Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

More than an hour later, Zhao Zijie turned off the Hall thrusters with satisfaction.

"Whoa!"

Gao Yang walked quickly to the porthole and glanced down.

"The effect is outstanding!"

A smile appeared on Zhao Zijie's face: "Of course, high temperatures are the natural enemy of these creatures!"

"According to the test results, most of the contents of these organisms are liquid methane."

"Just like water in the bodies of living organisms on Earth."

"At the current atmospheric pressure, the temperature at which methane liquefies is around -160 degrees Celsius."

"In other words, these organisms will explode and die if the ambient temperature rises by more than 20 degrees Celsius."

"Even so, they still can't control their nature."

As soon as he finished speaking, a holographic image suddenly appeared next to the captain's cockpit.

"Captain Zhao Zijie, are those creatures outside still alive?"

Lu Yongchang's urgent voice came from the loudspeaker.

……

Oh shit, it's over.

Zhao Zijie and Gao Yang looked at each other awkwardly.

"Captain Zhao Zijie? Can you hear me?" Lu Yongchang's urgent voice continued, "You haven't made a move yet, have you?"

Zhao Zijie looked distressed.

They weren't even about to start fighting; they were already preparing to clean up the mess.

"Ahem!"

Zhao Zijie coughed lightly, his lips twitching as he said, "Professor, your communication was a little late."

"Those jellyfish are already..."

In the holographic image, Lü Yongchang was already stunned in place.

"They're all... all dead?"

"Yes." Zhao Zijie became even more embarrassed. "How about I go back to the sea and catch a few more for you?"

"Never mind," he said with a helpless wave of his hand. "Let's wait for the next high tide."

"Perfect timing, some test results haven't come back yet."

A hint of curiosity flashed in Gao Yang's eyes: "Professor, have you discovered something?"

"Are these jellyfish useful to us?"

Lü Yongchang didn't mince words, nodding and saying directly, "Not bad."

"You should already know that the bodies of these jellyfish are mostly made of liquid methane."

Seeing the two nod, Lü Yongchang reached for the water glass next to him, took a sip, and soothed his somewhat dry throat.

"A large number of chemical reactions occur during life activities."

"Liquid water is an excellent solvent that allows various chemicals to react fully."

"That's why we've always focused our search for liquid water in the search for extraterrestrial life."

"But these jellyfish have shown us another way."

"Their bodies are mostly composed of lipid compounds, apart from liquid methane."

"These lipid compounds can dissolve relatively easily in liquid methane, which lays a good foundation for biological reactions."

Gao Yang muttered to himself, "So, when I said they looked like fatty meat, I wasn't wrong after all?"

Lu Yongchang was stunned for a moment.

"Although it's not entirely accurate, this is a reasonable interpretation."

"These jellyfish are like a big, moving lump of fat."

"Now, here's the main point I want to make."

Lu Yongchang paused for a moment.

"According to the tests, these organisms are multicellular organisms and have the most basic cellular structure."

"However, they chose acrylonitrile to make cell membranes."

"Acrylonitrile?" Zhao Zijie was slightly taken aback. "I remember there are large amounts of acrylonitrile in Titan's atmosphere and on its surface, right?"

"Yes." Lü Yongchang nodded approvingly. "You have a good grasp of the basics."

"Acrylonitrile, even in liquid methane at -179 degrees Celsius, can still maintain good flexibility, which is why you see these jellyfish with round, smooth and elastic bodies."

"So, what's their purpose?" Zhao Zijie asked instinctively.

Upon hearing this question, Lü Yongchang's expression turned strange.

"Remember what I just told you, that their bodies are made up of lipid compounds and liquid methane?"

"Tests show that the mucus they secrete has an extremely strong lubricating effect and is very stable, making it very suitable for use on starships."

"Besides their mucus acting as a lubricant, their respiratory function is even more fascinating."

"Breathing hydrogen gas consumes acetylene and produces methane."

"Their rate of methane production is dozens of times faster than ours through chemical processes."

"A large portion of the test results are still pending, but in any case, these organisms have been of great help to us."

"If conditions permit, I would like to raise them."

Zhao Zijie and Gao Yang nodded silently.

There's nothing they can do; the big boss has spoken.

The two could even foresee what their lives would be like from now on.

Besides extracting liquid methane, they also work as fishermen in the Kraken-Marie Sea.

It has a unique artistic conception.jpg

……

half a month later.

As Zhao Zijie and Gao Yang eagerly awaited the arrival of the second high tide, the Kraken-Marie Sea finally saw its second high tide.

Just like the scene two weeks ago, the hurricane, accompanied by towering waves, submerged the Luan Bird Starship in the sea.

However, in order to better capture those jellyfish, a cage made of fine wire mesh was temporarily erected on the open ground outside the Luan Bird Starship.

Inside the cage was a large electric heater.

After being powered on, the electric heater reaches a temperature of -170 degrees Celsius, which is a full 9 degrees Celsius higher than the ambient temperature.

"Gao Yang, begin the trapping plan."

Sitting in the captain's seat, Zhao Zijie said with a relaxed expression, "The tide has risen enough; we can turn on the electric heaters now."

Gao Yang didn't say anything, but silently turned on the power switch.

The electric heater started working.

Its surface temperature gradually increases.

At a depth of 200 meters in the Kraken-Mare Sea, countless enormous, pale yellow jellyfish swim in liquid methane.

Using their heat-sensitive organs, they constantly seek out areas of warmer seawater.

Suddenly, one of the jellyfish stopped its swimming motion.

It turned around and looked towards the surface of the Methane Sea.

Under normal circumstances, they are not interested in the sea surface.

After all, the temperature up there is too low.

You can go, but it's not necessary.

But this time was different. In its senses, an extremely powerful heat source suddenly appeared near the sea surface!

Not only it, but all the jellyfish around it stopped what they were doing and uniformly turned their heat-sensitive organs toward the surface of the sea.

After a short wait, these pale yellow giant jellyfish, as if they had smelled blood, rushed frantically toward the heat source!

Inside the Luan Bird Starship, Gao Yang sat restlessly, looking around anxiously.

"Zijie, do you think there are still jellyfish in the sea?"

"Last time, we didn't catch all the jellyfish..."

Zhao Zijie's lips twitched slightly: "Shut your jinxed mouth."

"If that's the case, I'll tie you up and throw you out to attract jellyfish!"

Gao Yang: "..."