Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

If Rhine Labs were planning to attack itself, it wouldn't need such a troublesome and inefficient method—and what would Rhine Labs gain from that? The new specialized medical drones and medical staffs were developed with Rhine Labs investing heavily in them—what would it gain from destroying its own bread and butter?

"A letter from Kazdel?" Hamer frowned. Since the end of the medical collaboration, he had received very few letters from them. It wasn't that he had none at all, though, since Dr. Warfarin and Ms. Nightingale often exchanged medical information with him, from which he had indeed benefited greatly.

In particular, there has been some small-scale cooperation in the fields of hematology and the metabolic dynamics of blood-derived mineral particles, which Rhine Life has tacitly agreed to, since Rhine Life cannot sustain itself solely on Oripathy.

If the suppression of the Blood Demon Clan's Blood Thirst Syndrome can be resolved, it will be another business that can generate long-term profits. After all, no matter how easily Oripathy relapses, it is not a lifelong need for medication, while the Blood Demon Clan's Blood Thirst Syndrome is addictive.

The letter was short, but it was incredibly moving. Hamer quickly read it, took a deep breath, glanced down at the badge in the drawer at his feet, then put the letter into the shredder. He poured the shredded paper into the fireplace, watched it turn to ashes, and then crushed it with an iron hook before sitting back down at his desk.

"So that's how it is... But how did they know?" Himer frowned, unconsciously pulling back the curtains to look at the bright sunshine outside. As a Terran with owl genes, she had to keep all the curtains drawn during the day, otherwise she would feel sleepy as soon as she was in the sun.

"Which side should we believe?" In the distance, on the street, innocent children were playing and fighting over a ball, carefree. In their hearts, the sun would rise normally every day, and there was nothing to worry about.

Himer picked up the phone and dialed a special number. "Star, I have a question for you."

"Miss is not home."

"Don't joke around, she doesn't have any dialysis treatment scheduled for today." Hermer slightly squeezed the microphone. Xingji was a girl she met in the treatment room. She was from an ancient stargazing family and a member of a mysterious society. Unfortunately, she contracted Oripathy due to a comorbid infection.

Co-infection is a special pattern of Originium infection that only occurs between identical twins, meaning that if one twin is infected with Oripathy, the other twin who has any contact with her will also be infected with Oripathy.

This contact is not only normal physical contact, but also indirect contact with certain items that the former has been in contact with. The cause of this orthopathic infection has always been a major challenge in Terra orthopathic research.

"Ahem, Dr. Hemer, is there a problem?"

What are your thoughts on the stars?

"You want to ask about the stars?" Xingji's voice suddenly rose an octave. "Sorry, sorry, I'm just too happy! So Dr. Himeru also likes astrology? What do you want to ask? Hmm, about love or..."

"..." Himer felt like she might have asked the wrong person. "I didn't come here for a fortune telling. I'm asking what your opinion is on the sun?"

"The Sun?" Theoretically, the Sun is also a star, and an important symbol in astrology. The Sun, Moon, and Double Moon all represent complex mystical meanings.

"The sun represents a crown, glory, and eternal life; it was also a symbol of gold and the elixir of immortality in ancient alchemy..."

"...I didn't ask those questions. I asked, never mind, what exactly are the stars?"

"...Starry Sky remained silent for a long time. "The stars are no longer the stars of the past. Our Originium Arts are inextricably linked to the stars, but now every star twinkling in the sky is an illusion. If you're asking about this, I can't give you a good answer."

“Have you ever considered this possibility?” Hamer recalled the contents of the letter: “The stars of the past were false, and the cold, twinkling stars of the present are the real ones.”

"!!!?"

"Alright, just consider it my ramblings. However, you might consider going to Kazdel. I remember you know Dr. Kal'tsit, right? She might be able to tell you something different about the Stars."

"Um, okay, I'll consider it. I happen to need to go to Kazdel soon."

"Ok?"

"That's right. The hemodialysis is very effective. Although Rhine Life's treatment efficiency is very high, the family still thinks it's possible to find a way to completely cure the disease. They're planning to send me to Kazdel for treatment, as they've heard that the hemodialysis technology there is more advanced."

"I see. I hope you recover soon."

"It's alright, I'm used to it. Since Oripathy started, no Terran has ever truly recovered," Xingji sighed. Although there were rumors that life could be extended by Originium—brother, we're all dabbling in mysticism, we're all old foxes, so let's not play those games here.

This is similar to how the ancient Terrans believed that mercury and minerals could create a "panacea," using substances symbolizing immortality to grant eternal life. Many alchemists even claimed that they achieved immortality and eternal youth by consuming the elixirs they concocted.

The result is that those who did not consume the elixirs made by those alchemists and sorcerers did not necessarily have short lives, but those who did consume them were likely to die young. These kinds of tricks and rhetoric are old tricks with a history of thousands of years. Of course, since they have been so widely circulated and there are so many classic texts and examples to prove that they are true, it means that these tricks and rhetoric are really effective.

If Terra does indeed have immortal beings, this rhetoric becomes even more powerful. However, these "immortal beings" do not extend their lifespan by consuming Originium. For example, Nian's true form is the electronic brain of the Sagittarius constellation, and her physical body is merely a medium that can be replaced at any time—well, perhaps this is how this strange legend came about.

They need energy and Originium Arts to create physical bodies. You can indeed see them consuming Originium. It's probably just something those sisters made up to fool ordinary people—that Originium can grant immortality, but you can't? If you can't, it's because you're not good enough or don't have the secret techniques—this is how they avoid being seen as monsters.

Kal'tsit, on the other hand, has simply undergone genetic modification, resulting in a very long lifespan. She also spends long periods of time in hibernation, giving her the appearance of being immortal and ageless. However, she does not have the bad habit of consuming Originium, and she herself is susceptible to Oripathy.

However, Oripathy, as a "container," is harmless to her, much like the prosthetic bodies transplanted into cybernetic beings. The crystals do not damage her body or cause her pain; instead, they become her limbs and tools.

"Thank you anyway, Dr. Himer."

"It's alright, you're welcome." Hamer hung up the phone. The Kazdel people had revealed part of the truth to her, and combined with the previous stranger, she believed that what the other party said was most likely true.

During the revelation, the Kazdel inadvertently mentioned a new concept: artificial satellites, and outlined their plan to flee to the stars to escape disaster.

This is why Himer contacted Aster to ask about the stars, and why he said, "The stars of the past may be the false ones."

If the modern Kazdel people can propose and believe they have the ability to create an artificial star orbiting Terra, what about the ancient ancestors?

Is it possible that the "stars" used in the astrological techniques employed by the ancient Xingji family were fake, merely man-made stars created by ancient people?

Just like the Terran charlatans of long ago used the equipment and facilities of the ruins to perform their magic tricks, and since the ruins will become ineffective, these artificial stars surrounding Terra will naturally also gradually become ineffective, and the stars they see now are the real stars.

If that's the case, then it means that the real stars have no will; they are just a pile of cold, lifeless stones, as the Kazdel people say—and a pile of cold, lifeless stones naturally won't respond to any prayers from the Terrans.

However, the ability to observe stars only gradually became ineffective, not completely ineffective. So... Hamer looked at the sky, "Could it be that the sun and moon are also fake?"

"Of course the moon is fake!" Kazdel said nonchalantly. "At least one of them is fake!"

"Alright, now is not the time to discuss this issue," Old Xia rolled his eyes. Why do these people always get hung up on trivial details? He spread a giant concept drawing on the table.

"what is this?"

"spaceship"

"Can you make this now?"

"Are you dreaming?" Old Xia glanced at the professor. "This is just an engineering concept diagram. The parts I marked in red are the parts where the technical problems have been solved so far. The other parts either have no technology or have major technical problems. I'm showing it to you so you won't push all the work onto me—those with money contribute money, those with strength contribute strength, and those with friends can bring me a few more people to do the work!"

"Does the solution include the engine?"

"To be precise, apart from the engine thruster, the engine itself hasn't been solved. What about heat dissipation? A refrigeration system?"

"Wait, Lao Xia, can you please stop using the word 'Ye Leng'?" Yelena's face turned red.

How many people can you bring?

"For the initial manned spacecraft, how many do you want to bring? Two, one pilot and one crew member, and more crew members will be added later."

"Will it work?"

"Who knows if it's possible? Anyway, the first step is to launch the satellite."

"With Originium in the area, the satellite will crash."

"Then let's use low-Earth orbit satellites."

"The lifespan won't be too long, will it?"

"Dude, as long as it works properly and lets us take remote sensing photos of the polar regions, that's enough. We don't need all this trouble. And aren't you guys doing any publicity? Those guys in Colombia who build shelters at least advertise and dig them up, but we say we're heading to the stars, and we don't even have a framework yet. How are you going to get other people to cooperate with us?"

That's the truth. Even Iberia and Agor were skeptical. Old Xia was right; Colombia's plan was unreliable, but at least they were digging a hole. Kazdel, on the other hand, didn't even have a single satellite. How could anyone believe they could build a Star Ark within fifty years and invest so many resources in cooperation?

"The war is nearing its end. What follows is the era of the space race and the Cold War. Whoever gains the upper hand will dominate the world of Terra."

The impending explosion of the sun is like a cold, merciless nuclear bomb hanging over everyone's heads, which greatly suppresses the outbreak of hot wars. Instead, new wars and battlefields are opened up on another level—the space race or the technological race.

In order to survive, the nations of Terra will naturally choose to join an alliance based on their own interests, ideologies, and geopolitics, while simultaneously creating obstacles for their rivals to compete for more resources and population, thereby increasing the survival rate of their own faction.

In this era, propaganda is of paramount importance. So even if a satellite can only operate in orbit for a few weeks, one must still be sent up, at least to show allies and supporters that the plan has a chance of success.

Otherwise, in a vicious cycle, everyone will invest in the shelter program, and all Old Xia can say is: just wait to die.

Chapter Ninety: This is a threat!

Chapter 90

Kazdel, in the central region, is the New Dawn Aerospace Industrial Base. Kazdel lacks everything except land; hundreds of square kilometers of land within its borders belong to this industrial base.

The launch site is arranged in a triangle around the center, including an administrative and training center consisting of dozens of buildings, an experimental center and rocket assembly center consisting of six square-shaped buildings and a grid-like building, and a series of supporting production and manufacturing centers further away.

Throughout the space base, there are also several outposts, mobile work stations or security stations consisting of small land-based naval platforms, and in more remote mountainous areas, there are multiple astronomical observation stations and positioning and tracking stations.

The towering steel launch pads, the training and command center resembling a dam, the undulating factory buildings, and the clean and tidy experimental buildings—everywhere exudes a unique sense of technology and advanced sophistication. When night falls and various navigation lights and illuminations light up, it is enough to reassure any hesitant investors and partners.

As for its function, it is probably limited to giving collaborators a sense of reassurance. The number of rockets being assembled is 0, the number of rockets being developed is 0, and the utilization rate of supporting facilities is less than 1%. Apart from the model spaceship in the closed assembly building, they haven't even gathered half of the staff.

Its function is roughly equivalent to Musk's Starship, which is to let investors and partners know that you are still working on it. As for the specific progress, it is probably similar to Musk's Starship - only he himself knows when it can be put into use - or even lower, after all, Musk's Starship can actually fly, while this model can't even take off.

"We lack manpower, equipment, and resources, but the biggest problem is manpower," Old Xia said to everyone seated in the brand-new conference room. "How many technicians does Agor have available?"

“If necessary, the Agor Academy of Sciences can provide a technical assistance team of no less than 2000 people, but…” Goredia, as the science governor, hesitated for a moment, “but they all lack experience and knowledge in aerospace engineering.”

"What about Iberia?"

“Even worse, we can provide some materials and skilled workers, but that still falls far short of your requirements.” The Iberian Grand Inquisitor was also somewhat troubled. This was truly the first time Terra had ever done this, and none of them had any experience to speak of.

"..." Old Xia's head started to ache. Starting from scratch to train personnel, starting from cultivating relevant aerospace experts to embark on a space journey, this was just too difficult.

The only good news is that the most troublesome engine thruster has a mature design that can be directly copied, but the rest is also troublesome. The materials for manufacturing the thruster need to be tackled. We can't just make do with whatever we can, like we did with large rockets before.

Flight control also requires breakthroughs. The synthetic jade electronic system based on Terra technology cannot be developed from scratch. There are still many difficulties. The ablation shell, rocket structure, fuel, and even the fairing all need to be tackled from scratch.

Of all the above problems, the biggest one is that it is very difficult to create a qualified test site. It is necessary to simulate zero-gravity and vacuum environments, as well as strong particle radiation environments, otherwise it is difficult to determine the reliability of electronic and control equipment.

Meteorological data, tracking stations in various locations, testing of hypersonic vehicles, and the selection and training syllabus for astronauts—all of these things had to be picked up from scratch for the Terrans.

Of course, this is a problem for the legitimate space industry. For Kerbal Space, with Xia's current reserves, they can already launch astronauts into orbit. As for how many minutes they can survive or whether they can land alive, these questions are not important. After all, it's spaceflight that's about killing people.

"In short, let's get the personnel in place first. As for tackling the challenges, I suggest we first break through the flight control system and the synthetic jade electronic system. This time, we can't use wet components or sorcerers; it has to be automated equipment."

This is the biggest problem in Terran spaceflight right now. Spacecraft can get away with using wet components and sorcerers, but spacecraft cannot.

Moreover, maintaining wet components in the space environment is too difficult, which will further increase the load on each level of subsystem, making the already complex and troublesome spacecraft even more complex and unstable, and significantly reducing the payload.

This requirement means that the Terrans must develop a completely new electronic technology tree from scratch, in addition to their existing bioelectronic technology. Even with the knowledge that Agor could provide from the early inhabitants, this would be extremely difficult.

"The first step is to solve the problem of producing synthetic jade chips, which is to build a logic gate structure based on synthetic jade and using Originium energy. This is very important."

Because of Lao Xia's lack of technical expertise, he inevitably needs to use Originium Technology and Originium-based control modules in many places. This means that if he doesn't use wet components, his quantum chip will be difficult to control directly and will require an interface—just like you can't directly plug a semiconductor CPU into a mechanical computer.

Not to mention, he can't produce complete quantum chips; he can only produce quantum cell packages. In semiconductor chip industry terms, he can only produce transitional products between wafers and chips. Compared to wafers, they have some internal computing and logic structures, but compared to finished chips, they lack a lot of processes.

The number of complete packaged chips is limited, and considering the sensitivity and precision of quantum chips, as well as TerraSpace's technological capabilities, the probability of safely recovering them from rocket debris is essentially zero.

"Don't count on my chips. My chips are limited. Biochips cannot work stably in this environment, and quantum chips are limited. Moreover, I'm not even discussing the gap between the chip and the complete control board, and then to the entire control system."

It's roughly like going from a screw to a complete car. It's not as simple as many laymen think, that solving the chip problem solves everything, as if it were a consumer-grade off-the-shelf product that's plug-and-play. But even consumer-grade off-the-shelf products can be incompatible with motherboards, and some end up bricked.

In reality, this only solves one core component of the entire semiconductor industry. There are still many pitfalls and hurdles to overcome, such as heat generation, motherboard logic, motherboard functional modules, auxiliary chips, multi-core collaboration, and so on.

There are also other external auxiliary modules. In short, producing home computers is a lot of trouble. Producing aerospace computers requires not only achieving all the above functions, but also adding a bunch of requirements that seem difficult no matter how you look at them.

Especially when your space program isn't about sending a radio that works for a few hours, but rather about serious manned spaceflight, or even future cargo spaceflight, to transport and maintain a large number of personnel and supplies for the ark... these demanding requirements are necessary.

"Therefore, we must develop a logic architecture based on synthetic jade, a special semiconductor. That's right, we have to start from the most basic underlying chip architecture. And don't look at me like that. I know absolutely nothing about this part, and I don't even know where to start. I only know that I need to have this thing. As for how to develop this thing, who to assign, how to conduct theoretical research, and how to conduct applied experiments, you can figure that out."

"Agor has some of this technology, mainly used in the previous fight against the deep sea, but its performance is probably insufficient." It was mainly used in Skadi and the others' weapons, which is why Titi only sang and didn't use a sword later - because Rhodes Island was going to repair it.