As soon as Sunday mentioned that the 100-meter spaceship could only carry 400 tons, William quickly dismissed the idea of using tungsten rods as weapons.
However, after a moment's thought, he frowned and asked, "Isn't space supposed to be weightless? Why is the payload limited to just 400 tons?"
"Sir, for a spaceship to perform a space jump, its energy output has a maximum threshold. Additionally, the ship generates an internal gravity field, which also limits its carrying capacity.
On top of that, the available cargo space inside the ship is limited.
Finally, if the spaceship enters a planet's atmosphere, it will still be affected by the planet's gravitational pull."
"Alright, alright, that's enough reasons. Scrap the tungsten rods—replace them with red mercury nuclear missiles. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Understood, Sir. The construction of the first medium-sized spaceship is expected to take three months.
Once the specialized equipment is upgraded and the assembly process is refined, we should be able to produce one medium-sized spaceship per month."
"Then begin redesigning the interior layout, simulate the spaceship's data, and test its feasibility. Once that's done, show me the results."
Having given his orders, William thought for a moment and found nothing else to add. "I'll head back to the villa. Notify me when the Mars spaceship enters Earth's atmosphere."
"Understood, Sir. The estimated time until landing is six hours. I recommend you get some rest in the meantime."
"Hmm, I'll think about it."
With a nod, William's figure vanished from the production base and reappeared in the cliffside villa on Planet X17.
The moment he arrived, Selene, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them. Seeing that it was William, she smiled slightly before closing them again.
As for Nissa, who was sleeping sprawled out next to her, neither woman showed any intention of getting up to acknowledge his return.
William, who hadn't initially felt sleepy, had no choice but to climb into bed as well.
—
Six hours later, the Mars spaceship, which was being closely monitored by various countries, entered Earth's orbit right on schedule and was immediately detected by global satellites.
Just as everyone assumed the spaceship would soon land in London, it unexpectedly stopped in outer space.
This sudden development puzzled governments and media outlets worldwide, prompting speculation about William's intentions.
Yet, no matter how much they theorized, no one could have guessed that William was still sound asleep in his villa on Planet X17.
It was only when Sunday woke up Nissa and Selene, informing them that the ship had stopped above Earth, that they hurried to wake William.
Still groggy, William got out of bed and immediately heard Sunday's report, informing him that his delayed return had thrown Earth's political and media landscape into chaos.
Fortunately, he had never provided an exact landing time, so even with the delay, he technically wasn't late.
"Send a message to the London Aerospace Center, tell them I'm conducting a final self-inspection of the spaceship to ensure no alien organisms or viruses are brought back to Earth."
"Understood, Sir."
The message was quickly relayed to London.
Richard, England's Prime Minister, and other high-ranking officials—who had been anxiously awaiting updates—finally relaxed upon hearing this explanation.
Without needing Richard's orders, someone immediately passed the message to England's Independent Television Network.
As for the BBC, everyone conveniently "forgot" about them.
Most of the English elite present had already shifted their support toward the fully domestically owned Independent Television Network.
This move once again gave ITN a massive scoop, capturing global audiences and outshining rival networks.
Viewers worldwide praised William for his foresight in preventing potential biological contamination.
Previously, many experts and professors had publicly debated whether the spaceship's return was a blessing or a potential catastrophe.
Even though everyone understood that the ship was inevitably coming back and that no one could stop it, concerns over the unknown had spread among the general public.
However, as soon as they learned that William himself had taken precautions against this risk, all fears and worries vanished without causing any major public panic.
—
About half an hour later, several satellites tracking the spaceship captured a shocking sight—the ship's airlock suddenly opened.
William, wearing a spacesuit and holding an unidentified instrument, stepped out and, to the horror of countless viewers, suddenly jumped into space.
His abrupt action made millions of people feel like their hearts were about to leap out of their chests.
Thanks to extensive media coverage in recent weeks, most television viewers had gained a basic understanding of the dangers of space.
However, while William's move startled the world, no one truly feared for his safety.
After all, he was the first human to land on Mars and return safely—there was no way he would recklessly risk his life.
Moreover, it was unthinkable that he would allow Nissa and Selene—both clearly his lovers—to step into space and die alongside him.
As expected, mere moments after jumping, a burst of white gas sprayed from William's spacesuit, stabilizing his movement.
Then, holding his instrument, he directed a dazzling blue beam at the spaceship, circling it once before the beam retracted back into the device.
Having completed his little performance, William returned to the ship.
After stepping out of the decontamination chamber, he removed his helmet and, with an annoyed look, smacked Nissa on the backside.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had to waste my energy and put on this act."
"Haha!" Nissa giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You have no self-control. Who else can you blame?"
"Alright, Nissa, enough teasing."
Selene emerged from the lounge wearing her spacesuit and held up another suit.
"Hurry up and get dressed. We'll be landing in London in a few minutes. You wouldn't want Lady Lena to see you like this, would you?"
Glancing at her own silk pajamas, Nissa reluctantly took the spacesuit but suddenly burst into laughter as she stared at Selene's hair and neck.
"You're laughing at me? Look at yourself—you haven't even dried your hair properly."
Stepping closer, she inspected Selene's neck before grinning mischievously.
"My dear Selene, you'd better avoid wearing low-cut tops for the next few days—otherwise, Abby and the others will definitely notice."
"Damn it!"
Realizing what Nissa meant, Selene immediately glared at both Nissa and William before grabbing a nearby helmet, putting it on, and activating its drying function.
Still annoyed, she warned Nissa, "Hurry up, or I'll tell Lady Lena that you were the one who provoked William first, making everyone wait all this time."
"Ha! Like you weren't involved too," Nissa huffed, clinging to William's arm and swaying playfully.
Before she could continue her teasing, William cut her off.
"Alright, Nissa, I know what's been on your mind these past two days."
As Nissa blinked in confusion, William gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and reassured her in a low voice,
"Don't worry—I won't kick you and Selene out of Kensington Manor."
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]