Chapter 261: People After the War (Part 2)_1
Zhang Beihai had been wondering what gift Jiang Yu had given him, and now he finally had the chance to take a look.
Apart from a large door on one side of the five big containers, there was also a smaller door at the lower-left corner of the large door.
Zhang Beihai and the others first arrived at the largest container. When the facial recognition system on the small door scanned Zhang Beihai's face and retina, the door automatically opened.
Two soldiers carrying large lamps led the way, brightly illuminating the interior of the container for all to see.
Inside was an enormous piece of machinery, its purpose unknown.
At the top of this machinery, there was a circle of robots in hibernation, but everyone seemed under the illusion that their camera heads were silently watching them all the time.
This made everyone feel as if they had entered some mysterious tomb and that these robots were the tomb's attendants.
Dongfang Yanxu found a portable computer on the wall of the container.
The computer contained instructions and an introduction for this piece of machinery.
It turned out to be an ice water collector, a device originally designed to collect ice and water from Moon of Jupiter (Europa) and then simply modified.
The circle of robots served as auxiliary force for collecting ice blocks.
Additionally, this big guy was also capable of extracting hydrogen from water and further purifying it into deuterium.
Since the machine was made in haste, there was no time to make it lighter, so it was huge in size.
Zhang Beihai and the others breathed a sigh of relief. The biggest concern on their journey was actually about fuel.
With this big guy, as long as there was water or ice to be found, they could potentially solve the fuel shortage in the future.
Next, they came to the second container, which also housed another huge machine. Entry required Zhang Beihai's face and retina to be identified just like the first, but this machine was more beautiful than the previous one.
From the manual, everyone learned that this was actually a hydrogen collector, a device specifically designed to collect hydrogen from gas giant planets.
As everyone knows, Jupiter is an ocean of nuclear engine fuel, but because of its huge gravity and strong storms, flying directly into Jupiter to collect hydrogen is practically a death wish.
Thus, the hydrogen collector was invented.
Just connect it to an external port of the spaceship in advance, and when the ship approaches Jupiter, it will eject a long pipeline and collection head. It doesn't need to sink into Jupiter; it can collect hydrogen just from Jupiter's atmosphere.
The method of collection is not a simple extraction, because Jupiter's gravity is so strong that extraction would consume a lot of energy.
This device's collection head can utilize the violent storms of Jupiter to generate high-speed rotation, using centrifugal force to counteract the gravitational pull of Jupiter and provide the hydrogen with the thrust needed to escape the planet's gravity.
Currently, the hydrogen "mines" of Jupiter reside on the closely orbiting Moon of Jupiter (Io), with hundreds of pipelines densely hanging into Jupiter's atmosphere, a spectacle to behold from afar.
Those pipelines are all "mining" using the principle of the hydrogen collector, only they are much more robust.
The hydrogen and helium-3 collected in the "mines" not only suffice for the colonies in the Jupiter Circle but can also be exported to colonies on other planets.
With this equipment, there's no need to worry about being unprepared when encountering a gas giant planet.
The other three containers each contained a small mining machine, a small automatic forging factory, and a small automatic machinery factory, all of which were the latest products of the Solar System State.
The mining machine also came with sixteen mining robots and twelve exploration robots.
These devices were closely guarded by the Solar System State, and it was difficult for other powers to buy such advanced equipment, except for their domestic mines.
The last smaller container housed a new type of synthetic starch manufacturer, which could produce crops like corn, wheat, and rice if connected to the ship's filtration system, as long as there was still carbon dioxide being exhaled on board.
Additionally, the portable computer contained the latest technology for space farms and space ranches, plus a large number of seeds that had been mutated and selected.
Dongfang Yanxu and the others immediately felt that their journey was thoroughly prepared, nothing like it had been a hasty escape from the Solar System.
She asked Zhang Beihai, "Does Wallfacer know about your plan?"
Zhang Beihai smiled and said, "See what he has sent us, don't you understand?"
"He knew far more than just that!"
...
Gaining control of the Asian, European, and North American Fleets had been much easier than Jiang Yu had imagined.
There were no military personnel actually working at the North American Fleet's fortress; most of them were either crying or howling into the air.
There were even some begging Sophon for mercy, hoping The Waterdrop would bypass their fortress.
Those who were drinking themselves into a stupor in the cafeteria were, by comparison, the more mentally mature ones.
With just three small warships, Jiang Yu had completely taken control of two military fortresses of the North American Fleet.
Next was the European Fleet's fortress, which was somewhat stronger than North America's—their fleet had at least made contact when Jiang Yu's ships approached.
Not to question Jiang Yu and his crew's purpose, but rather to blurt out, "Have you gone mad? You dare to travel in spaceships still! Aren't you afraid of being attacked by 'The Waterdrop'?"
The communicator was a red-eyed, disheveled officer who clearly hadn't rested well, or perhaps hadn't rested at all, over the past few days.
Jiang Yu said, "I am Jiang Yu, the Commander-in-chief of The Four Great Fleets. I need to speak to your highest-ranking officer."
The officer from the European Fleet suddenly burst into tears, sobbing as he asked, "Wallfacer! I beg you, Wallfacer, tell us what we should do now?"
The words "what to do" had almost given Jiang Yu calluses on his ears these past few days.
He said coldly, "Act like a soldier! Find me your highest-ranking officer, now!"
The officer from the European Fleet cried out like a child, "I am the highest-ranking officer, but what good does that do? 'The Waterdrop' doesn't care about military ranks when it kills!"
Jiang Yu pointed at him and cursed vehemently, "You dishonor the military one more time, and as soon as I enter the fortress, you'll be the first I'll shoot!"
"You don't need to shoot me!" The officer suddenly drew his gun, pressed it against his temple, and without hesitation, pulled the trigger.
The laser gun instantly turned the officer's brain to ash, and his gaping eyes became shriveled.
Jiang Yu slapped his forehead: "I've had it with these people."
The military officers accompanying Jiang Yu, having seen the bizarre behavior of the North American and European Fleets in the past two days, were increasingly grateful for the presence of the Wallfacer within the Solar System State.
They too were fearful and anxious, but with Jiang Yu present, their pillar of strength remained steadfast.
Just as Jiang Yu was about to give the order to attack, a soldier from the European Fleet came running over. He picked up the officer's gun, leaned into the screen, and asked, "Hello Wallfacer, what should I do now?"
Here we go again!
Jiang Yu said irritably, "Have the highest-ranking officer in your fortress come to see me."
The soldier said, "As you've seen, he's just killed himself."
It was then that Jiang Yu realized this person wasn't undergoing an emotional collapse like the previous officer, "Are you a Hibernator?"
It was now quite easy to distinguish Hibernators from modern humans. Although both exhibited extreme depression, the Hibernators maintained their composure amidst the low spirits.
Modern humans generally showed signs of psychological collapse; those who were hiding alone in corners, crying quietly not bothering anyone, were already considered to have excellent mental fortitude.
The few modern humans who could still function like puppets at their jobs were deemed superhumans among the modern population.
The soldier indeed replied, "Yes!"
At last, Jiang Yu had found someone sane: "Call your executive officer!"
"He killed himself yesterday."
"Fine," Jiang Yu said. "I hereby appoint you as the highest-ranking officer in the fortress in the name of the Commander-in-chief of The Four Great Fleets.
"Additionally, my fleet is coming in to dock!"