Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 275 - Chapter 275 Chapter 275 Year 44

Chapter 275: Chapter 275 Year 44 Chapter 275: Chapter 275 Year 44 Epoch 5504.

The 44th year since humans arrived in the Gliese 581 Star System…

Population scale: 3.42 million!

To cope with the ever-growing population size, the “Earth Era” Mother Ship had already been gradually phased out twenty years ago. No matter how large the spaceship or how perfect its functions, it was impossible to accommodate the daily lives of more than three million people, let alone provide that many job opportunities.

Instead, circular underground residential areas were established on the surface of the planet. Each living area’s diameter was roughly 2 kilometers, satisfying the residential needs of 100,000 people, and to date, there were a total of 36 such living areas.

Each residential area was connected to central work zones, commercial zones, education zones, and comprehensive service areas, with highly convenient orbital transportation available between regions.

After more than forty years of transformation, Satellite No.1 had truly become a modernized colonial planet belonging to humanity!

At seven o’clock in the morning, in “sunny” weather, or rather, the weather inside the living area was always good. As the rotation speed of all rooms in the Ferris wheel slowly decreased to zero and artificial gravity vanished, people welcomed a new day.

Children went to school while adults headed to their respective workplaces. Although a population of over three million still wasn’t sufficient to meet the labor demands of all trades, it was already many times more relaxed than it had been when they first arrived here.

Over forty years of hard work had gradually made people’s lives more prosperous, and there had been all-around improvements in clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Even pets of various kinds were allowed within the living areas after approval, significantly enhancing the joy of life. Humans, after all, are emotional creatures with many emotional needs, and adults raised pets for some mental satisfaction. School children were also taught to keep cats and dogs to cultivate their sense of responsibility and patience.

Of course, even if a living area was large, it was not Earth, so environmental controls remained very strict. If any pet excrement was discovered in public places, the community’s intelligent robots would analyze the DNA in it and trace it back to the pet’s owner, imposing a hefty fine…

This fine would certainly be painful enough to wrench the pet owner’s heart!

Dang dang dang!

As the work zone’s bell chimed, signaling that it was already nine o’clock in the morning, the entire city, like a waking giant, began to operate normally. The busiest place was undoubtedly the Space Elevator.

Through thick transparent glass, one could see a colossal structure stretching eight thousand kilometers high from the planetary surface!

It took twenty-two years to prioritize and build this massive Space Elevator, which could continuously transport materials to the space above.

The regular lights flitting like glowworms were emitted by the elevators as they moved upward.

“This is our new civilization’s first Space Elevator–Soaring Dragon No.1! The gravity of this planet is relatively low, so transportation puts less load on the Space Elevator. The daily throughput of materials is between 500,000 and 600,000 tons… Our Starship Dock is located at the other end of the Soaring Dragon.”

A group of 14-year-old children looked up to see a tall tower piercing the dim and unlit sky, seemingly transfixed for a moment.

But soon, they began chattering excitedly again.

Coming out of the education zone for the first time and seeing so many amazing things excited them beyond measure.

“Li Cha, look over there… a spaceship is coming down! A Haiyan SPACE-I Type combat escort ship.”

“Wow!”

“I love this kind of spaceship, the most advanced should be the Hai Yan SPACE-II type, right…?”

“That’s the newest Power Armor, model X-004!” A few boys even mimicked the walking posture of Power Armor, making “clack clack” sounds with their mouths.

“When are we going to have a Power Armor experience class?”

“That won’t do; I heard you can’t touch it until university, especially those with flying capabilities, the difficulty is really high.”

These students lived in the education zone until they were 14, receiving an all-around enclosed education, and their knowledge of the outside world was limited to textbooks, television, and the internet.

After turning 14, they gained more opportunities for social practice.

The reason for this setup was because the world views and values of someone too young would still be incomplete.

Furthermore, the education zone was a special annular area that cost a great deal to maintain. The university centrifuge rotated continuously, maintaining a gravitational state equal to that of Earth, which was beneficial for the normal growth and development of minors.

According to scientific research, long-term exposure to low gravity during childhood could have adverse effects on the growth and development of bones, organs, and muscles, leading to risks like osteoporosis, growth deformities, being too short, or growing too tall, and other strange diseases.

Humans were born on Earth, and simulating Earth-like gravitational conditions was crucial for human growth and development. Even though current medical technology was advancing and could alleviate many diseases with medication, avoidance was still preferable.

At this moment, the robot teacher guiding the group, Mr. Jin, said with a smile, “Classmates, our summer social practice class is to visit the Space Elevator. You will spend 20 days visiting here…”

“As for homework… think carefully about what kind of work you want to do in the future. This is very important. Other than that, there’s nothing else!”

“Yay!” The students all cheered. Such homework was practically the same as having none at all, making it a happy summer vacation indeed.

This robot teacher guided the twenty or so students to the entrance of the Space Elevator, waiting quietly.

Soon after, a group of university students ran over, laughing and greeting Mr. Jin. Clearly, they had a very friendly relationship.

To be frank, it had been 44 years, and Mr. Jin had taught several classes of children, essentially acting like a parent to a large number of kids. However, this robot teacher still looked the same as in the beginning, forever appearing to be in his twenties, never aging.

“You’ll be graduating from university in a year, right?” she said with a smile. “Time flies so fast, you’ll soon step into your jobs.”

“Ah, yes, who knows what job I will find after graduation. Just thinking about the future… well, it’s kind of exhausting and a little daunting.” A university male student shook his head slightly in mild distress.

Growing up meant taking on more responsibilities.

Especially for oneself–choosing the life one wants.

Everyone has a tendency towards inertia; who doesn’t wish they could stay at school a little longer?