Chapter 42: Gravity Protective Fluid
Chapter 42: Gravity Protective Fluid
On that day, the Secretary-General of HCC also gave a speech on the birth of Yu-type Bacteria.
“We often said that Human Civilization might be destroyed ‘tomorrow’, but Professor Qin Yu’s research results had finally moved this time at least from ‘tomorrow’ to ‘the day after tomorrow’.”
“If there was a real countdown to the destruction of Human Civilization in the world, I thought that Professor Qin Yu had turned it back a lot right now.”
The Secretary-General did not hold back praise for Qin Yu and the results of the Yu-type Bacteria research.
It seemed like he wanted to find all kind words to give to Qin Yu.
“Professor Qin Yu made outstanding contributions to all of Human Civilization and to all humans. I could not even think of who could compare with him in what he did to ‘save humanity’.”
“We often said Professor Qin Yu was the greatest biologist since this century. Now, I thought that removing the ‘since this century’ part might be a good choice too.”
“My hometown is a country in the Afrika Continent with very bad desertification. I truly hoped that Professor Qin Yu’s research results would one day help my hometown too.”
“I could not even imagine now what the whole world would look like tens of years later after Yu-type Bacteria got widely used, but it would surely be much, much better than today.”
“Throughout history, most human fights were because of resources. When none of us could go to space on a large scale, all the resources we could get came from Earth.”
“Professor Qin Yu’s research might make sure everyone had many more total resources.”
“Even if the way resources were shared did not change, even if there was still poverty everywhere in the world, I thought that in the future world, fewer people would go hungry.”
“Thank Professor Qin Yu. Sincerely thank Professor Qin Yu. Human living space grew bigger because of Professor Qin Yu.”
In that short time,
the whole world seemed filled with all kinds of praise for Qin Yu.
Because, on a big scale and in the long run, the birth of Yu-type Bacteria meant almost everyone in Human Civilization would gain from it.
As for the excitement outside because of Yu-type Bacteria’s birth,
Qin Yu also noticed it.
He saw those praises about him too.
However, Qin Yu also knew that
probably most of the praises for him were true,
but at the same time, many people likely hated him a lot.
For example, the other two main nations in HCC besides Huaxia Nation.
The being of Yu-type Bacteria was just like the 2611 Longevity Injection.
They had not solved the problems with the 2611 Longevity Injection yet,
and now Yu-type Bacteria had gotten hold of another important thing for them.
They each needed Yu-type Bacteria too, but Huaxia Nation could not give it away free.
Still, maybe the only thing they could feel glad about was that,
even if they could not get the making method for Yu-type Bacteria,
by only buying the finished type of Yu-type Bacteria, they did not need to keep buying every year like with the 2611 Longevity Injection.
After all, the desertified land that needed improving was not endless,
and once the land turned into soil, it surely did not need using Yu-type Bacteria every year for more improvements.
But,
about the game between many sides for using Yu-type Bacteria,
Qin Yu did not care much. When the higher-ups asked for his thoughts, he gave them some thoughts.
Exactly how to decide, he let the higher-ups worry about it.
Anyway, for Qin Yu, when he made Yu-type Bacteria, the goal he wanted to achieve had already come true.
…
At the same time as Huaxin News Agency reported Yu-type Bacteria’s birth,
the work of fully using Yu-type Bacteria to improve desertified land in all parts started across Huaxia Nation.
The actual way to do it was easy for Huaxia Nation.
Originally, in Huaxia Nation, there were many desert control projects and forest-building projects to fight desertification spread.
At this time, they just put together these old control projects and swapped their old ways to manage deserts with using Yu-type Bacteria.
In reality,
with Huaxia Nation’s power to organize things,
and with Yu-type Bacteria working just by spreading it using drones,
it actually would not take ten years at all. Within maybe just one year, they could spread Yu-type Bacteria on all desertified land that needed improvement,
finishing the first soil change for huge deserts measured by tens of thousands of square kilometers.
Why Huaxin News Agency said ten years in the report
was finally because Yu-type Bacteria’s making amount fell behind.
Although in Research Institute 011, they had started making Yu-type Bacteria in batches,
in a short time, they truly could not supply that big an amount of Yu-type Bacteria.
They could only set a longer time, pushing the desert control and improvement while increasing Yu-type Bacteria production.
Of course, over ten years, it was not just about finishing the first land change through Yu-type Bacteria.
It was enough time for the earliest lands, already partly changed by Yu-type Bacteria, to grow trees seven or eight years old, and even to harvest several crops.
After the first soil change for desertified land, the next better step took time too.
So,
in the year ’42 right then,
after big use tests, they ‘only’ finished the first improvement for eight million mu of desertified land through Yu-type Bacteria.
Of course, this ‘only’ feeling came after Yu-type Bacteria was born.
At any other time before, improving eight million mu of desertified land would have been a very big win needing many days and efforts of countless people.
Also,
in that year,
it was no surprise that North Bear Nation and Moon Nation got in touch with Huaxia Nation to get Yu-type Bacteria.
For this matter, the higher-ups also asked for some ideas from Qin Yu.
In the end, the three sides made a deal for Yu-type Bacteria.
First, the same as with the 2611 Longevity Injection, they for sure did not hand over the making skill itself.
They just agreed to sell the finished Yu-type Bacteria to North Bear Nation and Moon Nation.
Then, for Huaxia Nation,
what they got was, after getting a lot of things from the 2611 Longevity Injection,
some leftover advanced skills and some resources not fully gone from those two nations.
Furthermore,
the finished Yu-type Bacteria was sold at a price that was costly but not so bad to make these two sides quit.
Lastly, the deal had one main condition first.
Considering the Huaxia Nation’s own need for Yu-type Bacteria,
in the next ten years, Huaxia would prioritize meeting its own demand for Yu-type Bacteria.
Only after fulfilling its own needs would the remaining portion be used for export.
Additionally, there were some other details.
In short, this trade deal was finalized.
……
After the trade agreement was reached,
worldwide praise for the significance of Yu-type Bacteria and admiration for Qin Yu himself became even more exaggerated.
It seemed this was necessary to shield the dealmakers from criticism in their own countries.
From media reports to online platforms to real life,
it felt like countless people wanted to place Qin Yu on an altar and worship him.
At Shuling City, the site of the first large-scale application test for Yu-type Bacteria,
around that ten thousand mu (approximately 667 hectares) of improved land,
reporters came in wave after wave.
Many people from nearby, or even faraway places, drawn by curiosity, almost turned the area into a must-visit spot.
The officials or staff responsible for the desertification control project in that area didn’t try much to stop this.
After ensuring the land wouldn’t be damaged by all the visitors,
they let people do as they pleased.
After all, as Yu-type Bacteria became more widely used, it was impossible to completely prevent others from accessing the land it had improved.
The visible effects of Yu-type Bacteria on desert soil and actual samples were things that couldn’t be kept secret anyway.
The main secrecy focus for Yu-type Bacteria was its manufacturing technique; the method to induce its synthesis was strictly confined within Research Institute 011.
Everyone who witnessed Yu-type Bacteria transforming desertified land was deeply awed and couldn’t help but offer heartfelt praise for Qin Yu and his achievement.
>”Professor Qin really is… I don’t even know how to put it… the best word I can think of is, an incredible achievement.”
>”Like that HCC Secretary-General said, I feel even if Human Civilization were about to collapse, Professor Qin’s research could literally save us.”
>”I’m already looking forward to eating fruit grown on what was once desert land. With the big temperature swings in most desert areas, I bet the fruit will be super sweet.”
>”Me too!”
……
Then in 2042,
in the year Qin Yu turned forty, Research Institute 011 produced more than just Yu-type Bacteria.
However, the brilliance of Yu-type Bacteria was just too dazzling,
almost eclipsing another major breakthrough achieved by the institute that same year.
This equally significant research result came from a different branch of the institute – the ‘Human Enhancement Project’.
This year, again with Qin Yu’s direct involvement,
the first major goal within the Human Enhancement Project achieved a revolutionary breakthrough.
Qin Yu and the researchers successfully discovered a way,
without genetic modification of the human body,
to give adults a ‘strong adaptability to different gravitational environments’.
>”The research team at the institute named it the Gravity Protective Fluid.”
>”Like the 2611 Longevity Injection, once used, it permanently alters some fundamental mechanisms within the human body, granting adaptability across a wider gravity range.”
Given the context where Gravity Protective Fluid would be used,
it was natural to select astronauts, who experience non-Earth or low-gravity environments, as volunteers for the Clinical Trial.
Six astronauts, in total, were sent to Research Institute 011 before their scheduled six-month mission on the Space Station. They became the Clinical Trial volunteers for the Gravity Protective Fluid.
Before this first trial began,
Qin Yu met with the six astronauts.
>”After receiving the Gravity Protective Fluid,” Qin Yu explained to them beforehand, “you will need to reduce, or possibly stop completely, your normal exercise routine during your six months on the Space Station.”
>”We will stay in touch with the space agency, monitoring your physical status closely. You might also need more frequent body check-ups on station than usual.”
The six astronauts – four men and two women, aged between forty and seventy,
were considered relatively young for that era.
They had good mental composure. Though inevitably excited to meet the great scientist Qin Yu, they kept it contained.
These six made up half the crew for the upcoming mission.
Over the years,
Huaxia Nation’s Space Station had expanded significantly, adding several new modules.
Normally, there were twelve astronauts onboard, occasionally peaking at sixteen.
During crew rotations, numbers had briefly exceeded thirty at the highest point.
>”I must inform you this clinical trial carries risks,” Qin Yu stated. “We will minimize them as much as possible, but we cannot reduce them to zero before the trial begins.”
>”Professor Qin,” one astronaut spoke for the group, “getting to participate in your experiment here was an opportunity we fought hard for. We’re not worried about the risks, nor are we afraid of them.”
Qin Yu nodded.
>”Does anyone else have questions about the Gravity Protective Fluid? Ask now.”
>”If there are no more questions, we will start administering it.”
He waited a moment. Seeing no further questions from the astronauts,
he handed over the procedure to the Researchers who would perform the injections.
The Researchers proceeded to administer the Gravity Protective Fluid to the astronauts.
Though the name ‘Gravity Protective Fluid’ might suggest something applied externally,
it was actually a liquid administered by injection, just like the 2611 Longevity Injection.
>”The Gravity Protective Fluid takes some time to take full effect. Later, you might notice some changes subjectively.”
Once Qin Yu saw the astronauts had received the injections without any immediate issues, he left.
Confirming whether the Gravity Protective Fluid fully delivered its intended results would take time – definitely not something requiring Qin Yu’s constant attention for six months.
The six astronauts, however, were curious about the “subjective changes” Qin Yu had mentioned. What would it actually feel like?
They didn’t have to wonder long.
After resting overnight at Research Institute 011 per the Researchers’ instructions,
they woke up the next morning already sensing the difference.
>”…Why do I feel so light and… floaty? It’s like I was carrying something heavy for decades, and now it’s been lifted off?”
>”Same feeling… Not just walking, even holding things feels light, weightless almost.”
>”Could it be… not that things got lighter, or our bodies got lighter, but that we got stronger?”
One astronaut tentatively tried jumping in place.
The height he reached was noticeably greater than before, surprising him slightly.
After jumping a couple more times, he quickly adapted and could control it.
A Researcher working with them provided a simple explanation.
>”…That’s considered a side effect, or perhaps a secondary effect, of the Gravity Protective Fluid.”
>”Once active, it has a strengthening effect on bones, muscles, and your whole body structure. So, while it provides adaptability to gravity shifts, it also gives you a little extra strength.”
>”It won’t turn anyone into a ‘superman,’ but overall, it might increase your strength by about ten to fifteen percent.”
This explanation visibly altered the expressions of the six astronauts.
How come this ‘side effect’ seemed more valuable than the main purpose itself?
>”Research in that direction only leads to minor physical improvements like this; it can’t produce anything more substantial or powerful.”
The Researcher’s clarification settled them down.
Still, for them personally, this noticeable enhancement was definitely an unexpected bonus.