novelhk Page 42
Page 42
The more information they gathered, the more certain the two empires became that this was absolutely not the other's style.
Very well, so a third-party force has indeed intervened. Damn it, where did this extra-standard situation come from?
This issue was clearly beyond the current intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Empire, so the two empires ultimately decided to first completely cease hostilities and communicate about the issue privately, even if it was just to exchange intelligence.
Of course, if this force is discovered by our side in advance, then it is necessary to make contact beforehand, or even establish a cooperative relationship, because they cannot be sure whether the other party will do such a thing in private. If the other party establishes a relationship with this threatening third party in advance, and we have done nothing, wouldn't we become idiots who get beaten up by the two of us?
Driven by a shared threat and a chain of suspicion, the Darkmoon Empire and the Holy Empire began secret contacts.
Section 88: The Temptation You Can't Resist
"Did you do this?"
"Impossible. If we did it, would you still be standing here?"
"Now it's our turn to ask, did you do this?"
"What a joke! If we did it, you'd all be cooked by now!"
After the Dark Moon Empire and the Holy Empire began to settle accounts in private, much like Iran and Saudi Arabia did with intelligence, they completely confirmed the existence of a third party, and both tacitly kept silent about the third party's existence.
Both sides planned to make contact with this mysterious third party. Even if they reached a consensus on the surface, they would still have to make contact in secret. They were all cunning and experienced. If they could come up with some kind of nonsense about "alliance and mutual trust" in this matter, it would be a laughing stock for Germany and the Soviet Union.
However, their efforts were destined to be in vain, because Qin Shan had no plans to conquer World 4 for the next period of time. He now possessed four Abyss Gates, with the first three worlds awaiting development. World 1 only had one island base, while the second world, where Bismarck and Richelieu's plans were heating up, was now basically ready for harvest. World 3, being an interstellar civilization, was not considered for the time being, but it could provide a continuous stream of advanced technologies.
Under these circumstances, Qin Shan clearly felt that he had become too powerful and it was time to accelerate the development of this side of the earth.
"Our Shenzhou civilization is preparing to build an interstellar supply port on the moon. Interested countries can send their applications to me."
The words of Fairy Yunmeng immediately caused a huge uproar on Earth, and everyone understood the significance of her words.
Although this base belongs to the Chinese civilization, it feels like an interstellar civilization has invaded our doorstep. But they just quietly built the base on the far side of the moon, and Earthlings have no choice but to put up with it. Now they're not only coming to say hello, but also offering to visit and learn. This is a golden opportunity that you couldn't find even with a lantern.
However, after countries began submitting their applications, Fairy Yunmeng stated that only national governments recognized by the Divine Continent civilization were eligible to apply, with each country limited to 5,000 people.
In other words, only the nominal five permanent members of the UN Security Council, now effectively four, are qualified to have the five thousand seats. Other countries can discuss sharing the seats with the four permanent members and directly engage in dialogue with China. Sorry, you are not qualified.
Don't forget, Britain was previously no longer recognized by Chinese civilization as a sovereign state capable of representing human civilization, directly leading to a sharp decline in its status within the United Nations. Although it still possesses veto power, it is now completely hesitant to use it in the struggle for interests with the other four permanent members. After all, those four are the real permanent members; for a mere imposter like Britain, being allowed to remain at the table is already a privilege. Although the five permanent members don't openly acknowledge it, many topics still involve Britain in discussion, but Britain has already sensed a pitifully thick barrier between itself and the other four.
People can discuss how to strengthen cooperation with Chinese civilization in the car, but the British are really like, "I should be under the car, not in the car, listening is meaningless."
So now everyone says that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are only five in name, but actually four in practice. Which one should be eliminated?
In any case, India has publicly stated on many occasions that Britain, the old father, is no longer worthy of the title. If the existence of the father is preventing India from becoming a permanent member of the Security Council, then I will declare myself an orphan. India must become a powerful and influential nation. Only the five permanent members that India joins will be the most valuable ones!
In short, the once mighty Great Britain has now become Little Britain, on the verge of collapse without the unity of Northern Ireland. Recently, Northern Ireland declared: "I have never been loved by the British, so I want independence and autonomy. I want to return to Ireland. Britain has no right to dictate to Northern Ireland, and Northern Ireland also wants its own life!"
However, the United States is not in much better shape right now. Given its current level of internal turmoil, a real-life version of "American Civil War" could unfold at any moment. In addition, various avengers are emerging one after another. In any case, Fairy Yunmeng has already warned the United States on behalf of the Shenzhou Civilization that if the United States continues to lose points like this, the Shenzhou Civilization will have to reassess the US government's eligibility for cooperation.
To represent a civilization, you need to at least offer something that people aspire to. Look at yourself now—is it the daily grind of playing PUBG that's enviable, or the brink of civil war?
Moreover, the overly explosive internal environment has caused a sharp decline in the United States' scientific research capabilities, leading many outstanding scientific researchers to go directly to China. After all, looking at the whole world, it is currently the safest place. In addition, Fairy Yunmeng has been staying in China for a long time. Even if you don't believe in China's ideology, you should at least believe in the protection from a super civilization.
Therefore, the more the United States collapses, the more talent flows to China, and now it has become a blood transfusion bag for China.
The US is definitely colluding with China; I suggest they be arrested (humorous).
"Not bad, not bad, white is indeed the most fragrant."
Qin Shan now has a bargaining chip in his hands that he can use to negotiate with the Moon of Resistance: extraordinary knowledge. Of course, this is limited to knowledge obtained from the small countries on the Augu Continent. Although this extraordinary knowledge has some regional limitations and is not very universal, it is still a systematic body of extraordinary knowledge, and its value to the Moon of Resistance is immeasurable.
Even if Qin Shan only gave a tiny bit, it would be enough for the Moon to cherish as a treasure.
So what price did the Month of Resistance pay?
An industrial planet doesn't need to be technologically advanced, but it needs a complete industrial system.
Qin Shan's reasoning was: "There is a civilization under the Shenzhou Civilization that has just begun to enter the Star Realm. The Shenzhou Civilization's existing technology products are simply unusable for the weak physical condition of the other party, so we can only purchase some that are suitable for them. Since we have come across you, we will ask you to solve our problem."
This is not surprising. There are many such civilizations under the control of the Resistance Moon. The weakest of them do not even have the ability to leave their home planet, yet they regard the Resistance Moon's spaceships as divine miracles and worship them. Their political system is also a theocratic model.
The Resistance Moon is, after all, an interstellar civilization. If they simply dismantle their own production line and give it to someone else, the other party will most likely not be able to figure out what it is. At most, it can only be used as a new-era production line cog that presses buttons on the assembly line. When it comes to maintenance, they can't even use the parts they produce to fill in the gaps.
There's no way around it; this is the inevitable result of technological iteration and the elimination of outdated production capacity. Even if we retain a certain number of products and production lines that are technologically backward and have low economic value according to wartime standards, we can't allow the technological gap to become too outrageous. For example, the crossbow technology of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods has many better alternatives in modern times. There's no need to pursue the glory of the classical era. This isn't the Warhammer universe of an archaeological superpower.
The reason for needing an industrial planet is that Qin Shan had already collected relevant information and knew that the technological level of the Resistance Moon was high enough to integrate industry on a single planet or construct an industrial belt around a star, with the remaining areas used for agriculture and mining to support this industrial system.
“We have a frontier industrial zone that perfectly meets your needs.”
For the Resistance Moon, this industrial planet, designated Alpha 73, is already outdated. Its ultimate fate is to be dismantled and used as fuel for other industrial planets, or to be dismantled on-site and remelted for use in rebuilding new industrial zones in the star system. If there is no such need, it can simply be dismantled and moved away; it cannot be left behind.
Because Free Earth has a very tragic experience in this regard, these massive man-made facilities that are abandoned and left unattended are very easy to become the hideouts of space pirates. In addition, they have a complete industrial system inside, and even if they are only activated slightly, it is enough for a small group of space pirates to be armed to the point of exhaustion. Then they will use this place as a base to cause trouble for the surrounding star systems.
Therefore, abandoned industrial planets and productive star systems must be dismantled, even if it means destroying them by means of a cataclysmic event. Incomplete productive buildings, let alone production systems, must not be left behind, as that would only create trouble for oneself.
"This is exactly what we need. It's a pleasure working with you."
"Haha, it's a pleasure to cooperate. Luckily you were willing to take it, otherwise just dealing with such a large item would have consumed a lot of resources and time for us. Now it's completely convenient. We are the ones who should be thanking you."
"This is called mutual benefit and win-win."
"Yes, mutually beneficial and win-win!"
In a harmonious and friendly atmosphere, both parties reached a deal, and everyone was happy.
Alpha 73, located on the edge of the Milky Way, is a star system with two stars forming a very stable binary system. It has 17 planets, all of which have been developed and are of interest.
Upon arriving at the destination, Qin Shan was pleasantly surprised to discover that he not only possessed an industrial planet, but the entire industrial planetary system had been acquired by someone else, and he had the highest authority to manage and operate all the man-made areas here.
However, after the initial surprise came the realization of "I see."
The technology here is indeed very backward, and it's not just a matter of backwardness. The local construction also involves layers of complex technological compatibility. For example, on the industrial planet Alpha 73-1, which is currently the size of Earth, there are still sealed steam locomotives on the surface. In many abandoned cities, you can feel the atmosphere of the 18th-century steam engine era.
A thousand kilometers away lies a vast industrial cluster, which eventually formed dozens of interconnected industrial behemoths on the planet, with a total area equivalent to two Eurasian continents. Around these industrial behemoths, you can see the marks of various eras. It is said that this was caused by the first human pioneers who came here. Due to the lack of spaceship databases and the damage to many advanced processing equipment, they had to start from steam engines and work by hand. This place is practically a template for human industrial development from planet to star. It is more than enough to be a history museum.
Due to technological iterations and upgrades, coupled with the arrival of humans with even more advanced technologies, the entire industrial zone eventually developed a "makeshift" Frankenstein's monster appearance. You can find data cable interfaces on steam trains, and you can also see steam locomotives serving as passenger cars in the interstellar industrial zone. The steam boilers use automatic ignition devices, and the monitoring is done by intelligent AI, highlighting a sense of whimsy.
Every city here seems to be saying, "Just piece it together however you like, and leave the rest to your imagination."
However, such places are actually able to trace a complete path of technological development, which is of great significance to Qinshan.
After a general inspection of the area, Qin Shan immediately returned to the island base.
"Kitazan, Yubari, let me introduce you to a good place."
Section 89: The Target, the Moon
The Alfa Romeo 73 is indeed a treasure, but it has a minor flaw: currently, everything here is maintained by automated equipment, and there isn't a single human being. However, the basic human needs to maintain the normal operation of the entire industrial zone exceed ten billion.
Is this the productivity of interstellar civilization? For Earth, this is no longer a question of unemployment, but rather that even newborn babies wouldn't be enough to keep up with demand. After all, it's impossible for all seven billion people on Earth to be young adults. Based on current Earth population data, the number is estimated to be no more than five billion.
Ah, damn it, I suddenly have a strong urge to revive the dead and get them to work.
However, automated equipment is sufficient for now. We can move the parts we need first, and then we can take care of the rest gradually.
"Planetary relocation base module, great, I need this."
Isn't the next step to build a lunar base on the moon in our home world? Qin Shan can just take the ready-made modules from here. For the Moon of Resistance, these things are all relics from more than a century ago, but for the Earth's human civilization in our home world, the standard gravity maintenance device alone is attractive enough. This device can adjust the gravity environment within a certain range. In other words, it is entirely possible to adjust oneself to several times the gravity and then try to become a Super Saiyan.
But whether you can become a Super Saiyan is another matter.
Standard gravity values can be set, and they are generally based on Earth's standard gravity. This is a standard coordinate system set by humans, just like the zero-degree standard for an ice-water mixture. Below that is a low-gravity environment, and above that is a high-gravity environment.
Sounds pretty good, right? But when human civilization entered the universe, the objective environment also affected human cognition. In World 3, a terrible human civil war occurred. Many creatures that did not look human at all were found to have ancestors who came from Earth at the end of the war.
Standards on Earth may not be universally applicable when applied to the entire universe. Furthermore, there are human factors at play. For example, organizations that do not recognize Earth's regimes may abandon Earth's standards after finding a new environment and switch to standards that are compatible with the current environment. Alternatively, they may deliberately downplay the influence of Earth's regimes, establish new values, and then become local warlords.
This is the great division problem that any regime must face in the interstellar age.
The vast distance between time and space greatly enhances regional autonomy, and human civilization faces a new imperial limit, except this time it should be called the limit of civilization, referring to the maximum range that a civilization can radiate and directly control.
From planet to stars, young humanity still has a long way to go.
We can only talk about the future later. Compared to the vast universe, humanity should first be concerned about the moon's trajectory.
With the base module in place, the next step is to build a spaceship. The Resistance Moon and Free Earth are roughly the same in terms of science and technology, but because the Resistance Moon has achieved mechanical ascension, their spaceships don't need to consider comfort. The prosthetic bodies, which combine bioengineering and mechanical technology, can adapt to various environments. This results in the two sides' spaceships having very different shapes. The Resistance Moon's spaceships are like large and small discs, covered with weapons and shield generators, while Free Earth's spaceships are various triangular structures of different sizes.
It is evident that in the cosmic environment, the most ideal starship structure is a simple geometric shape, the simpler the better.
Therefore, a sphere is the ultimate destination for all spaceships (I'm certain of this).
However, since it is a spaceship of the Divine Continent civilization, it must have some characteristics of the Divine Continent civilization, especially the characteristics unique to the extraordinary beings. Qin Shan's solution is very simple: just fill the environment inside with blood crystal energy.
Such an environment would be very comfortable for extraordinary people. In fantasy novels, it would be described as "filled with crystals..." cough cough, it would be "this place is full of spiritual energy and is an excellent blessed land." But if an ordinary person were to just barge in like that, they would surely die (I'm sure of it).
The living environment of superhumans is so mysterious that ordinary people would have to pay with their lives to even try to peek into it.
The transformation work took a week, half of which was spent taking over the industrial planet. North Carolina's data management capabilities transformed her into a super data center. She integrated the entire Alpha 73's automated system into her network and then directed a large number of engineering robots to build a new data service center.
Currently, only a basic framework has been completed, but the abundant computing power has already made Beizhai a god-like existence here.
With the participation of a large number of engineering robots, the transformation work was successfully completed. During this period, Qin Shan also obtained the first batch of blood crystals from Queen Lilith and her insectoid race. They would keep some for themselves to breed new insectoids, while Qin Shan left a large amount of resources for Lilith to use, the most of which was sugar.
This was Lilith's request. The Zerg, or rather all living beings, have an innate craving for high-energy substances, and for this, they are willing to modify their various sensory organs accordingly to permanently remember the tastes that are beneficial to them. For example, sweetness is beneficial to us, while bitterness is harmful.
But once civilization has developed to a certain stage, this becomes uncertain, isn't it, bitter melon?
I bet they never dreamed that they, who were supposed to be eaten after they matured, would become a dish during the bitter stage when they least wanted to be eaten. Humans really are incomprehensible.
But it doesn't matter. As long as humans like you, your genes can continue to multiply and thrive, right, Brother Chicken?
Don't laugh. Although it's cruel for individuals, from a population perspective, chickens can be considered the most successful descendants of dinosaurs in the world. Now, their numbers far exceed those of humans.
After the transformation is complete, Qin Shan's meticulously designed, brand-new version of the Divine Empire will appear before humanity.
They randomly chose an auspicious day that was not suitable for going out, and the Starship officially set sail.
The moment this behemoth, shaped like a disc and with a diameter of thirty kilometers, appeared in geosynchronous orbit, the entire world looked up at it as it flew by.
Human civilization was completely changed from that point on.
After witnessing the enormous disc firsthand, a science fiction writer surnamed Liu was inspired to write "The New Civilization Era." This story departs from the previous narrative patterns of struggle, resistance, and despair, instead presenting an epic tale of a super civilization joining hands with a new civilization to usher in a new era, presented in the form of a news report.
While The Three-Body Problem is certainly a captivating story, reality is not as dark and bleak as it seems.
At least the Chinese civilization that humanity encountered was quite friendly, wasn't it?
However, the arrival of the Chinese civilization also had unexpected consequences: Musk went bankrupt.
Because all his proposed plans became worthless, and with the Shenzhou civilization willing to help, those outdated technologies couldn't attract any investment at all. Compared to explorations with uncertain prospects, capital clearly preferred projects that had already succeeded. So, after the Shenzhou civilization's starship circled the Earth, the big investors who had previously invested in Musk collectively withdrew their funds, waiting to buy tickets to the moon. As for Musk, he was just a has-been internet celebrity, and only some people with knowledge levels comparable to those in the US's "happy education" system regarded him as a classic. True great powers don't care about so-called commercial success.
The execution and implementation of large-scale plans are simply beyond the capabilities of commerce. Look at the Apollo program in the United States; it was not achieved through the free market, but rather through a model of concentrating resources to accomplish major tasks.
"Admiral, we have reached the far side of the moon..."
Saratoga, who was temporarily assigned to the job but had managed to obtain his practical driving license, reported.
Only now do I truly feel the vastness of the universe.
"Begin deploying base modules!"
High above the far side of the moon, airdropped pods crashed down upon it. At that moment, more than five billion people on Earth witnessed this historic moment. It was a pity that this was not something humans could do, but the thought of potentially opening up exciting projects like lunar tourism in the future filled everyone with excitement.
The first module to go down is actually the processing module. It's like a huge, worm-like processing factory. It will drill down first, and during the drilling process, it will process the route it passes through at high temperatures. The substances it ingests will be purified and processed into raw materials for use in the subsequent automated factory. The newly processed parts will be taken out by intelligent robots for assembly, and finally, a semi-underground lunar base with a huge dome on top will be obtained.
The entire project is expected to be completed in half a month. The completed lunar base can accommodate more than 100,000 people for a long time. This refers to the kind of self-sufficiency that does not require any additional supplies to be transported from Earth. If it is actively developed to expand outwards, the lunar base can be built into a lunar city.
The barrage comments on JinYan.com were unusually lively at this moment.
"The stars and the sea are our true journey!"
"The Great Expedition! The Great Expedition! The moon belongs to our Genetic Cult!!"
"Where did this brat from the Hammer Circle come from? Get him out of here!"
"This is all a hoax, the universe is a hoax, the world is flat, the flat Earth theory is the truth!"
"I want to go to the moon, and I hope the ticket price isn't too expensive."
"Don't even think about the ones ahead, these are things you'll only see in your lifetime."
"Chinese civilization can operate buses between the Earth and the Moon, while we need years to prepare for launching rockets."
"I want to go to the moon! I want to go to the moon! I want to go to the moon!"
There are those who are excited, those who are expectant, those who are skeptical, those who are devastated, and all sorts of messy conspiracy theories. On the Golden Eye Network, which has no firewall, you can fully witness the diversity of the human species and marvel at how wonderful this world is.
Two weeks later, the lunar base was successfully completed, and the 20,000 researchers from various countries (the four permanent members of the UN Security Council certainly shared some of their spots with other countries) boarded the Starship bound for the moon under the watchful eyes of the world.
This time, humanity is about to truly begin to take root and flourish on other planets.
Chapter 90: I am on the moon~