Free Web NovelChapter 579: Chapter 385: Jumping from the Edge of Space (Part 2)
"Are you sure?" Li Weimin asked again.
"I’m sure." Wang Ye’s tone was still calm.
"What about Carlos? Wasn’t he planning to finish the next challenge with you?" Li Weimin asked, "Besides, don’t we need to buy plane tickets? Even if you are ensured to complete the challenge alone, you’ll still need us to buy return tickets, right? You haven’t been there, and you’re not familiar with the local situation. We have professional planners who can help you plan the route."
Wang Ye shook his head, "I’ll take Carlos with me when the time comes, don’t worry about that. No need to purchase plane or train tickets, I can get there by myself."
"Get there by yourself?!" Li Weimin was dumbfounded.
He knew that Wang Ye was a long-distance runner,
but a marathon is only forty kilometers.
And the distance between our country and the Alps is a full two thousand kilometers.
Plus, there are oceans and mountain ranges as obstacles,
Without flying, an ordinary person couldn’t reach the Alps in a lifetime.
"I won’t hide it from you anymore; I’ll tell you straight. My running and flying speeds have exceeded the speed of sound." Wang Ye said flatly. These things were not secrets to him anymore, even the military was aware. It was only a matter of time before this secret got exposed to the public. Moreover, Li Weimin, as his friend, had long known the extraordinary abilities Wang Ye possessed, so telling him these secrets wouldn’t have any adverse effects.
"Your running and flying speeds have exceeded the speed of sound?" Li Weimin was even more shocked. Running faster than the speed of sound was already astonishing, while a top athlete could run ten meters per second at most, the speed of sound is three hundred meters per second. In other words, Wang Ye’s running speed is at least thirty times that of a top athlete.
Of course, if one lets their imagination run wild, that could barely make sense. After all, Wang Ye did demonstrate high-speed running before, surpassing motorcycles months ago. With such a long period of practice, breaking the sound barrier was within the realm of possibility.
However, now Wang Ye was also saying that he could fly?
And his flying speed even exceeded the speed of sound?
Never mind why his flight speed was so fast...
Why would a carbon-based lifeform without wings be able to fly?!
Could it be that Wang Ye’s running speed was so fast that he could run on air using his legs?
That doesn’t make sense!
Li Weimin stood there, his entire worldview severely shaken.
"And this time, I also fought with ten J-20s in the military, and the result was victory." Wang Ye continued to state the unbelievable facts.
These aren’t considered national secrets, so he could freely tell friends or close people.
"Ten J-20s, and you still won... Do you even hear what you’re saying..." Li Weimin sat heavily on the chair, rubbing his temple repeatedly, as if that could make his headache any better. He regularly kept up with military news and knew that the J-20 is a fifth-generation fighter jet. Just a single one of these fighters could easily destroy a town, and Wang Ye could take on ten J-20 fighters and win... is he even human?
The words coming out of Wang Ye’s mouth were incredibly shocking, one could say they made Li Weimin’s head hurt a bit.
After pondering for a long time, Li Weimin replied, "Alright... since you believe you can complete the challenge by yourself, I won’t stop you. We’ll prepare the photography equipment and anything else you might need. Can you stay here for a day or two?"
"I can." Wang Ye responded.
"Additionally, there’s one more thing, whether you are willing to accept it." Li Weimin thought for a moment and continued.
"What is it?" Wang Ye slightly furrowed his brow.
Li Weimin sighed and said, "Anta wants to sponsor a project to replicate the Stratosphere Program, and they want you to accomplish it. Of course, there’s some difficulty and danger involved, and you have the right to decline."
Wang Ye’s brows furrowed deeper, "The Stratosphere Program... was that the one Red Bull did in 2012?"
"That’s right." Li Weimin nodded nervously. He knew Wang Ye would likely refuse such a highly dangerous challenge, but he had to ask because it was an order from above, and he couldn’t disobey.
Hearing this, Wang Ye lowered his head in thought.
The Stratosphere Program was a project in which skydiver Felix attempted a jump from 39,000 meters at the edge of space, sponsored by Red Bull with fifty million USD.
This challenge eventually brought sixty billion dollars in economic benefits, a very successful marketing campaign.
The event was broadcast by more than fifty countries, attracting seventy million live viewers. Everyone witnessed Felix breaking the speed of sound with his body.
The visual impact was equally staggering.
The height of thirty-nine thousand meters wasn’t just within the scope of high altitude; it was almost touching the stars. Felix was essentially jumping from the edge of space, requiring outstanding skydiving skills and very advanced equipment to protect the jumper.
In fact, the most challenging part of jumping from the edge of space is the temperature,
because such a long distance means the challenger needs to accelerate during free fall constantly. But even if the challenger accelerates to near the speed of sound, the free-fall time reaches four minutes and nineteen seconds. During this time, the challenger’s body would heat up due to prolonged, high-speed friction with the air, reaching a temperature unbearable for ordinary humans. Even with thermal protection suits, their bodies would sweat,
and the challengers need to concentrate during this long and painful period to avoid falling into danger. In the unstable air currents at such high altitudes, one misstep could lead to a deadly spin, slamming the jumper to death, or a tangled parachute line failing to cushion the fall, resulting in a high-speed impact fatality.
"I agree to participate in this project, but I have one condition." Wang Ye looked up.
"What condition?" Li Weimin’s face lit up with joy. As long as Wang Ye accepted the project, they could agree to almost any condition as long as it wasn’t unreasonable because the potential commercial value of this project is too great. It could allow their brand to break into the international market and compete with luxury global brands.
As long as that’s the premise, any condition Wang Ye demands is acceptable, as long as it’s not illegal.
Wang Ye said, "I don’t want any protective measures, including a suit or parachute. Just drop me from four thousand meters and let me go."
Li Weimin twitched at the corner of his mouth, surprised:
"That’s forty thousand meters! And you don’t want any protective measures? Nearly five minutes of subsonic free fall, do you have any idea how much temperature you’ll need to endure?"
"You’ve forgotten, I can move at supersonic speeds." Wang Ye replied helplessly.
It seems Li Weimin still hasn’t gotten used to that aspect.
"Uh..." Li Weimin was momentarily awkward, "What you’re saying makes a bit of sense."
Li Weimin thought for a moment, then asked, "But, didn’t you say you don’t need a parachute either? Are you trying to withstand a forty-thousand-meter fall damage?"
Wang Ye nodded, "Yes, if you believe me, accept my conditions. I can guarantee bringing you greater commercial success."
Li Weimin seemed to make a resolute decision as he nodded heavily, "Fine, I’ll accept that condition. But you must ensure you won’t be in any life-threatening situations."
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