Deep Space Wandering Fleet-Chapter 567 - 564: Goodbye, Kunlun Mountain!

Human scientists had chosen a planet with a reasonably good geological profile; there were basically no earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, nor were there any unknown microbes detected.

But due to its location on the outskirts of the planetary system, rare earth elements might be scarce.

There was no helping it, to reduce the likelihood of being discovered by the "Bright Galaxy" human offshoot, humans could only choose such peripheral planets, and initial industrial development might be more difficult.

Fortunately, in the process of developing the Planet Engine, humans had mastered the technology to mine deep crustal resources. With some time, the difficulty posed by a lack of rare earth minerals should be largely solvable.

The first batch of engineers had already started the excavators, digging out the Underground City... they were the hardest working group, operating in an environment devoid of daylight, not even daring to light the high-intensity fusion lamps.

The photos showed another Mother Ship of humanity, the "Radiant Galaxy," moving slowly in the synchronous orbit of the third planet, below which a long Space Elevator had appeared.

It seemed that the humans over there were developing quite well.

However, the two groups of humans had been separated for over 400 years. So much could happen over such a long span of time; integrating directly with one another was extremely difficult.

Therefore, the humans of the Kunlun Mountain branch did not entrust their safety entirely to others, even if the others might have already prepared shelters... they still couldn’t place full trust in them.

The new human civilization, with a large population in hibernation, had recently passed through its most vulnerable time, and relying on themselves was the safest course of action. So they secretly landed on a peripheral Alien Planet, unnoticed, and it seemed better to slowly develop from there.

After the general had finished his report, a Diplomat took the stage to report on the contact with the Tos Civilization.

Humans had chosen a Constant Star over 1 light year away, while the Tos Civilization had chosen a Red Dwarf Star 1.2 light years away, with a distance of about 0.5 light years between the two stars.

Neither side continued to stay together. Even though the two civilizations had formed deep bonds of friendship, it was wise to separate during this vulnerable time when most mechanical equipment had to be left behind.

Well, being cautious about this and that, it sounded like being as timid as a mouse, but that was also a necessity.

"We plan to restart communications with them after ten years. We have signed a large number of cooperative treaties with the Tos Civilization, including agreements on mutual scientific benefit, data sharing, and so forth."

"If we really have Curvature Technology in the future, I believe there will be opportunities for us to meet again."

Zhang Yuan nodded, agreeing that the plan was prudent and saw no issues with it.

Next were the various details about the relocation of all humankind. Although these kinds of details had been discussed many times, with the first-hand geological data now available, it was necessary to discuss appropriate measures for the situation.

Engineer Ye Kaifu raised his hand and said, "...The density of this planet is a bit low, with infrequent geological activity. Building a refuge isn’t complicated—we could just dig one ourselves in a few years. I think three to five years should be enough!"

"So the second batch of people landing must be a large number of engineers... The required machinery models are A235, A421... The deep crust drilling machine models are..."

The whole plan was swiftly approved, and the second wave of people boarded the Flying Discs.

Half of the space in this second transport was still for mechanical tools, while the other half held about two million engineers, all entering hibernation. The life support systems of these Flying Discs weren’t great, making it difficult to support millions of people living inside, so most had to hibernate.

There were also about 50,000 Awakened, all of them responsible doctors and nurses for reviving others.

Zhang Yuan’s wife, Lin Xuanyuan, also left in the second batch.

They did not need to hibernate.

The engineers needed to quickly establish their own refuge on the Alien Planet, while the doctors and nurses were responsible for waking the hibernating population.

There wasn’t much room for improvement in hibernation technology; people couldn’t immediately bounce back to work upon waking from hibernation—they needed at least a week to rest.

The third wave consisted of the general populace and a small amount of equipment.

These people bade farewell to the Kunlun Mountain Mother Ship and the Underground City, all excitedly lying down in the Hibernation chambers, as some large high-speed trains pulled a large number of these chambers into the Flying Discs.

In order to act more swiftly, people had manufactured as many as forty million Hibernation chambers over the previous years. Everyone was assigned one, and upon arrival at the destination, the trains would drive back out to the underground base, unloading the Hibernation chambers. These trains would then become industrial trains, carrying minerals back and forth.

Regarding the hibernating population, they would line up and slowly awaken.

With so many people to thaw out, the doctors simply couldn’t take care of them all, especially since the underground shelters weren’t built so quickly. Before they were completely finished, their life-support capabilities were weak.

Therefore, the entire thawing process would be gradual, possibly lasting about ten years or so.

Everyone was already informed about these related matters in advance, and it was clear to all.

Time passed quickly, and as the flying discs shuttled back and forth, another three months went by. Next would come the fourth batch, the fifth batch, the sixth batch...

Zhang Yuan and other officials were the last batch to leave. By that time, the majority of the population had already evacuated, and the Pangu Brain was reloaded onto the flying discs and transported away.

The new human civilization also bid farewell to the high-level officials of the Tos Civilization.

The two sides had lived together for 1500 years, and even though there were some small conflicts, they eventually achieved their great goals.

It really... was not easy!

Even if humans did not obtain curvature technology in the end, their friendship remained everlasting and would continue.

"We wish us good luck! And we wish you the same!"

Individuals of the Tos Civilization had longer lifespans, but over such a long period, their leadership had already changed.

The supreme leader was no longer the big dollfish from before, but a smaller one, his two tentacles swaying.

The captain said, "We hope that when we meet again, we will have mastered curvature technology... and then we might further collaborate!"

"Of course, we still hope to have a real pair of eyes by then! To collaborate once more!"

The simple farewell ceremony ended quickly, and a great deal of mechanical equipment was left behind, including the underground city that had once been occupied, which gradually came to a halt.

Zhang Yuan saw through the window the planet fortress that had been stationary for a long time, now spewing colorful ion flames once again; the meticulously prepared artificial intelligences began the final phase of their work.

Looking up, one could see the "The Kunlun Mountain," which had accompanied humans for a long time, quietly stationed in the upper space of the big ice ball.

This mother ship was too large to be moved all at once, so it would stay here to witness the collision of the neutron stars.

People were about to abandon this mother ship that had served for thousands of years. From its departure from Gliese 581 to its arrival here, it had completed its mission.

The engineers kindly set the relevant programs so that, when the neutron stars collided, it would take cover behind the big ice ball; then, facing the direction of humanity, it would send a series of pulse data...

"I still remember when we first left Gliese 581, The Kunlun Mountain was brand new. We were so spirited back then," Li Zhendong remarked nostalgically beside him.

"Perhaps, hiding behind the big ice ball, she might escape disaster... and millions of years later, be discovered by another civilization?"

"Goodbye, The Kunlun Mountain!"

"Goodbye!"

Many people were bidding farewell to this once mother ship.

Zhang Yuan sighed in his heart as he climbed into the hibernation chamber...

Goodbye, Kunlun Mountain!

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