Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 542 The Little Man in the Bottle
Zhou Yi remembers that the symbol of the Fangshi Society was a small figure in a bottle.

It turns out this wasn't a figurative reference, but rather a real, existing device.

Vivian sat up straight and said softly, "This technology was originally unique to the Fangshi Association. Later, Mirror City was invited to participate in its development. Now that the seventy-year patent period has expired, we can use it independently."

"The 'Bottle Man' technology is an exploration of the realm of consciousness through 'mirror framing' and 'magical experiments,' attempting to find and create methods for creating conscious entities..."

"However, the miniature figure in the bottle that was ultimately created could never become complete. It was the fragments of consciousness gathered by technology that were eventually projected and focused together, thus forming the miniature figure on the framing mirror."

"It has a short lifespan, lasting only one full day and night before disappearing, that is, 24 hours. This is because it is not a normal life, but merely a combination of consciousness formed by the temporary condensation of fragments of consciousness."

"However, in the history of electromechanical life, this is the biggest breakthrough we have made in the field of consciousness, reaching the farthest point with the help of the alchemists."

Zhou Yi immediately understood: "You want to take advantage of the longer day and night on the moon to prolong the lifespan of the little man in the bottle?"

"Yes."

Vivian nodded, her smooth silver face turned towards Zhou Yi: "The mechanism of the bottle-shaped figures is intricately related to the movement of celestial bodies and the circulation of sunlight. We conducted experiments at a high price at our Mars base and discovered that bottle-shaped figures could be created there as well."

"On Mars, the miniature man in the bottle can survive for 39 minutes and 35.244 seconds longer, which is why the Martian cycle and the Earth's cycle are so similar."

"The Moon is a better target than Mars. A complete day-night cycle there is about 29.5 Earth days, which could extend the life of the little man in the bottle tenfold. It's just that in the past, the Moon lacked basic infrastructure, water, oxygen, temperature, and suitable food, making it impossible for the little man in the bottle to survive."

Zhou Yi was taken aback: "Isn't it a conscious life form living inside a mirror? Does it need to drink water and breathe oxygen?"

“You’re right. But the little man in the bottle believes he’s made of flesh and blood, is convinced he’s human, and would die immediately without these conditions. It’s an idealist ideology.”

There was no hint of joking in Vivian's voice.

Is there such a situation?

Zhou Yi asked curiously, "So what can these little people do?"

"They all possess the same intelligence and thinking skills that humans excel at."

Vivian said, "They also have some ingenious ideas and can quickly learn our knowledge as if they were omniscient. They are creative and powerful assistants to electromechanical life."

"The bottle man also provided important assistance when we were developing death ray weapons in the past."

"Although we don't know exactly what kind of group they are, if we can send them to the moon, they will be a great help to engineers and architects."

Zhou Yi couldn't help but become interested in this group.

He had Yuanxiao bring in the company's Octopus Brother Beach and Yuke, both of whom were Silver Badge Sorcerers of the Sorcerer Association.

Beech gestured with his octopus and said, “That’s true. But only the Golden-Clad Alchemist can participate in this project. We only know some rumors. The Bottle Man experiment is top secret... It turns out it was researched in conjunction with the Electromechanical City. No wonder even we don’t know where the laboratory is.”

Yuk added, "There are many rumors about the little man in the bottle, but it hasn't been used on a large scale so far, and it hasn't been unbanned at the level of the Golden Chapter Alchemists. It seems that things aren't going smoothly."

Zhou Yi then inquired about Canghai Jun.

"It's not a nightmare."

He said with certainty, "The Nightmare would not do such a thing. Apart from creating and entering dreams, the Nightmare rarely appears in public. Only the dream world is the safest space for the Nightmare."

"I've heard about the little man in the bottle before."

"There are no records of this group in the Great Holy Spirit. It is highly likely that, as Vivian said, they are a pseudo-life form formed by the temporary combination of a large number of fragments of consciousness."

The Book Eater holds a different view.

She said, "Although I have never had direct contact with this group, they may be another type of information life. Just like me, who have now broken away from the Great Holy Spirit system, still exist in this world, but my record cannot be found on the consciousness side."

"If they really do create little people over there, I request to go and take a look."

Zhou Yi said there was no problem.

With the entire construction plan finalized, Heife got busy, acting as a transport vehicle between the two worlds to deliver one electromechanical life form after another.

Construction and earthmoving began everywhere on the moon, and the electromechanical lifeforms started working as soon as they arrived.

After the company announced the internal recruitment, there were some applicants.

But just as Zheng Tao and Yuan Tong predicted, only about ten human employees were willing to explore other planets.

They were all young men who had not yet started families, aged between thirteen and twenty, and were still full of adventurous spirit and had the mentality of venturing into the world.

The group of people with bones were the most enthusiastic to sign up.

More than 60 skeletons have signed up to join the Lunar Affairs Department and go to the moon to pioneer and build cities.

Zhou Yi personally interviewed them.

The applicants for the position had a very consistent attitude.

"Chairman, making money over there is the most important thing!"

"There's a lot of money to be made on the moon! We can go there, make a fortune, and get rich! There are so many opportunities there!"

This group has inherited the most fervent desire for wealth and resources from the old humans.

I am afraid of comparison in everything.

Zhou Yi inwardly grumbled.

The new humans are indeed pathetic! The skeletons embody humanity's pursuit of wealth, the sea people inherit humanity's pride, the mountain dogs uphold humanity's order and cooperation, while the new humans inherit the old humans' complacency and lack of ambition.

Despite having the largest number, they have the weakest influence.

Essentially, it is due to physical weakness that leads to a weaker mental state.

The Strong Foundation Program must be further promoted!
The position of Minister of the Lunar Affairs Department has seen quite a few people applying for internal appointments.

There were many familiar faces.

The city of Recursion screened them through a written test, and those who remained were all familiar faces: A Jin, Gong Zheng, Xie Xun, Jacob, and A Wei.

As the company's number one employee, Ajin is no longer the messy-haired young man he once was.

He wore a new down jacket from the garment factory, and his hair was cut neatly and smartly, but he was not as lively as before, and his face looked much more mature.

Zhou Yi smiled and said to him, "Interested in the moon?"

“Yes, Chairman, I’ve been flying around with Building 7 for the past few years, surveying 43 islands and visiting the local indigenous people in 13 regions. I want to go to the moon. There should be a lot of room for development there, with many different resources that can be developed and collected,” Ajin said earnestly.

Zhou Yi nodded: "I have other plans for you. You and Building No. 7 will go to Mars, taking a scavenging team with you to adapt. First, work with the Extinction Lord and accumulate some experience."

Ah Jin was taken aback for a moment, then said happily, "Chairman, I'll go prepare right away."

"Go."

The young man turned and left.

Zhou Yi turned his gaze to Gong Zheng: "Has the Civil Aviation Administration found a successor?"

Gong Zheng nodded: "Chairman, the Civil Aviation Administration's route management, vehicle management, pilot training, and settlement processes are all on track. With the continuous improvements made by the Recursive City's data center, the entire department is now operating very maturely and stably."

"There are several very motivated young people in the department, and they are all quite good."

"I want to try some new areas."

Zhou Yi then looked at Jacob and Awei.

Jacob and Awei were roommates when they were both working in the same lighting department. Although they are now in different departments, they still have a good relationship.

"Tell me about your strengths."

Jacob, the Bone Man, said, “Chairman, my advantage is that I have experience in various departments of the company, including express delivery, bone fish breeding, light mining, production and manufacturing, silkworm breeding... I think bone fish can be raised on the moon because there is no other life there except for the lunar people, and bone fish have no natural enemies.”

“I have an advantage in this area.”

Zhou Yi asked in surprise, "How did you come to this conclusion?"

"The Moon's gravity is only 1/6 that of Earth, while the Dead Sea's energy density is 81 times that of Earth. Bone fish are relatively fragile, and low gravity is beneficial for their ability to swim over a wide area, while high energy allows them to grow rapidly."

Jacob explained carefully, “Over the past few years, I have been closely monitoring the development of the company’s bonefish.”

"After they acquired the gleaming, muscular outer garments, their memory and experience storage capabilities have improved dramatically. They learn very quickly, acquiring a great deal of knowledge through work, and their communication abilities have also been greatly enhanced."

“I asked Beech, and he said that for a bony fish to grow further, it needs an increase in the energy of the environment. Because bone changes and formation are very slow, and it requires a long period of sufficient energy to grow. Simply feeding it is not enough, just like how whales can only grow to a certain size in the ocean.”

"The moon, with its high-density energy, is an excellent environment for cultivating skeletal humans and skeletal fish."

Jacob said, "I hope to get this opportunity to continue cultivating the bone fish of the Moon Company, and maybe we can make the rocket bone fish fly higher and farther. Similarly, if the bone fish can go further, then the bone people with the same physiological structure can do it too."

It took out the enhanced controller, which contained a large amount of data on the growth of the bone fish over the past few years, as well as changes in its physiological parameters, showing that it had indeed done a lot of research.

Zhou Yi nodded.

He looked at the last Ah Wei.

"What about you?"

Ah Wei gave a wry smile: "Chairman, Jacob is more suitable. Compared to this guy, I have no advantage at all. I'm withdrawing."

He raised his hands in surrender.

After listening, Zhou Yi had already made up his mind.

He looked at Jacob: "The Lunar Affairs Department is now in your hands. Just carry out the cultivation and enhancement of the Bone Fish and Bone People according to your plan. I'll give you a budget of 50 Light Seeds."

The skeleton was stunned for a moment, then stood up excitedly and bowed: "Chairman, I will definitely do my utmost until my dying breath!"

Zhou Yi waved his hand: "You have to come back alive. Staying alive is the most important thing."

"And Ah Wei, you go and partner with Jacob, and work well with him."

"okay!"

Ah Wei grinned and put his arm around his friend's thin, bony shoulder: "After all the twists and turns, we brothers are still together."

Jacob also laughed heartily with his friend.

Gong Zheng could only shrug and say, "Then I guess I'll just have to play along this time. Congratulations."

(End of this chapter)