At CIA headquarters, Director Judith flipped through the intelligence report in her hands, relating to the Kunpeng Rocket.
Among the photos, some captured via satellite at the Red Sun Rocket Launch Site, the towering Kunpeng Rocket stood magnificently.
Raising her head, Judith looked at the blonde middle-aged man sitting across from her.
The man was the Director of NASA, Burton Bagi.
So-called NASA, that is, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of Beautiful Country, is the most authoritative aerospace research institution in the world.
The renowned Apollo moon landing, Saturn V Rocket, International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, Voyager Spacecraft, and so forth, all were completed under the control and leadership of NASA, achieving extremely brilliant successes.
"Burton, state your business," Judith prompted, "I don't think you came here just to have coffee with me."
Judith set down the intelligence report and asked Burton about his purpose.
The CIA, Beautiful Country's intelligence agency, seldom interacted with NASA; they barely had anything to do with each other on a day-to-day basis.
"Director Judith, after reviewing the materials on the Kunpeng Rocket, what are your thoughts?"
Burton smiled, pointing to one of the photos, a panoramic view of the Kunpeng Rocket. Engineers stood below the rocket, looking as tiny as ants by comparison, creating a stunning impact.
"The Jieke Group's sudden construction of a rocket might have a chance of success, although from a realistic standpoint, it seems quite unreasonable."
Judith spoke calmly, expressing a view that differed from most others.
As an old rival of the Jieke Group, Judith had witnessed firsthand how Jieke Group developed step by step.
Initially just a local warlord based in Chan Country, the Jieke Group had become the hegemon of Southeast Asia in just a few short years, creating many miracles.
Many of the things Jieke Group did, even seen as far-fetched now, were somehow always successful in the end.
Hearing this answer, Burton was slightly taken aback, obviously not expecting Judith to say such a thing.
Then Burton shook his head and chuckled wryly, "My view differs from yours. If building rockets were so easy, there wouldn't be so few countries in the world that can independently design and manufacture rockets. This so-called Kunpeng Rocket is nothing more than a haphazardly assembled product by Jieke Group. I seriously doubt it could even fly."
Internally sneering at Judith's fanciful statement, Burton looked down on her as an outsider.
She had no idea about the difficulty of manufacturing rockets. For Jieke's ragtag assembly, aiming to build the strongest rocket for mankind was even more ludicrous than NASA relocating to Mars to build a city tomorrow.
"So you came to me basically to complain? Forgive me, but I don't have that much spare time."
Judith gestured dismissively, ready to send him away.
Seeing he had angered Judith, Burton quickly offered an apologetic smile.
"Director Judith, after all, we both work for Beautiful Country, and I really do have an important matter to discuss with you."
Judith sat back down, staring icily at him, her sharp eagle-like eyes making Burton somewhat uncomfortable.
Judith's background as a special agent left Burton feeling very insecure in front of her, as if he were a criminal under scrutiny.
"It's : we need your help, Director Judith. We at NASA need to provide a detailed report on the Kunpeng Rocket, demonstrating the threat and competition that Jieke Group poses in space, to alert the authorities at the Black Palace. We must take this competitor seriously."
Burton cleared his throat and suddenly switched tones, speaking earnestly.
Judith glanced at him, saying, "A moment ago you said Jieke Group's rocket was mere fancy, and now you switch to saying Jieke Group is a space threat?"
"If I don't talk like that, how will those big shots in Congress give us money? Director Judith, we at NASA are having a tough time! We can barely pay our staff salaries, and if we don't get some funding soon, everyone will have to disband."
Burton looked utterly dejected, voicing his constant grievances.
During the Cold War with the Red Bear in the previous century, it was NASA's golden age.
The race for space dominance between the two countries, competing to send astronauts into space. With the Red Bear's collapse, Beautiful Country became the ultimate winner!
But as the saying goes, what rises must fall.
Without Red Bear as a competitor, Beautiful Country's achievements in space declined, with space technology even beginning to regress. Space program budgets were repeatedly cut, resulting in staff lay-offs or project cancellations.
It's said that transitioning from modesty to luxury is easy, but going from luxury to austerity is difficult. Accustomed to lavish spending, today's NASA budget allocations leave Burton and the other space employees quite unsatisfied.
Now, with the emergence of news about Jieke Group's construction of the Kunpeng Rocket, Burton immediately sensed an opportunity and the smell of money.
Whether Jieke's rocket is worth anything isn't the point. What matters is convincing the old men in Congress that Jieke Group is entering the space race with Beautiful Country.
With a formidable opponent, the congressional powers will be more willing to allocate generous funding, allowing everyone to return to better days.
"Ha! You're short on budget? Even now, compared to other national space agencies, yours still gets the most funding every year,"
Judith said coldly, scoffing. This was a typical ploy used by Beautiful Country's agencies, with going to Congress and claiming a shortage of funds always being their first step.