Chapter 18 Chapter 18 The residents of Wamasai are waiting for Director Ba's order: "Fire!"

On the night of September 22, a memorable moment, like January 1, 1000, it was a day that made public opinion extremely horrified. Twelve hours after the sun passed the Kilimanjaro meridian, at midnight, Captain Nicole would light the fuse. Mount Kilimanjaro is located at 35° east of the Paris meridian, and Baltimore is at 79° of the Paris meridian. The difference between the two places is 114 degrees, and the time difference is 456 minutes, which is 7 hours and 36 minutes.The exact time of the launch was 5:24 pm local time in Maryland. Good weather.The sun had just set over the plains of Wammasai, and the sky was pure and dotted with stars.To launch into space, there is no more beautiful, more peaceful night than this.The vapors from the detonation of the Merry-Mellorit dynamite were not disturbed by a speck of cloud.

I don't know if Barbicane and Captain Nicole will feel sorry for not being able to get into the projectile and go to the sky together?Otherwise, they could fly 2,800 kilometers in the first second!After going deep into the secrets of the Moon Palace, they could have flown into the mysterious world of the solar system.That must be more in the limelight than the French Hector and Sevid stepping on the Gallia comet. Sultan Balibali, the Minister of Finance and Minister of Justice of the court, and the blacks who participated in the great project all gathered at the scene to watch the spectacular launch.For the sake of caution, all tourists stayed three kilometers away from the tunnel of Mount Kilimanjaro to avoid the impact of the terrible air waves.

Sultan Balibali gave an order, and thousands of nearby indigenous people set off from Kisongo and the small towns in the southern part of the province, eager to enjoy the majestic scene. A wire connected the igniter to the detonating cap deep in the tunnel, ready to detonate the Merry-Mellorit charge. As a prelude, a sumptuous meal brought the sultan, his American guests, and the capital's dignitaries to the table.The cost of the banquet was provisionally paid by Barry Barry and will eventually be reimbursed by Barbican.So, the dinner party was prepared to perfection. The dinner began at 7:30 p.m., and at the end, Sudan toasted the engineers of the Arctic Experiment Association and wished them a successful career.At this time, the clock was pointing to eleven o'clock in the evening.

In one hour, the dream of changing the geography and weather of the earth will become a reality. Director Barbicane, his colleagues, and ten foremen came to the shed containing the detonating device. Barbicane counted the minutes with the horse-watch in his hand.Minutes seem so long, minutes seem like years, even centuries! At ten minutes to midnight, Barbicane and Captain Nicole approached the apparatus. The sultan, the court ministers, and groups of local natives surrounded the two of them. According to Ma Sitong's calculations, the timing of the launch is crucial. It must be launched when the sun cuts the equator line, so that it will never leave the equator in its apparent orbit around the earth.

Five minutes to twelve!Four points short!Three points short!Two points away!One point short! .... Director Barbicane kept his eyes on the hands of the watch, while a foreman lit a lantern to light the watch.At this moment, Captain Nicole's finger was already on the button of the instrument, ready to connect the circuit. Only twenty seconds left!Only ten seconds left!Only five seconds left!Only one second left! . . . Nicole was unusually composed, and his hands did not tremble.When he and his colleagues sat in the launcher waiting for the Columbia cannon to send them to the moon, they were not as calm as they are today.

"Fire!" cried Director Barbicane. Nicole's index finger slammed down on the key. The earth-shattering explosion, the roar spread to the distant horizon of Wamase.Driven by the billions of liters of gas produced by the instant explosion of two thousand tons of Mery-Melorite explosives, a huge object passed through the atmosphere with a deafening whistling sound, like a meteor passing across the surface of the earth, filled with the power of nature.All the cannon of the earth, and all the lightning and thunder of the sky, could not resonate more violently!