Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

Before the doctor realized that "you will have to make a choice about who lives and who dies sooner or later," he had no real sense of it, because at that time, no one knew whether the Ark construction project would be completed, and there was no certainty about how many people it could hold. Although it was prepared to sacrifice more than 80% of Terra's population to save less than 20% of the remaining population, it was just a number, and a vague one at that.

Now that the transport area is basically completed and some hibernators are being loaded, Doctor, and indeed everyone who knows the truth, is under immense psychological pressure and torment of conscience. You are not just targeting one family, or even one village or town; you are targeting millions, even hundreds of millions of people. Every single act could mean sending an entire nation to its death.

Who lives and who dies—that power now rests in his hand with his signature. Those on the list may not necessarily live, but those not on it will certainly die.

"Do you have any suggestions?" The doctor looked at the number in front of him. To be honest, this number in the hundreds of millions was indeed large, but compared to the total population of Terra next to it, it seemed too small.

Moreover, this total population figure is based on Terra's population statistics. Those who were not included in the statistics, such as the people in the southern Sargon rainforest, were not even on the shortlist. No one knew of their existence, and no one cared about them until the apocalypse.

And those who live in slums, sewers, and the lower decks of the city, to those above them, are like a swarm of cockroaches. No one will bother to count their numbers. If those who are counted have the chance to have their lives weighed on the scales in front of the doctor, then the lives of these people don't even have the meaning of being weighed or examined.

"Suggestion? Give up from both ends." Old Xia shrugged. In order to manufacture quickly, the hibernation pods are all standard size. Both infants and adults need a pod, so compared to that, it is more cost-effective to put adults in them.

“Babies are useless. If it’s just for the future, raising an embryo is the same as raising a baby or a child. So, abandoning children can directly narrow your choices down to selecting 4 million people out of 5 to 2 million to live.”

There is also a practical factor: once they arrive at their destination, the early colonies don't have much room for children to grow up healthily. Rather than transporting them there and having them die a painful death, it's better for them to die on Terra. At least here, the Doctor can build a large enough shelter to put them in and let them survive the initial solar storm.

As for the later stages, it was a matter of a moment; he turned to ashes without any pain. Compared to dying in the colony, or even worse, it could be considered merciful.

Let's review: if a colony cannot successfully produce or produce enough food in its early stages, which means there is a famine, a four-character idiom will appear—"exchanging children to eat!"—So, Old Xia said that directly abandoning them can even be called a kind of pity and mercy.

"Secondly, abandon the elderly. Apart from the special talents preserved on the main body of the ark, most of the elderly should be abandoned. Their life experience is a valuable asset in normal times, but now is clearly not the time to be preoccupied with bottles, jars, gold and silver. The purpose of wealth is to be used, and now is the time for you to spend it all."

This way, about one-fifth of the Terrans can also give up, and then it will be a choice between two among the young and middle-aged people, which is much easier than the previous choice between four or even five or six.

"And there's another advantage to this..." Old Xia didn't say it, but the doctor understood that the powerful and the majority of the conservatives who climbed to that position were mostly old and middle-aged people, so giving them up was actually beneficial.

However, the problem now is that he has to bring along these useless dignitaries in exchange for them not causing trouble now, and even have to give up the chance to live of millions of people for this.

"This world is not so gentle, there are no perfect happy endings, and things will not always go as you wish. Necessary compromises are the only way to ensure the interests of the majority."

“I know, there’s no need to repeat myself. So, abandoning those with severe Oripathy would increase the medical burden on the colonies; abandoning those with infectious diseases would easily lead to serious consequences on the densely populated Ark and colonies; and abandoning those with weak constitutions would cause a chain of deaths if even a slight vulnerability in the target colony were to result.”

Abandoning children, the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable—every decision involves the lives of tens or even hundreds of millions of people. Yet, the doctor had to sign off on each decision until the number of passengers on board finally decreased to the Ark's carrying capacity limit.

Moreover, this will not be the last decision, because if any further burdens on the planned space arise after the subsequent engineering and target planet status reports are received, he will have to make another choice.

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Stern Sun

Chapter Ninety-Five

37.4 light-years away, in the orbit of planet T-9365, a faint starlight arrives from the distant sky in an instant. The taut string of spacetime suddenly loosens, and crab claw-shaped ripples bloom near the planet's orbit. A cylindrical device opens its front support, and bright blue decelerating jets dance like wild hair in the vacuum, eventually converging into strands of hair that move forward.

"Hiss!" The momentum wheel and attitude nozzles spewed out a cloud of white mist, and the probe successfully entered orbit, flying around the planet in an elliptical orbit. After the flight attitude stabilized, the bottom section extended out, somewhat resembling an old monocular folding telescope.

The planet appears in magnificent colors through the lens, with white clouds churning and rolling, and the occasionally exposed land is a brilliant gold. The scattered waters are like black gems adorning the planet, with streaks of emerald green and deep blue interwoven between them.

The detector's antenna extends, and the faster-than-light communication device transmits preliminary detection report data into the network. After being processed by the host, this data can automatically generate charts and tables, and automatically be paired with the corresponding captured images.

"The preliminary planetary exploration report is out, it's neither good nor bad." Old Xia took the report to the doctor who was racking his brains over the selection and quota issues. "If there aren't too many unexpected events, your colonization pressure will be a little lower."

"Neither good nor bad?"

"A desert oasis planet, primarily composed of desert terrain, but with numerous lakes of varying sizes and relatively abundant groundwater. Judging from the cloud density, it should be a high-evaporation environment. The sun is younger and more...intense than the one on Terra."

"Thanks to the thick clouds and water vapor, the planet absorbs a lot of solar radiation. Although the surface temperature is high, it is still barely within the range that life can adapt to. The local vegetation is mainly desert plants and oasis plants."

"The ground is dotted with oases of all sizes, which can provide the colonists with initial water for their needs; otherwise, you'd be in even more trouble." Without water, it would mean finding a way to bring enough water over and to collect moisture from the atmosphere and underground.

"On the downside, the local temperature is high and the cloud cover is thick. On a clear, cloudless day, the sunlight on the ground will be very intense, causing a large amount of surface water to evaporate. Therefore, the springs and oases formed by surface runoff and groundwater upwelling may disappear and reappear periodically due to weather and season. The surface temperature, according to remote sensing data, is 35 degrees Celsius on average and close to 60 degrees Celsius on the highest."

In other words, when the sun is shining directly on the ground, everything outdoors, let alone people, will be destroyed. Moreover, the probe has also observed small-scale wildfires breaking out globally. Therefore, for those living in the area, fire prevention, water conservation, and water storage will be very troublesome.

"And what about the good side?"

"On the positive side, such strong sunlight, when not direct or filtered by greenhouses, is beneficial to the growth of various crops, especially drought-resistant ones. However, there is also a negative side, as the thick cloud cover keeps the temperature very low between day and night."

Small diurnal temperature range means it is not conducive to the accumulation of sugar and nutrients in plants, requiring some special genetic adjustments to the plants. This problem is not too big, and it is actually the easiest to solve in Star Alliance agricultural technology. The most straightforward solution is to just install air conditioning in the greenhouse and that's it—a fusion reactor can easily run an air conditioner.

"Therefore, local plants may express some interesting genetic traits, or they may be the type that grows very fast but is nutrient-poor, and regular wildfires and stream cutoffs help prevent them from growing excessively, leaving nutrients for other species."

Old Xia felt that the plant samples here were worth collecting, but given that he had plenty of similar plant samples on hand, and the Xingmeng Agricultural Research Institute had mountains of natural and artificial genomic information, it wasn't necessary to collect them.

"This also explains the periodic disappearance and reappearance of its oasis. The local plants are probably extremely drought-resistant. They only need a rain to grow into a mountain full of flowers and grass, while a drought will cause a fire. The ashes from the burnt grass and the remaining roots will fix the sand and soil. In this way, they expand outwards in round after round, generation after generation."

"Ahem, occupational hazard, let's get down to business. The presence of plants means that the composition of the atmosphere is not a big problem, and the temperature and radiation are not at a point where life cannot exist. As far as planets in space are concerned, this is an excellent choice."

With water, an atmosphere, plants, and possibly even animals, and abundant sunlight suitable for developing solar power, these conditions make it a top-tier choice for a colony in the universe.

"So, I would say it's neither good nor bad. The bad side isn't unacceptable, and the good side isn't good enough to offer any advantage. It's just a type that's neither good nor bad."

"It's neither good nor bad," the doctor sighed. "So, what about Originium?"

"A large amount of surface energy particle radiation was detected, suggesting that the Originium mine is quite abundant. No Originium radiation was detected in the clouds and surface water, indicating that the atmospheric Originium environment is quite good." At the very least, it is not the type that would cause a large-scale natural disaster like Terra.

"But don't get too excited yet. Although there is almost no Originium radiation in the atmosphere and it won't automatically generate natural disasters, there will still be natural disasters." Old Xia spread his hands helplessly.

"Stormy weather is common on this planet. The excessively thick clouds and water vapor, the high-energy solar radiation, and the astonishing speed of cloud convection easily form large-scale thunderstorms. In just one minute, the probe observed thousands of thunderstorms, each almost on par with a natural disaster."

"In addition, the periodic high-temperature evaporation of surface water and runoff can form periodic random cyclones, so the local tornado and typhoon problems are also very serious."

Watching the super cyclone storm unfold almost in real time on the screen, and the aurora-like arcs of electricity visible even from space orbit, the doctor's face scrunched up. He could easily imagine what the situation was like on the ground.

"Don't worry, most thunderstorms occur at high altitudes, and the airflow at low altitudes is relatively less intense." However, it is still strong enough to blow ordinary vehicles away, so those shanty-style ground buildings are completely unusable, and advanced frame-reinforced storm-resistant buildings are needed.

"Next, the probe will separate from the drone to enter the lower atmosphere and collect soil and atmospheric samples from the ground. Maybe there will be some good news." In planetary orbit, the probe's side panels opened outward, and two small rockets were launched directly into the atmosphere, curving around an arc and falling into the thick, ocean-like white clouds, turning into a point of light that disappeared in an instant.

On the ground, several creatures resembling Originium Bugs were fighting over a fruit from a desert tree when suddenly they all raised their heads. A drone, about the size of a small vehicle, landed steadily under the jet of a braking rocket.

With a "squeak," the wheel locks opened, and it smoothly rolled off the platform. The camera looked around, and a small, perforated tube popped up from its back to begin collecting atmospheric data.

"Oh, the composition is okay, but the oxygen content is a bit low. You'd better wear breathing masks outdoors." Without large bodies of water and blue-green algae, the low oxygen content is not surprising to Lao Xia at all. To be precise, it's already perfect that there is still breathable air. You want to breathe without a mask? You must be dreaming.

"The UV intensity is 1.4 times that of Terra. However, it's cloudy now. On a sunny day, it would be at least 3 to 5 times stronger, which could lead to skin cancer. But this problem..." can be solved by applying lotion to the skin and wearing special protective clothing. It's not a big problem.

"The ambient temperature was 40 degrees Celsius, the soil was sandy with a high density in the lower layer, containing a large amount of biogel, which should have been produced by the roots of local plants." This layer of gel played a role in absorbing water, fixing sand, and preventing groundwater from seeping up and evaporating.

"The next layer is moist sandy soil with a decent amount of organic matter. Theoretically, you can grow drought-resistant plants like potatoes outdoors, which have short growing cycles. Moreover, the earth's crust is relatively dense, and geological activity is relatively mild, so there shouldn't be any large-scale earthquakes. Therefore, you can consider developing an underground residential area, which would be perfect for avoiding the storms overhead."

The unmanned probe roams freely across the surface, controlled by the VI program, automatically completing the long and tedious sampling work.

"The water is not drinkable because it contains excessive amounts of fluoride and salt compounds. You may need to set up large-scale water purification stations. There is no fresh water here; most of the oasis is saltwater. The roots of the local plants should contain some kind of osmotic gel that can filter out the salt in the water."

In the photos taken by the drone, the aerial roots of the plants that grow like mangroves in the small oasis springs are covered with clusters of orange-red, transparent gel-like vesicles. Near the water surface, a layer of grayish-white salt powder adheres to the surface of the roots.

The drone continued its journey, passing through canyons and over tiny oases no bigger than a living room, where a plant with an enormous belly grew in a crevice.

The trunk is like a jar, and the roots extend into the oasis like tentacles. The entire tree is covered with rough and sharp pineapple-like bark to reduce water evaporation. At the top, a dozen extremely wide, dark green twigs hang down in all directions, covered with willow-leaf-shaped leaves.

Upon sensing the heat wave from the drone, these slender, delicate leaves seemed to blush and curl inwards vertically, transforming into emerald green needles. The branches also lifted slightly, and the veins closed one after another, turning into a bare branch within a minute.

“It’s truly amazing…” Kal’tsit looked at the alien plants on the screen and exclaimed sincerely, “Life will always find its own way.”

In places with unstable temperatures and where solar radiation can scorch the earth, local plants have evolved unique leaves that curl into needles during hot weather and cold nights to prevent water vapor evaporation and maintain core temperature, allowing them to photosynthesize when the climate is suitable.

Seemingly startled by the drone, several bird-like creatures flew out from the bushes among the tree roots. These bushes were brightly colored and had clusters of pale purple flowers, serving as a habitat for many insects and small birds.

"It's really teeming with life." From space, the entire planet appears somewhat desolate, but once you get down to the ground, you'll find that this golden desert still has a rich ecosystem.

"This is not a good thing," Old Xia frowned. Too much vitality means a complete ecosystem, and it is too easy for viruses and bacteria to cross-infect each other.

Early microorganisms were not threatening at all because they had not yet decided on their own evolutionary path and had no ability to infect higher organisms. Multicellular organisms were something they had never encountered before, and they did not have the ability to infect or parasitize such a cluster.

"Why do you say that?"

The drone flew under the large tree to collect humus soil samples and water samples. Near the trunk, layers of small flowers that transitioned from purple to red hung down from the top of the tree, with larger, pale yellow buds at the ends of the branches.

Like layers of gorgeous floral curtains, such a beautiful scene makes it hard to understand why Lao Xia would say it's not a good thing.

"Because of disease and ecological competition, Terra's species simply cannot compete with them. I'm not kidding. Even on Terra and on Earth, no crop can compete with weeds for nutrients, let alone compete with local species that have evolved and adapted for hundreds of millions of years in a completely unfamiliar environment."

"Therefore, the first step in the Star Alliance's agricultural transformation of such life-bearing planets is to destroy all advanced life on the entire planet, beyond single-celled organisms, leaving none alive, completely burning the planet to ashes, and only then can they begin to sow the seeds of Earth's species."

The drone didn't care about the wishes of Lao Xia and the other monitors. It wasn't remotely controlled at all, so it ignored Lao Xia's discussion. After collecting data such as humus, freshwater samples, and water oxygen content, it continued to move forward, passing through layers of flower curtains. The outer green leaves and branches seemed to be controlled by someone, lightly lifting up and curling the leaves like needles.

The drone flew through the small oasis in the canyon and into the vast desert outside. What appeared on the horizon made everyone's faces turn quite grim.

“Worse news has come; you are not the first.” The enormous man-made structure reflected light in the sea of ​​sand, as the wind swept the yellow sand across its steel surface.

"A surface warship?"

"Hmm, maybe this is some kind of lake, or maybe this planet was once like Earth, except that something went wrong with the sun." Just like Terra, most of the water evaporated.

"I think the latter is more likely; they may be the future of Terra."

As the sun transitions from one age to another, it becomes exceptionally volatile under the influence of fundamental particles like Originium particles. Fiery waves sweep across the planet, turning the lush and beautiful planet into scorched earth in an instant. Only these massive steel creations remain, buried deep within the sand.

This cataclysmic change completely altered the planet's landscape and climate, and new life sprang up, resulting in its current form.

"If Terra was a swamp that had to be evacuated before the peak of the flood, then this place is the ruins after the flood subsided."

As the drone continued its advance, the Terrans saw something even more terrifying: the massive launch pad collapsed into the sand, and melting metal from the top hung like teardrops on both sides of the support. The colossal, arc-shaped acceleration track tilted towards the sky, like the raised head of an insect unwilling to die.

And on the edge of this curved, upturned launcher was a crashed spaceship, its shape familiar. "Um, maybe you Terrans have already done this once?" Old Xia scratched his head. "Remember the thing we found under Agor?" Exactly the same, bro!

"Could this be considered a return to homeland?" So it seems normal to find Originium Bugs here. Maybe the Originium Bugs came from over there? The Doctor's expression turned very ugly.

"Given that Originium is everywhere here, such planets and civilizations are probably not isolated cases. Some of them are lucky, like the ones we discovered, and have enough spacefaring capabilities to successfully evacuate before the disaster. Others are less lucky, like you, and their journey was thwarted. But there should be many more who died inside, silently, without even being able to send out a single signal."

The doctor looked up at the sunlight outside the window. The bright light shone through the glass onto the office floor. This warm gold would one day turn into a cruel flame, burning everything to ashes, leaving only yellow sand, ruins and bones. No, perhaps even bones would not be left.

The doctor stretched out his hand, took off his glove, revealing a dry palm covered with needle marks, felt the gentle warmth of the sunlight, and looked up at the slightly slanted sun outside the window. "Truly stern..."

This periodic outbreak leaves each generation with such a limited time. If they cannot develop a sufficient level of civilization before their final deadline, they will face certain death. Even if they do develop a sufficient level of civilization, they can only leave their homes and venture into distant lands.

Like a stern father cruelly throwing his newly adult children out of the house and driving them on an unknown journey with sticks.

"How long can they hold out over there?"

"Well, theoretically speaking, it will take about 2 to 5 billion years to reach the next stage. Since the role of Originium ions in stars is still unclear, even the most pessimistic estimate is at least 100 million years." From the perspective of ordinary life, the lifespan and cycle of celestial bodies are actually very long. Even a short-lived sun like Terra's has a lifespan of tens of billions of years.

Compared to the civilizations that existed in Terra for a total of 20,000 years, Terra was merely a fleeting visitor, or even less than a visitor, just a streak of light flashing by in the time it takes for a star to take a nap.

"The universe is so vast that a civilization is but a fleeting visitor in its entirety; yet the universe is also so cramped that it cannot even accommodate the peaceful growth of a civilization."

"Yes, that's what we think too. You'll realize this sooner or later, it's just a matter of time." Old Xia nodded in agreement. The starry sky, with no place to stand, is not contradictory.

Especially for those civilizations that cannot conquer nature—this universe is full of things that are too hot, too cold, too dry, too wet, too small, and too big, and it is not surprising that there is no place to stand in the vast starry sky.

"In a sense, you've become adults ahead of schedule." Old Xia patted his shoulder, offering a consolation that wasn't really meant to comfort him.

"Alright, now let's start developing a colonization plan and designing and testing related equipment and facilities according to the standards of the target planet!" There's no time for sentimentality; time is running out, and the sun is constantly urging us on.

Chapter Ninety-Six: Life Backup