Hua Country, Coastal City, Shuxiang District.
The June weather was exceptionally muggy. The clouds in the sky were thick, seemingly gathering into dark thunderheads, as if brewing a torrential downpour.
By the window, Li Yang was reading his physics textbook.
"First cosmic velocity (V1), the speed a spacecraft must have to perform circular motion along the Earth's surface, also known as orbital velocity. According to mechanical theory, V1 can be calculated as 7.9 km/s."
"When a spacecraft exceeds the first cosmic velocity V1 and reaches a certain value, it will escape Earth's gravitational field and become an artificial planet orbiting the sun. This speed is called the second cosmic velocity, also known as escape velocity. According to mechanical theory, the second cosmic velocity V2 can be calculated as 11.2 km/s..."
"The minimum speed required for a spacecraft launched from the Earth's surface to fly out of the Solar System and roam the vast Milky Way Galaxy is called the third cosmic velocity. According to mechanical theory, the third cosmic velocity V3 can be calculated as 16.7 km/s..."
...
When he first learned this, Li Yang's mind had wandered, lost in fascination. 'In this vast cosmos, is Earth the only planet with life?'
Many people believed Earth was unique, but others were convinced that life existed beyond our planet. In their view, humanity's understanding of even the Solar System was still minimal, let alone the entire Milky Way Galaxy or other galaxies.
Compared to the entire cosmos, the Milky Way Galaxy was just a drop in the ocean.
Li Yang had even spent some time discussing this very topic with his classmates before, finding it quite fascinating.
However, Li Yang had no room for such thoughts right now. He was preparing for tomorrow's college entrance exams.
Over a decade of preparation, all for the next two days.
After reading for a while, Li Yang turned on the TV. A medical program was on.
'I wonder if there's been any progress with the Anticancer Agent.'
Li Yang hoped.
Cancer. It was once humanity's nightmare. So many people paled at the mere mention of it. A cancer diagnosis was essentially a death sentence; it was just a matter of time.
But six months ago, the world's largest international medical research institute, a joint effort of scientists from many nations, announced that they had successfully developed the Anticancer Agent!
Whether it was early-stage, mid-stage, or even late-stage cancer, a single dose of the Anticancer Agent could rapidly eliminate all cancer cells in the body!
When the news was first announced, it sent shockwaves across the globe. Even now, news about the Anticancer Agent would break from time to time.
However, although the Anticancer Agent had been developed, its production was extremely difficult due to various special reasons. Six months had passed, and only a little over a thousand doses had been produced in total!
That came out to an average of just over a hundred doses per month.
"There's a new update!" While eating and waiting, Li Yang's gaze suddenly sharpened.
Sure enough, the latest news about the Anticancer Agent began to air.
"Latest news: in May, a total of one hundred and eighty doses of the Anticancer Agent were used, successfully curing one hundred and eighty late-stage cancer patients... The production volume for June is expected to increase to two hundred doses..."
It wasn't the major breakthrough he was hoping for, and the look of anticipation in Li Yang's eyes faded slightly.
Apparently, the Anticancer Agent required a very precious material, one that was extremely rare, making production very difficult.
Slightly disappointed, Li Yang sighed internally.
A few minutes later, having finished his meal, Li Yang was about to clear the dishes.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, followed by a voice.
"Xiaoyang, open the door."
Hearing the voice, Li Yang immediately got up and opened the door.
Outside stood a woman in her twenties, carrying some bags. Her face bore a slight resemblance to Li Yang's.
"Sis, what are you doing here?" Li Yang asked, looking at the woman.
The visitor was none other than his older sister, Li Xue.
Li Xue was ten years older than him; Li Yang was born after Hua Country relaxed its two-child policy.
Li Xue was already married now and had a daughter.
Li Xue walked in with her things and said, "I have time off from work, so I came back to check on things. I was at the hospital earlier to see Dad."
Li Yang nodded and asked, "Sis, have you eaten yet?"
"I have." Li Xue glanced at the table and said, "You're done, right? Once you're finished, you should rest up and prepare for your exam tomorrow. I'll take care of the things on the table."
She put down her things and started clearing the table.
Li Yang didn't object. Every time Li Xue came back, she would tidy up the house.
While helping her, Li Yang asked, "Sis, how is Dad's condition?"
Hearing this question, Li Xue sighed softly and said, "His condition has worsened a little."
As if worried about Li Yang, she added, "But if he keeps up with the medication, it can still be controlled."
Li Yang's father was named Li Guohai. He had been reasonably successful in his career, having previously owned a supermarket, but his health took a sudden turn. He was now in the late stages of cancer.
Currently, his father was undergoing treatment at the hospital, and Mrs. Li was there taking care of him.
"Xiaoyang, don't think about these things. Just focus on your studies. You know how much Mom and Dad are counting on you. Getting a good score is the most important thing for them," Li Xue said, looking at her younger brother.
Her younger brother had always gotten excellent grades. He was consistently in the top three of his class at the city's top high school and within the top thirty of his grade.
With grades like that, getting into a top university would be easy.
"I know, Sis," Li Yang nodded.
As they were speaking, the siblings both suddenly looked at the TV.
An interview with a prominent figure was now on.
"Zhao Qianxing, chairman of the Zhao Group, has announced his entry into the medical industry, establishing a medical foundation with ten billion in funding to help more people..."
The man on the screen was in his sixties.
Zhao Qianxing, the greatest contributor to the Zhao Group's success. The group was founded by his father, but it was under his leadership that it truly grew and prospered!
Twenty years ago, the Zhao Group was already one of the country's corporate giants!
Today, the Zhao Group was even larger. In the last decade, Zhao Qianxing had even held the title of the country's richest man once. Now, his net worth placed him firmly within the top fifty on the national wealth rankings.
Watching the man being interviewed, a complicated look appeared in Li Yang's eyes, and he clenched his fists slightly.
Few people knew that the Li family actually had a significant connection to this Zhao Qianxing.
In terms of relation, Zhao Qianxing was his and Li Xue's maternal grandfather.
Li Yang's mother, Zhao Rou, was Zhao Qianxing's daughter.
In other words, by blood, Li Yang and Li Xue were Zhao Qianxing's direct biological grandson and granddaughter.
However, because of something that happened back then, Zhao Qianxing had flown into a rage and thrown Zhao Rou out of the family.
Something like this was truly incredible. This wasn't ancient times, with its emphasis on matching social status in marriage.
Even if Zhao Rou had chosen to be with Li Guohai, Zhao Qianxing shouldn't have been so furious.
But Zhao Qianxing *was* that furious—so enraged that a shocking number of people couldn't believe it.
Earlier, when Li Guohai was diagnosed with cancer, Zhao Rou had taken Li Xue and Li Yang to beg Zhao Qianxing for a dose of the Anticancer Agent.
Although the Anticancer Agent was incredibly rare, for someone like Zhao Qianxing—one of the country's top tycoons—getting his hands on a dose would likely have been no trouble at all.
However, faced with Zhao Rou's kneeling pleas, Zhao Qianxing's face remained expressionless. He simply walked past her coldly, without so much as a single glance.
To this day, Li Yang had not forgotten that cold, indifferent gaze.
'This Zhao Qianxing... ignoring his own family while he's so enthusiastic about charity on TV...'
Li Yang sneered inwardly as he watched the smiling Zhao Qianxing on the screen.
The memory of his mother kneeling and begging, the memory of that cold gaze—it all made his feelings toward his grandfather, Zhao Qianxing, not just complicated, but laced with a thread of hatred.