Chapter Forty-Six: A New World

In the days that followed, Wang Jing continued as before, transporting supplies across different dimensions. Among these missions was the delivery of a large quantity of helium-3, extracted from the moon in the Transformers dimension, to China.

Thanks to the efficiency of nuclear fusion power, a mere hundred tons of energy could supply the entire Earth for a year. Thus, Wang only needed to transport helium-3 once; afterward, his focus shifted to delivering the core materials for constructing nuclear fusion reactors, along with the necessary technical personnel.

The core materials for the fusion reactors were extremely challenging to process. To maximize efficiency, the United Government directly provided a functioning reactor core, with the intention of researching material issues gradually over time.

The days passed one after another. Occasionally, after work, Wang Jing would visit the research group studying the Decepticon corpses.

Previously, Optimus Prime’s exoskeleton suit had truly astonished Wang Jing—it was far more impressive than the jetpack components formed by Jetfire in the previous life’s movie.

One day, while taking a break, Wang Jing decided to visit the research group to see if there was anything new and interesting.

This time, he happened upon Optimus Prime testing his new equipment. “Optimus Prime, you’re here too!” Wang Jing greeted him.

Optimus Prime nodded politely. “Director Wang Jing!”

Wang Jing approached Jiang Ning, who was overseeing the installation of the new equipment, and asked, “Already upgrading to new gear?”

Jiang Ning, eyes fixed on Optimus Prime, replied without turning, “This is actually rather slow. If we weren’t studying those Decepticon bodies, this flight suit would have been finished long ago.”

Looking at the flight suit, which didn’t appear much different from before, Wang Jing asked curiously, “Has anything changed from the previous version?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning finally tore his gaze away, casting a proud smile at Wang Jing. “There are quite a few changes. The most obvious are the two variable high-pressure afterburning engines. We originally intended to install them on the aerospace shuttle.”

“They’re several times more powerful than the F119 engines we salvaged from Starscream. They can take Optimus Prime all the way into space and reach up to six times the speed of sound within the atmosphere.”

“That fast? Will Optimus Prime’s spark be able to handle it?” Wang Jing asked, casting a worried glance at Optimus Prime.

Jiang Ning’s lips curled higher. “That’s what makes this equipment special. Each of those two engines has its own spark core for power.”

“You managed to activate those ramjet engines?” Wang Jing asked in surprise.

“Of course not—it’s not that simple. Besides, the spark cores formed that way are too small to provide sufficient energy.”

“Then how did you manage it?” Wang Jing inquired, his curiosity piqued.

At that, Jiang Ning’s face took on an almost crazed look of delight. “I extracted the spark cores from Megatron and Shockwave, then activated them with the energy matrix and installed them into the two variable high-pressure afterburning engines to provide power.”

As Jiang Ning finished speaking, Optimus Prime’s flight equipment was also ready for installation. “Are you planning to conduct the test flight now?”

Jiang Ning nodded. “We’ll be conducting a space flight test soon, and a lunar landing test tomorrow.”

“A lunar landing test? Why bother? Haven’t we already established a mining base on the moon in the Transformers dimension?” Wang Jing asked, puzzled.

“This is mainly for the upcoming Star Wars program.”

“The Star Wars program the United States proposed last century?”

“Yes and no. This time, the Star Wars initiative is focused on potential space wars in other dimensions—and you are the key to this plan.”

“The initial lunar base and space battleships will all need you to bring them over from the Wandering Earth dimension,” Jiang Ning said.

“You mean, just like how we built the lunar mining base in the Transformers dimension?”

“Exactly. At first, the lunar base will only assemble space battleships, and you’ll be responsible for transporting the components. Once the lunar base construction is complete, it can build space battleships independently.”

“So you want Optimus Prime to take me to the moon?”

Jiang Ning nodded. “Yes. While our technology can ensure your survival even in the event of a rocket launch failure, nothing is ever absolute. The more times we do this, the greater the chance for unexpected variables.”

“To avoid such risks, we want Optimus Prime to take you to the moon. At the very least, he won’t explode halfway there.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I’m actually looking forward to it,” Wang Jing remarked.

Jiang Ning smiled, then motioned toward the outside. “Come on, let’s go see how Optimus Prime’s test flight turns out.”

They arrived at the airstrip beside the temporary base. Optimus Prime scanned the aerospace shuttle parked nearby, and after a dazzling transformation, he turned into a shuttle himself.

With two blue trails of exhaust, Optimus Prime taxied down the runway and soared into the sky, quickly surpassing the speed of sound.

As he climbed higher, his speed increased rapidly, nearly reaching suborbital altitude.

Suddenly, Optimus Prime’s voice came through the communicator. “I think we can proceed with the space test ahead of schedule. I’m feeling excellent.”

Jiang Ning, however, replied with a hint of regret, “Not this time. Many monitoring devices haven’t been installed yet.” Then, in a swift change of tone, he added, “But if you’d like, you can try entering space now.”

“Alright!” Optimus Prime replied succinctly. He pushed the throttle to the maximum and raised his nose, heading for outer space.

Two minutes later, Optimus Prime successfully entered space and, after one orbit around Earth, landed back with precision.

The test flight was a great success, and in the following days, further flight tests also went smoothly. A week later, Wang Jing boarded the shuttle that Optimus Prime had transformed into and set off for the moon.

Fuel wasn’t a concern, so the journey took less than a day. Wang Jing soon arrived on the moon of the primary dimension.

Just as he had done while constructing the lunar base in the Transformers dimension, he first traveled back to the Wandering Earth dimension, then brought over the pre-prepared supplies and personnel to space.

Even though Wang Jing could now transport more than 200 tons at a time, the multitude of materials and the assembly of the entire base required several trips back and forth. During one such journey, as he crossed dimensions back to the Wandering Earth, he found himself in a new world—this time, on what appeared to be the moon of another dimension.

Wang Jing was momentarily stunned by the unexpected transition. For a moment, he wondered if he’d simply landed in another part of the main dimension’s moon. But when he saw that his helmet display showed no signal at all, he understood he had arrived in a different dimension.

Glancing at the bright Earth in the sky, Wang Jing traversed back. His instincts had been correct; as soon as he returned, he heard Song Guohua’s voice, “Wang Jing, you’ve crossed into a new world again. Do you know what world it is?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll have to go down to that Earth and see for myself,” Wang Jing replied.