Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

The highway was full of trucks carrying all kinds of agricultural products, and there was even a railcar speeding through the fields, with densely packed containers on it. It looked nothing like the desolate and backward world they had seen when they first entered it.

Soon, the vehicle left the farmland surrounding the academy and continued along the road toward the distant mountains. "That agricultural base is up in the mountains, used to simulate the northern environment," Yelena explained. "We should be able to reach the town at the foot of the mountain before dark."

Mechanized agricultural production was not a rare sight for the Rainbow Squad members; in comparison, the natural scenery of the endless green grassland was more attractive to them.

"That white domed building is..."

"Water storage station and water purification platform," Yelena said casually. This was all public information. The other party was trying to understand this world, and she was also observing the reactions of these four people to understand them. It can only be said that everyone was a professional and was just exchanging information in a very normal way.

“Rainfall is not abundant here. We mainly rely on ice harvesting and snowmelt for irrigation, which requires storing a large amount of fresh water and purifying it.”

"That's impressive technology, but is the amount melted enough?"

“At least it seems to me enough,” Yelena said casually, her eyes sweeping over Ash’s face. “This woman seems to come from a region with poor water resources. Although she hides it well, the wavering she showed in an instant was very obvious.”

Yelena compared the information she had obtained from Lao Xia about some countries and regions on Earth, and quickly located Israel and the Middle East. Hmm, no problem, this woman didn't lie about her identity.

Fortunately, Rainbow Squad is not an intelligence agency, but a counter-terrorism agency. They don't need to lie about their identities, and they can't lie. Otherwise, if Ash and the others thought that the other world couldn't verify their identities and fabricated their origins and identities, White Rabbit would have drawn a line under their names to indicate that they were not trustworthy.

While the four members of R6 were heading to the town at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, Levi finally finished reading the textbook—well, a textbook.

“What a complicated theory,” Levi rubbed his forehead. His already aging body was sending out alarm signals. Empty coffee cans were scattered all over the table and under the table.

It has to be said that without a teacher, it is extremely difficult to learn the Star Alliance's university textbooks on your own. Even Little Sheep's intelligence is not enough to easily challenge self-study. She can only pass the entrance exam, or more accurately, pass one of the standard intelligence tests in the entrance exam.

She would still fail the actual university entrance exam if she was going to, but passing this standard IQ test means that if she doesn't have bad study habits and receives proper high school and college entrance education, her chances of getting into university are over 9%.

Levi hadn't taken this test before, but he figured his score wouldn't be lower than Xiao Yang's, and might even be slightly higher. However, his age limited his speed and efficiency in learning new knowledge, so these textbooks were inherently more difficult than Xiao Yang's. Being able to finish one was simply a matter of building on the work of predecessors and reducing the workload by a small fraction.

However, he had nothing left to rely on. "I really hope to find a teacher to answer these questions." After reading the textbook, Levy had a lot of questions accumulating in his mind. You know, the experience of scientists reading textbooks is different from that of students.

Old Xia had made it clear to him not to ask him questions, because Old Xia himself didn't know either. He had only learned it, but Levy, as a scientist, required more than just understanding or learning. He required asking "why?" Why does this formula work? How were the mathematical tools used for this derivation created and derived? What are the empirical evidences corresponding to these theories? And so on and so forth.

Then you need to ask how to think divergently, how to explore and develop the process in depth and breadth. This is how to truly understand the theory. But Lao Xia is not a college student majoring in this field, so his textbooks only need to be understandable, usable, and have a general understanding of how to derive the theory. Levi needs textbooks for the Covenant physics major, but that level of difficulty is beyond what he can understand through self-study.

"I really can't stand Terra for even a second longer!" Levi wished he could conjure up a gravitational wave generator immediately to fix the antenna and then go back to the Covenant to continue his studies. "Wait..." He suddenly realized a crucial problem—tuition fees!

No matter which country you're in, you can't just get into a proper university whenever you want. The kind that comes with government subsidies requires you to meet certain scores, and admission is based on merit. There are also age restrictions. Levi figured that at his age, the university probably wouldn't accept an older student like him.

As a researcher himself, he naturally knows the best age for a scientist to learn. Beyond that, one's spirit is willing but one's strength is insufficient. He now realizes that his body can no longer support his pursuit of truth.

His motivation for studying biology and Originium, such as exploring the essence of evolution, was this. His body and intelligence could no longer support his continued pursuit of truth. His energy was declining, his reactions were becoming sluggish, and his imagination was becoming scarce, especially when reading textbooks—a simple spatial transformation required him to think for several hours before he could grasp the basics.

Moreover, even if the Star Alliance schools accept an old student like him, it certainly won't be for free. It's not like he hasn't studied in Western countries before; he knows what the tuition fees are for those universities when they accept auditors or honorary students.

"We need to find a way to get the money, at least enough to cover tuition, textbooks, and equipment. I wonder if Dr. Xia has any ideas?"

"Yes, I do scientific research," Dr. Xia's reply was so simple yet reasonable.

"If you want to attend a Star Alliance university, I mean, through supplementary admission, you'll need a total of about 26 Star Coins. Well, that's assuming you pass the supplementary admission exam. Including living expenses, you'll need at least 30 Star Coins."

"May I ask what the normal tuition fee is?"

"Uh, it's free." Tuition for admission through the Star Alliance's regular entrance exam is free. "If you're a boarding student from the outer ring, you'll also get an extra subsidy for meals. Theoretically, if you eat frugally, you might even be able to save some money after you finish your studies."

Neither of them mentioned the scholarship. Old Xia felt that given Levi's intelligence and age, he shouldn't even dream about it; while Levi had a similar thought. If the young scholar in front of him, who was no less capable than himself, was just a mediocre undergraduate, then his own level was clearly not worthy of a scholarship.

"So, can we earn 30 star coins from the project we're working on here?"

"Sure, at least my agricultural projects are okay," Old Xia said, shrugging.

“I have the support of the Pioneer Act, and I get a share of the planet’s output. Theoretically, I could use that share to build my own private research institute, although I don’t have that plan. I suggest you study Originium, this unknown mineral.”

"How to say?"

"Because the Covenant has never discovered such special minerals and material particles, research in this area is completely blank, you know what I mean?"

I understand, of course I understand. We're all researchers, how could we not understand what a completely new, uncharted field means?

Does it need to have economic value?

"If you have them, that's best, as they offer patent dividends. If you don't, it's a bit harder to come up with them, but it's not a big problem."

“Then I’m relieved,” Levy said with a somewhat frightening smile.

Chapter Forty: Secret Test

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

At the foot of the snow-capped mountain, in the agricultural base, an off-road vehicle slowly drove into the underground garage. On both sides were warehouses and management offices. Above ground were huge water storage stations and water purification plants, as well as a cable car station leading to the observation station and simulated planting station on the mountain.

"Any thoughts?" "Aside from the slightly odd location, I can only say your skills are truly astonishing." Shuanghua's opinion was the same as the other three's; a normal person wouldn't build an agricultural base at the foot of a snow-capped mountain.

"Actually, this is strictly speaking an agricultural simulation area. We need to test a lot of equipment in low-temperature environments here for use in the northern pioneering area," Yelena explained briefly. "Kazdel is located in the south, so it's difficult to find enough low-temperature areas here. The only way is to rely on the snow-capped mountains."

"Why not test your equipment directly on the snowfield?" "Because there will be a lot of... cattle thieves." Yelena glanced at Blitzkrieg, who had asked the question, and said, "In short, although it is an agricultural base, it also includes some security measures and agricultural machinery and equipment."

"Okay, although I don't know much about agriculture, to be honest, our majors don't seem to have anything to do with agriculture at all. You didn't bring us here just to visit the snow-capped mountains and your small farm experiments, did you?"

“Very smart,” Yelena nodded and snapped her fingers. “Next is the normal test. Although Old Xia has some unrealistic ideas about your abilities, I don’t. Compared to the professional knowledge you have, I value your professional skills more. You should understand what I mean, right?”

"Breakthroughs, assaults, rescues, and stronghold defenses are all tasks you are familiar with. Of course, this can also test your familiarity with new knowledge and new technologies and equipment. I will give you three days to familiarize yourself with this area and set up the defenses as you wish. Of course, it doesn't start today. We are going to visit several places today."

“No problem,” Alexander said. “That’s perfectly reasonable, a basic requirement for starting a job.”

If the girl who appears to be wearing a blue hat doesn't arrange such a test, they will feel that there might be a problem. In fact, a group of newcomers obviously need a suitable occasion to perform in order to gain the trust of their colleagues, right?

"Let me give you a brief tour of this area today. We'll discuss the specific testing tasks in a couple of days. This is not only a test of your professional skills, but also a test of your mastery of these devices and whether your knowledge level is up to par. Old Xia tends to trust others more easily, but I'm different." Yelena led the four people into the elevator.

"The entire facility consists of three floors above ground and two floors underground. The first underground floor is a garage, and the second floor contains the power generation room and fuel room." "What are the generator parameters?"

“Here…” The parameters were sent directly to Ash via PNIS, and the latter glanced at them briefly. “Wait, this power generation capacity, is it a nuclear reactor?”

"Yes, a MW-class fusion reactor is responsible for power supply. The power generation mode is an integrated thermo-magnetic-hydrodynamic power generation system, which has a very complex structure. A rough structural diagram is on the wall."

"!?!" Almost instantly, the four of them looked up at the reactor structure diagram on the wall. After all, the name "usable fusion reactor" was really too grand. Even if they couldn't understand it, they had to take a look.

However, this kind of wall-mounted inspection structure diagram obviously does not include technical data and detailed exploded views, but only a general introduction to each area and module, so that maintenance personnel can quickly locate the damaged area.

“The power generation room is divided into three areas: the reactor area, the power conversion area, and the control room. These are the staff members in charge. I will give you 30 minutes to ask any questions you are interested in.” Yelena walked out the door, seemingly leaving the space and time to the four people.

Flash and Ash exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. Another test of loyalty, is it?

They said they were just asking random questions, but they didn't believe the girl hadn't left behind some means of gathering information. So if she asked any strange questions, it would be almost impossible to get any core information.

To properly demonstrate one's professional qualities, learning and acceptance abilities, the ability to quickly adapt to the environment and engage in work, and a certain degree of reliability and trustworthiness is indeed a challenging task. However, the Rainbow Team has never been afraid of challenges.

"Division of labor?" Alexander chose to inquire about matters related to the passageway and equipment maintenance, while Blitzkrieg and Frostflower were not good at this kind of work. They chose to investigate the background and reliability of the staff themselves. Although it could be confirmed that the staff who could work in the fusion reactor were definitely reliable, since it was a test, it was better to treat everyone as a suspect.

Ash, on the other hand, inquired about the aspects related to the building itself, and based on his keen perception and experience of the building structure, as well as the knowledge he learned in university, he quickly drafted a list of all the quick, low-risk, and highly feasible solutions.

Of course, they also gained some of the knowledge they wanted to know, such as the general structure of fusion reactors, control methods, confinement modes, and various technical parameters, and most importantly—the information that this thing can actually be built.

However, Levy on the other side was not as optimistic as these half-baked individuals.

"Isn't there any more... basic fusion technology?" It's too exaggerated to start with a true stellarator with gravity-confined fusion reaction, isn't it?

Levi felt dizzy and confused by the information he was reading. Of course, if he applied it to the repair, using the entire Covenant production line provided, and all the parts were off-the-shelf products, there would be no problem with either repair or assembly. However, as a researcher rather than a mere technical engineer, he needed something much more complex.

Unfortunately, more in-depth knowledge does not belong to the public knowledge category, and if we really want to talk about it, the entire set of technology would require several libraries to hold in paper documents. Given Levy's energy and intellect, it is highly unlikely that he would have the opportunity to fully understand it.

“Yes, but I don’t think you need to focus your energy on this.” The project Levi chose was his previous project, using Originium ore to further improve nuclear reactors. This was also the initial goal of the project that Levi received Soviet funding for: to improve nuclear reactors, making them smaller and more controllable and safe, in order to serve the Soviet Union’s massive nuclear program.

"The Originium-modified reactor project would indeed be an excellent topic on Terra, and it perfectly aligns with current needs, but..." Old Xia, like a qualified mentor reviewing Levi's proposal, continued, "...but, frankly, if you're prepared to earn tuition fees, I don't recommend you enter this field. Energy and high-energy physics are the pinnacle of competition within the Covenant."

In this field, you'll see people playing with antimatter at the drop of a hat, trying to separate electrons and positrons from black holes, wanting to repair Dyson clouds, and preparing to launch the sun to collide with other suns to see if they can create a higher-energy singularity of creation—even though 99% of these projects only exist in the virtual simulation stage, Lao Xia really doesn't think Levy can compete with these madmen for limited research funding.

“However, the information I gave you is already for third-generation reactors. You need to understand that the information in textbooks is generally outdated. While civilian technology may not necessarily be inferior to military technology, cutting-edge civilian technology is at least not used on ordinary second-hand equipment.” Old Xia thought for a moment. “Now it’s the era of seventh-generation matter reactors. The potential of fusion reactors is almost exhausted.”

"Then how about using Originium to improve the power generation system and further increase the effective energy conversion efficiency?" Levi nodded and immediately thought of a new idea.

"Aren't you planning to pursue a career in biology?"

"No, there are too many scholars here researching this area, but very few researching fundamental topics like energy." In addition to Old Xia's materials, Levi has been consulting Rhodes Island's materials these days. It has to be said that these people are very knowledgeable in Originium biology, and the Doctor has also discussed some related matters with him, so he has benefited greatly.

In that case, there is no need to invest precious energy and resources in this repetitive research. As for groundbreaking research, Levi felt that he still needed a lot of time to fully understand the Originium Biology system of the Terran ancestors.

He's a legitimate scientist, not some amateur scientist. He wouldn't do something as pointless as randomly experimenting instead of learning from the effective experiences of his predecessors. Of course, it's one thing to not have access to Terra's advanced knowledge before, and it's another to have it now.

"Moreover, based on my observation, you seem to have invested heavily in aerospace, but there are many gaps. My research project can fill some of those gaps."

"About the Originium power generation and energy storage system?" Old Xia frowned. "Okay, submit a report later, and I'll arrange resources and experimental sites for you."

He is indeed lacking reliable battery systems, a problem that is difficult to avoid in the aerospace industry. What he lacks even more are control modules and high-precision circuit systems. Levi can also help with this part, provided that he has time to talk to Cleopatra.

At the snow mountain base, Ash said, "We have a preliminary understanding of the situation, and we have a preliminary solution to the reactor problem and improvement plan. Don't misunderstand, it only applies to the safety aspects."

"Okay, let's go, I'll take you to see the planting area above ground." Yelena said nothing, as if she had done nothing, and led the four people out of the underground power generation room and into the above-ground section.

“The first floor here is the administrative area, there’s nothing worth seeing. The second and third floors are automated breeding and experimental centers. In fact, it’s more like an armed colonial outpost than an agricultural base,” Yelena said, pointing to the facilities outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"It has garages, machine repair shops, turrets, water stations, armories, and living quarters, as well as low-temperature planting areas and fences in the wild."

"So, the north is really that dangerous? What kind of equipment do those cattle thieves have?"

“The nanobot swarms are whatever configuration they have; you can think of them as a cluster of single-celled organisms with a certain degree of intelligence, capable of freely transforming and assembling various functional organs. Moreover, the nuclei of these single cells are crystallized Originium particles.” Yelena paused. “You can think of them as beings with superpowers and the ability to cast spells…”

"Slime?" Blitzcrank asked hesitantly, now feeling that this place was too eerie.

"Almost. By the way, the so-called magic is actually quite complicated to explain. You can think of it as a physical phenomenon caused by stimulating Originium ore particles to release energy and form a quantum effect field through biological means. Of course, in terms of the intuitive phenomenon, there is no difference. In other words, if you encounter this kind of enemy, the other party can discharge electricity, set fires, or even fire laser beams."

"Oh my god~" Rainbow Team has never felt that the mission was too difficult as today.

"So, do you have any specific equipment? May I take a look at your equipment?" Alexander was relatively calm. As a veteran of the Red Army, he had no intention of backing down. Although it sounded terrifying, with the right equipment and tactics, there was a way to fight back.

“I really like your attitude,” White Rabbit nodded. This veteran did indeed give her a good impression. “So, after you’ve finished touring these facilities, we’ll go to Master’s workshop from last year. Your previous equipment has also been sent there. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, you can get your equipment back. You just need to cooperate with some testing.”

“No problem.” No one felt that their technology and equipment should be kept secret, not only because this was another world, but also because of a crucial issue: having visited the fusion reactor, seen the electromagnetic cannon, and observed how the locals used ion weapons to melt glaciers, they felt that given the locals' technological level, there was absolutely no need to covet their technology and equipment without understanding the underlying technical details.

This was also Yelena's deliberate tactic. She deliberately led them around these high-tech areas, such as the seaweed extraction base, the carbon dioxide starch synthesis facility, the rapid printing system, the mobile planting ship, and so on. Her purpose was to give them the illusion that their own technology and equipment were nothing to covet.

In fact, Rainbow Squad's equipment was very inspiring and valuable for Master Nian and his team, especially their electronic and communication equipment. Old Xia's stuff was far too advanced, really far too advanced. They were using quantum light chips all the time, things that Terrans simply couldn't replicate.

The research value of the Rainbow Team is much higher. Moreover, they and Lao Xia are both Earthlings, and their technological lineage is the same. To put it bluntly, there should be a lot of references to be made in terms of chip pin definitions, and it might even be possible to adapt it to Lao Xia's quantum chip system.

However, when her master actually started working with them, she realized something was wrong. Forget about the lineage; it wasn't that they were completely unrelated, but they were totally unconnected. She even wondered if these people and Boss Xia were from the same place.

If I had to use an analogy, it would be like a strange situation where a Sarkaz couple gives birth to an Amiya donkey. On the contrary, we can see some commonalities in terms of weaponry. For example, they are both keen on guns and firearms, and they are both used to using chemical energy propulsion rather than Originium energy propulsion.

"Is this your factory?" Although it's called a workshop, it's actually a large processing plant. It's clean and tidy, as if a superior is coming to inspect. Inside the pristine white factory, various pieces of equipment and workbenches are arranged in three long lines.

"Excuse me for asking, but do you still produce cold weapons?" This was something Shuanghua found very strange. If this place was a military factory, it was full of cold weapons; if it was a craft factory, the security level seemed ridiculously high.

“Yes, these were ordered by Lungmen, and some were ordered by the Deep Sea Hunters. Don’t be fooled by their appearance as melee weapons; they’re actually very technologically advanced.” Yelena picked up a short knife, the blade instantly flashing with bright yellow stripes. “Thermo-cutting weapons; they can even cut through armor plates. They’re used against sea monsters—oh, the sea monsters you’ll encounter later.”

Yelena shrugged. Obviously, these "fellow villagers" would be led around to see the place one by one and understand what it was all about. Of course, during this process, Yelena arranged a lot of tests and hidden psychological manipulation for them. The Rainbow Team was well aware of this, and both sides knew each other's intentions.