Chapter 655 - 387: Beast Tide Rises Again, Mars Battlefield
Those who joined the C Country Federation were instantly elevated to the status of "High-level Civilizations." Those who didn't remained mired at a "World War II level," struggling so much they had to rely on exporting large numbers of their marriage-age women for political marriages just to obtain synthetic starch.
Now, with the C Country Federation interconnected, men from the original Country C had a much wider selection of partners, and this particular shortage was rapidly diminishing. Soon, it was feared that even offering women for political marriages would no longer be enough to trade for aid. The other nations and Underground Cities grew anxious. When one took the lead to pledge allegiance and apply for membership, the rest scrambled to follow suit.
...
The Earth Fleet arrived at Mars and began constructing a base. Their journey had not been entirely smooth sailing; they encountered several equipment malfunctions and even repelled a few attacks from Space Exotic Beasts. Fortunately, they reached Mars safely despite the close calls.
Video footage of the base construction being sent back to Earth sparked a new wave of excitement.
In fact, public enthusiasm for the colonization of Mars had always been strong and was showing no signs of fading.
Among the terrestrial planets of the Solar Element, Mars is the closest to Earth. There had long been popular theories that Mars was humanity's former home.
Mars has an atmosphere, composed mainly of carbon dioxide, followed by nitrogen and argon, with trace amounts of oxygen and water vapor. The presence of nitrogen in the atmospheres of both Mars and Earth is their greatest similarity. However, the density of Mars's atmosphere is less than one percent of Earth's, and its surface atmospheric pressure is only about 500 to 700 pascals.
However, with the construction of artificial habitats, these were trivial concerns. Once Chiba Yuki became the Master of Mars, the conditions on the planet's surface would gradually begin to change.
A Planet Master inherently possessed the ability to regulate atmospheric composition and climate.
Arriving with the fleet were numerous agricultural and ecological restoration teams under Zhao Xueqing's command. Although Zhao Xueqing herself was not present, these teams were highly experienced veterans in their fields. Establishing underground farms on Mars would be no problem for them.
The teams also included many Extraordinary Beings skilled in agriculture and Plant Communication. For instance, Lin Wanwan, a researcher from Zhao Xueqing's division, had come along as one of the core members of the mission.
In Country C's public research institutions, the rank of "researcher" was equivalent to a full professor at a university, and "associate researcher" was equivalent to an associate professor. As a senior researcher, Lin Wanwan held considerable academic standing. She was also a doctoral advisor supervising numerous Ph.D. students.
Her specialty was insect pollination, and her mission on this expedition was to breed bees and butterflies on Mars. While artificial pollination was an option, it was ultimately not as harmonious with the ways of Nature.
Moreover, bees and butterflies were a crucial link in the entire ecological chain.
Everyone joked that soon they would be able to enjoy locally produced Spiritual Honey on Mars.
As construction on the Mars base began, Jiang Cai'Er's "Supercomputing Center" also established a presence on the planet. However, since Chiba Yuki had not yet completed her Fusion with the Heart of Mars, the initial phases of the Supercomputing Center's construction were concentrated in the underground base, buried deep within Mars. This facility was known as the Earth Calculation Center.
The Martian version of the "Celestial Calculation Center" would have to wait until Chiba Yuki gained full control of Mars and cleared away the Black Mist. In the meantime, the local production of Quantum Computers and Nuclear Fuel Cells was already in full swing, with components being stockpiled. They were merely waiting for the right moment to launch everything into orbit and establish the network in an instant.
Additionally, many other weapons systems, such as Space Orbital Cannons and Spirit Shield Defense Matrixes, also began local production on Mars.
...
Just as Earth and Mars were deeply engaged in their massive construction projects, turmoil erupted once more in the depths of space.
The news that Earth had "changed masters," that the Exotic Beast Army invading the Earth-Moon Element had been completely annihilated, and that Mars had been seized by the humans of Earth—who were now migrating there en masse—sent shockwaves throughout the entire Solar Element.
After all, some truths are impossible to hide.
The Solar Element only had eight major planets in total. This meant two of them were now lost to the invaders.
For the Space Exotic Beast Legion from the Black Mist Star Realm that was invading the Solar Element, this was an unacceptable loss. Though they were divided into many competing factions, they would never allow the native humans to take advantage of them.
On planets across the system, the roars of beasts echoed incessantly. The howls of the Divine King Realm Exotic Beasts, in particular, carried powerful Spiritual Fluctuations that reverberated endlessly through space, their aftershocks traveling for tens of millions of kilometers without fading.
By this point, victors had largely been determined on the other six major planets. However, these "winners" would still need decades to complete their Fusion with each planet's Heart of the Planet. As for the Sun, it was still being fiercely contested by several powerful Space Exotic Beasts of the Planet Dominator Realm.
Some of the Divine King Realm beasts who had been defeated in their own struggles for planetary control formed an alliance. Leading their subordinate Divine Tier, Saint Tier, and countless other Space Exotic Beasts of lower tiers, they launched wave after wave of attacks.
When Li Xiang received the news, he had no choice but to rush to Mars once again to provide support. 'He really hadn't wanted to leave home, but what choice was there?'
The main base in the Earth-Moon Element was impregnable and their strongest stronghold, so there was little cause for concern there. Mars, however, was a different story. Chiba Yuki had not yet completed her Fusion, the few bases were still in their initial construction phase, and they were vulnerable on all fronts.
Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, and Erin had all been keeping a low profile lately, hoping to get pregnant. But now, they had no choice but to put their baby-making plans on hold and join Li Xiang on the campaign.
As for Jiang Cai'Er, she would of course remain behind to guard the main base in the Earth-Moon Element.
However, Jiang Cai'Er was a special case. With her Digital Life Clones present nearly everywhere, it was as if she were fighting on the front lines as well.