Chapter 38: Choose Both

The conference room erupted into noise. Replacing the Hydrogen Bomb with a Helium-3 Nuclear Bomb was a reasonable proposal, but where had this sudden idea for a one-billion-ton yield warhead come from?

It was a massive leap, and many found it hard to swallow immediately.

It seemed crazy, borderline insane. How could anyone even propose such a thing? The sheer concept of using that level of destructive power to propel a spaceship sent shivers down everyone’s spines. They couldn’t tell if they were trembling from horror, excitement, or a mix of both.

Professor Hao Yu remained stoic. He withstood the pressure of the room and continued to lay out the technical details. As the crowd quieted down to listen, they realized the math actually held up.

Many of the scientists were hearing this detailed breakdown for the first time, and they practically jumped out of their seats. They were on board with the fuel switch, but the scale terrified them. One billion tons was absurd. This proposal was in a completely different order of magnitude!

However, after the initial shock wore off, the engineers began to look excited. The fanaticism that Jason had previously dampened with cold logic was miraculously reignited.

It wasn’t just one or two people; the feeling was contagious. In their minds, the theoretical design would be left to the expert scientists, but the actual construction, the heavy lifting would belong to them. The thought filled them with a burning fervor.

A one-billion-ton nuclear weapon. It sounded terrifying. It sounded incredible. Build it. We have to build it!

Professor Hao Yu’s heart pounded against his ribs. He felt that his life’s work was finally about to be realized. Seeing the growing support, fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his speech quickened.

“According to my calculations, a super-heavy nuclear bomb with a yield of one billion tons will generate a shockwave powerful enough to blast the spaceship directly off the surface! Once we are airborne, we will fine-tune our trajectory and head straight for Mars!” Hao Yu exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table for emphasis.

Building massive nukes to fly spaceships, this was the way it should be!

The crowd below began to cheer, voicing their support for the audacious plan.

Jason, sitting at the head of the table, found the atmosphere slightly surreal. The people seemed to have been possessed by a raw, revolutionary spirit. They had only just solved their basic survival needs, yet they already possessed a burning desire to tackle massive, history-making projects.

This was certainly a good thing, provided the projects were actually feasible.

However, Jason noticed that many of the senior scientists were shaking their heads. Their dissenting voices were currently being drowned out by the clamor of the engineers. But in matters of science, the minority was often right.

“Quiet! Everyone, settle down,” Jason ordered. “Mr. Felix, the floor is yours.”

Jason’s voice still carried absolute authority, and the room quickly fell silent.

Chief Physicist Felix stood up from his seat to formally voice his objection.

“Professor Hao Yu, you must be aware that the lunar surface is a near-vacuum environment. A nuclear explosion cannot produce a shockwave without an atmosphere! Under normal circumstances, the effective range of a nuclear explosion in space is incredibly small. No matter how high you crank up the yield, the blast radius barely increases. Your plan defies basic physics.”

Felix turned to the room. “According to our previous design, the spacecraft would carry a large inventory of smaller tactical nukes. When the ship needed thrust, we would eject one from the stern, followed by a solid disk made of hydrogen-rich plastic.”

“Simply put: the nuke vaporizes the plastic disk, creating expanding gas that pushes the ship.”

“So, Professor Hao Yu, please explain: why use a single, unproven one-billion-ton weapon? Why not use ten 100-million-ton bombs, or a hundred 10-million-ton ones? I believe that smaller, sequential detonations allow for a much higher energy utilization rate.”

Professor Hao Yu froze for a moment. He knew that if he couldn’t satisfy the scientific elite, his plan would die right here. These top-tier minds were rational to a fault; they wouldn’t be swayed by passion or rhetoric.

He hadn’t proposed this plan just because it sounded cool. He had valid reasons. otherwise, a pragmatist like Jason wouldn’t have been persuaded so easily during their private meeting.

Hao Yu organized his thoughts and replied, “My plan operates on a different principle. I am relying on a shockwave. And if there is no natural atmosphere to create one, then we will manufacture one artificially!”

“Although the moon is a vacuum, shockwaves will occur naturally as long as there is a medium like air or dust to propagate them.”

“In my proposal, we will first construct a massive, reinforced metal shield at the base of the spaceship. Then, we will excavate a sealed chamber directly beneath the launch site. We will fill this chamber with a massive quantity of pressurized gas or other substances, liquids or solids will also work.”

“Finally, we place the nuclear device inside this pressurized chamber. When it detonates, the medium inside the cave will instantly expand, generating a colossal shockwave that will impact the ship’s shield and lift us into the black!”

Felix fell silent, lost in thought. After a long minute, he slowly nodded. He had to admit the theory had merit. If they used Hao Yu’s method, they would indeed need a massive yield; the shockwave from a small tactical nuke wouldn’t generate enough initial lift.

Of course, there were a thousand details to address: energy consumption, structural integrity, and the sheer engineering workload.

Comparing the two strategies, both had distinct pros and cons.

The scientists naturally split into two camps. They debated the proposals fiercely, with each side convinced of their own validity.

“What if the single large bomb fails to detonate? We’ve never built a device that size!”

“Thermonuclear weapon technology is well within our grasp!”

“With a hundred smaller bombs, a single failure is a statistical blip. With one giant bomb, a failure is a catastrophe. It reduces our success rate significantly…”

“The probability of a dud is statistically negligible. You’re more likely to get hit by a rogue asteroid.”

“But look at the energy consumption charts…”

Neither side could convince the other. Faces turned red, and the debate grew so heated that it looked like physical altercations might break out when words failed.

Jason watched, unsure whether to intervene. Their arguments were born of a desire to survive, to save the human race. But both proposals were theoretical. Since neither had been tested, it was impossible to objectively say which was superior.

If he held a public vote, the engineers would overwhelmingly choose Professor Hao Yu’s giant bomb; they were currently obsessed with the idea of the ultimate explosion.

But the majority of the scientists leaned toward the small-bomb propulsion system. It was the safer, more conservative bet, backed by weeks of data.

What to do? Jason felt a headache coming on. The final decision rested on his shoulders. But he couldn’t make a snap judgment on something that concerned the lives of everyone on board.

Suddenly, he gritted his teeth. If he couldn’t choose one, he would choose both.

At most, it would cost them some extra Helium-3 and steel. What was the big deal? Building a nuclear device consumed very little energy compared to other systems. A few extra bombs wouldn’t bankrupt them.

“Alright, everyone, quiet down! I am ready to announce the result of this discussion.”

Jason spoke, and the room hushed, though people exchanged confused glances. The debate hadn’t reached a conclusion how could there be a result?

“First, effective immediately, the Hydrogen Bomb project is canceled. It is officially rebranded as the Helium-3 Nuclear Bomb project! The energy quotas freed up by this switch will be reallocated shortly.”

Hearing this, several department heads sat up straighter. They were already plotting how to secure that extra energy for their own teams to ensure they didn’t fall behind.

“Second,” Jason continued, his voice firm. “Both propulsion plans will be executed simultaneously. Professor Hao Yu’s one-billion-ton Helium-3 drive will be our primary launch method. However, the multi-bomb propulsion system will also be constructed as a redundant backup plan, overseen by Mr. Felix.”

Upon hearing this, the room exploded into cheers. The engineering division, in particular, seemed to lose all composure, screaming and high-fiving in a display of hysterical excitement.

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