Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

the next day.

Lu Yongchang frowned as he looked at the documents on the desk in front of him.

The sound of the office door opening could be heard.

He looked up at the person who had come in, then looked down again and began flipping through the documents.

"Brother Xu?" Lü Yongchang asked softly, "Is there something you need?"

Fang Xu naturally didn't care about Lü Yongchang's attitude. He walked to the desk with a smile on his face.

"I have two pieces of good news. Which one would you like to hear?"

A look of doubt flashed in Lü Yongchang's eyes.

He looked up from the documents in front of him and asked Fang Xu, "Two?"

Fang Xu nodded: "The first one is related to your speech yesterday."

"The global address played a significant role."

"We're receiving feedback from all over the world that people are reportedly much more willing to flee."

"Some members of the public even volunteered to help the staff and assist in the implementation of the escape plan."

Lü Yongchang nodded in satisfaction.

"That is indeed good news."

Increased motivation to flee can significantly increase the survival rate of those fleeing.

During interstellar travel, within the carrying capacity, the more effective population the better.

As for what constitutes an effective population...

It's simple, but also cruel.

It refers to people who already have productivity and will have productivity in the future.

In other words, it refers to young adults and children.

After all, you never know what unexpected things might happen in the universe.

Let alone the universe.

On Earth, a chain of disasters triggered by rising global average temperatures has killed more than 10 billion people in just a few months.

Although the majority of these 10 billion people are elderly with limited mobility, the small number of young adults and children who died from natural disasters also indirectly weakened the "development potential" of human civilization.

Thinking of this, Lü Yongchang's eyes dimmed slightly.

He sighed softly, shook his head, and said, "What a pity..."

"By the time the hibernation plan is completed, we don't know how many people will survive."

Fang Xu's expression also became much more serious.

"Professor, based on the data accumulated in the early stage, it is estimated that the hibernation plan will take about 3 more months to be fully implemented. Considering that extreme weather will occur more and more frequently, the number of people fleeing is estimated to decrease to about 38 billion."

Ling answered methodically, even providing a large amount of data to prove his inference.

38 trillion...

A full 2 million less.

The sorrow in Lü Yongchang's eyes deepened.

But he had no way to deal with this situation.

Currently, the Spaceport, the Luan Bird Project, and the [Jianmu] manufacturing project have completely exhausted Zero's computing power.

If computing power is diverted to building shelters, slowing down the progress of other projects, the consequences will only be more severe!

"And what's the other good news?"

After a moment of silence, Lü Yongchang took a deep breath, perked up slightly, and asked Fang Xu.

Upon hearing the question, Fang Xu shook his head, pulling himself out of the heavy atmosphere he had just been in.

"I'm sure you'll never guess what good news it is!" Fang Xu's eyes lit up with joy as he recalled the report he had just received.

Seeing the doubt in Lü Yongchang's eyes, he cleared his throat and prepared to give a report.

The holographic projection subtly changed: "Professor, the Biosphere 2 experiment has achieved a phased success."

Fang Xu's expression suddenly stiffened: "..."

"Zero, this is too much..."

As for Lü Yongchang, he naturally ignored Fang Xu's "protest" and stood up excitedly, looking at the holographic image in front of him.

"Zero, arrange for a Mystic Maiden II to go to Ecosystem II!"

……

The Taklamakan Desert.

As the rate of solar change intensifies, deserts become true no-go zones for life.

Under the scorching sun, the surface temperature of the Taklamakan Desert can reach over 90 degrees Celsius.

In the heart of the Taklamakan Desert, a massive hemispherical glass building stands tall in this forbidden zone of life, as if defying the power of nature.

The all-black Xuan Nu II drew a graceful curve and slowly landed on the helipad next to the glass building.

The powerful thrust of the Hall thruster kicked up countless grains of yellow sand.

Through the porthole, one could see that the area around the Xuan Nu II had become a dim, yellowish world.

"Professor, we've arrived."

Zero's voice came through: "I have already notified Professor Shen Siwen, and he is already waiting for you at the entrance of the isolation ward."

Lü Yongchang nodded, then looked at the thermometer beside him.

Upon seeing the numbers, he decisively stood up and took out his spacesuit from a nearby cabinet.

Are you kidding me? With the temperature outside right now, he'll probably smell like roasted meat within minutes of him going out.

The hatch slowly opened, and Lü Yongchang, dressed in a silver-white spacesuit, slowly stepped out of the Xuan Nu II.

Through the mask, he could clearly see several camels that had turned into mummified corpses on the sand.

He sighed silently and strode toward the "hatch" of Biosphere 2 in the distance.

To ensure airtightness, the hatch design of the Biosphere 2 project mimics the design of a spacecraft—a circular hatch that a single person can crawl through.

He reached out and grabbed the handle of the round hatch, twisting it open with force.

After rotating several times, the "hatch" slowly opened.

He crouched down and crawled inside.

……

"Professor Lü, hello!"

As soon as Lü Yongchang took off his spacesuit and stepped out of the isolation chamber, he heard an excited shout.

He looked up in the direction from which the sound came.

It looks familiar.

"Professor Shen?" he asked tentatively.

"I watched your global address yesterday; it was excellent!"

Lu Yongchang didn't exchange many pleasantries. After nodding, he got straight to the point: "Alright, time is of the essence, so I won't waste any more words."

"Tell me about the current status of Biosphere 2."

"This concerns the future plans of the People's Federation!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Siwen's expression immediately turned serious!

"Professor Lü, please come with me."

With that, Shen Siwen turned and walked inside: "The biosphere is different from other research projects. Some things cannot be concluded just by looking at the data. It would be better if I took you to see it with your own eyes."

Lü Yongchang nodded; this was also his idea.

Otherwise, he could simply sit in his office and ask Zero about the project's progress.

He hadn't gone far when he keenly noticed something was amiss.

He looked up at the glass dome of Biosphere 2 and saw countless silver-white sequins affixed to it.

"Professor Shen, this is..."

Shen Siwen turned her head and saw Lü Yongchang looking up at her, and quickly began to explain.

"This was recently renovated."

"After the sun changed, the internal cooling system couldn't keep up, so we had Zero manufacture these reflective glitter sheets to reflect most of the sunlight, leaving only suitable light."