"Captain, it's time," Dr. Li Cheng from the secretary's office prompted as thoughts were percolating.
"Understood."
Zhang Yuan saw the Space Elevator transporting the last batches of people into the Kunlun Mountain; he let out a sigh and then approached the reporters.
The parting words before departure had become a kind of tradition, not only for the eight million people inside Kunlun Mountain but also as a final farewell to the six million people remaining at the base on Earth's surface.
He solemnly said on television, "Ladies and gentlemen,"
