I live in the Martian wilderness!

"It still exists, mainly due to two fatal flaws that will seriously affect production." Xuanjian immediately brought up two sets of simulated data streams on the screen.

"First, water evaporation and energy waste."

"The backyard has a space of up to 600 cubic meters and the air is relatively dry. If it's not covered, the 32°C running track pool will become a giant humidifier, and moisture will continue to evaporate."

"According to simulations, we need to consume an additional 200 liters of water and nearly 40 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day to replenish the water and maintain the water temperature."

"200 liters a day?" Gu Yu was shocked by this number. "That's practically boiling water to humidify the air, not cultivating algae."

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel."

"In addition, there is a second, more fatal problem—inefficient carbon dioxide enrichment."

"Relying solely on air contact with carbon dioxide, the gas dissolves in water at an efficiency of less than 0.1%."

"This is equivalent to sending an army to fight for a single bowl of rice, which is completely insufficient to meet the huge carbon source requirements of spirulina during its logarithmic growth phase."

"Therefore, it is necessary to inject carbon dioxide into the water in the form of tiny bubbles by laying porous aeration pipes."

"This will increase the contact area between the gas and water by more than 1000 times, ensuring that the dissolved carbon concentration in the culture medium remains saturated at all times."

"Ultimately, the efficiency of carbon dioxide utilization can be increased to over 30%, providing an unlimited buffet for spirulina."

Xuanjian displayed two simulated animations of gas flow side by side on the screen.

Countless bubbles rise from the bottom of the pool, efficiently dissolving carbon dioxide into the water.

The animation continued, and the bubbles that were not completely absorbed did not remain on the water's surface, but instead quickly spread outwards and disappeared into the enormous 600-cubic-meter space.

"While supplementing with carbon dioxide solves the problem of 'feeding quickly,' it cannot solve the problem of 'running fast.'"

"Based on simulations, carbon dioxide released into the air will ultimately result in a massive waste of over 70%."

"The growth efficiency of spirulina is directly related to the contact concentration of its carbon source."

"In an open environment, their food concentration is too low, and their growth rate will be less than one-tenth of that under optimal conditions."

Gu Yu's expression turned serious. A yield of only one-tenth was tantamount to a death sentence for the Shennong Project.

"Mysterious, does that mean we have to put a lid on it? A lid that can lock in moisture and carbon dioxide while allowing light to pass through."

"Sigh, let's discuss it tomorrow, I'm really too sleepy. Xuan, the rest is up to you. Monitor the temperature and air pressure in the backyard in real time, and wake me up immediately if there are any abnormalities."

"Understood, Lieutenant Colonel. Sweet dreams."

Looking at the meticulous process, Gu Yu was completely relieved.

He crawled into his warm sleeping bag and put on the custom-made eye mask.

"Xuan, the rest is up to you. Monitor the temperature and air pressure in the backyard in real time, and wake me up immediately if there are any abnormalities."

"Understood, Lieutenant Colonel. Please rest assured."

Gu Yu was finally able to fall into a deep sleep.

This may be the most restful sleep he has had since landing on Mars.

Because when he wakes up tomorrow, the backyard will no longer be a cold wasteland, but a spring waiting to be sown!

[Mars Day 14, 07:00 AM]

Gu Yu took off his blindfold and the first thing he did was walk to the winding glass pipe.

Inside the command cabin, the small photobioreactor had become a dense green.

After six days of continuous sunlight and cultivation, the liquid, which was originally just a light green, has now turned into a dark green like a thick emerald soup.

"Xuan, report on biomass."

"Reporting to the colonel, the current biomass density has reached 2.5 g/L. This fully meets the requirements for transplantation. Production expansion can be carried out at any time."

"Very good." Gu Yu nodded in satisfaction, which meant that the first seed of the [Shennong Project] had successfully sprouted.

He walked to the control panel and pulled up the surveillance footage from the backyard. The two candlelight heaters were radiating heat, maintaining the entire 600-cubic-meter space at a comfortable 20°C.

"Xuan, do you have any good solutions to the problem we discussed last night?"

"The solution has been generated, Lieutenant Colonel." A clear flowchart appeared on the screen, perfectly addressing all the challenges of last night.

"Today's core tasks are three in number, and they are interconnected."

Xuanjian brought up the print queue of the Divine Craftsmanship Module: "According to your instructions, I have set the three 5-kilowatt [Zhurong No. 1 Modified] immersion heating rods as the highest priority."

"We have experience printing deep well heating rods, and these three electric heaters are expected to be completed in 2 hours."

"They will be used for subsequent pasteurization and precise water temperature control."

Xuanjian continued, "To solve the problems of water evaporation and carbon dioxide escape, the running track pool must be covered. We recommend..."

Gu Yu interrupted Xuan Jian, pointing to the runway pool model on the screen, "Regarding the cover... I thought about it last night and have a preliminary idea."

"Please speak."

"The Divine Craft Module itself cannot print optical-grade transparent materials, right?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel. The sintering process dictates that the finished product must be porous and opaque."

Gu Yu slowly raised his right hand. "The essence of my carbon control ability lies in constructing chemical bonds at the microscopic level. What if I arrange carbon atoms according to an sp³ hybridization structure?"

Xuanjian's logical core worked at lightning speed, instantly understanding Gu Yu's intentions.

"You want to... synthesize diamonds using your genetic abilities?"

"That's right." Gu Yu's eyes gleamed with confidence. "Diamond is the purest form of carbon and one of the most perfectly transparent materials in the universe."

"First, the divine craftsmanship module prints out an extremely thin carbon fiber mesh that has only a skeleton and no 'skin'."

"Then, I took over. I captured carbon atoms from the air and 'deposited' them layer by layer into the gaps of the carbon fiber mesh, using a diamond lattice structure."

"It's like filling a fishing net with ice. Eventually, we'll get a transparent composite panel with carbon fiber as the 'steel' and diamond as the 'concrete'."

Gu Yu looked at Xuan Jian and asked the most crucial question: "Xuan, how feasible is this plan? Also, won't this kind of artificial diamond fog up like ordinary glass?"

Xuanjian remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly conducting an extremely complex physical model deduction.

Finally, a three-dimensional diamond lattice model appeared on the screen, along with a detailed performance analysis.

"Feasibility of the plan: 99.8%"

"Regarding the anti-fog issue," Xuanjian's voice carried a hint of admiration that even data couldn't conceal, "your solution is not only feasible, but also the optimal solution from a physics perspective."

"Diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of any known material (over 2200 W/(m·K)), which is more than five times that of copper."

"This means that when it is used as a cover, the temperature difference between the inner and outer surfaces is negligible."

"The 32°C hot steam comes into contact with a 'hot surface' that is also close to 32°C, rather than a cold 'condensation point'."

"Physically, it cannot condense, so it will not fog. This is a one-time, ultimate solution."

"However, this plan will be extremely taxing on your mental and physical strength, and..."

"It's okay, a little tired is fine." Gu Yu's face showed an excited smile.

"Lieutenant Colonel, we have..."

"Xuan, let's begin! Shen Gong will handle the framework, and I'll handle the soul. Today, we'll create a set of diamond cover plates!"

"Lieutenant Colonel, please don't interrupt me!"

For the first time, Xuanjian's clear, girlish voice interrupted Gu Yu's command. Her tone was flat, but her words carried a hint of barely perceptible grievance.

"Lieutenant Colonel, there is a crucial piece of information I have been unable to share with you since last night. You have interrupted my attempts to share it three times due to other priorities."

Gu Yu was stunned, then somewhat embarrassed: "Sorry, Xuan. Go ahead."