112: Chapter 112 The System's Second Reward

For Chu Ge, the energy system was not as troublesome compared to the previous subsystems.

This lack of trouble only referred to the number of new materials and substances that needed to be researched and developed.

The trouble was that the entire energy system network spanned the entire kunpeng; looking at the dense wiring diagram before him, Chu Ge felt goosebumps all over his body.

This was destined to be a marathon-like tug-of-war.

In terms of actual construction difficulty, those two massive Nuclear Fusion Reactors alone were enough to keep the engineers busy.

Chu Ge felt sorry for them once again.

Just as Chu Ge was intently sketching the energy pipeline blueprints, his head was tapped several times with a "clunk, clunk."

[Congratulations Host, prestige points has reached 1 billion. Triggering fixed-quota System prestige points reward. Prizes are being prepared, please wait.]

Chu Ge didn't even pay it any mind. Last time it said that, it made him wait for 30 minutes, so he had learned his lesson. He continued with whatever he was doing; it wasn't like the thing could run away.

10 seconds later,

[Ding! Extracting System database archives. Archive extraction complete. Congratulations Host, you have received one portion of gene reagents, System Serial Number HQL-J011. Relevant synthesis methods and data backups have been issued. Host, please receive them.]

Chu Ge's hand, which was still drawing the circuit diagram, froze instantly. After a long moment, he finally reacted, put down his pen, and crossed his arms.

"I say, System Big Brother, is your data glitching again? Or do I have Alzheimer's? How do I remember it being this same thing last time? You can't keep giving me this. I only used that gene reagents a short while ago. Isn't this like pulling up sprouts to help them grow? Don't end up making me snap in half."

Chu Ge began to grumble incessantly. It wasn't that the gene reagents was bad—Chu Ge would love to become a Diamond Arhat in a single second.

The key was that this gene reagents didn't have such a massive effect. For any mechanism that worked cumulatively, Chu Ge naturally assumed that the higher the frequency of use in a short period, the greater the hidden dangers.

Chu Ge wanted to continue grumbling, but was decisively interrupted by System Big Brother.

[The last serial number was HQL-J001. Different serial numbers mean they aren't the same thing. You're bargaining with me without even looking? At least take a look.]

Err... Chu Ge smelled the scent of a dishonest merchant. Since it put it that way, there was definitely no going back.

Chu Ge glanced at his prestige points. Sure enough, another 500 million was gone, though fortunately, he had just gained a massive wave of presence yesterday.

Now, that prestige points number was still rising frantically. Chu Ge stared at the flickering digits for a while; he felt the numbers were jumping even more vigorously than last time.

This was natural. Through two bouts of international output, it wasn't just the people of Huaxia who were paying attention to and admiring him now.

Abroad, Academician Chu Ge had also successfully gained a segment of fans, and among these fans were many famous physicists, Nobel Prize winners, and the like.

"Fine, the deed is done. What else can I say? Can you give me a multiple-choice question next time? At least let me participate a bit. Just giving a notification like this makes one suspect some backroom manipulation."

System Big Brother didn't reply, likely too lazy to communicate with him, and went back to its own business.

Chu Ge felt that System Big Brother had been quite busy lately. He had no way of knowing what it was busy with—it couldn't be watching Doraemon, could it?

Chu Ge planned to wait for a day it was in a good mood to pump it for information. What kind of hobby was it for a Military-Industrial System, clearly of a higher level than human civilization, to spend all day snooping around things on Earth?

It would be embarrassing to tell anyone.

Even if it wanted to play at dimensional reduction strikes, there was no need to be so cautious, right?

Having made up his mind, Chu Ge looked at the new gene reagents. Perhaps there would be a surprise.

There really was a surprise, but it wasn't for him; it was for all the future personnel of the Interstellar Fleet. This gene reagents was, plainly speaking, a mass genetic modification plan. Seeing this, Chu Ge couldn't hold back again.

"System Big Brother, I've found that you're quite the businessman. You could have just made this gene reagents the same so we all upgrade at once. Why separate me from the group and give me special treatment?"

[Hmph, you actually guessed right. The Host's gene reagents is a separate preparation from the Military-Industrial System's special database. The enhancements are comprehensive and staged; the enhancement data and focus for each stage are different.]

[The mass gene reagents, however, focuses more on genetic mutations for adapting to space environments or unfamiliar, harsh environments. The boost to basic personal stats isn't large, and it isn't tiered. Once the evolution is done, it's done—a one-time opportunity. Furthermore, not all genomes are suitable for modification; you will need to conduct large-scale screening.]

[However, the screening process is safe. Even if the evolution fails, there are no side effects; one simply loses the ability to survive in harsh space environments. On your planet, there will be no difference from before.]

Chu Ge didn't question System Big Brother further and instead listened seriously. He felt that perhaps he had been asking for too much before.

Actually, he had wanted System Big Brother to reward him with a frigate or an Engineering Ship so he could build the Interstellar Fleet faster.

As for his own genetic modification, Chu Ge felt there was no rush. At worst, he could just wear a set of individual combat armor to go up; that would be simple and direct.

It was only after a future planetary landing that Chu Ge realized every step System Big Brother took today had a profound meaning, preparing him for later developments—but that is a story for later.

Chu Ge stopped talking nonsense. This thing was actually quite precious; at the very least, the team members going into space exploration with him wouldn't suffer from physical issues.

If they relied solely on the fragile human physique, it would likely be difficult to withstand the ravages of a harsh space environment for long periods.

Interstellar exploration was extremely time-consuming. They couldn't just go out and immediately come home for rotations; they really wouldn't get anything done that way.

Humans raised on the Blue Planet, protected by the atmosphere and ozone layer, were like babies nurtured by adults. It was hard to imagine the terrors of the complex radiation and electromagnetic environments in space.

Now there was work to do. After looking at the two sets of data, Chu Ge wanted to cry but had no tears. After thinking for a few seconds, he decided to handle the gene reagents data first.

Firstly, it was simple, with not much content in total. Secondly, once the data was out, they needed to synthesize new compounds, then manufacture the components, conduct clinical trials, and screen the population—the latter steps especially would take a long time to complete.

One shouldn't think it unnecessary. Although special cases called for special measures, these steps could not be skipped. This gene reagents wasn't a one-off product; Chu Ge estimated it would fetch a good price if put on the market.

Therefore, for a new drug, none of the steps like clinical trials could be missing. Otherwise, they'd have to start all over again when it came time for a wider rollout.

The earlier research and development began, the shorter the process would be. Otherwise, it would definitely drain a significant portion of everyone's energy in the end.

Chu Ge made up his mind. He first archived the aerospace carrier's energy system data, moved the blueprints and such to the secret security vault next door, and then turned around to begin replicating his gene reagents plan.