The next day, Lu Zhou woke up early in the morning. After cleaning up in his bathroom, he asked Xiao Ai to fetch him his suit.
He had a diplomatic event today, and it was probably going to be broadcasted on national TV.
In order to please his fans, Lu Zhou spent a couple of minutes styling his hair.
Lu Zhou admired himself in the mirror for a while, until it was about time to leave. He went into the kitchen and microwaved last night’s leftovers. After finishing his breakfast, he sat in his black sedan and headed toward the high-tech aerospace industrial area.
Lu Zhou sat in the back of the car and looked at the scenery. He suddenly remembered his conversation yesterday, so he said, “I plan on switching cars.”
Wang Peng: “What car?”
Lu Zhou: “A fully electric one.”
Wang Peng: “Is it safe?”
Lu Zhou: “You can inspect it when it comes.”
Wang Peng nodded and said, “No problem, I’ll drain the battery when it comes.”
Lu Zhou: “… Fully drain it? You sure?”
Wang Peng looked at the rearview mirror and said, “… Why, what’s wrong?”
Lu Zhou: “Nothing is wrong, but it has a 2,000 kilometers range… Are you sure you want to fully drain it?”
2,000 kilometers!
Wang Peng nearly choked on his own saliva.
He clenched his jaw and spoke stubbornly.
“No problem! It’s just 2,000 kilometers.”
Just 2,000 kilometers.
That was the distance from Jinling to Beijing and back…
Seeing how stubborn this guy was, Lu Zhou didn’t have anything to say.
2,000 kilometers…
Once he fully drains the battery, it will barely be a new car anymore…
In less than half an hour, a black sedan drove past the high-tech zone, toward the newly-built high-tech aerospace industrial area.
Strictly speaking, the aerospace industrial area was part of the high-tech zone. However, they were separated for convenience.
Ever since the completion of the Jin Ling City aerospace launch site, the entire Jin Ling City aerospace industry had developed at an incredible speed. Jin Ling City became Asia’s Houston.
From satellites to spacecraft components, from heat sinks to aerospace batteries, from state-owned aerospace giants to privately-owned companies, more than 500 companies had recently moved here. Every component of the Moon Palace or the Magpie Bridge could be found in Jin Ling City.
This was why the Russian Ministry of Economic Development decided to visit Jinling instead of Beijing. The Russians wanted to learn from China’s aerospace industry.
The Russians had a huge aerospace foundation, but due to its depressed economy, it had lost all of its power.
The entire world wanted to ride China’s aerospace bandwagon, and the Russians were the first to act…
Star Sky Technology building.
A black sedan parked at the entrance.
When Lu Zhou got out of the car, a man standing next to a security guard noticed him and quickly walked toward him.
“Academician Lu Zhou, you’re finally here!” The man tightly shook Lu Zhou’s hand and said, “I’m Zhong Quan, I’m from the minister’s office. You can call me Secretary Zhong.”
“Lu Zhou. Academician is just a title, my job is still a professor, so you can just call me Professor Lu.” Lu Zhou smiled and said, “Has the Russian visiting group arrived?”
Zhong Quan smiled and said, “They arrived a long time ago! Mr. Georgiev asked about you the second he got off the plane, and he hasn’t stopped talking about you.”
Asking about me?
Why?
Lu Zhou smiled and continued, “Oh really? Let’s not make our guests wait any longer, take me there.”
The secretary made an inviting hand gesture.
“Come this way!”
Because of the foreign visiting group, the high-tech aerospace industrial area was in shut-down mode. However, even though they were shut down, they were busier than normal.
Twenty black sedans were parked neatly in the parking lot near the Star Sky Technology building. A group of Russian diplomats followed a group of Chinese diplomats and local officials, who gave them a tour of the Star Sky Technology building reception.
Finally, Georgiev from the Russian Ministry of Economic Development saw the person he wanted to see.
“Hello, Professor Lu! I’m Georgiev,” Georgiev said as he shook Lu Zhou’s hand tightly. This Russian man smiled heartily and said warmly, “I always hear your name in Roscosmos meetings, and I’m glad to finally see you in person.”
Lu Zhou shook Georgiev’s hand and said humbly, “Oh, you’re too kind. It’s my honor to meet you, Mr. Georgiev.”
“I’m quite impressed with the development of your aerospace company. I wonder if you can give me a factory tour today?”
Minister Yang from the Ministry of Commerce looked at Lu Zhou. After seeing Lu Zhou nod his head, Minister Yang replied, “No problem, come with me.”
Star Sky Technology’s aerospace assembly center was located in the high-tech aerospace industrial area. In fact, the entire high-tech aerospace industrial area was built around the assembly center.
Georgiev insisted for them to walk there instead of taking a car.
While walking, the Russian man looked at the buildings around him and couldn’t help but look astonished.
He suddenly looked at Lu Zhou and said, “… After seeing all of this, I finally understand how you guys are able to create such wonders like the Moon Palace.”
Lu Zhou smiled and said, “Not exactly a wonder. It’s not much bigger than the International Space Station.”
Georgiev shook his head and said, “The International Space Station was the joint effort of dozens of countries, and it took them more than a decade to finally complete assembly. It is unbelievable that the Moon Palace was completely assembled in less than a year. If that isn’t a world wonder, then I don’t know what is.”
Even though Lu Zhou knew this Russian man was kissing his a*s, he couldn’t help but feel proud.
After all, before the dissolution, the Soviet Union was one of the world aerospace powerhouses. Even though they were nowhere near as strong now, their dominance in the past allowed them to survive until now.
Most people didn’t know that the “flow staged combustion cycle” technology used by the “Raptor” liquid oxygen methane engine on the Space-X BFR rocket was based on the Soviet Unions’ RD-270 engine and UR-700 rocket.
Lu Zhou smiled and replied humbly, “We’re just standing on the shoulders of giants.”
His ion thruster propulsion technology was reversed engineered from a higher-level civilization, so in a sense, Lu Zhou was correct.
However, Georgiev seemed to have misunderstood Lu Zhou’s words. Georgiev thought that Lu Zhou was talking about America. Georgiev laughed out loud and didn’t know what to say. Fortunately, Minister Yang diverted the conversation.
Even though they had a little friction between them, this didn’t affect their relationship. Georgiev wasn’t a petty person; not to mention Georgiev wasn’t in the position to argue.
Especially when it came to the aerospace field.
The aerospace industry was shifting from low-Earth orbit to lunar transfer orbit. If Russia wanted to stay in the industry, they had to get help from China.
China’s strength was the only reason the grumpy old Russians were being so friendly.
