Chapter 104: Moving Back, Moving Back!
Chapter 104: Moving Back, Moving Back!
Common Era year 297, July. Sunny.
It had already been a year since the Negentropy Research Institute and Human Civilization confirmed they were starting to build the Surface Cities.
At the same time, much of civilization’s production was also being used to restore the ecosystem.
Also, the current plans for the Surface Cities were much bigger than the original Underground Refuge City.
So, building over two hundred giant Surface Cities was actually going slower than building the Underground Refuge City had back then.
Even by this year, they were still building it.
But people weren’t feeling so worried and restless about it anymore.
Moving back to the surface was a sure thing now. Watching the cities they would live in being rebuilt step by step on the surface was really exciting.
During this time, when people had free time, it had become a habit for most in the Underground Shelter Cities to check the progress of the different Surface Cities being built.
“…I can almost see what the whole city will look like now. The construction area I saw today was huge.”
“Well, actually, our Underground Shelter City is pretty big too after all these years of growing. Think about it, almost 1.5 to 1.6 million people live in just one Underground Shelter City now… and everyone has so much space… But the surface is definitely better.”
“When I get back to the surface, I’d live in a single-family villa… heck, I’d even buy ten smart service robots!”
“Ten? And take it all? You really want everything… haha.”
By now, the tense atmosphere in the various Underground Shelter Cities was mostly gone, and people were feeling much more relaxed.
…
The same day, inside the Negentropy Research Institute 011 Lab.
In one of the biological laboratories,
Qin Yu was analyzing a sample from an experiment.
That sample was the Diephagia Virus.
This was the virus that, before the Doomsday Crisis, had actually raised humanity’s end-of-the-world risk level by two percent.
If it hadn’t been for the Intelligent Machinery in this era, when it appeared alongside the Doomsday Crisis, it probably could have caused significant deaths across human civilization.
After solving the problem caused by the Diephagia Virus at that time,
the Diephagia Virus sample was stored in the Doomsday Gene Bank at the 011 Lab and the Negentropy Research Institute.
At the time,
as the greatest biologist and Life Scientist in several centuries,
as soon as Professor Qin Yu had examined some data on this virus, he felt something was special about it.
But back then, everyone was focused on dealing with the Doomsday Crisis brought by Asteroid 2801,
and there was absolutely no time to dig deeper into this virus.
Now,
after the Doomsday Crisis, everything had gradually calmed down.
The plan for Human Civilization to move back to the surface was also progressing smoothly. There weren’t many places requiring Qin Yu’s direct involvement.
He finally had time available to think again about this strange virus, and the things he hadn’t had time for before.
The name ‘Diephagia Virus’ was actually a phonetic translation of ‘Death God Virus’.
It showed the fear the researchers who discovered its outbreak felt about this virus.
For studying dangerous things like this, researchers at the 011 Lab usually controlled the Intelligent Machinery remotely from outside the lab.
For Qin Yu, the Absolute Immortal, the danger of the Diephagia Virus was meaningless.
If it weren’t for the worry that the Diephagia Virus might not behave normally inside his body at all,
he would have even wanted to personally experience its effects on the human body.
Right now,
looking at the data output from the lab equipment,
that old feeling that the Diephagia Virus was unique came back to him again.
Qin Yu paused in his focus.
When Qin Yu decided now to pick up this Diephagia Virus again for deeper study, he had his reasons.
He was thinking.
After the move of Human Civilization back to the surface was done,
he wanted to raise the average IQ of Human Civilization.
His own “Super Brain” intelligence kept growing, which was good – at least it was increasing.
But to develop a civilization, he couldn’t do everything himself.
Right now, the Negentropy Research Institute had gathered the smartest, most genius researchers in Human Civilization.
Still, he was worried others might not keep up with him as he tackled increasingly complex problems further ahead.
If the Negentropy Research Institute couldn’t even help Qin Yu a little bit,
then even for him, many things would become much more troublesome.
Not wanting Human Civilization to die out too early, Qin Yu had big hopes for making it stronger.
Raising the lifespan limit made Human Civilization stronger.
Now, aiming to raise the average IQ? Also to make Human Civilization stronger.
And it would be best if it got stronger even faster.
This plan to raise Human Civilization’s average IQ
had some connection to the Diephagia Virus.
Professor Qin Yu, the greatest Life Scientist of centuries, already had quite a deep understanding of how the human body works.
His Super Brain also meant the sparks of inspiration in his mind wouldn’t disappear unnoticed.
The special thing about the Diephagia Virus
wasn’t primarily what the virus itself could do,
but perhaps how it could spark some ideas for research about “raising human intelligence”.
Or more directly, it might give Qin Yu new inspiration for some ideas he already had.
Qin Yu stared at the data results from the series of experiments done on the Diephagia Virus.
He pondered.
But even if Qin Yu did gain some inspiration from this unique Diephagia Virus,
the research project to raise the average human IQ itself
was still incredibly difficult. Even if Qin Yu started it now,
it would still take a lot of time.
…
Common Era year 298.
Next to the sites corresponding to each Underground Shelter City,
The progress of building new surface cities took another big step forward.
In each surface city, the smart industrial zones had basically taken shape,
and the city’s road traffic systems were beginning to show their outlines.
In every surface city, the productivity generated from the operating smart industrial zones started being used extensively in the construction process of the surface cities.
The construction pace of the surface cities entered an accelerated phase.
This year,
when people watched live streams of the surface city construction online,
they often went to sleep and woke up to find that the buildings being built had changed noticeably.
Surface cities, already revealing their overall structures, were changing at an astonishing pace.
People saw some iconic buildings from past cities in the new surface cities. These landmarks, part of the city’s style, were reconstructed in the new surface cities.
On the surface, people also spotted more familiar Computing Power Towers.
Additionally, they saw Vertical Farms — structures they weren’t entirely familiar with, but knew existed in the Underground Shelter Cities too.
Vertical Farms weren’t just single, massive buildings either.
Instead, they were located in each pre-divided sector of the city’s residential zones, with one or even several Vertical Farms per area.
These intelligent Vertical Farms, featuring smart planting, smart watering and fertilization, and smart livestock rearing,
could ensure people had access to fresh vegetables, fruits, and poultry meat in the shortest possible time.
Furthermore,
the earliest Stellar Ports built on the surface were now almost entirely enveloped within the newly constructed surface cities.
Considering their function, after being integrated into the surface cities, the Stellar Ports were generally positioned along the boundary between the industrial and residential zones.
Goods and personnel arriving at the Stellar Ports via Electric Propulsion Spaceships could quickly reach the city’s Smart Industrial Zones and also swiftly enter the city’s residential zones.
Beyond that, considering multiple factors,
people also designed a three-dimensional transportation system when planning the surface cities.
Smart vehicles still ran on the ground, rail transit operated, and smart drones bearing logistics and passenger transport duties crisscrossed the air, capable of taking off and landing directly on aerial platforms.
Space was also reserved for the possibility that if Human Civilization’s Electric Propulsion Systems achieved breakthroughs, becoming small enough, personal small Electric Propulsion vehicles could eventually fly within the cities.
It could be said that
in the newly built surface cities,
people preserved some traditional elements while also exploring new possibilities as much as possible.
…
Then, near the end of that year,
in many surface cities,
parts of the residential buildings and infrastructure in the living areas had been completed.
After deploying Intelligent Machinery and activating the smart city systems, these surface cities could become operational almost immediately.
Vegetables, fruits, and poultry from the Vertical Farms could instantly fill the supermarkets in the residential areas.
Various industrial products, textiles, electronics, and basic living supplies from the city’s own Smart Industrial Zone could immediately stock the shelves of city shops.
The city traffic system, coordinated by Strong Artificial Intelligence, could have smart vehicles buzzing through the streets right away.
Sales assistants and restaurant servers powered by Intelligent Programs could enthusiastically greet anyone entering a shop to make a purchase.
By this stage, one could say many surface cities were ready for people to move in.
Similarly,
the migration back from the Underground Shelter Cities didn’t happen all at once.
Therefore,
it was at this time that the Negentropy Research Institute decided to let groups of people return to the surface gradually as the residential zones in the surface cities became more complete.
“Huaxin News Agency reports.”
“Starting today, batches of personnel will be selected at random for return to the surface.”
“The selection process is directly managed by Strong Artificial Intelligence. Selected individuals may voluntarily choose to return to the surface with their assigned batch, or remain in the Underground Refuge City and wait for subsequent migration waves.”
“Those migrating to the surface will be allocated housing based on their current living space in the Underground Refuge City and their social contributions. If dissatisfied with the allocated housing, individuals may later purchase or trade the assigned property using their personal funds.”
This time, returning to the surface was a pure lottery.
It didn’t affect the continuation of civilization, nor were there hidden dangers.
Although many people were eager to return to the surface,
from a civilization perspective, it wasn’t necessary to strictly prioritize who returned first.
As for the housing provided in the surface cities,
under the current societal model, it was naturally allocated directly based on contribution.
Money, which had lost most of its properties within Human Civilization at this point, essentially represented another form of social contribution.
If someone made no social contribution and willingly lived off society, they definitely wouldn’t starve in this era.
The current social structure and abundant productivity ensured no one had to worry about basic survival.
But those who didn’t work at all, contributed nothing to society, merely existing to maintain the population base,
would miss out on many richer experiences and couldn’t attain high social status.
Of course, social contribution wasn’t solely about producing results in research or innovation.
Simply diligently performing one’s work was acknowledged as a contribution by human society.
Earning the highest degree possible within the current education system was also considered a contribution.
In the Intelligent Era, maintaining the overall average education level of Human Civilization was partly everyone’s social responsibility.
Through years of development in this Intelligent Era, the assessment of social contributions had become more detailed within Human Civilization.
However, for Human Civilization at this time, the greatest contributions still came from achievements made in various research and innovation fields.
Correspondingly, in this era, if someone could join the Negentropy Research Institute,
that itself constituted a significant social contribution.
Passing the requirements and entering the Negentropy Research Institute meant strengthening the research capabilities of this core scientific institute for Human Civilization,
even if the added contribution was small relative to the whole institute, it still held meaning for Human Civilization as a whole.
…
“Ha! I got selected! Back then, I was in the last batch drawn for the Underground Refuge City. Now, I’m in the first batch to go back to the surface! Told you! I belong up there!”
“…Don’t get cocky. You’re just going ahead to warm the place up. By the time I get back, the city will already be bustling.”
“So I guess you are the one getting the sweet deal?”
“…Fine, fine. I’m totally freaking jealous! Aaaaah… Why wasn’t I picked?”
With Strong Artificial Intelligence directly managing the draw across Human Civilization, the process was lightning fast.
Shortly after Huaxin News Agency released the announcement, those who secured the first relocation slots
received notifications on their personal smart devices or nearby public terminals.
“…Hello. You have been selected in the first group for relocation to the surface. If you confirm your agreement to return with the first group, please click ‘Confirm’ and begin making necessary preparations.”
“Upon your confirmation, arrangements will be made for your return to the surface within the stipulated timeframe.”
“You may voluntarily choose to reside in any one of the 225 surface cities. If you do not select a city, you will be assigned by default to the surface city corresponding to your current underground refuge location.”
“After confirming your surface city, housing will be automatically assigned based on your social contribution. Should you wish to live near friends or other associates, please coordinate with them promptly and submit your choice together before confirmation. (Note: As a member of the first wave of returnees, you and others returning to a specific surface city will generally be settled in the same initial zone).”
“If your partner was not selected in the first draw, they will automatically gain the relocation qualification alongside you. Housing will be allocated based on your combined social contributions.”
“Personal luggage carried during relocation should be kept under 50 kilograms. If you have additional items to bring to the surface, please submit a separate application upon accepting relocation. The logistics system will deliver all your belongings to your new surface residence afterwards.”
The requirements and procedures for this migration back to the surface were quite accommodating.
After all, this was different from the rushed evacuation into underground shelters during the Doomsday Crisis.
Now, returning to the surface was part of Human Civilization’s victory over that crisis.