Chapter 670 That is a “living” land!

  Chapter 670 That is a “living” land!

  Among the many organizations in the alliance, the funding for the scientific expedition team is definitely at the forefront.

  Not only because the organization has contracted more than 30% of the players’ tasks, but also because every time good things are picked up from the remains of pre-war civilization, the improvement of the alliance’s hard power can be seen with the eyes.

  Shelter No. 404, browsing room on the B4 floor.

  Yin Fangzheng excitedly described to Chu Guang the treasures he had found from the pile of garbage dragged back by the Ox and Horse.

  ”It’s a palm-sized piece of debris! When our researchers found it, it was stuck on a piece of carbon nanotube material of the space elevator and was almost missed.”

  ”If my guess is correct, this thing should be a structural material on a small or medium-sized spacecraft. It is certain that it was quite advanced even in the prosperous era. It’s a pity that only such a small piece is left…”

  ”Because there is no information to refer to, I named it without authorization. What do you think of the word ceramic steel? At present, our laboratory has analyzed its molecular configuration and material structure. At present, it can be imitated in the laboratory, but industrial production may still be difficult.”

  While speaking, Yin Fang showed Chu Guang the shape of the material and the data he had just collected through the beam projected by the holographic computer pen.

  As if guessing that Chu Guang would definitely not understand, Yin Fang also deliberately used armor steel and A3 aerospace aluminum, which are currently the most produced in the alliance, as a comparison.

  With a reference, the characteristics of the material are much clearer at a glance.

  Its weight is between armor steel and A3 aviation aluminum, and its hardness is higher than both. At the same time, it has heat resistance and oxidation resistance that neither of them has. The most incredible thing is that its toughness and mechanical impact resistance are better than ordinary alloys!

  If it were put in the 21st century, it would probably be regarded as something dropped from an alien spaceship.

  After all, the chemical bond properties and crystal structure of ceramics determine that it is inherently lacking an independent “slip system” and cannot resist deformation like metals.

  However, this material called ceramic steel retains the hardness of ceramics while showing metal-like properties.

  For the materials science of the 21st century, let alone the production process, even the most basic theoretical part is an unestablished singularity.

  Even in the prosperous era that can manipulate gravity, spacecraft using this material are rare. That is why Yin Fang is so excited.

  Chu Guang did not expect to understand the principles of this material, nor did he need to do so.

  Technical matters are naturally handled by professionals. He only needs to know the purpose, performance and production cost of this material.

  After a simple understanding of the performance of the material, Chu Guang immediately looked at Yin Fang and asked.

  ”What about using a B7-level machining center? Can this thing be produced?”

  Yin Fang coughed lightly.

  ”The laboratory preparation I mentioned is the use of that machining center… Otherwise, we can only do the step of analyzing the material properties at most.”

  Chu Guang smiled embarrassedly.

  ”I see… Then if we use the equipment of the machining center to produce, what is the approximate output? Is there any hope of applying it to our power armor or tanks?”

  As if he had guessed that Chu Guang would ask this, Yin Fang made a helpless expression and said.

  ”If it is equipped on a small scale, I think it should not be a big problem. Although this thing is designed for spacecraft, it does not say that it can only be used on spacecraft. As long as you can accept its cost, let alone power armor and tanks, it will be no problem to install it on exoskeletons.”

  After hearing Yin Fang’s answer, Chu Guang said with a smile.

  ”As long as it is easy to use, the cost is not a problem.”

  The Alliance is not short of electricity and mines now, so how expensive can the cost be?

  What’s more, this part of the cost can be passed on to the players.

  For example, make the upgrade of ceramic steel armor a paid content!

  Taking the Alliance’s self-developed and self-produced Xiaguang power armor as an example, the unit price of a “Xiaguang” is one million silver coins. If the player is willing to pay an additional 500,000 silver coins, the armored steel breastplate can be upgraded to a ceramic steel breastplate, which increases damage resistance and durability by 50% each!

  Of course, the specific increase will have to be tested at the weapons testing ground, but the idea is this.

  Looking at Chu Guang, who has already begun to plan how to apply the archaeological findings to the Alliance Army, Yin Fang coughed lightly and said.

  ”Ceramic steel armor is just one of the technologies we recovered from the southern waters, and we are currently figuring out how to design a more economical production process for it. You don’t have to be so anxious, the technology we discovered is far more than just ceramic steel. Based on my experience, I estimate that we can pick up at least ten D-level technologies that we don’t have from this batch of ‘junk’, and at least!”

  ”Not only that, the investigation of the remains of coastal cities in the Baiyue Province will also help us restore people’s lifestyles, production methods, and other experiences and knowledge outside of engineering during the Prosperous Era. There are many things worth learning from, and they all require enough time to manifest.”

  ”…What I want to say is that it’s a genius idea to establish an outpost in the Baiyue Strait, but it’s not enough now. We should increase the development of the southern waters, there must be a lot of treasures hidden there that we haven’t discovered.”

  After a pause, Yin Fang looked at Chu Guang and continued.

  ”In order to support the excavation of the ruins, I hope you can allow our scientific expedition team to set up an investigation station in French Fries Port, so that we can directly screen the salvaged objects and ruins materials collected locally… This will also save us from wasting precious transportation capacity to bring back a lot of garbage, and then slowly panning for gold in the garbage.”

  ”This is a good idea,” Chu Guang nodded approvingly, “It just so happens that the residents of my shelter also proposed this. They hope that the scientific expedition team can set up a branch in French Fries Port to provide technical support to the local ruins exploration team and salvage ships.”

  For example, the experts of the scientific expedition team will screen the targets worth exploring, list the targets worth exploring as a search priority, and remove the targets that are obviously not worth searching from the list.

  In the past, the way local players explored the ruins was to grab a beard and eyebrows, and select some landmarks worth exploring based on experience, and bring back the things they found first, regardless of whether they are useful or not.

  If some professional researchers can be sent to the local area to support the players’ exploration work, it will undoubtedly improve the efficiency of the players in searching for ruins and reduce the workload.

  At least, it can avoid the situation where the toilet seat is mistaken for a welding ring.

  After listening to Chu Guang’s words, Yin Fang nodded immediately.

  ”No problem, I will select some people, and I’ll trouble you to send them over when the time comes.”

  Chu Guang said with a smile.

  ”Don’t worry about that! Although we don’t have the conditions to get you a research ship of the same model as the academy, it’s no problem to get a research airship! You can set off at any time when you are ready-”

  ”By the way, bring our people with you as well!”

  Before Chu Guang finished speaking, he was interrupted by a voice floating from the door.

  Heya, with silver hair, came in from the corridor outside the browsing room through the open door like a gust of wind.

  Looking towards the door, Yin Fang noticed the excitement on Heya’s face. He didn’t need to guess that this guy had probably found some important clues.

  Chu Guang raised his eyebrows with interest and was about to ask her what happened. She sat on the sofa beside him and stared at him with her eyes, and couldn’t wait to speak.

  ”Important discovery! According to the strain samples brought back by your shelter residents from the north bank of the Baiyue Strait, we found 173 overlaps and 677 similarities when comparing genes with samples collected from Jinchuan Province… But this is not the point. The point is that we compared several key genes that express traits. Now it is basically certain that Baiyue Province is the birthplace of Naguo!”

  Hearing this, Yin Fang looked at her in surprise, and then frowned and said.

  ”Baiyue Province is the birthplace of Naguo? Are you sure?”

  Although Yin Fang is not good at biological research, he does not need a lot of biological knowledge to understand the situation in Jinchuan Province.

  The wildly growing Naguo will assimilate all organisms into its puppets and form a fungal field as terrifying as a plague in a wide area.

  It has shown similar characteristics to the mutant slime mold in Qingquan City in many aspects, such as releasing spores, such as indiscriminate erosion of organisms, etc.

  If Naguo really originated in Baiyue Province, it should have become a hotbed for Naguo reproduction long ago. How could the alliance establish an outpost or even a settlement there?

  And the most important thing is that he did not find any Naguo hyphae on the waste recovered from Baiyue Province? !

  Looking at Yin Fang with a skeptical face, Heya took a deep breath and nodded seriously.

  ”I am almost 100% sure… I know what you are confused about. We are also confused. Why did the Naguo, which expanded recklessly in Jinchuan Province, perform mediocrely in Baiyue Province where the climate conditions are more suitable? But the fact is so surprising! And what is even more surprising is that when we studied the genes of the original strain, we immediately discovered that the original strain of Naguo itself is a strain formed by the hybridization of Gaia slime mold and earth fungi under natural conditions!”

  ”Formed under natural conditions?” Yin Fang’s eyebrows twisted together, pinching his chin and falling into deep thought.

  Heya nodded seriously and continued.

  ”We previously speculated that Naguo was a variety obtained by the Torch Church using the gene bank obtained from the mother nest in Qingquan City to improve the local fungi. Now it seems that our conclusion is incomplete. The most original Naguo strain itself is a combination of mutant slime mold and earth fungi. They just artificially replaced some of the genes!”

  This sounded a bit awkward. Chu Guang, who had been listening to the discussion between the two, tried to understand it in his own way.

  In simple terms, the original Naguo is the “child” of Gaia and the Earth. It has both Gene A from outside the Earth and Gene B provided by some fungi on Earth.

  After discovering the Naguo, the Torch Church found that this thing could help them complete the Heavenly Kingdom Plan, so they improved it.

  For example, through artificial cultivation, the A1 gene obtained from the mother nest in Qingquan City was inserted into the original Naguo strain AB.

  The strain that is now rampant in Haiya Province and the southern part of Jinchuan Province is the extremely aggressive A-A1-B type, or simply A1-B type.

  But…

  what’s the difference?

  Chu Guang frowned slightly and was about to ask about the confusion in his heart. However, just as he was about to speak, a glimmer of enlightenment suddenly exploded in his mind.

  A gene!

  Where did the original A gene come from? !

  Capturing this detail, Chu Guang blurted out almost subconsciously.

  ”There is a mother nest in Baiyue Province?!”

  Or did it exist before? !

  As soon as the voice fell, two pairs of eyes looked at him at the same time.

  ”Baiyue Province…did a mother nest exist before?” Yin Fang was slightly stunned, but he reacted in just a moment, frowning and muttering to himself, “So that’s it…”

  ”That’s right! This is the first inference we have drawn from that specimen! There may be a mother nest of mutant slime mold in Baiyue Province! And this is very likely to be the reason why local survivors disappeared from the province!” Heya looked at Chu Guang in disbelief, and said with an incredible expression, “Unbelievable, you actually guessed it!”

  Chu Guang rolled his eyes and leaned on the sofa and said.

  ”Do I look stupid? Let’s get to the point. Where do you think this mother nest might be?”

  ”It’s here!”

  While saying this, Heya took out a test tube filled with dark green liquid from her pocket and shook it in front of the two of them.

  Yin Fang was startled by her action and stood up from the sofa.

  Chu Guang was not scared by her action, but he was also stunned when he saw the test tube in her hand. After two seconds, he spoke.

  ”Right here…what does it mean?”

  ”It’s this thing in my hand! The extract of the original strain of Naguo! This is the mother nest of Baiyue Province!” Heya raised her lips proudly, and her bright eyes were full of disbelief and enthusiasm. “Those guys are simply geniuses!”

  Trying to understand her incoherent speech, Chu Guang pinched his eyebrows with a headache.

  ”Wait…what are those guys you are talking about?”

  ”Of course, those slime molds!” Heya said excitedly, “Do you remember? No matter which kind of mutant slime molds we have seen before, most of them are like the center of Qingquan City or Xiaoyu. They all have the same characteristics, that is, they have a mother nest and a group of fruiting bodies, and all individuals share the same consciousness!”

  Yin Fang swallowed his saliva.

  ”I know…and then?”

  Heya continued quickly.

  ”The mother nest of Baiyue Province is an exception! It neither chose parasitism, nor symbiosis or assimilation, but became them!”

  ”…became them?” Chu Guang’s pupils could not help but dilate slightly, vaguely guessing something.

  Mutant slime molds have a strong ability to adapt to the environment. Not only can they flexibly change themselves to adapt to the environment, but they are also good at learning from the native creatures on Earth.

  For example, the mother nest in Qingquan City.

  That guy has accumulated a lot of combat experience in the battle with humans, and learned to use biomass energy to drive human armor.

  Not only that –

  that guy also imitated powerful alien species such as monsters and death claws in the wasteland, and hatched powerful special fruiting bodies.

  In fact, this is easy to understand.

  The objects that mutant slime molds imitate are never just humans or human civilization. The real object they imitate is the ecosystem itself.

  Humans and human civilization are only part of this system.

  In most cases, humans who master the weapons of civilization can gain the upper hand in natural selection, even if there are some ridiculously strong alien species in the wasteland.

  Therefore, in most cases, mutant slime molds will imitate humans more, and even penetrate into the level of society and even civilization.

  However, Baiyue Province is an exception.

  For whatever reason, the local survivors have almost disappeared, replaced by rich and diverse species and more intense natural selection.

  Therefore, it is almost obvious –

  as a “colonizer”, the mutant slime mold will take what as the first choice for imitation.

  ”That’s right!”

  Heya stared at Chu Guang with a sharp gaze and nodded to confirm his unspoken guess.

  ”Not only the Naguo, but also the grass there, the trees there, and the alien species in the woods… all the creatures in the entire Baiyue Province are the continuation of that mother nest! They all carry genes from the planet Gaia!”

  ”I am not sure yet whether the mother nest in Baiyue Province has a unified consciousness like the mother nests in other regions, but its children can obviously no longer be called fruiting bodies, but separate species with independent consciousness!”

  ”It has completely become them. It is a ‘living’ land!”

  (End of this chapter)