Age of Cosmic Exploration, 4

by Zhttty

  Yao Yuan tailed the two super species for more than 10 hours. Since the space armor had an internal air circulatory system, he was not afraid the two beasts could pick up his scent. He was, however, feeling the beginning of fatigue from using his Homo Evolutis skill for so long.

  After he confirmed that he had become a Level 2 All-Rounder, during his daily training, Yao Yuan realized that his mastery over Homo Evolutis skills had almost doubled, and so did their effectiveness. They were still not as strong as their respectively pure forms, but Yao Yuan was content.

  After more than 10 hours of continuous tracking, the speed of the two super species finally slowed down. They shifted in direction and headed towards a spot by the edge of their territory. Yao Yuan ignored his growling stomach and followed patiently. The goal was near, so he couldn’t give up now. The two super species finally stopped several hours later and stayed at that spot for more than one hour. Yao Yuan immediately ordered the surveillance shuttle to mark down the location. He stopped pursuing the super species, retreated to a safe location, and called for a shuttle back to the Hope.

  After food and rest, the fully recovered Yao Yuan took Ying and Liu Bai to the marked location on the next day’s afternoon.

  Soon, they arrived at the location. After about 10 minutes of trekking, the three entered a seemingly normal swamp. Without Yao Yuan’s orders, Ying used his Seeker power to memorize every inch of the scene.

  "Look, there are slight footprints here. Something must be hidden underneath this clump of dried branches and roots since the two super species spent a lot of time pacing around this area!" Ying confirmed, pointing at an inconspicuous bump on the ground.

  Yao Yuan signed a signal, telling them to be careful before inching forward to the suspicious bump. He used his Diviner power to scan the area, but there was no sign of danger. He carefully swept the branches and leaves away. He was surprised to find a structure that was like an upturned bowl. The space in the middle was only enterable from below. It was an interesting find, not unlike a beaver’s dam but more intricate in design.

  Yao Yuan cracked open the nest and found within a mouse-like creature squeaking. It was the size of half an adult’s palm. It was white as snow, and the black scale that would eventually envelop its body was still undeveloped. Like its adult variation, it had 6 appendages, two of them had already grown claws. The little creature still hadn’t opened its eyes, but the sudden exposure to the rush of air made it squeak in curiosity.

  "The nature of a parent sure is impressive; even the alien species is not excluded from it. They are raising their offspring here, no wonder they are reluctant to leave their territory." Yao Yuan scooped the little creature carefully up in his palms. Liu Bai, who stood beside him, rushed over with a glass case that was equipped with multiple machineries within. It was a germ-free case. It didn’t carry any viruses or microbes from Earth. The most it would have were the germs from this planet that escaped into it when it was opened, so it should be fine to contain this junior super species.

  Liu Bai brushed the little creature carefully with a germ-free napkin before sliding it carefully into the case. Then he nodded at Yao Yuan.

  Yao Yuan spoke into the communicator, "Transport shuttle, send down a rope ladder immediately. I can feel the two super species coming our way."

  Yao Yuan’s warning was unneeded because the people on the shuttle could see a patch of forest further away suddenly coming crashing down. Obviously, the two super species were ramming their way towards them. Therefore, they released the rope ladder quickly. The three hopped on and the shuttle lifted off.

  When the shuttle reached a 200 meter elevation, a black object shot up like a cannon into the sky using some of the taller trees as purchase. However, it only reached about 140 meters in height before crashing back down to earth. What followed was a blood curdling scream, one that was as impressive as the beating of war drums!

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  Chapter198 Success and Infection

  After the baby super species was brought back to the Hope, it was immediately taken over by the biology committee led by Saburo. Yao Yuan reminded them to be cautious, to not expose the creature to the Hope’s air, because it might get infected by Earth’s germs. The danger of infection went both ways; the germs on this planet could be fatal to mankind and germs from Earth could be the same for this super species.

  Yao Yuan’s heart shook when he thought of the two super species’ shrieks when they absconded via the shuttle. Regardless, they needed to do what needed to be done. At the very least, they needed to ensure the baby super species stayed alive.

  However, the little thing that was only the size of half a palm presented Yao Yuan and the gang with a huge problem.

  Its appetite was absurd.

  In just half an hour, it consumed about 30 kilograms of fish. These were fish with legs that the Hope had caught in the sea and river for the purpose of scientific experiment. They were kept in isolated tanks, so they were free from the Hope’s germs and were perfect to be used as feed for the juvenile super species.

  The fish from the river were smaller in size. There were 3 in total, each about 3 to 5 kilograms. Other than the fish from the river, there was only one fish from the sea, and it alone was about 15 kilograms in weight.

  When the fish were fed to the super species, it stopped its panicky squeaking and quieted down immediately. It started munching on the offered fish…

  The little creature was only 300 grams, so initially the scientists stopped after feeding it 300 grams of fish. Who knew that after about 10 seconds or so, the creature would start squealing again, nodding its small head at the opening the fish would slide through. Its action was extremely endearing. Obviously, it was still not full.

  Therefore, the scientists fed it another 50 grams of fish and stopped no matter how much noise the creature made afterwards. After it realized it was not getting any more food, it laid down its head and started sleeping. Before that though, it did something that surprised the scientists. It pooped out ball after ball of extremely dry excrement.

  The scientists collected the excrement and analyzed it. They discovered that there were no nutrients at all in them, they had only a small amount of water, fiber, and waste product. They weighed about 300 grams. In other words, the creature fully digested the 350 grams of fish it consumed in a matter of minutes. Its metabolism was unbelievable.

  Then, the little creature woke up from its slumber and excreted a pool of liquid at a spot far away from the location where it laid down to sleep. After that, it dragged its body back to its rudimentary nest to continue sleeping. The observing scientists were pleasantly surprised.

  Impressed by its metabolism, the scientists would toss it fish every time after it passed its bowels. The thing’s appetite appeared to be bottomless, it just kept on eating. Of course, the scientists weren’t just playing with the creature, In the meantime, all kinds of analyses had started. The baby super species that was fed showcased incredibly high intelligence; it even cooperated with the analyses. This improved the analysis progress tremendously. Of course, this was traded for the Hope’s stock of fish.

  When Yao Yuan heard the news, it was the time when the baby super species threw its tantrum, halting the analysis progress.

  The creature was too clever. It understood that if it allowed the scientist to poke or study its body, it would get fish as reward. Therefore, it came to understand the contractual relationship it was in: if there was no fish, then it would not allow the analytical machines anywhere near it.

  Even though it only weighedseveral hundred grams, when it wanted to, even a room of adults wouldn’t be able to catch up to it. Thankfully, its appendages were still not fully formed. However, its mouthful of sharp teeth was something else. It took a small bite out of a metallic table and immediately it missed a corner.

  It was a warning for the scientists to back off. After it realized that
no fish was coming, it ignored the gauntlet of eyes that stared at it and started to sleep right on top of the table of the germ-free room.

  Yao Yuan saw the whole struggle and shook his head helplessly. He ordered some men to catch more fish from the sea, preferably those bigger than 10 kilograms.

  Just like that, the baby super species started its pampered life on the Hope. The study on the super species also continued without a hitch. A report was given to Yao Yuan the very next day.

  According to the report, the super species’ musculature was completely different from all the other animals mankind had seen. Its muscles were like high-density iron fibers, tough and strong. In just a day, the creature had grown 300 grams in weight, but there was no difference in its size. Obviously, that had to do with its unique musculature.

  Other than that, its bone structure was also incredibly unique. Even though they couldn’t cut the beast open to study it, the 4th revolution technology allowed mankind to obtain a lot of information without the need for autopsy. For example, other than the common calcium and other components normally found in bones, the super species’ bone structure contained traces of various metallic substances. So in a way, their bones were not bones but half-metals.

  The creature’s blood contained a special type of enzyme. It was responsible for the creature’s high metabolism. Under the careful experiment of the Academy, they found out the enzyme could even digest the flesh alien cells. Of course, the amount of alien cells had to be controlled; too much of them and it would be the super species that was infected and consumed.

  This meant that the super species’ digestive system depended on its blood instead of specific organs, like stomach or intestines. This was proven to be true after more analysis. The super species had a sac-like organ in its blood circulatory system. It would pump out the unique enzyme whenever it detected the presence of food in the body. This allowed it to digest the food in a short amount of time.

  Simultaneously, the enzyme in the creature’s blood was not only good for digestion, it was also a type of bacterial disinfectant. In other words, its circulatory system acted as its immune system as well! The enzyme was able to break down all sorts of virus, bacteria, and microbes, but of course only up to a certain amount.

  This was the thing Saburo needed. This enzyme could replace the Component X in the Ultimate Vaccine! By fixing the formula, the vaccine could be used by normal civilians!

  Several days passed and the baby super species had visibly grown in size. It had inhaled about 400 kilograms of food, and its weight had increased to about 2,000 grams, but it still kept that endearing cuteness. As the amount of feeding instances increased, it could even differentiate between mankind and food. One time an intern weighed it without giving feeding it first, and it opened its mouth to envelop the intern’s finger. When everyone thought it was going to break the intern’s finger, it merely squealed and shook the finger, asking for food.

  At the same time, the two grown super species were spotted around the edge of the forest, about 20 kilometers from the new capital. The surveillance unit immediately gave out a warning. Black Star Trooper Unit 2, who was nearby, instantly went into action, but when they arrived, they were greeted with animal carcasses of differing sizes.

  The super species appeared daily, but whenever the troopers arrived, they would be gone, only leaving behind the carcasses. In a fit of inspiration, Yao Yuan ordered the men to weigh the carcass. They realized they weighed the same as the amount of food the baby super species was ingesting.

  The parents’ instinct was definitely something impressive.

  However, did this mean that it was possible to communicate with the super species?

  At the end of the day, Yao Yuan really didn’t want to kill these super species, because they weren’t aliens, they were native animals on this new planet. Mankind was no different from those aliens that wanted to take over Earth by wiping out humanity. Furthermore, wiping them out would be difficult, as there were 5 of them in this patch of forest alone. Who knew how many there were in total across the entire planet?

  If communication was possible, could they be tamed like their young ones? With such a powerful companion at mankind’s side, it would be a lot safer when humanity wanted to venture into the jungle. After all, the planet had scary creatures, like dinosaurs, traipsing all over it.

  When such thoughts cropped into Yao Yuan’s mind, news came from the surveillance shuttle.

  On the sixth day after the baby super species was brought the Hope, the two grown super species appeared at the fringe of the jungle again. However, the surveillance footage showed the larger of the two limping while it walked. The wound on its leg that was cut open by sawblade was festering and postulating…

  Obviously, it was infected by Earth’s germs, viruses, or microbes!

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  Chapter199 Old and New Unified System

  "… Regarding this problem, I admit my culpability."

  In the emergency meeting, a tired-looking Saburo spoke first. Then he offered a 90 degree bow that was culturally-unique to the Japanese.

  Yao Yuan sighed. Saburo was a good man, and Yao Yuan believed kindness should be repaid with kindness, so even before this, he didn’t pick on Saburo because of his nationality. Yes, the Chinese and Japanese had a long history of animosity, but after a prolonged period of interaction, it had all dispersed. This was because Saburo exemplified an honorable man.

  Yao Yuan shook his head at Saburo. "No, this is no one’s fault. Before I gave the order for the Black Star Troopers to venture into the forest to clear out the beast, both you and Ivan, alongside many other professors, reminded me that infection goes both ways. I knew of the danger beforehand, but the new capital had to be built. Furthermore, none of us could have foreseen the Ultimate Vaccine for the public would take this long to complete. No one is at fault; the only thing we can learn from this is to not overestimate our own technology next time."

  Saburo’s expression eased for a bit, but he still looked as exhausted as ever. For the past few months, he hadn’t had a good night's sleep that lasted for more than five hours. It seriously affected his health.

  Yao Yuan asked, "So how goes the progress for the mass-use Ultimate Vaccine? Is it possible for us to introduce immunity to the native life forms on this planet so that they won’t be harmed by the virus, microbes, and bacteria we carry?"

  Saburo answered, after a brief consideration, "Theoretically, it should be possible. The vaccine is not a pure anti-biotic; it works by evolving the organism’s innate immune system. Therefore, if we allow the base for the vaccine to interact with Earth’s unique strain of virus, it should theoretically be able to produce a vaccine that enables immunity for this planet’s native organisms. Of course, it needs time."

  Ivan, who stood beside him, added, "Captain, we’re not technically on a time crunch, so don’t worry too much. This new planet is wildly different from Earth. No matter how fatal the virus is, as long as it is not airborne, no, even if it is airborne, we have more than enough time on our hands."

  Yao Yuan was shocked. "How so? Currently we have more than 100 cases of native animals being infected by Earth’s viruses. And we haven’t even started on the plants yet. But with the migration of our people and pollination of Earth’s plant lives, like paddy, wheat, vegetables, and maize, wouldn’t the plants on this planet succumb to mass infection?"

  Ivan shook his head. "Captain, you missed out on one important detail, and that is the speed of contamination. The threat of bioterrorism back on Earth was so huge was because of mankind’s mobility. If not quarantined, a virus originating in a small country could spread across the entire Earth in just one day. However, on this new planet, none of the animals we noticed have the capability of rounding the planet in 24 hours. Furthermore, due to its unique gravitational pull of having binary moons, the animals on this planet do not perform migration. In other wo
rds, if we humans don’t purposely wonder beyond the confines of the capital, the range of contamination will be limited to the area around the capital."

  Yao Yuan relaxed considerably after hearing Ivan’s explanation. As long as the entire planet’s ecosystem was completely destroyed, the sacrifice of an isolated area was acceptable. Nature had its way of recovering itself; as long as the ecosystem at large was still intact, the relatively small scar would be healed over time.

  "If that’s the case, we better rush the progress for the Ultimate Vaccine. We need two versions, one for Earth-dwellers, and another for the organisms native to this planet…"

  Yao Yuan petered off to silence. The scientists were used to this quirk of his. There were three people on the Hope that acted this way. Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Yao Yuan, and all three had access to the Thinker power. They tended to escape into their thoughts in the middle of things, so the surrounding people had learned to let them be whenever these happened.

  After a long silence, Yao Yuan suddenly addressed the meeting room. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have a question: is it possible for us to evolve the entire planet’s virus environment? With our technology, is it possible for us to do that?"

  That sent the room in a chaos. Researchers from multiple fields started plying their own point of view. They were all discussing the possibility of redressing the microbial ecosystem of an entire planet with 4th revolution technology.

  After a long time, the scientist finally reached a relatively agreed upon consensus. It was doable, but the actual plan needed a lot of ironing out. The one thing they had to be careful with was the planet’s native biodiversity. Compared to the planet’s natural environment, the plants brought from Earth were unvaried and monotonous. The plan had to ensure that the planet’s biodiversity was preserved, or else the ecosystem would implode upon itself due to a limited gene pool.