Chapter 113: The Interstellar Great Wall

Outside the Outlook Observation Array,

resting upon the already partially built Lunar Surface Smart Industrial Cluster,

the Weapons Research Institute was overseeing weapons development in two areas for interstellar war,

while the researchers and teams of the Negentropy Research Institute collectively handled the design and construction of ‘Spark Space City’.

Progress was impressive indeed.

By Year 15 of the Human United Era (HUE),

the Lunar Orbital Electromagnetic Railgun completed its design after ongoing work by teams at the Weapons Research Institute.

Simultaneously, actual construction on the Lunar Surface was finished with support from both Earth-based and Lunar Surface Smart Industries, all coordinated by a Strong Artificial Intelligence.

Its acceleration track formed a thin ring circling the entire Moon. From Lunar Orbit, it was invisible to the naked eye,

yet standing anywhere along it on the surface, you couldn’t see either end stretching forward or backward.

Truly, a grand sight.

The entire Lunar Orbital Electromagnetic Railgun drew continuous power from eight large Helium-3 Fusion Reactors spread along its length,

supporting the operations of this engineering marvel.

After a specially made ‘metal projectile’ entered the Lunar Orbital Electromagnetic Railgun and went through its lengthy acceleration process,

it achieved a final speed of twelve percent of lightspeed upon launch.

For the first test, researchers from the Physics Department of the Negentropy Research Institute chose a one-kilometer-diameter carbonaceous asteroid in the Asteroid Belt.

Careful calculations meant that after just 138 minutes of launch, the railgun’s projectile smashed into this target with terrifying force.

In an instant, the asteroid shattered completely, releasing an immense burst of energy.

This proved the awesome power of what is arguably Human Civilization’s top-tier heavy weapon.

If,

the creation of the Outlook Observation Array offered Human Civilization greater warning time against extraterrestrial threats like Earth’s previous crisis,

then the Lunar Orbital Electromagnetic Railgun meant Human Civilization now possessed a direct defense against dangers like asteroid impacts.

Even if another Asteroid 2801 were to threaten Earth, people were no longer defenceless.

A full-power shot might not destroy another Asteroid 2801, but easily nudging it off course, steering it away from crucial targets, was now possible.

Similarly,

larger, more potent laser weapons had also made strides during this period.

Building on earlier High-Power Laser Weapons, the Negentropy Research Institute unveiled a more advanced model,

dubbing it the ‘Moonlight’ laser weapon series.

Its most powerful installation was also on the Moon’s terrain.

Firing this weapon unleashed destruction nearly rivaling the Electromagnetic Railgun.

During its test run, it completely vaporized a target asteroid in the Asteroid Belt.

Moreover,

it possessed unique advantages over the railgun.

Its laser traveled at light speed, so against an asteroid at a similar distance,

the Moonlight Laser Weapon struck home in only 16 minutes.

In deep space, timing like this is crucial. It hugely boosts targeting precision after launch.

Additionally,

unlike the Lunar Orbital Electromagnetic Railgun’s bulk,

spark Space City, now also finalized, incorporated the Moonlight Laser Weapon system straight into its design layout.

An Electromagnetic Railgun was also mounted, but Spark Space City’s own dimensions constrained its size.

The railgun became a scaled-down version.

The Moonlight lasers, however, were full-spec models on the station, providing robust defense for Spark Space City, part of the ‘Spark Project.’

Beyond the Spark Project,

people categorized the Electromagnetic Railgun, the Moonlight Laser Weapons, and even the Outlook Observation Array under a single initiative:

—The Interstellar Great Wall Project.

The name captures its purpose perfectly. These systems act like a “wall” for Human civilization during the Interstellar Era, shielding inhabited areas.

The Outlook Observation Array serves as the watchtowers along this Interstellar Great Wall. The Lunar Orbital Electromagnetic Railgun and Moonlight Laser Weapons, they’re the artillery.

To meet the core purpose of the Interstellar Great Wall Project, researchers involved at the Negentropy Research Institute proposed a maintenance strategy once the Lunar Orbital Electromagnetic Railgun was built.

They pointed out a key flaw: the lengthy pre-launch acceleration process for projectiles couldn’t be fixed just then.

The solution? Run it continuously. Keep the railgun cycling projectiles in pre-acceleration mode.

This way, it would save time when an emergency launch became necessary.

The dedicated Helium-3 Fusion Reactors built for the railgun could handle the constant power drain.

For Human Civilization back then, the energy cost was tiny.

Also,

an earlier idea surfaced about using the Lunar Orbital Electromagnetic Railgun to “shoot objects” into space

—using it as a launch system for spacecraft—

but never moved beyond the discussion phase.

Simply put, the huge energy required per shot compared poorly to the efficiency of Humanity’s primary space carrier: the Electric Propulsion Spaceship.

For transportation tasks, the Electric Propulsion Spaceship remained the preferred method.

Of course,

around this same time,

Spark Space City had also reached completion.

Sticking to the original blueprint,

Humanity drew on both lunar and terrestrial manufacturing potential to build it high above the Moon in Lunar Orbit.

This Space City, a giant structure resembling a massive drum,

spins gently around its center axis.

To achieve some gravity simulation effects inside the space city,

the interior design also carried forward some styles from past space stations and the current lunar surface cities,

while incorporating a bit of experience from when Human Civilization built the Underground Refuge City before.

Inside, the space city was actually composed of several massive chamber spaces.

Due to the space environment and recent advancements in Human Civilization’s materials science,

each individual chamber within the space city was much larger than those in even the earliest lunar surface cities at that time.

Coupled with the simulated sky above the dome, being inside this star-studded city in space didn’t feel overly oppressive.

Aiming for the goals of the ‘Spark Project’,

hundreds of Electric Propulsion Engines were installed throughout the entire Spark Space City,

giving it a certain degree of mobility in space.

Meanwhile, inside the Spark Space City, a Smart Industrial Zone was planned,

ensuring that even when existing independently, it could maintain some level of industrial production capability,

offering the possibility of reviving civilization.

To some extent,

when Researchers from the Negentropy Research Institute planned the Spark Space City, they gave it the best things Human Civilization could offer at that time.

People living in the Spark Space City usually didn’t feel it, but these features could potentially increase the city’s chances of survival in a crisis.

In a Huaxin News Agency report on the completion of the Spark Space City’s construction,

one line mentioned:

“…Naturally, we hope the day never comes when the Spark Space City is truly needed. But we also know that its very existence is necessary.”

“In the increasingly forward-moving march of our history, crises spanning larger scales always tend to arrive unexpectedly. We cannot know what crisis we will face next; we can only prepare as best we can.”

Purely from the perspective of Human Civilization’s development,

the construction of the Spark Space City had little significance.

It couldn’t produce any resources, nor could it contribute significantly to the overall growth of Human Civilization’s productive forces.

The productive forces consumed in building it were far greater than those required to build a city of the same scale on the Moon or Earth.

It also offered no special help to Human Civilization’s technological advancement.

However, from the perspective of ensuring Human Civilization’s survival, it was indispensable.

After the Spark Space City was completed,

some proposed moving the entire Negentropy Research Institute into the Spark Space City.

But for various reasons, ultimately, only the Doomsday Gene Bank was relocated inside.

The other permanent residents chosen to live in the Spark Space City were also voluntary applicants who were selected through lotteries and screenings based on certain criteria.

…

By Year 15 of the HCC,

several key goals proposed by the Negentropy Research Institute and initiated by the HCC at the beginning of the era –

including the Weapons Research Institute’s two types of weapons designed for interstellar environments, the Outlook Observation Array, and the Spark Space City – had been completed one after another.

After achieving Type I Civilization status, many of Human Civilization’s technological developments had been fully realized, solidifying its industrial and productive capabilities.

Also in this year,

the HCC formally announced

that the previously proposed Lunar Surface Development and Construction Plan had been preliminarily completed.

Human Civilization had fully integrated the Moon into its territory.

The HCC and Human Civilization had fulfilled the promise made back when they were still in the Underground Shelter Cities.

– Not only would they return to the surface, but they would also continue advancing into space, towards the Moon.

Afterward,

the development of smart industrial clusters and resource extraction on the Lunar Surface would obviously continue,

but these no longer formed part of the previous ‘Lunar Surface Development and Construction Plan’.

Instead, they fell under the development plans of the individual cities on the Moon.

The Lunar Surface itself was now capable of continuing its own independent development and construction.

“…The Lunar Surface Development and Construction Plan is finished, and the Moon is officially part of our Human Civilization’s territory. So, what’s next? Mars?”

“Do we even need to go further? I feel that with our current tech, having Earth and the Moon’s resources, we’re already living pretty comfortably.”

“Friend, maybe now, but what about later? We can’t just think about our own generation. Besides, don’t you wanna see Mars?”

“Well… that’s probably true… If we could conquer Mars, we’d get more resources too. Some resources are consumables at our current stage… Earth-Moon resources might not support our civilization forever.”

“And, conquering Mars would give our civilization more depth… honestly, Earth and the Moon are really close together… I’m afraid if something happens to Earth, the Moon could be affected too… Having our entire civilization packed into this tiny corner of the Solar System… it just doesn’t feel safe.”

By now,

Type I Human Civilization could be said to have developed into its complete state within the constraints of its current technological level.

Compared to its past, huddled in Underground Shelter Cities, or before the HCC era,

Human Civilization’s overall strength had undergone a staggering increase.

If the Human Civilization of this time were to clash directly with its pre-HCC counterpart,

the current civilization would undoubtedly possess an overwhelming advantage.

…

Also in this very year,

a new issue emerged within Human Civilization and the HCC, requiring people to face,

or rather, to decide upon.

Regarding what Human Civilization should do next, after completing the preliminary development of the Moon,

and surpassing a permanent population of ten million people in the Lunar Surface Cities,

the question of what the next major step for Human Civilization should be.

Or rather,

more directly: whether to embark on the development of Mars,

and even begin attempting to bring Mars and other planets in the Solar System into Human Civilization’s territory. Looking at Human Civilization’s own development of the Moon, there was already this inherent trend within the HCC and the Negentropy Research Institute. One of the main purposes of developing the Moon was to serve as a springboard for Human Civilization to occupy other regions within the Solar System. This was also the Moon’s natural function for Human Civilization.

However, for various reasons,

and perhaps even subtly influenced by Qin Yu,

in the process of the HCC’s development and construction on the Moon,

they hadn’t been in any particular hurry concerning the next logical target within the Solar System,

namely the development of Mars.

Although they had dispatched some exploration devices towards Mars, and there was one Intelligent Program-operated smart science station on the Martian surface continuously operating, providing support for Human Civilization’s research on the Martian landscape, it essentially stopped there.

While Human Civilization had established a permanent population of over ten million on the Moon,

the actual development and construction of Mars hadn’t really started, remaining only at the exploration stage.

Because…

the development of Mars presented a fundamentally different proposition for Human Civilization, and for the HCC,

compared to the development of the Moon.

For one key difference,

unlike the urgent lunar development project,

the development of Mars held no urgency whatsoever for Human Civilization and the HCC at this time.

Why was there a rush to expand development on the Moon?

Because Human Civilization had achieved breakthroughs in Helium-3 Fusion technology.

There was a massive demand within Human Civilization to deploy large numbers of Helium-3 Fusion Reactors widely.

This necessitated tapping into the lunar surface, rich in Helium-3 deposits.

But now, for the development of Mars, that kind of pressing need wasn’t there.

The Earth-Moon system currently had more than enough capacity for Human Civilization’s population.

Resources and energy were also temporarily sufficient for Human Civilization.

In this context,

the development of Mars, within the Negentropy Research Institute,

or in Qin Yu’s view, touched upon a somewhat contradictory problem.

Therefore,

towards the end of this year,

the leaders of the various departments and research teams at the Negentropy Research Institute,

along with Qin Yu, gathered together to deliberate and make a decision on this matter.