Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

However, it's harder to find a Mafia member who still adheres to the old Godfather's values ​​these days than a three-legged toad. And with the older generation dying, it's hard to say whether the new generation will still uphold this sense of humanity. Based on Lisa's mother's understanding of the current internal divisions within the family and the heirs... probably not.

[PS]

The bullet drop of a 12.7mm anti-materiel sniper rifle is higher than that of the SVK with its long barrel. What kind of planet is this? Is there some kind of gravity anomaly?

Chapter Forty-Six: Natural Disasters

Chapter 46

In the New Kazdel relocation and town integration work area, the cold winter did not stop the surging flow of people and vehicles. The vehicles brought easily assembled modules to build a new city. Now, no one will help them manufacture mobile city blocks.

Kazimir's industrial capacity is insufficient, and Victoria refuses to manufacture for them. Furthermore, Da Yan and Ursus have no roads to transport mobile city blocks out during the winter, let alone manufacture for New Kazdel.

Rembitox and Columbia were interested in taking the order. However, they also had many partners and couldn't afford to lose more clients for the sake of one.

Therefore, they either build these time-consuming and extremely large mobile platforms themselves, or they construct new urban areas and industrial zones using vehicles and mobile homes.

Neither the speed of relocation nor industrial production can compare to that of a true mobile town.

After all, this means that their industrial equipment can only be the size that can be manually hoisted and loaded onto trucks.

Otherwise, there would be no way to escape in time before a natural disaster strikes. Fortunately, Lao Xia has prepared a large amount of equipment to counter natural disasters, which can greatly deflect natural disasters or induce small-scale natural disasters in advance.

This comes from Xiao Yang's research findings. It must be said that the artificial volcano provided her with a wealth of research data. The giant tower called "Catastrophe Beacon" is already under construction. It is about 850 meters high, with its tip splitting into five branches that extend outwards.

With the support of Originium Mage and the wet component system, it will consume a large amount of the near-critical energy of the natural disaster cloud, release the natural disaster in a relatively easy way, and conduct some of the energy to the underground energy storage station to charge the large number of Originium waste crystals installed inside.

It acts like a giant lightning rod, greatly reducing the impact range and power of natural disasters in non-core areas.

However, natural disasters cannot be completely eliminated; they can only be allowed to erupt in less deadly areas in a relatively predictable manner.

The main reason is that the energy level in the core area is too high, which will instantly burn out the part that serves as the conducting antenna, and even the internal circuit of the entire giant tower will explode the moment it comes into contact. It can suppress the natural disaster energy level in the low-pressure area and affect it to a certain extent, which is enough for New Kazdel to use as a top-secret technology and a trump card.

On the outskirts of the city, terrifying pillars of ice storms can be seen rising in the distant wasteland. These are natural disasters whose spread was somewhat contained and prematurely detonated; the residents in the affected area have already been evacuated. However, the crops and irrigation canals within the area can only be left to be destroyed.

The storm was like a giant sword reaching to the sky, nailed to the earth, with snowflakes and hail as its blades.

Even at a distance of nearly 10 kilometers, the Titan's armor could still hear the screeching sound of ice and snow scraping against it. The tower furnace engine was running at full power, not only resisting the high-pressure airflow that was almost blowing the moving warship away, but also providing heat to the interior.

The little lamb gripped the staff in her hand tightly, which served as a data detection tool. Around her were a large number of research and data processing equipment that she had purchased, including two wet server units.

The Titan tank was stripped of its weapons and most of its combat configuration in order to house these devices so that scholars from the "Disaster Research and Countermeasures Project" could observe them up close.

This was the first time the Terrans had come so close to a disaster zone, the first time they hadn't been crushed by the power of nature and fled in terror, but instead bravely marched into this unknown world. The research vehicles heading towards the disaster contrasted sharply with the traffic fleeing in the opposite direction.

After passing the "low-pressure zone," the fleeing traffic can no longer be seen, because those who haven't escaped will be turned into lifelike ice sculptures and then torn apart by the meat grinder-like airflow and hail within seconds.

"Minus 179 degrees, okay, now it's minus 180 degrees..." Carbon dioxide is solidifying, turning into pale white paste-like particles that scrape across the surface of the armor like blades.

"We can't go any further, let's observe from here!" Little Lamb observed the direction of the natural disaster through multiple layers of graphene protection. At this distance, the deep blue storm column, like a cornflower, moved slowly.

The earth was torn apart, and the elevated aqueduct that had been painstakingly repaired was no more sturdy than a noodle, and was easily twisted and torn apart.

This is merely the power of the "medium-pressure zone" of the natural disaster, which is the limit of the range that the Rhodes Island's First Men landship can traverse.

Further inside is the so-called "high-voltage zone," where the energy level of the Originium Cataclysm Cloud is high enough to instantly burn all the Originium devices on the vehicle, just like an electrical appliance within the kill range of a planetary EMP.

The material of synthetic jade is simply not able to accommodate such a high flow rate and energy level of Originium particles. Even the insulation of synthetic jade material made with pure Originium will be instantly broken through, turning it from a semiconductor into a conductor. Then the energy of Originium will burst out in the surroundings in the form of various spells, just like an out-of-control sorcerer.

Further inside, in the core area, lies a region beyond human observation, where the energy level has reached an extremely terrifying level.

If it were a negative energy-absorbing catastrophe, all the Terrans inside would die the instant the Titan approached, even if they weren't torn apart or frozen by the high-pressure gas cloud, because all the Originium particles in their bodies would be drained of energy.

Even before they die from the inability of oxidative respiration, they will spontaneously combust due to the enormous energy flowing through their nerves and cells. This is a natural disaster, a terrifying catastrophe that can instantly annihilate even those hiding underground or in shelters.

However, as long as people aren't unlucky enough to actually be hit by the core area, which may have a radius of less than one or two hundred meters, the high-standard bunkers can still protect some of them.

If it is only a low-pressure area, then ordinary mobile cities will be severely damaged, but it will still be able to ensure that those who enter bunkers and shelters will not be completely wiped out.

However, if the Terrans cannot get close to the natural disaster, how can they try to understand and control it?

This requires not only wisdom and courage, but also sacrifice and luck. In fact, the lamb is currently at the edge of the medium-pressure zone, which is already its limit; no one has ever entered it before.

"Measurement reading!"

"2277..."

What is the error compared to the theoretical value?

"13%, and it's still rising. It's within the margin of error of the empirical model, but it will exceed that limit in about a minute if it continues to increase."

"The outside temperature sensor has malfunctioned; the last reading was -194 degrees Celsius!"

It started to rain outside, or rather, a lot of condensation began to appear. This was liquid nitrogen that condensed under high pressure and ultra-low temperature conditions. Because of the high pressure, a little bit of beautiful pale blue color was even mixed in, which was oxygen and hydrogen.

The vehicle's sealing system had reached its limit, and everyone put on thick extreme environmental protection suits, helmets, and masks. The various scientific research equipment inside also began to malfunction gradually.

"We can't hold on any longer, if we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave at all!"

"Evacuate!" Little Lamb didn't insist on collecting all the data and ordered a retreat. The Titan tank began to reverse very slowly.

Because going too fast can easily cause the tonnage and counterweight to become uncontrollable, and the vehicle will be pulled directly into the storm vortex.

However, an accident still occurred. After leaving the area closest to the high-voltage zone, the vehicle suddenly let out a strange scream, skidded violently, and crashed into the outside of a destroyed section of the ditch. "What happened!?"

"Power reactor damaged!" The reason why wet components are not widely used in the Covenant is because, as biological tissue, they are too easily destroyed by extreme environments.

"We have spare parts, but we need to send a vehicle to replace them!" A hush fell over the vehicle; sending a vehicle into this area meant certain death.

Moreover, the replacement must be completed within 10 minutes, otherwise not only will the replacement itself die, but the spare parts will also be destroyed by the low temperature and storm.

Even if you're unlucky, the spare parts might be destroyed the moment you leave.

"I'll go..." The deputy commander took out a spare part protected by a high-pressure insulator from the storage cabinet without hesitation.

"Wait, let me go!"

"Damn it, my order is to take you all back..." As a burly Ursus man, the deputy commander was unstoppable by the scholars present; they could only watch him walk into the ventilation chamber. The moment the tailgate opened, the pressurized ventilation compartment was filled with a layer of frost. "Temperature!"

"The temperature sensor is still not working and cannot take a reading..."

"It's so cold!" The built-in heating element and capillary tubes were doing their best to maintain body temperature, but I still felt as if I were standing naked in the snow, and the heat was being lost very quickly.

This is not only due to temperature, but also because the Originium particles inside the cell are decreasing in energy level.

In other words, his metabolism is slowing down, and cellular heat is being lost invisibly, just like the activity of mitochondria is decreasing.

Although the organelles that metabolize Originium for oxidation are still functioning normally, the Originium particles themselves are experiencing a drop in energy level, causing the user to feel both cold and suffocated.

The deputy commander hugged the spare parts canister, then forcefully pulled open a hidden protective cable on his shoulder. The high-pressure oxygen tank then began supplying oxygen, tinged with a pale gold color—the Originium powder that had just been fully charged, allowing for normal activity in this environment. However, it also meant actively embracing Oripathy.

After inhaling the first breath of the high-density Originium mixture, the terrifying pain made the Ursus giant tremble. His blood felt like tiny knives cutting through his veins, and his limbs felt numb.

It's not just the cold, but also the dendritic crystals that grow at a visible rate within the bones and muscles.

"Phew!" It took him almost seven or eight minutes to move over the short distance of just a few meters. He pulled open the power furnace heat sink, grabbed the scorching and rapidly cooling cracked tower heat pipe, pulled it out and threw it away before it exploded, then stuffed the spare parts in his arms into it in a second, pulled out the protective cover, and closed the hatch.

"Alright, restart the power plant!" There wasn't enough time left to get back to the rear of the vehicle, and even if we did, it wouldn't make a difference. A large amount of Originium had been inhaled and then rapidly drained and metabolized, leaving Originium crystals covering the entire skeleton.

"Is this what the infected person feels like at the end?" As a non-infected person, this was the first time he had experienced the pain and despair of an infected person at the end of their life. "Reverse!" The last bit of life force turned into the signal flame in his hand.

"Whoosh!" The vehicle suddenly reversed backward, smashing the deputy commander, who had been turned into a statue wrapped in a protective suit, into pieces. It quickly left the medium-high pressure zone and entered the relatively safe low-pressure zone before starting to inspect the rest of the vehicle.

The car was silent. Everyone was quietly doing their own thing. They already knew from the moment they set off that this would not be an easy journey.

However, unexpectedly, no problems arose when entering, but rather on the return trip.

If the collected data cannot be saved in time, then a life will be wasted.

Two days later, "One person died... very lucky." The doctor silently looked at the report. Yes, very lucky. He had long been mentally prepared for everyone except the little sheep to die inside, and even prepared for the entire team to be wiped out, and for the rescue team to go in and salvage the data after the storm subsided.

"It was just one human life, but we obtained close-up data on the natural disaster. It was a very successful operation and a very worthwhile trade."

"Don't you have a heart?! That's a living, breathing life, your subordinate!" The little lamb in front of him finally couldn't hold back any longer, his face flushed red as he slammed his hand on the table.

She wasn't angry about the sacrifices made during the operation; she knew the significance of these figures couldn't be measured by a single life. However, she couldn't tolerate the doctor's dismissive attitude, or even his view that it was "worth it."

Even if Eyjafjalla is gentle and easy to talk to, she can't help but get angry in the face of this attitude, but her anger can't move the Doctor at all.

"No, you are also a researcher. You should know that data has no heart. It is meaningless to dwell on the numbers of sacrifices and casualties."

"You!" The little lamb stormed off, leaving the professor alone in the office to continue reviewing reports and research materials.

"Life..." The doctor gave a bitter smile. This was just the aftermath of the real disaster, just a sliver of the strength of the pendulum that had been pulled up in the past, and just one life. How many lives had Terra paid for in this merciless universe just to survive?

Having witnessed countless sacrifices or losses in the tens of thousands, the doctor saw a life as nothing more than a trivial number. This was not affected by his personal emotions or moral values, and even knowing it was wrong, he could not change his mind.

Therefore, Rhodes Island operators both respect and fear the Doctor. They respect him because he is a true tactical master and a learned scholar, as well as a pioneer in Oripathy research; they fear him because he consistently displays a coldness and indifference.

I have witnessed the indifference of hundreds of millions of people being reduced to ashes under the faintest glimmer of anger leaked from the sun, and the numbness of building arks from bones.

However, the doctor is not prepared to change it, because every civilization must have a character who abandons the morality and emotions of being human and forever looks at the universe with a cold and ruthless gaze.

Because survival and living are always acts that require the utmost effort from life, not something that can be taken for granted.

During the two weeks of the extreme cold disaster, the doctor sent out 16 teams, 11 of which returned with different personnel losses. Some were killed by hail while risking their lives to install fixed sensors, and others had their vehicles overturned and blown dozens of kilometers away by strong winds.

The remaining five squads, along with the researchers and students who collected the data, and the most elite armored soldiers selected from the entire Guard, disappeared without a trace.

During the search and rescue operation after the storm subsided, only three lucky remains were found. One was twisted into a pretzel, with everyone inside becoming one. Another was damaged due to a problem with the air pressure seal, causing everyone inside to turn into a pile of fine crystalline powder wrapped in clothing. The last one was the luckiest, stuck behind a rock, but everyone inside was also dead.

However, the data they collected gave Little Lamb the opportunity to improve her "Calamity Beacon" tower. This was the first time the Terrans had obtained close-up data and information about natural disasters, and it was also their most valuable knowledge.

Perhaps decades from now, the people of Terra will take the giant towers that protected them from being taken away by the Cataclysms for granted, but they will not remember the names of those who died in the wilderness or anywhere else while researching the Cataclysms, especially those research students who had just finished their studies and reluctantly participated in the research.

As for the armored unit members who died protecting them, their traces can only be found in the military's memorial and cemetery.

However, the greatest monument they left behind is not the pile of stones, but the magnificent array of towers that will spread across the wilderness in the future, building walls to protect humanity from natural disasters.

"That's fine..." The Doctor shook his head, pulled out the list of fallen personnel and the operation briefing separately, placed them into a slightly yellowed folder, and then put it back on the bookshelf. The folder was titled "Arknights Project: Foundations".

At the end of the folder was a blank form, with nothing written on it except for the doctor's own handprint at the end.

No one cares about what happened in the wilderness, just as no one cares about the fate of those who went against the natural disaster. They have become accustomed to scattering and fleeing in the face of natural disasters, and they do not care about things that are too distant and dazzling.

Neither any nation in Terra nor any of the corporations realized what the new Kazdel's actions meant or what significance they held, just as no one understood the significance of Eyjafjalla's parents' research.

Their attention was focused on Kazdel's preparations for war, as well as the stock market, which was on the verge of collapse but had been slightly boosted by Lunar Light and Shadow Industries. Natural disasters had existed for hundreds or thousands of years.

Since ancient times, it has been taken for granted that they would be crushed and forced to flee in terror.

Any design or invention that claims to suppress or resist natural disasters has ultimately been proven to be a hoax or meaningless boast. The Terrans have become completely numb and no longer believe in such things, nor will they invest resources in this bottomless pit.

Chapter 47 Air Superiority