Chapter 56: Chain of Crises

What does it mean if the oxygen level in the atmosphere rises above 36%?

Most directly, it’s unsure whether humans can survive in this oxygen-rich environment,

but their lifespans would definitely shorten.

The life extension gained earlier from the 2611 Longevity Injection would probably vanish.

It might even become shorter than before the 2611 Longevity Injection was widely used.

This point alone would be impossible for Human Civilization to accept.

And this is just one tiny part of the impact, or disaster, brought by the large oxygen increase.

It would surely cause a chain reaction, leading to catastrophic outcomes.

First,

even if humans could somehow adapt to this atmospheric change, living shorter lives,

that doesn’t mean other life in the ecosystem, plants and animals, could adapt the same way.

While insects would likely grow huge, and some land plants grow wildly,

countless plants and animals would go extinct.

Even though Earth’s ecosystem is very big and can handle some loss,

so many plants and animals dying out would definitely hurt the whole Earth system.

Plus, the damage from the 236 Algae in the water to the ocean,

would certainly cause the whole Earth ecosystem to break down and rebuild itself on a huge scale.

Can Human Civilization, with its current Life Science technology, quickly adapt and get through this change?

Plus, what the entire Earth ecosystem would turn into is unknown.

In such chaos, unknown means danger.

What if during this breakdown and rebuilding, something like the 236 Algae, or even worse, appeared?

Then,

comes another direct threat:

the huge jump in oxygen would cause global fires.

Forests to cities, things catching fire or burning would happen all the time.

Fires might become too common to make news. Look anywhere, and fires were surely burning across the land.

Plants growing faster in this oxygen-rich air would only make it worse.

These global fires mean many people would die directly in the flames,

and badly disrupt normal work inside all HCC nations.

Worst of all, it’s not just wild plants or city things burning—

crops people grow, money crops too, they will also burn.

In this oxygen-rich air, fires starting are hard to put out.

It’s tough to spare enough people everywhere for firefighting.

With crops often turned to ash, rain forests scorched into nothing,

how long would the food humans have left really last?

This whole mess would take countless lives.

Then,

there’s the changing air, changing ecosystem, the whole world burning—all hitting Earth’s climate.

Weather swings would get wilder;

extreme weather would surely become fiercer.

This harsh climate would breed worse things,

like super bacteria, or super viruses.

Also, if the average oxygen is 36%, that means many places once good for humans, apart from some highlands,

would have even more oxygen.

Things would be worse in those areas.

After this entire chain reaction,

Human Civilization might not die out, but eighty or ninety percent of people would likely perish.

Technology and productivity would drop hard. So many people gone would leave civilization weaker against disasters.

Shorter lives would also mean human science progress could easily hit its limit.

Human tech advancement might suddenly stall one day.

But more importantly,

this 36% oxygen level the Researchers found is just the start.

In this oxygen-rich world, the 236 Algae would keep spreading like mad.

All the rain forests and forests burning up worldwide might first cut the oxygen back a bit,

but the explosive growth of 236 Algae would nicely “make up” for that.

Only when the waters truly couldn’t hold more 236 Algae, when the algae fight each other for space,

would the 236 Algae truly stop spreading through Earth’s waterways.

In the worst case, oxygen might even soar above 40%, maybe higher in some places.

It gets even foggier whether humans could live in such air.

Even if Human Civilization somehow toughed it out through all that and adapted,

then another danger waits in the future.

If the 236 Algae, now Earth’s main oxygen source, died off by accident some day,

then that 40% oxygen would take a sudden crash.

The wild jump and crash of oxygen would give Human Civilization, and Earth’s ecosystem, an even slimmer chance of survival.

Right now,

if the 236 Algae really takes over Earth’s ecosystems,

it basically means the future existence or not of Human Civilization is no longer in human hands.

You could say,

Human Civilization had already started its countdown to destruction.

…

“Professor Yue, how much time do we have left?”

“The spread of the 236 Algae is accelerating—faster and faster as time goes on. With what we know now, we suspect the time left might be less than a year.”

“In just one year, the 236 Algae could replace all the original algae and other plants in the same spots across the four oceans and most waters. By then, the effects of the 236 Algae spread would be felt almost everywhere in the world.”

The Negentropy Research Institute produced analysis results too quickly.

The Senior Leader had not even left yet, but he directly got the news.

“…One year.”

The Senior Leader repeated the time figure given by the head of Research Institute 011.

A year really was not enough to do much.

They could only say it was lucky that the crisis brought by the 236 Algae Spread would not instantly destroy Human Civilization.

So, Human Civilization would have a little more time than this year to fight and deal with the 236 Algae Spread Crisis.

“Professor Yue, from what we grasp now, from a professional view, what is your advice? Should we try to build some sealed shelters?”

The head of Research Institute 011, Professor Yue, stayed silent for a while.

“We can try to build some, to preserve some seeds.”

This meant that under this crisis, Human Civilization indeed faced the risk of extinction.

But, given Human Civilization’s current technology,

in a short time, it was impossible to build a sealed shelter big enough to hold enough people for survival,

to resist the chain of disasters caused by changes in outer oxygen levels.

If only a few people really entered the sealed shelter to continue Human Civilization,

then Human Civilization would truly enter a stage of barely surviving.

“What Research Institute 011 is trying now has two main directions. The first is trying to create a ‘gene weapon’ that can kill 236 Algae specifically, so the size of 236 Algae could be reduced some, letting other algae in the same niche regain some living space and stopping the effect of 236 Algae.

The second is trying to boost the survival ability of original algae, while keeping their photosynthesis ability stable, so they can keep a certain size in competition with 236 Algae; in this case, the impact of 236 Algae could also lower.”

“However, both studies need some time… strictly, we do not know how long it may take. It might be until 236 Algae completely spreads and covers all water bodies worldwide, we still cannot finish these two studies.”

When saying this, Professor Yue looked a bit complicated.

This was not about how hard they in research worked or not,

but because current biology and Life Science technology levels made these two clear goals very tough to face.

Then, as the head of Research Institute 011, he could not stop thinking of Professor Qin Yu.

He was now 120 years old; when Professor Qin Yu left, he was only sixty.

He had also worked under Professor Qin Yu… it would be so good if Professor Qin Yu were still here.

When Professor Qin Yu led Research Institute 011, the researchers under him never felt any problem was unsolvable.

Professor Qin Yu’s wisdom could always see through any problem.

But sadly, human strength has limits… even Professor Qin Yu could not win against time.

While Professor Yue kept silent,

the Senior Leader also stayed quiet for a while,

wondering if he too thought of the name Qin Yu.

After all, when talking about boosting life survival ability,

the Yu-type Bacteria completed by Research Institute 011 under Qin Yu was also quite extreme.

If Yu-type Bacteria had not been limited in reproduction by humans, it might have been worse than 236 Algae now.

But sadly, Yu-type Bacteria had no effect against 236 Algae.

“Do your best. Likely, solving this problem will still rely on biological means.”

The Senior Leader just said this.

The head of Research Institute 011 did not speak either.

…

Then, the very next day.

Within the HCC,

including the most important three parts: Huaxia Nation, North Bear Nation, and Moon Nation, they sat together because of the 236 Algae issue.

Although the Negentropy Research Institute, due to its special duty, realized the problem and crisis earliest,

other two sides in the HCC were hard to miss the 236 Algae spread; after all, 236 Algae had spread widely in a short time.

On dealing with 236 Algae, the three sides were rather united.

Because the 236 Algae Spread Crisis affected more than one nation; handling it meant dealing with regions broadly.

The three sides basically agreed to share some info on studying 236 Algae and facing its spread crisis.

But from the shared info Huaxia Nation got from North Bear Nation and Moon Nation,

those two sides’ study of 236 Algae held less info and understanding than the Huaxia side.

After all, due to Professor Qin Yu’s earlier presence, Huaxia Nation led a lot in Life Science and biology compared to others in the HCC.

Right now, the first thing they all agreed on after sitting together was that,

the three sides had no real solution for the 236 Algae spread.

Even if all Humanity’s existing energy weapons were dropped into Earth’s waters,

besides Humans destroying themselves, they still likely would not wipe out the 236 Algae already spread across all four major oceans and many water bodies.

Then the three sides had to discuss another thing:

Whether to tell people about the worldwide crisis that might come from 236 Algae spread.

Strictly speaking, announcing the 236 Algae situation basically held no meaning.

If this crisis really came, it would only cause early chaos worldwide, letting people die with clearer pain, with no real help.

Most people could not build a fully sealed shelter that blocked outside air changes.

The crisis from 236 Algae itself would come from a chain of reactions; revealing it might speed up that chain.

However,

on the flip side, even if not announced,

this could not stay hidden forever.

Because later, 236 Algae itself would be widespread; scholars in related fields could notice its presence without fancy tools or even without any tools at all.

Moreover, per info from the Negentropy Research Institute,

in a few months, as 236 Algae got denser in water bodies,

people would directly see vast areas of water turn ‘green’,

and by the final moment, the whole ocean would likely change color.

In this state, most people could see plainly that something was happening.

Finally, the three HCC sides decided to hide it for now, and find a fit time to go public.

Meaning this:

If a solution could be found before telling people, that was best;

if not, and it could not stay hidden, then let everyone know what was happening so they at least died understanding.

Meanwhile, keep searching for ways to cope.

Or find ways to save as many Humans as possible.

…

That same day, at the need of the Negentropy Research Institute and Research Institute 011,

all Researchers in related fields within Huaxia Nation were rushed to Research Institute 011.

Many Researchers and Professors, who were doing their own work,

suddenly got transfer orders.

When many Researchers got the notice, they first complained.

But after arriving at Research Institute 011 and learning what happened and what they would do, the complaints mostly faded.

After all, the task they were pulled into decided their own lives and those of their dear ones.

Outside Huaxia Nation,

around the same time, similar things happened;

even if some Researchers worked in private institutes, they were called together.

Because the worldwide crisis would hit everyone eventually.

In such an urgent situation,

globally, most informed Researchers threw themselves into this study completely.

But the task itself was insanely hard.

236 Algae was a ‘monster’ cooked up by Nature after countless trials.

Human Researchers clearly did not have Nature’s means for endless trials.

Even as time pressed on, progress on the two research directions suggested by the Negentropy Research Institute remained slow.

…

Then, over the next month.

In the outside world, it really went as expected earlier.

Hiding the full truth about 236 Algae was nearly impossible.

Because its wider spread made it too easy to spot.

On the internet, news reports on this grew more and more frequent.

For many people,

the first time they saw such news, they mostly glanced over it.

But seeing it a second time, they would vaguely feel familiar.

By the third time, nearly all people sensed something off.

“Relevant Researchers say that recently, Earth’s air structure changed unnaturally fast.”