78: Chapter 78 2055 Ark Project

Director Tian Huamao nodded, saying nothing more.

"There's one more question: should we make this emergency plan public? According to the current plan, the maximum population capacity of the underground base is 1.2 million people. However, our Huaxia currently has an estimated 600 million people.

If we want to accommodate the entire population, we need to build at least 500 such underground bases," Shang Yangping of the Civil Affairs Department paused, then continued, "Assuming all technical solutions are made public, do local areas have the capability to build underground bases? Moreover, the public panic caused by disclosing the information could lead to riots and wars in various Settlements."

"If we don't disclose it, how many such bases can we build on our own within one or two years? One or two? What about the remaining people?"

This was a very sharp question.

Given the current situation, the Council could potentially concentrate its efforts to build one or two survival bases within one or two years, but building hundreds is unrealistic.

Work that is difficult for the Council to complete is almost impossible for local areas.

As a result, almost all Settlements will be wiped out within two to three years after the ecological crisis erupts.

The Representatives remained silent.

Director Hu Qingying, the Director of the Health Department, spoke, "I believe it is still necessary to disclose the technical solutions and construction techniques; at the very least, it offers a hope of survival.

Otherwise, within two years, almost all Huaxia Citizens will die of starvation.

However, to avoid public panic, I think the information should only be disseminated to the highest-level administrators of each Settlement.

And promise that after the crisis erupts, if they haven't built an underground base, the administrators will be allowed to bring their families into our underground base.

This way, the message is spread, and the stability of the Settlements can be maintained as much as possible.

As for how many people will ultimately survive, that can only be left to fate."

"I need to emphasize that our current focus is no longer on how many people survive, but on ensuring the continuity of human civilization.

So, who can enter the base? Who should survive? It should be the Experts, scholars, and young people from all walks of life.

They are the future."

The Representatives frowned, clearly not entirely in agreement.

Director Hu Qingying's suggestion was too naive and would undoubtedly face significant resistance in implementation.

Once the information was released, it would be beyond the Council's control.

A public secret would no longer be a secret.

Furthermore, who would determine this list? Who should die? Who should live? What would be the criteria?

You say you are an Expert, I also say I am.

In the face of survival, no one would yield; it would ultimately lead to chaos.

Although Director Hu Qingying's suggestion was too naive, her perspective was correct: the preservation of civilization is more important than mere survival.

"How about this: we release some of the information.

The Council will publish all technical solutions for building underground bases and suggest that Settlements with the conditions should start construction as soon as possible.

Those without the conditions can collaborate with multiple Settlements to build together.

And inform the various Settlements to deal with the potential future crisis through this method.

But for the ecological crisis, let's keep it temporarily confidential," Yan Zhengping said.

The Representatives nodded in agreement.

This way, the Council and local areas would form a complementary relationship.

The two goals of civilizational heritage and human survival achieved coexistence.

The emergency plan was eventually named "2055 Ark Project." For safety reasons, the complete plan was known only to the 19 Representatives who participated in the meeting.

Subsequently, as part of the "2055 Ark Project," the "2055 Human Survival White Paper," aimed at guiding human survival, was printed and distributed to all Settlements two months after the Council meeting concluded.

This White Paper disclosed various technical standards for underground base construction, as well as a simplified version of the human life support system.

At the same time, the military also began a series of intensive deployments.

The Southeast Military Region fully retreated northward, taking over peacekeeping duties in parts of the Central Military Region north of the Yangtze River.

The Southwest Military Region retained the Shu Area, abandoning the three provinces of Southern Xinjiang, Huguang, and Beihai, and the troops were transferred to Lasa in the Northwest Military Region for rest and reorganization.

Subsequently, the Southwest Military Region, Northwest Military Region, and Northeast Military Region each dispatched two divisions, totaling 60,000 people, to cooperate with the Central Military in the Mosang Gobi uninhabited area in western Wujiang to begin construction of the nation's first large-scale underground human survival base: Mosang Ark Base.

...

March 18, 2055.

Hushan Province, Haizhou City, Matang Settlement.

9:30 PM.

It was late at night, a time when everyone should have been resting.

But tonight, no one was sleeping.

The Matang Settlement was located on an isolated island at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

The only connection to this isolated island was a 2-kilometer long cross-river bridge, Ma'an Bridge.

Due to lack of electricity, both the bridge and the island were pitch black.

But even on such a night, looking through the moonlight, one could clearly see the bridge teeming with people.

To be precise, those were not people; they were walking zombies.

They moved slowly, filling the bridge.

"Have you contacted the Military Region?" asked Left Wen Shan, the Mayor of Haizhou City.