Chapter 41 - Chapter 41: We Have Two Moons Now!
Chapter 41: We Have Two Moons Now!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“What’s that?!”
On that day, most people on Earth witnessed a spectacle that would be very hard for them to forget.
It was noon, the hottest time of the day, and yet a circular shadow drifted across the sky, gradually veiling the sunlight.
Terrified, people on the ground looked up, bewildered.
“A solar eclipse?”
“What is this?”
A Chinese man widened his eyes, never expecting to witness such a scene in broad daylight.
…..
“Is it the moon blocking the Sun?”
“No way, the moon isn’t that big!”
The disc that blocked the sunlight was enormous, like a curtain about to envelop the entire sky.
“Is it a meteorite?”
“No, it’s an asteroid!”
“That news is real. Earth is really going to be destroyed!”
“It’s over. I don’t want to die!”
The colossal asteroid loomed overhead, causing many to tremble in fear.
Even the bravest souls worried about being crushed into pulp by this monstrous object.
Fortunately, the asteroid didn’t plummet from the heavens. Instead, it moved slowly from west to east, gradually receding.
As the sun reemerged, a sense of having survived a calamity washed over everyone.
“How far is the asteroid from Earth now?”
“8000 kilometers…”
“7000 kilometers…”
The personnel of the Earth Alliance Defense Agency remained vigilant.
Chief Engineer Yang stood before an astronomical telescope, personally tracking the asteroid’s trajectory.
“Damn it, are the aliens trying to trick us?!”
Colonel Chu seethed with anger. With the asteroid drawing so near, even if the aliens shattered it, the fragments alone could annihilate 99% of life on Earth.
“Wait, the speed seems to be slowing down…”
Chief Engineer Yang suddenly spoke up.
“Are you sure?” Colonel Chu inquired.
“Not entirely, but it feels like it’s decelerating…” Wireless signals were disrupted, rendering satellite communication impossible. They had to rely on their eyes to gauge the distance, which posed a challenge.
Reacting promptly, Colonel Chu retrieved his watch and said, “Report once every 100 kilometers. I’ll count the time!”
“Understood!”
Chief Engineer Yang fixed his gaze on the astronomical telescope’s scale. When the distance reached 6900 kilometers, he promptly called out.
Senior Colonel Chu activated the timer.
“6800…”
“6700…”
“It’s slowing down!”
Colonel Chu felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Each 100-kilometer interval took longer, indicating that the asteroid was gradually losing speed.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the asteroid’s velocity continued to decrease.
“5500 kilometers…”
After Chief Engineer Yang finished his announcement, more than ten minutes passed before Colonel Chu asked, “Has it not reached 5400 yet?”
“No!”
Chief Engineer Yang also expressed surprise. He momentarily diverted his attention from the telescope, glancing at the equipment to confirm its accuracy before looking back up.
“No doubt about it. It seems to have halted at that position, refusing to descend any further…”
He promptly adjusted the scale to pinpoint the precise location.
A short while later.
Chief Engineer Yang’s voice brimmed with elation as he exclaimed, “It stopped! It really stopped! At 5428 kilometers, it has remained stationary for quite some time!”
“Let me see!”
Colonel Chu quickly pushed Chief Engineer Yang aside and took a look for himself.
Through the lens, a deep blue asteroid drifted across the sky, steadfastly situated at the 5428-kilometer mark without any deviation.
After observing for quite some time, he withdrew from the telescope and jubilantly declared, “They’ve done it! The asteroid has come to a halt!”
Colonel Chu spoke and then thought of something else, hastily adding, “Who can calculate the gravity and see if this small asteroid could fall again?!”
Upon hearing this, all the staff members immediately began their work, swiftly calculating the gravitational force of Earth and the distance at which this small asteroid could maintain equilibrium.
“We’ve figured it out. According to the calculations for a 50-kilometer diameter asteroid, it can become a satellite at a distance of 5,100 to 6,200 kilometers from Earth without being pulled into its interior…”
“We’re going to survive!!!”
“Hooray!”
At that moment, all the staff members present erupted into cheers.
A passing janitor, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but feel a bit perplexed. She wasn’t sure what they were so happy about.
However, upon seeing the scattered papers on the ground, her expression turned sour. She now had more stuff to clean up.
Although it was a fact that the asteroid had impacted Earth, the authorities had unanimously chosen to conceal it from the public.
Even when some grassroots organizations exposed the truth, the higher-ups spared no effort in covering it up.
Apart from a small number of netizens who believed the asteroid would hit Earth, the majority of internet users preferred to trust the official statements.
Like the janitor, who was clueless and unaware that just an hour ago, someone who nearly destroyed the Earth with a small asteroid was now in the majority.
“Da Chun, why do you have time to come today?” an old woman asked, trembling.
Da Chun, already in his fifties, felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this.
He was usually busy playing with his phone, so much so that he didn’t have time to look after his own mother.
Now, with no signal on his phone and no one else around him aware of what had happened, the only way to get information had become the television at the old woman’s house.
“Mom, I came to see you… and to borrow the television for a bit.”
“Good, good. It’s been a long time since we sat together to watch the news…” The old woman was delighted, her smile radiant.
This scene was not unique to this household.
At 6:55 p.m., all the citizens of Great Xia sat in front of their televisions to watch the news.
Today, there were earthquakes again, along with no phone signal and an asteroid flying overhead.
Everyone wanted to know what was happening.
Not only ordinary citizens but even local organizations were bewildered, having received no notifications, warnings, or responses.
The entire country waiting for the same program at the same time, it had been nearly thirty years since such a phenomenon occurred.
“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening!”
“Regarding the trending topic on the internet a few days ago, WAsteroidlmpactOnEarth#, I believe most of you have heard of it…”
“The asteroid impact on Earth was a hoax, but the desire for the asteroid to be near Earth is true…”
“This so-called ‘Destroyer’ asteroid didn’t enter the atmosphere but instead stopped at a distance of 5,428 kilometers from Earth…”
“Right there, it happened to be a point of gravitational balance. The Earth’s gravity will neither let this asteroid escape, nor allow it to fall towards the Earth’s center…”
…..
“It can be said that all of us have witnessed history, witnessing the birth of a natural satellite…”
“Dear viewers, from today onwards, we have two moons!!!”