Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 523 - 157. The Spirit of the Mouse (Part 2)

Chapter 523: 157. The Spirit of the Mouse (Part 2)

"It’s possible to deploy on the Moon now, or let them search for interstellar civilizations."

"Very good, we’ll set aside the cost of living for these 1.7 billion people for now. We’ll treat the migration to the Moon as a strategic mission. The Moon has plenty of helium; we won’t lack energy. Let me do some calculations for you: We won’t count the cost of shuttling back and forth with each spaceship launch to the Moon, but we’ll need at least two hydrogen bombs with a blast yield of 160 million tons. And how many people can we send to the Moon at most in one trip?"

Rudolf looked at the other party and said:

"240 people."

"The Four Nations’ thermonuclear weapon reserve won’t exceed two thousand. Such a space program can last at most a thousand trips, without any mistakes, and we can send at most 240,000 people to the Moon."

"Two hundred and forty thousand people, while we have 1.7 billion people in dire need of a labor force stuck on Earth."

Rudolf put aside the calculator and looked at President David Lyn:

"Do you understand, Your Excellency? It’s an impossible task. Even if we were to detonate all our nuclear bombs, we could at most transport 240,000 people to the Moon. Even if we were to deploy a mechanized army for modular production, the most we could do in the end is to leave a small seed of humanity on the Moon."

"Rather than that, why not let go and enjoy the real world one last time, then calmly face our extinction."

"Our scientists have been researching chemical hormones so that, when doomsday comes, everyone will be able to get government-distributed chemical hormones that stimulate the body to die joyously and painlessly."

Rudolf did not shy away from these details, for he knew the Four Nations all had similar plans.

David Lyn fell silent for a moment, holding a cigarette between his fingers without making a sound, his gaze fixed on a distant map.

After a full half-minute had passed, David Lyn finally spoke:

"Crown Prince Rudolf, are the Red Arrow people afraid of death?"

The question sounded like a provocation. Rudolf raised an eyebrow and replied:

"If the Red Arrow people feared death, they would have given up on revenge long ago."

"If you are not even afraid of dying, then why do you hold such a pessimistic attitude in the face of Lord Entropy?"

David Lyn took a drag on his cigarette, slowly blowing out a ring of smoke. Without waiting for Rudolf to answer, he continued:

"For hundreds of years, the Frost Plated People have lived either in fear or in poverty. We fear death more than anyone, but now, we’ve finally begun to live well."

"We ended the chaotic and corrupt history of the Madeleine government. We embarked on the road to technology, enriching the nation, strengthening the military, securing allies—in my view, humanity no longer deserves to be our enemy."

David Lyn leaned back in his chair, tapping ash into the ashtray before continuing:

"The Red Arrow Nation’s obsession with revenge is something the Frost Plated Ethnicity can understand. Please also understand the Frost Plated Ethnicity’s obsession with living. If we want to survive, we must leave this planet."

"So how do we deal with Lord Entropy? With our capabilities, we stand no chance no matter what." Rudolf challenged, "In the eyes of Lord Entropy, we are but a group of sewer rats."

"We fight to the death."

David Lyn said:

"Even if we are doomed to be shattered to pieces, the Frost Plated People must take a bite out of Lord Entropy. Even rats have their pride."

Listening to this, Rudolf knew there was more to David Lyn’s words. After pondering for a moment and still unsure of David Lyn’s intentions, he had no choice but to ask:

"What exactly is your plan, Your Excellency?"

"In the old days, Azure Star planned to tunnel through the Earth’s Core, creating a direct path that would connect the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. With it, they could travel to the other side in just two hours, greatly strengthening cultural exchange and the integration of the world’s people."

"Are you talking about... the Stellar Path?!" Rudolf narrowed his eyes, "One end of that railroad lies within the boundaries of the Frost Plating Federation, but the other end has fallen into the hands of Sky Ring. Moreover, in reality, the Stellar Path hasn’t truly been completed."

"Of course, that path was never completed. But the super AI systems left over from the old era, they have their mainframes deployed underground."

President David Lyn calmly spoke,

"Because deep in Earth’s core is where the Abandon Mist of Lord Entropy resides. It was there that Ersha first began to spread."

"What are you planning to do with that Stellar Path?"

David Lyn glanced at Crown Prince Rudolf and said,

"The Frost Plating Federation has an extremely large hadron collider, a remnant of a bygone era."

"We can set it up near Earth’s core to create a micro black hole. If we’re lucky, the black hole caused by the fusion collapse won’t be too large, just enough to obliterate the entire core. The radiant heat produced by the black hole will also maintain our geothermal temperature."

"You’re greatly overestimating the technology of the old era; one tiny black hole is simply not enough."

Rudolf shook his head,

"Yes, this does sound much more plausible than the Moon’s Seed of Fire project. But even I, a student of the arts, know that the artificial black holes produced by a collider can’t swallow the molten iron at Earth’s core. They don’t have the mass to sustain Azure Star’s gravity. The most likely scenario is they will disappear one after another, like the mini sushi at Sky Ring, and all that will be left is a minor disturbance in Earth’s core’s gravity."

"One is certainly not enough."

David Lyn looked at Rudolf,

"However, two colliders, positioned on the east and west sides, would result in the two black holes consuming each other. Their intertwined movements would cause the matter at Earth’s core to be continuously devoured by the immense energy they produce. With that, it would be about right."

"But where would the second machine come from?" Rudolf questioned, "That’s not just technology from an old era, but a system built with help from an interstellar civilization. No country possesses the capability to construct a second one."

"No, the second one already exists."

David Lyn pointed towards the other side of Azure Star,

"On the day that Li Aozi caused chaos on Sky Ring, the agents of Third Rule had already infiltrated and discovered that there’s a hadron collider underneath Houjo Tower on Sky Ring."

Rudolf slightly bowed his head.

——The espionage capabilities of the Frost Plating Federation were unexpectedly strong.

While the Third Rule’s reputation was notorious, their lackluster performance over the past two years, whether it was their defeat in the Li Aozi incident or the reductions made after President David Lyn came to power, hadn’t been very impressive.

This had led Rudolf to arrogantly believe that the days of the Frost Plating Federation dominating the intelligence world were over.

But now, it seemed that Third Rule was still the most powerful espionage agency in the world. A weakening Third Rule did not mean that other countries’ intelligence departments had grown stronger.

’Red Arrow’s intelligence capabilities are lacking; the security level needs to be elevated further.’

President David Lyn said this to demonstrate his strength on purpose.

Currently, as the Frost Plating Federation was still undergoing reforms and development, everybody knew the federation’s national strength was unstable. By deliberately showcasing the operational prowess of Third Rule, he was also showing the Red Arrow People not to underestimate themselves.

At the same time, it was a signal that David Lyn also considered Sky Ring to be a threat, and both countries could reach a consensus on this matter.

"In fact, Your Highness Crown Prince Rudolf, I’ve always had an idea."

"Oh? Let’s hear it."

"We’ve reached this era now, and eventually, we’re all going to step into space. One day, all of this old stuff is going to be discarded."

David Lyn said,

"What I think is, perhaps humanity should establish a truly unified entity, to completely and absolutely dominate the entire planet. Only by doing so will we have the confidence to advance into the cosmos."