blenderwars Chapter 232 232: Sector B11
Chapter 232 232: Sector B11
Jason nodded slightly. "That makes sense."
With the recent advancements in fast breeder reactors, they weren't just relying on trace amounts of Uranium-235; they could now utilize the far more abundant Uranium-238. Therefore, energy scarcity wasn't an immediate crisis.
However, a lack of foresight inevitably leads to future disasters. As their industrial infrastructure expanded, their power consumption would skyrocket exponentially. Advanced materials manufacturing, in particular, required astronomical amounts of electricity. With that in mind, developing new energy sources had to become a top priority.
Jason asked, "What kind of energy source do you think is the most viable for development here?"
William thought for a moment before answering directly. "I have two primary options in mind. First, we harness geothermal energy for large-scale power generation. Second, we extract solid methane from the polar regions, which serves as a highly efficient fossil fuel!"
"Nyx's arctic and antarctic zones show zero signs of active volcanism and have minimal geological activity. The average temperature there hovers around minus 200 degrees Celsius. These regions are essentially massive vaults of organic minerals like methane hydrate, an absolutely ideal energy source..."
"Of course, given the abundance of biological material on this planet, there's a strong chance crude oil exists deep underground as well. We just haven't found it yet."
Between the two options, William strongly favored extracting combustible methane ice from the arctic over hunting for unconfirmed oil reserves.
Harnessing geothermal energy was simply too labor-intensive. It required endless geological surveys and complex foundation work, and the final energy output was often severely bottlenecked.
Thermal power generation, however, was completely different, it had been the most universally relied-upon power generation method back on Earth!
Methane, or natural gas, was incredibly stable. Paired with an advanced combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system, the efficiency of gas-fired power generation could exceed 95 percent!
The polar regions possessed practically infinite reserves of methane hydrate. If fully extracted, it could power the colony for tens of thousands of years.
Jason considered the proposal carefully and nodded in agreement.
The arctic zone was roughly 3,000 kilometers away, but the distance wasn't a dealbreaker. Since they relied on automated cargo airships for transport, human labor wasn't an issue. If the supply chain stretched too thin, they could simply manufacture more airships!
Leveraging the vast resources of an entire planet to sustain a population of just 60,000 made humanity feel like extravagant billionaires, entirely freed from the frugal constraints of their past.
Therefore, the lack of local uranium wasn't a critical failure. They had endless methane and a hyper-oxygenated atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels would be their cheapest, most efficient path forward.
"I'll authorize this plan the moment I get back," Jason agreed. "Methane hydrate extraction will be bumped to top priority. The mothership desperately needs more raw organic material anyway..."
As the two men spoke, the high-speed maglev train hissed to a halt at its final destination.
This was the mysterious Sector B11!
"This is Sector B11," William explained. "It contains massive veins of copper, iron, sulfur, and volcanic rock, alongside abundant subterranean water reserves. We currently have 30,000 automated excavators operating in this sector alone."
Jason stepped off the train and watched the endless stream of automated transport rovers moving back and forth. Within three minutes, the massive train they had just arrived on was fully loaded with raw ore.
With a hum of power, the train accelerated away, hauling the precious cargo back to the central smelting facility...
The sight evoked the rugged, industrial beauty of the 19th-century steam age back on Earth, only magnified by centuries of technological advancement.
The steam locomotives of the past had been replaced by sleek, high-speed maglev trains, and the primitive foundries had evolved into hyper-efficient automated smelting hubs.
Humanity was fighting back against the endless darkness of Nyx with steel and fire!
Jason truly believed that this single industrial spark would eventually ignite a roaring blaze, illuminating the entire frozen planet.
"Currently, our copper extraction rate sits at 67,000 metric tons per day. It isn't incredibly fast, but we haven't even brought one percent of our total excavators online yet," William said, shaking his head. "Production speed will undoubtedly skyrocket in the coming weeks."
William surveyed the bustling outpost every day, to the point where he was almost numb to it. He had even grown somewhat accustomed to the oppressive, perpetual night of the alien world.
He was satisfied with the project's current progress, but only just.
Sector B11 was located roughly 173 kilometers from the central command hub. Situated near an extinct volcanic caldera, it was the most resource-rich sector discovered to date.
Most importantly... this sector housed a seemingly bottomless subterranean cave network!
An underground abyss teeming with geothermal energy and alien life!
It was this very cave that filled Jason with a deep, inexplicable sense of dread.
It was the primary reason he had insisted on leaving the mothership to inspect the ground operations personally, even if he couldn't quite articulate why.
Due to the sheer wealth of mineral and biological resources in Sector B11, this specific outpost housed over a hundred personnel, primarily biologists and geologists, escorted by a small detachment of military guards.
Standing guard at the main entrance was Captain Marcus. Upon seeing Jason, the rugged officer's face froze for a split second before breaking into a wry smirk. He snapped a crisp, perfectly executed salute.
Jason returned the salute, the two men communicating mutual respect without needing to exchange a single word.
Jason stood at the outpost entrance, examining it closely. The facility was built around an A-003 class modular spacecraft. The perimeter was surrounded by towering mountains of raw ore, waiting to be loaded onto the rail network.
The constant roar of heavy excavators and industrial drills echoed through the air; the sector was an absolute hive of activity!
Hearing that Jason had arrived, a crowd of excited scientists was already waiting by the entrance, while others hastily dropped their equipment and rushed out to meet him.
They wanted to welcome their leader, but more importantly, they had a mountain of discoveries to report.
"Commander, when are we going to initiate a deep exploration of the cave network?" a biologist blurted out the second he saw Jason.
"Jason, sir, we have cataloged 113 distinct species of alien fungi and plant-like organisms, and our perimeter sensors have even picked up movement from what appears to be insectoid life! Unfortunately, we haven't been able to secure any live specimens... If we could just push deeper into the cave, the discoveries would be monumental!"
"...Commander, I have a groundbreaking geological survey right here!"
A massive crowd of researchers eagerly swarmed Jason. Unlike the disciplined military personnel, the scientists didn't care much for protocol or chain of command; they simply blurted out whatever was on their minds. This chaotic, enthusiastic atmosphere was standard for the civilian branches—a direct result of Jason's notoriously lenient leadership style.
Jason quickly raised a hand, and the clamoring crowd immediately quieted down.
After skimming through several of the physical reports handed to him, he spoke with absolute seriousness. "Everyone needs to remember our operational priorities. We have to take this one step at a time. We have limited personnel on the ground, and we cannot afford to spread ourselves thin."
"Our primary biological directive is to synthesize an effective vaccine, ensuring our immune systems can survive this planet's microbial environment. Our primary engineering directive is to establish a robust, self-sustaining industrial grid to support future large-scale scientific operations."
"Until those two primary objectives are completed, we simply do not have the manpower to spare for secondary expeditions. The topography of that cave system is incredibly complex, and we have zero intel on what's actually down there. Our automated drones have pushed three thousand meters deep and still haven't found the bottom. Sending a manned expedition down there is a massive logistical undertaking..."
Seeing the deep disappointment on the scientists' faces, Jason softened his tone. "Once our priority tasks are handled, I promise I will authorize a Special Forces operative team to lead a deep exploration mission... but not a moment before then!"
His logic was undeniable.
The scientists were highly rational people; their desperate urge to explore the abyss was driven entirely by academic curiosity, not strategic necessity.
The harsh reality was that they simply didn't have the time anyway. Just categorizing and analyzing the bizarrely structured alien microorganisms was enough to keep them working around the clock!
Until they finalized a functional immune vaccine, how could they possibly justify wasting time exploring a dark hole?