Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

Dawn Star, Laboratory One.

"Academician Shen, I believe we should address the air pollution problem first!"

As soon as Lü Yongchang entered the laboratory, he heard Fan Yi's voice.

It sounds... like they're arguing?

Lu Yongchang subconsciously slowed his pace and looked with great interest in the direction from which the sound came.

Sure enough, the next moment, Shen Siwen's voice rang out.

"No, no, no, water resources are the most important issue. Water resources are extremely scarce on Dawn Star."

"Sufficient water resources are a fundamental condition for terraforming Earth-like planets!"

"The water resource problem is too difficult to solve!" Fan Yi quickly retorted in response to Shen Siwen's words. "The atmosphere of Dawn Star is not difficult to modify. As long as the oxygen content meets the standard, humans can take off their masks and live easily in the outside world!"

"hehe."

Shen Siwen scoffed mockingly, "Have you forgotten how high the air pressure is outside?"

"You…" Fan Yi's face flushed red, "Have you forgotten about the human enhancement project at the biology lab?!"

"Hey! You little brat!" Shen Siwen said angrily, "You weren't even born when I was researching biosphere technology!"

"Ahem!" Seeing that the two were about to escalate their "argument," Lü Yongchang quickly coughed lightly, interrupting their "friendly exchange."

The argument abruptly ended.

Shen Siwen and Fan Yi slowly turned around, and when they saw Lü Yongchang, both of them had expressions of utter despair on their faces.

"Professor, what brings you here?" Shen Siwen asked awkwardly.

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

He slowly typed a question mark in his mind and gave himself a rating: 6.

Seemingly realizing she had said something foolish, Shen Siwen's expression became increasingly embarrassed.

"The discussion went quite well." Lü Yongchang glanced at Shen Siwen with a half-smile. "So, have you come up with any ideas for improvement?"

"It's not decided yet..." Shen Siwen said with some hesitation. "I think we should increase the water reserves of Dawn Star first, but Fan Yi disagrees with my plan."

"Directly altering the composition of the atmosphere, right?" Lü Yongchang picked up the conversation, then shook his head with a smile, saying, "That's too costly; we don't have that many resources."

What a joke.

Given the size of Dawn, directly modifying its atmosphere to resemble Earth's environment would consume far more resources than building a cluster of surface cities!

Upon hearing this, Shen Siwen instantly perked up.

"Professor, do you also think we should transport water resources from other planets and then gradually modify the environment of Dawn Star through plants?"

"I've looked at the probe data." Shen Siwen hurriedly opened a holographic image. "On the eighth planet of the Gliese 555 system, there is a large amount of water in solid form."

"As long as we..."

……

After introducing her proposal, Shen Siwen looked at Lü Yongchang in front of her with anticipation.

Lu Yongchang pondered for a moment, then nodded and shook his head.

"The general direction is fine."

"It just requires some minor adjustments."

He reached out and pulled the holographic projection in front of Shen Siwen.

Why waste manpower transporting water resources to other planets?

"That's such a waste."

As he spoke, Lü Yongchang drew a large X on the holographic projection without any hesitation.

"This..." Shen Siwen was stunned upon seeing this. "If we don't do this, where will we get water resources?"

Lü Yongchang waved to the camera: "Zero, turn on the satellite image."

A photo taken from a peculiar angle appeared before everyone.

"You didn't do your homework carefully enough," Lü Yongchang joked with Shen Siwen, pointing to the upper right corner of the image. "See that?"

Shen Siwen stared blankly at the screen, muttering to herself, "Comet...comet?"

Under the light of the primary star, a comet with a long tail flew straight toward the primary star.

"Nero".

Lü Yongchang explained softly, "This is the name of the comet."

"According to the latest observational data, 90% of its composition is solid ice, along with some ammonia, methane, and interstellar dust."

"Unlike ordinary comets, this comet is very large."

"With a radius of 300 kilometers, the water resources contained within are enough to make Dawn a water-rich planet."

"According to calculations, it will approach Dawn Star in one year."

Looking at the holographic image, Shen Siwen murmured to himself, "So... Professor, you want to capture this comet?"

Lü Yongchang smiled and nodded, making a small joke.

"Thank you for the gifts of nature."

……

Lü Yongchang opened the pre-edited materials and began to explain them in detail.

"Aren't we going to wait for it to come by itself?" Shen Siwen asked in surprise.

"I'd like to, but the situation doesn't allow it." Lü Yongchang shrugged helplessly. "According to observations, it's getting closer and closer to the primary star of Gliese 555. Just look at that huge comet tail and you'll understand."

"Every moment, it loses a large amount of mass under the radiation of the host star."

"That won't do."

"Those are precious water resources for the future Dawn Star!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted in the laboratory.

"After arriving near the comet, Zero will control robots to cover the comet's surface with a 'black cloth'," Lü Yongchang continued, seemingly unconcerned by the laughter of the crowd. "The 'black cloth' made of carbon nanotubes can effectively block the radiation from the host star, preserving the comet's mass as much as possible."

"At the same time, the robot will sample and analyze its components."

"After confirming that it is harmless, one hundred [Taotie] ships will use carbon nanotube nets to slow it down for up to six months."

"at last."

"When it reaches the vicinity of Dawn, it will be captured by Dawn's gravity."

At this point, Lü Yongchang made an explosion gesture: "When it enters the atmosphere of Dawn Star, we will completely destroy it to reduce its impact on the ground."

"Once numerous rivers, lakes, and oceans appear on the surface of Dawn Star, we can begin the second phase of our plan."

Under Zero's control, the holographic images switched rapidly.

"Ross 154 nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria".

"Compared to nitrogen-fixing plants on Earth, the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria on Ross 154 have a stronger nitrogen-fixing capacity and a shorter growth cycle."

"Through genetic modification, we can also give it the ability to photosynthesize."

"While converting some carbon dioxide into oxygen, it also absorbs a large amount of nitrogen from the atmosphere, thereby significantly reducing the atmospheric pressure of Dawn and improving the atmospheric composition of Dawn."