Chapter 149: Journey to the Moon

The Maldives in the Indian Ocean, with its pleasant scenery, azure waters, and clear skies, has always been one of the world's most renowned tourist and vacation destinations. Every day, tourists from all over the world flock here to fully enjoy the splendor of the tropical marine environment.

On a luxurious private yacht, long-legged beauties in bikinis were everywhere. Of various skin tones and nationalities, they were enchanting, innocent, and seductively hot. On the uppermost platform of the private yacht, several world-famous top billionaires were currently enjoying the sunshine and the company of beautiful women while discussing matters among themselves.

Among them, a few Asian faces were particularly striking. Clearly possessing immense wealth and high status, they mingled easily with these international moguls, chatting and laughing freely.

"It's great to be young, able to fully enjoy good food and beautiful women. Once a person gets old, everything stops working."

Denis Tito, a Canadian, was already over seventy years old. Looking at the delectable beauties surrounding him, he could only sigh. The setting sun is infinitely magnificent, but it is near dusk. As the founder of Wilshire Investment Company, he was once a famous scientist at the NASA laboratory and the first space tourist in human history, having spent eight days in space and paid twenty million US dollars for the privilege.

Of course, besides his love for exploration, he was also a notoriously famous playboy who had numerous girlfriends and had always taken pride in it. However, now that he was seventy, many things were beyond his physical capabilities.

"Mr. Tito is still as robust as ever. I heard not long ago that you've taken a new, twenty-two-year-old girlfriend."

Zhang Xianzu, with his black hair and dark eyes, said with a smile in fluent English. Zhang Xianzu was a key member of the "Relay China" network, as well as the director and president of Future Star Space Technology Company.

Relay China was a very low-profile yet immensely influential group, consisting entirely of elite members from the second generation of China's business circles. They had long been committed to surpassing their predecessors through their own efforts. With China proposing to develop the space industry and make it the core and pillar of its economy, these elite heirs of affluent families had naturally targeted this high-potential market early on and had been working hard toward it. This time, summoning the world's billionaires together was naturally aimed at opening a historic new chapter by organizing a group to travel to the Moon.

The billionaires invited this time were exceptionally wealthy, and more importantly, they possessed an adventurous spirit, having either traveled to space before or previously expressed a desire to do so.

Take, for instance, the septuagenarian Canadian Denis Tito, a self-made man who was wealthy, willful, and deeply adventurous. He was a primary customer targeted for persuasion this time around.

Then there was Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu, also the first African in space—a tech enterprise owner, wealthy, fond of novel things, and a former self-funded space tourist.

Gregory Olsen from the United States was born into an ordinary working-class family without any background. After earning his Ph.D. in materials science, he started his own company and eventually became a billionaire. This old chap boarded the International Space Station on a space journey in 2005 at the age of sixty.

Anousheh Ansari was of Iranian descent and later emigrated to the United States. She was the first female space tourist in human history. She founded Prodea Systems, a rather impressive company that specialized in manufacturing small spacecraft for commercial tourism. Having personally experienced space tourism herself, she did not hesitate for a moment upon hearing that Zhang Xianzu intended to assemble a group for a trip to the Moon.

Charles Simonyi from Hungary, Richard Garriott from the United States, Canadian top billionaire Guy Laliberté, Kazuki Yamamoto from the nation of Japan, Prince Mohammad the Saudi tycoon...

Every single person present was wealthy, willful, and adventurous. Upon receiving Zhang Xianzu's invitation, they all rushed over without stopping. Traveling to the Moon was, after all, one of countless people's ultimate dreams.

"Mr. Zhang, could you explain in detail how this lunar trip is arranged?"

Anousheh Ansari looked slightly disapprovingly at the men around her who were uninhibitedly flirting with the beauties beside them regardless of the occasion. However, she had seen plenty of such behavior; in America, there were things far more absurd. Her primary focus in coming here was lunar tourism.

"Yes, Mr. Zhang, please give us the details. Also, kindly elaborate on how safety will be guaranteed."

Prince Mohammad, the Saudi tycoon, nodded in agreement. While he wanted to try traveling to the Moon, he had no intention of losing his life over it—after all, they were all wealthy individuals living very comfortable lives on Earth.

"That is, of course, no problem."

Zhang Xianzu turned on a nearby monitor, connected it to the virtual reality device on his wrist, and soon, the screen began playing a promotional video prepared in advance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our plan is as follows: We will board an aerospace plane departing directly from China, first fly a few orbits around the Earth in space, replenish our energy and compressed air at China's Tiangong Space Station, and then fly directly to the Moon, landing right here at Chang'e City on the lunar surface."

"Our activities will include driving lunar rovers, enjoying lunar cuisine, touring the largest craters on the Moon, climbing the highest peaks on the Moon, and finally, everyone will be able to select a piece of rock or soil weighing no more than ten kilograms on the Moon as a souvenir."

"The entire journey is expected to take two days. You will spend one night staying on the Moon, enjoying the wonderful sensation of sleeping in a lunar environment."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this will be humanity's very first lunar tourism activity—a great event that will be recorded in the history books, and a monumental step forward in human history as we venture into space. Aren't you tempted?"

Zhang Xianzu provided a detailed explanation accompanied by the video. Since lunar tourism had only just begun, the developed programs were not yet numerous, but it was clear that these activities were attractive enough. After all, traveling to another planet 800,000 kilometers away was enough to stir anyone's heart, not to mention the additional activities.

The billionaires present were all deeply tempted after listening, especially those who had previously traveled to space, such as Denis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, and Anousheh Ansari.

"As for the safety concerns everyone has, I believe you can rest completely assured. This lunar trip will be handled entirely by the Chinese aerospace department throughout the journey. The treatment and technological services you will enjoy will be no less inferior to China's first crewed lunar landing mission."

"Since China's crewed lunar landing mission last October, we have had aerospace planes traveling back and forth between Earth and the Moon every week. At Chang'e City on the Moon, China has hundreds of people living there at any given time. Up to now, we have conducted at least a hundred round-trip flights between Earth and the Moon without a single accident. China's space technology is, after all, the most advanced in the world."

At this point, Zhang Xianzu appeared extremely confident and proud, holding his head high as he spoke. With China continuously achieving major breakthroughs in the space sector, the international status of the Chinese people had risen dramatically, and citizens naturally felt immense pride when traveling abroad.

The billionaires present all nodded. If such a claim had been made in the past, everyone would have sneered. But now, in the realm of space, the rest of the world combined did not even equal a fraction of China. Whether it was the spacecraft positioned in space or Chang'e City on the Moon, every facet demonstrated China's formidable prowess in space technology.

"Mr. Zhang, we have no doubts about China's technology. I wonder how much this will cost?"

Denis Tito had actually been tempted long ago. Although he was over seventy years old and maintained a regular exercise regimen keeping him in fairly good shape, no one knew how much longer a septuagenarian could live. Therefore, upon hearing that Zhang Xianzu could organize a lunar trip for individuals, he came without the slightest hesitation.

He wanted to walk and look around the Moon within his lifetime. Being a highly adventurous person who loved novel things, he wouldn't have become the world's first space tourist otherwise.

"The cost is certainly not cheap. After all, it involves traveling from the Earth to the Moon and returning from the Moon to the Earth—a round trip of nearly two million kilometers. Furthermore, this requires the cooperation of the Chinese aerospace department. Therefore, our ticket price is one hundred million US dollars per person."

Zhang Xianzu raised a single finger. Traveling to the Moon for one hundred million US dollars was definitely a luxury experience reserved exclusively for the world's top billionaires. Ordinary wealthy individuals simply could not afford such a high-end project. Even among the billionaires present, possessing extraordinary net worths, coughing up one hundred million US dollars on a whim for a lunar excursion was not something everyone would be willing to do.

"The price of one hundred million US dollars can be said to yield almost no profit for me, because connections in all aspects require expenditures, and this time is primarily to establish our brand name."

Zhang Xianzu was speaking the truth. The real bulk of the profits would naturally go to the aerospace department. For them, this venture was about building a reputation; only when more people traveled to the Moon in the future would they make massive profits. They hadn't planned on making much money right at the start.

"One hundred million US dollars—this price is not expensive at all. Put me down for it. I never expected that within my lifetime I would be able to walk on the Moon. This life has truly been worth it."

Denis Tito was the first to step forward and sign up. One had to remember that back in 2001, his trip to space cost twenty million US dollars, and twenty million back then would be worth at least fifty million US dollars today. Now, with a price tag of one hundred million US dollars, it was genuinely not expensive.

"Count me in."

"I want to go see the Moon too."

Once someone took the lead, the other billionaires who were already tempted naturally followed suit one after another, leaving Zhang Xianzu unable to suppress a broad, happy smile.

"Ha, the deal is finally done."