Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

"Everyone."

"This is the target planet of this landing exploration plan—a forgotten star located on the outer edge of the black hole's accretion disk."

Zhu Ziwen's voice echoed in Conference Room No. 6.

As the holographic projection of the Lost Star slowly appeared before everyone, a collective gasp filled the conference room.

"hiss……"

Xia Zhou's face showed surprise. He took a deep breath and whispered to Su Pengfei beside him, "Holy crap... there are planets in this godforsaken place!"

"And..." He swallowed hard, looking at the basic data of the lost planet that kept appearing on the side of the projection, "This lost planet is a genuine habitable planet!"

"Wow, what a great place!"

As he spoke, a hint of excitement welled up in his eyes.

Since becoming a planetary explorer, he had never landed on such a vibrant alien planet!

"Brother Zhou, how was it? I told you so, didn't I?"

Su Pengfei clearly didn't listen to what Xia Zhou said, and he spoke smugly.

Xia Zhou was completely taken aback by Su Pengfei's sudden attempt to claim credit.

"What?"

"What did you say?"

Su Pengfei looked at Xia Zhou with disdain.

"What did I say?"

"Given a choice, the Academy of Sciences would certainly not make a decision that sends people to their deaths needlessly!"

Xia Zhou: "..."

Are you OK?

Because of the occasion, he glared at Su Pengfei and muttered in a low voice, "Shut up, you idiot!"

Su Pengfei: "..."

"Ahem!"

Zhu Ziwen seemed to notice their whispered conversation and coughed softly to remind them: "The following information is quite important, so please all explorers concentrate."

Xia Zhou nodded stiffly.

I've been tagged.

It's all Su Pengfei's fault, that idiot!

Thinking of this, he glared fiercely at Su Pengfei beside him again.

What they got in return was Su Pengfei's pair of big, carefree front teeth.

"For this landing operation, everyone will need to wear the newly developed second-generation exoskeleton armor."

"These are the basic data for the second-generation exoskeleton armor. Please take a look and feel free to ask any questions."

As Zhu Ziwen spoke, he lightly tapped twice on the holographic interface in front of him.

The next moment, a small holographic projection appeared in front of all the explorers.

"What the hell……"

With just one glance, Xia Zhou exclaimed in shock, "This isn't just an exoskeleton armor, it's practically a miniature warship!"

The next second, his expression changed slightly, and he murmured to himself, "It seems this planetary exploration mission is not simple..."

Seeing that no one raised any questions, Zhu Ziwen continued his explanation.

"...Based on the information we have obtained so far, there may be a variety of creatures on the Lost Star."

"Firstly, a giant tree was lost."

"The height is generally around 100 meters, but one of the giant trees reached a height of 12037 meters. The reason for this phenomenon is still unknown."

Upon hearing this, all the explorers showed a hint of surprise on their faces.

"Giant trees can absorb high-intensity radiation and use it as their own energy."

"Therefore, avoid using offensive weapons with high radioactivity as much as possible..."

"Academician Zhu," an explorer raised his hand, interrupting Zhu Ziwen, "I don't understand why the types of weapons should be restricted because of these giant trees?"

"They are just some trees."

Zhu Ziwen took a deep breath, his expression suddenly becoming serious: "Good question, that's what I'm about to say."

"Based on the latest testing data, these giant trees may have the ability to lure prey."

"Just like pitcher plants and Venus flytraps."

The meeting room was deathly silent; all the explorers stared in disbelief at Zhu Ziwen standing before them.

"So..." Xia Zhou said blankly, "once we land on this planet, our opponent might be an entire forest?"

Zhu Ziwen nodded very solemnly: "That's right."

"However, everyone can rest assured that shipborne drones will follow and protect you throughout the landing process."

"And then paired with the newly developed second-generation exoskeleton armor."

"Safety is still guaranteed."

"Academician Zhu, besides these carnivorous giant trees, are there any other dangers?" Xia Zhou asked.

"Of course." With that, Zhu Ziwen tapped the holographic projection beside him, and a huge biological model appeared before everyone's eyes.

"The lost giant worm..." Zhu Ziwen shrugged. "So far, this is the only known creature, so that's what we call it."

"Don't look at me, Professor Lü named me."

Upon hearing this, a knowing laugh rippled through the meeting room.

Clearly, everyone present was aware of Professor Lü's naming abilities.

"Let's get down to business."

Zhu Ziwen steered the conversation back on track: "The giant insect is five meters long."

"It possesses a 'stealth' ability that surpasses that of a chameleon, and it most likely feeds on highly radioactive materials."

"The exact shape is unknown and may differ from the model."

"Aggression unknown, level of intelligence unknown."

"As for the purpose of this operation..."

"Conduct a comprehensive exploration of the Lost Star to obtain detailed information on all its creatures, including that 12037-meter-tall giant tree!"

"Next, we'll assign tasks to the squads."

"..."

……

The meeting has ended.

"Xia Zhou, your team, wait a moment."

Just as Xia Zhou was about to pull his teammates away from the conference room, Zhu Ziwen's voice came from not far away.

"Academician Zhu?"

"Your team has another mission," Zhu Ziwen said with a smile, "to protect my safety and provide experience and data on the use of the second-generation exoskeleton armor."

Xia Zhou's eyes widened slightly, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Academician Zhu?!"

"You mean...?"

"You're also participating in this landing operation?!"

Xia Zhou's exclamation immediately attracted the attention of the explorers who had not yet left the conference room!

P.S.: I'm so frustrated... I've been coughing for a month, and this morning I went to the hospital for a checkup. It's acute bronchitis...