’t see you.”

“No need. Besides, you can see me—my suit’s camera is transmitting live footage to you.”

Li Longfang smacked his forehead. “Right, I forgot.”

“Keep an eye on my back as well—the suit has a rear camera, and you can see the live feed on the ship’s display.”

“I see it.”

“Then I’ll leave my back to you. Don’t let me down.”

“Don’t worry!”

With that, Zhang Desen began making his way down to the massive spherical central processor, holding onto a huge data cable.

He didn’t activate his suit’s maneuvering unit; the controls were simple, but fuel was limited. Best to conserve it for emergencies.

As he climbed down the giant data cable, Li Longfang’s voice came through the communicator: “Desen, is this really a data cable? I’ve never seen you show us a data cable this massive before.”

“Does it look that enormous on your monitor, too?”

“It’s unbelievable. Two people couldn’t even wrap their arms around it!”

“It’s not surprising. This Kongren artificial satellite is enormous. The data it transmits must be immense as well.”

“True. When the Kongren were repairing the data cables earlier, they had to open huge hatches just to access them. These cables look incredibly sturdy.”

“Of course. This kind of design is necessary.”

Li Longfang gazed at the central processor on his screen. “That sphere is impressive, glowing like a giant crystal, casting light in all six colors—it’s almost magical.”

“You find it magical—I don’t. Central processors can come in all shapes, and colored lights are perfectly normal. Oh, I’m here. Look, there’s plenty of equipment inside, too.”

“There sure is!”

Chatting as he moved, Zhang Desen finally reached the central processor. But once there, he found himself momentarily uncertain where to begin.