reincarnation npc, but tomorrow's ark

Therefore, while humans are terraforming Mars' atmosphere, a grand project is also underway simultaneously in Mars' near-Earth orbit.

That was a magnificent project called "Spaceport," which was enough to become the most dazzling jewel in the crown of human civilization.

This is the starting point of all space travel and exploration. From here, humanity will travel to the stars to explore the endless vastness.

After the atmosphere of Mars was terraformed, it became a habitable planet. Although it is not as habitable as its mother planet Earth, it is much better than the barren place it was in the past.

Five years later, the spaceport was finally completed.

This was a good start. With the completion of the spaceport, the construction of humanity's first true starship naturally began.

Having traversed the tumultuous 21st century, weathered the world wars of the 22nd century, and finally embraced peace with the birth of Luna, the central AI system of the Federation, forming the Earth Federation, a long time has passed. In the mid-23rd century, theoretical research on faster-than-light engines made groundbreaking progress, and by the late 23rd century, humanity had created the first practically usable faster-than-light engine. Luna's calculations showed that this engine was stable enough to support long-distance interstellar travel.

From now on, the solar system, as the cradle of human civilization, will no longer hinder humanity's exploration of the outside world.

This is precisely why the spaceship currently under construction in the spaceport dock is humanity's first true starship. It is equipped with a hyperspace engine, can carry over 500 people, and has a self-circulating system, allowing it to operate stably for at least 50 years without resupply.

This starship has a very beautiful name – “Tianjin IV”.

Deneb (Alpha Cygni) has no relation to Tianjin. In the Bayer naming convention, it is called Alpha Cygni. It is a blue-white supergiant star with an average apparent magnitude of 1.25. It is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus and one of the brightest known stars, ranking as the 19th brightest star in the night sky.

Perhaps because of the great distance, we don't think it's anything special, but its actual brightness is 19.6 times that of the sun.

In fact, Deneb is a very special star in the minds of astronomy enthusiasts. It is one of the endpoints of the Summer Triangle and the Northern Cross, which should be the first star groups that astronomy enthusiasts come into contact with.

Tianjin No. 4 also means "ferry crossing", which is the "Magpie Bridge" in the ancient Chinese legend "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl".

The starship named after her must embody the hopes and wishes of countless people, and she has received much attention since her birth.

This is the starting point for human civilization's journey into the stars.

……

It took a total of 5 Earth years from start to finish.

Thus, as the 23rd millennium approached, humanity's first starship, "Tenet 4," was finally completed.

In fact, the "Tianjin-4" project had already been approved and prepared long before construction officially began. How long? Well, shortly after the feasibility theory of a faster-than-light engine emerged, the Earth Federation had already begun its interstellar travel plan—a conclusion reached based on Luna's calculations. She had also been pushing forward this process.

Gene screening, genetic modification, crew training, flight simulation, closed testing...

As faster-than-light engines became available for practical use, the first crew members underwent human modification surgery.

These are beings that transcend ordinary humans. Their thinking and reaction speeds are more agile and rapid. They have exceptional memory, keen senses, and extremely high physical fitness, enabling them to adapt to more complex environments and changes.

Their descendants will inherit and carry forward the strengths of their ancestors, becoming seeds capable of adapting to interstellar travel.

Of course, this was also a dangerous attempt, which even resulted in casualties.

The "Tianjin IV" project begins with embryos. Luna used algorithms to select approximately 10000 embryos whose genes were stable and suitable for subsequent surgical modifications to adapt them to long-distance, long-duration interstellar travel. From one month after birth, they were forcibly separated from their parents and raised by the federal government.

There were over 10000 applicants, but some parents refused to let their children participate in the program, so in the end, only about 8000 applicants were accepted.

From then on, they were raised by the federal government and Luna, receiving various forms of education and training.

They must be warriors, hunters, athletes, adventurers, scientists, doctors, researchers, scholars, teachers, and even artists, diplomats, linguists, and writers...

They will even be involved in some supernatural subjects, such as psychic and telekinetic arts.

During their learning, training, and development, they also undergo a series of gene-guided modification procedures, but this is only in preparation for the final surgery.

Of the 8000 candidates, 3000 were eliminated due to physical, psychological, or academic deficiencies. However, these were also highly qualified individuals who received exceptional training within the program and were able to continue serving the federal government. Most of them voluntarily chose to remain in the "Tianjin 4" program, contributing their efforts to the program even though they could not become official crew members.

These individuals possess exceptional physical abilities, intelligence, mental fortitude, and willpower due to specialized training and development, making them capable of fulfilling various planned roles even if they do not meet the standards for becoming crew members.

At this moment, their average age is only 15.

However, they are already close to maturity, both physically and mentally.

They are proud to be a part of this magnificent undertaking that concerns the future of human civilization.

The remaining 5000 people have reached the final stage—genetic modification surgery starting at age 15.

A total of 19 modification surgeries were performed, which would take a total of 3 Earth years. After each surgery, a long period of observation and adjustment was required. And each surgery would also eliminate a portion of the population.

Casualties also occurred during this period.

Because the surgery was so unpredictable, even though Luna had calculated that the risks had been minimized, death still occurred.

Limb rupture, internal bleeding, fractures, intracranial hemorrhage... these are all relatively minor.

The most terrifying things are brain damage, genetic breakdown, and some of the more bizarre ways to die.

A total of 17 people died during this phase, and their names are forever etched on the Star Monument. There is also a monument in space.

At the same time, at least 2000 people were disqualified due to various injuries.

After three hellish years at the age of 18, less than 3000 candidates remained who had not been eliminated.

However, what awaited them was not a coming-of-age ceremony, but a final selection.

Select the most suitable crew members to participate in the "Tianjin IV" program.

They are called the fittest.

They must possess the best qualities, the strongest physique, the most brilliant mind, and a certain degree of supernatural ability.

Of course, the so-called supernatural abilities are still under research; they are mysterious and elusive, and that is what Luna is searching for.

At the same time, and most importantly, their genes must be stable and able to be passed down in a dominant manner from generation to generation, ensuring that their offspring are also naturally gifted.

Finally, after a series of assessments and selections, Luna announced the list.

She selected 300 people.

From the initial 10000 people, to the current 300 people.

These last 300 people were the official crew members of the "Tianjin IV" starship.

They will soon face a variety of targeted training sessions.

Because the crew numbered exactly 300, no more and no less, they were jokingly referred to as the Spartans.

Later, they were also known as the First Spartans.

……

While the Tianjin Fourth Project was underway, another very important part of the Tianjin Fourth Project—the starship spacecraft—was also being built.

The time-lapse camera faithfully recorded the changes in the spacecraft in the Mars spaceport dock.

At the end of the 23rd century, just before the year 2300, "Tianjin IV" was finally completed and officially launched.

Just when the crew thought they were about to embark on a long voyage, Luna made them do one last thing—fall in love.

LOVE

What beautiful words.

However, Luna's purpose is the most primal and pure.

reproduce.

For a race to develop and for a civilization to progress, reproduction is indispensable.

These crew members need to leave behind descendants to become the second generation of crew members.

Of course, it's not just these 300 crew members who need to reproduce. In fact, the selection of these 300 crew members was based on ranking, and genetic stability was just one of many factors considered.

For example, Luna's calculations might show that a candidate's offspring have very stable genes and could directly become suitable candidates. However, having an advantage in this indicator does not guarantee selection, as many other criteria need to be evaluated.

Only the most outstanding candidates will be selected as one of the 300.

Therefore, many of these rejected candidates were also asked by Luna to date and reproduce.

This is also the time when Luna's character has been most severely damaged. She actually went around pimping and helping others, practically becoming the matchmaker.

This was actually a test for Luna. If the plan went smoothly, then the core of the "Tianjin Four Plan" would be validated—inheritance.

What Luna needs is not one-time cyborgs, but genes that can be passed down and inherited. In other words, it needs to modify humans to make them stronger, capable of leaving Earth and adapting to the universe.

After all, interstellar exploration is a very long process, and even with a hyperspace engine, the future remains uncertain. When the path ahead is unclear, we can only place our hopes on the future.

Children are the future.

……

So, filled with hope for the future, the young parents married and gave birth to their offspring at the Martian spaceport. In ancient China, "Tianjin Si" was also a ferry crossing, a bridge of magpies, and now, the young sailors meeting across this bridge seems to carry a somewhat coincidental meaning.

The final number of offspring was less than 500, specifically 473.

They were known as the Second Spartans.

Bai Ye is one of them.

Number 006.

Birthday: January 14, 2300.

Yes, our protagonist, strictly speaking, is not an Earthling, but a Martian. He is also among the first life forms born in a Martian spaceport.

They are genetically modified humans. They are considered fittest.

His parents were both full-fledged crew members, and among the best, so his name was highlighted by Luna in the evaluation report.

It means that all the buffs have been stacked up.

Fortunately, the so-called racial barriers had long been broken by the 24th century. In Luna's view, all life is equal, and the only difference lies in how much value an individual can provide for the development, progress and continuation of civilization.

Values, obligations, and responsibilities.

This is the first introductory lesson for every federal citizen.

……

Due to genetic adjustments, the growth cycle of the second-generation Spartans was accelerated, and they were forced to separate from their parents for breeding purposes.

The parents of the first Spartan children were busy preparing for the "Tianjin IV" mission, so they rarely had time to visit their children.

Bai Ye doesn't even remember what his parents look like, and even though he developed his intelligence early, he has almost no recollection of them.

Of course, this did not affect his growth. Of course, he also had almost no memory of this period. Even though the brain capacity of the adaptable person develops faster than that of an ordinary child and their intelligence improves very quickly, he is still a child after all, and we cannot be too critical of him.

Incidentally, the genes of ordinary humans in the 24th century have also been modified. They have better physical attributes, faster reflexes, stronger adaptability, and longer lifespans. However, they are still considerably inferior to those with the "fitness" (i.e., those with exceptional abilities).

Selecting the best among the best, coupled with meticulous training, yields completely different results.

……

The year 2300 has finally come to an end. The window of opportunity is about to close, and "Tianjin IV" and her crew are fully prepared.

It's time to set off.

"The universe, the final frontier. This is the voyage of Starship Tianjin IV. Her mission is to explore unknown new worlds, to find new life and new civilizations, and to bravely sail into territories uncharted by humankind."

"Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Deneb. Its mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and civilisations. To brovely go where no man has gone before."

Luna also offered her final wishes to the crew:

Wishing you happiness as you journey across the stars.

-------------------------------------

However, fate always seems to play tricks on people.

Even Luna couldn't make everything go exactly as planned.

Wishes coming true is the domain of the gods.

There is no God in this world.

Tianjin No. 4 took nearly 30 years from the initial planning to completion.

But her destruction took less than 3 seconds.

……

“天津四”计划的生命永远定格在了地球时间公元2301年4月12日17时53分36秒。

Bai Ye was forever trapped in the shadow of that moment, only emerging from it much later.

After taking off from Tianjin IV, the faster-than-light engine malfunctioned, causing the starship to activate the engine overload program before reaching its initial speed. Ultimately, it exploded and disintegrated before completely leaving the spaceport.

From the moment the malfunction alarm sounded to the explosion, only 3 seconds elapsed.

Only one sentence from the captain was transmitted over the radio:

"Mars, we're in trouble."