Chapter 82 - 82: The Moon Has Changed So Much
On the transport ship, 88 prisoners had their restraints loosened by robots. They were granted temporary freedom.
However, their movements were still restricted as robots were monitoring their activities.
Even so, people were pretty happy.
“Brother Zhu, you were right! They really set us free once we are in outer space…”
“Next, they should be sending us back home, right?!”
Zhuge Tao approached the edge of the spacecraft, looking at the rapidly passing scenery outside the window. He had an ominous feeling that something bad might happen.
Releasing them meant that the aliens were aware of their existence, and logically speaking, they should be sent back to Earth.
But now, the ship was going in the opposite direction, seemingly heading towards the Moon.
“I don’t want to be a hero!
Zhuge Tao was on the verge of tears. It should just be Zhang Tao that was going to the alien’s base. He really didn’t want to go!
Three hours passed, and their colleagues had long realized that something was amiss. They had been flying for so long without landing, prompting them to relentlessly question Zhuge Tao.
“I don’t know, I’m not an alien…”
Zhuge Tao grew impatient. Just as he was speaking, he suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on something outside the window.
“What is that?!
Someone was puzzled, looking at the object that was getting closer and closer outside the window, exclaiming, “It’s a spacecraft!”
“The White Rabbit spaceship…”
Zhuge Tao took a closer look and realized it was the spacecraft that Zhang Tao had departed in.
The transport ship they were currently on was incredibly fast. In just a few seconds after spotting the White Rabbit spacecraft, they had already overtaken it and it disappeared from sight.
“Is Zhang Tao still alive?”
“It seems the aliens have discovered this spacecraft, so why haven’t they captured it?”
Zhuge Tao was filled with numerous doubts, but he could only wait until they reached the Moon to find some answers.
Another three hours passed, and the transport ship finally arrived at the Moon.
“Where is this?”
“Where have we ended up?!”
“An alien planet!”
“Oh my, it’s so magnificent…”
People exclaimed in awe, their eyes filled with fascination.
However, Zhuge Tao’s expression changed drastically.
While others were unaware of where they had arrived, he knew all too well that they were on the Moon.
But at this moment, the Moon looked nothing like its original form.
In the near-lunar orbit, there was now a sprawling spaceport that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Countless spaceships took off and landed at the port.
Looking beyond the port towards the surface, what used to be desolate and lonely was now a steel jungle with a constant flow of various machinery.
“How is this possible?!”
Zhuge Tao was shocked. The last time he saw the far side of the Moon was just a month ago, and now, within that short period, the Moon had transformed like this?!
“It’s terrifying how efficient these aliens are!”
Suddenly, he had a thought. Was it possible that their assumption, that the aliens’ mothership was damaged and they were relying on Earth’s technology to compensate for the loss, was incorrect?!
It just seemed unlikely that the aliens couldn’t fix their spaceship when they were so good at building stuff so quickly.
Especially not far from them, a spaceport encircling the entire planet. A rough estimate showed that there were over five hundred spacecraft visible to him alone, and there were likely many more beyond his sight!
“Goodness, are we considered representatives of Earth visiting an alien planet?”
“This is a small step for us but a giant leap for humanity…”
While Zhuge Tao worried, his colleagues appeared much more relaxed. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. They knew too little, so they were less afraid.
Just as everyone speculated about what the aliens would do to them, the transport ship didn’t dock at the spaceport but continued to move towards the interior of the planet.
They flew until they reached a place where a lush green landscape of trees and flowers came into view.
“What is this?”
As before, others remained calm, merely curious about everything alien.
But Zhuge Tao was well aware that this was the Moon, with an atmosphere so thin it approached the conditions of outer space.
How could there be such a vast grassland?!
Simulation technology!
Zhuge Tao remembered the deal Zhao Yu made with them before they were captured, which included mention of simulation technology.
As the spacecraft approached the ground, Zhuge Tao’s shock grew more intense.
Their simulation technology was actually so powerful?!
This park covered a considerable area and even housed many animals from Earth.
“Lions, tigers, leopards, antelopes, rhinoceroses, and more.”
“Each animal occupies its own territory without encroaching on others’…”
Suddenly, Zhuge Tao noticed a building at the center of the park.
“Is that the park’s administration center?!”
As he thought this, the transport ship arrived above that building.
II
Buzz!
II
The bottom of the hatch opened, and a beam of light shot out, sending all 88 people plummeting towards the ground.
Zhuge Tao was dumbfounded. At this moment, he understood their predicament.
Together with the other animals, they had become creatures that were in here for exhibition!
“They should be fine living next to the animals, right?”
Zhao Yu sat on the spacecraft, watching as the people were released into the park by the transport ship, casually asking.
“It should be fine. I have set up air barriers between each type of animal. They won’t come into contact with each other…”
Zhao Yu nodded and, after seeing Zhuge Tao and the other 88 people safely land, he stopped paying attention and continued orbiting the Moon on the spacecraft.
“I’ve only been away for a few days, and the Moon has changed so dramatically!”
Not only was Zhuge Tao shocked, but Zhao Yu, the leader of the lunar base, was also astonished.
When he first arrived, he thought he had made a mistake and ended up on someone else’s planet.
Uncle Da smiled and said, “Sir, we were always ready to boost our production lines. We just didn’t dare to generate them too recklessly before…”
Now, with abundant resources and the completion of the sky dome and laser defense systems, we no longer have to fear being discovered by aliens. Naturally, we can go all out with construction.”
“Sir, our base’s main production now consists of two types. One is various types of warships. My goal is to expand to one million ships before the arrival of the alien fleet…”
“The second type is the base points required for the defense line, and we have completed 1% so far…”
“However, the issue of future resources is far from resolved. Relying solely on trade with Earth is not enough. It seems that the self-built howling sky mining sites on Earth are also insufficient…”
In just one day, the number of Xiaotian mining machines excavated on Earth had reached 2,400, but the output was not satisfactory. In one day, only 20 million Blue Moon dollars’ worth of resources were mined.
Although it wasn’t a small amount, it was still far from the required 10.9 billion Blue Moon dollars’ worth of resources for the first defense line.
“Do you want to continue expanding?”
“No, sir. I was thinking of sending the Xiaotian machines to the sea…”
“The land area only accounts for one-fifth of Earth, and most of the resources are actually buried under the sea…”
“So, I thought, why not upgrade the production line of the Xiaotian machines to increase their waterproof and diving capabilities…”
Zhao Yu nodded and asked, “How many tech points are needed for the upgrade?”
“500 tech points!”
500 wasn’t a large amount, but currently, Zhao Yu calculated that he would only have enough for the upgrade to the third-generation nuclear fusion once he completed the trade for the nuclear power plant.
He turned his head and asked, “Is there anything else we can sell?”
“There is!”
Uncle Da nodded and said, “In these days, the electromagnetic waves on Earth have been disrupted, and wireless signals are almost non-existent. It made me overlook the matter of the wireless network…”
“We can build a sky network on Earth. At the very least, it can yield 1,000 tech points…”
After a brief consideration, Zhao Yu realized the importance that Earth placed on nuclear fusion power plants. If he mentioned the trade for the sky network again before delivery, the other party would surely agree.
“In that case, let’s proceed with the upgrade and get the Xiaotian machines to the ocean as soon as possible….”