Chapter 466: Major Decision Meeting |
The day after the nineteenth Doomsday Rule ended, the Human Consortium convened a major decision meeting.
As the representative of the chair nation Suroma, Mary opened the meeting with an outline: "This meeting will mainly focus on discussing, planning, and arranging based on the information provided by the Dialoguer. First, our current plans."
Mary pressed the remote, and a set of slides appeared on the conference room's large screen, showing several large-scale plans humans had previously drafted.
"Although we cannot be certain whether the Dialoguer's statements are true, false, or a mixture of both, for the purposes of this meeting we will temporarily assume they are all true and carry out related assessments. First is the primary plan, and our most important project, memory digitization."
The screen automatically displayed materials related to that plan, showing a mass of "black lines" weaving through deserted cities, dense and intricate, like a network of blood vessels crisscrossing a human body.
According to the information from the Dialoguer, performing memory digital backups for individual people would consume the power supply equivalent to more than ten large cities. Therefore, in order to increase the number of backups, the Human Consortium must significantly expand electricity production and storage plans."
"Regarding increased production, our Suroma Institute believes countries should repurpose those abandoned cities into energy facilities."
Gao Liangwei looked at the citywide network of lines and asked, "You mean converting these abandoned cities into massive power stations?"
"Exactly." Mary nodded. "There are tens of thousands of abandoned cities worldwide; populations are concentrated in a limited number of mega-cities. Since those abandoned cities are useless, we should fully decommission them and retrofit them into energy hubs centered on super nuclear power plants."
Xisiya delegate Torafuto frowned and said, "Nuclear power is stable and efficient, but it carries potential high risks. The reason many countries shut down nuclear plants in the past was fear of a rule-triggered environmental disaster like an earthquake, which could cause massive nuclear leakage and contamination."
"Times are different now, Delegate Torafuto." Mary replied. "Based on the historical experience of nearly twenty rules, the Fire Thief will not release the same or very similar rule twice, so there is no need to worry about another superquake on Tianshui Star."
"Besides, human technology has advanced rapidly compared to a year ago, and individual physical resilience is improving quickly. To put it bluntly, even if some contamination does occur, it won't derail the big picture. Look at those plastic people after the previous rule — they are living fine."
...
A hush descended over the delegates; Mary's offhand quip was not amusing.
The Lury delegate then said, "We support the plan to convert abandoned cities into nuclear power stations. Compared to wind, hydro, and thermal power, nuclear is more efficient and consumes fewer base resources. As for photovoltaics, while they conserve resources, collection efficiency is low and weather-dependent. Since the earthquake rule, there haven't been many sunny days in a year."
"Right." another small-nation delegate agreed. "If nuclear leakage concerns persist, we can create isolation belts around the mega-cities and build nuclear stations in more remote cities."
Mary nodded in satisfaction and turned to Gao Liangwei. "Delegate Gao, any comments?"
Gao Liangwei said, "The majority rules. If the committee supports this plan, Beixing will follow. However, our experts are also researching space-based solar collection. If that can be realized in the future, it will satisfy both safety and efficiency and could replace ground nuclear power."
"Excellent." Mary said. "Then we can proceed on both fronts — begin nuclear construction now. Also, to better store generated electricity, we propose countries jointly develop high-efficiency, high-capacity super battery packs. It would be a shame to waste so much generated power every day, right?"
The delegates voiced agreement; every country indeed needed such high-efficiency storage.
"Moving on to the second item." Mary adjusted the slide, switching to a space image that marked the positions of the planets in this star system.
"As for the space migration plan, we originally planned to proceed step by step: first establish a migration base on the nearest satellite Terra, then launch rockets from Terra to the next planet to set up a base… but we may have to adjust this plan now."
The image zoomed in, a reddish-brown planet filling the screen.
It was Meltstar.
"According to the Dialoguer, there exists on Meltstar a 'magnetic substrate' particle that can help humans overcome the limitations of materials science. Materials shortages are constraining many technological fields; to trigger a breakthrough-level technological explosion, we must obtain this particle."
The delegates stared at the planet on the screen, its surface corroded by metallic oxidation, far less pleasant-looking than Tianshui Star, brows knitted.
Torafuto said, "Our astronomers calculated that Meltstar's next closest approach to Tianshui Star will be in eight months, in February 2043. The landing window is twenty-five months, which means if we miss this next opportunity..."
"If we miss this window, by the next time the Doomsday Rules will have ended," someone interjected.
Humanity expects forty-nine Doomsday Rules to be delivered within three years, ending at the latest by 2045. If we haven't reached Meltstar by then, it may well be moot whether we ever land there.
But in just eight months, how can humanity, with current technology, deploy a mission to a planet one hundred million kilometers away?
"Too bad teleportation items can't be used in space, otherwise this would be much easier."
"The first issues to solve are spacecraft speed and crew composition. Do we send only space robots, or human astronauts?"
"I think we need human astronauts."
"To maximize speed, we must drastically reduce mass. The food a single astronaut consumes along the way would make the weight unacceptable."
"Sending Ascendants would solve that problem. Food can be replaced entirely with food items, stored in Storage Boxes on Terminal Panels, which don't add weight."
"Even if deployment succeeds, can we find and collect the magnetic substrate on that planet? Preparation requirements are extensive."
After a lengthy discussion, the delegates unanimously agreed they must seize the eight-month window and launch a spacecraft to Meltstar ahead of time. Much preparatory work was needed, and they must widely solicit Mind Power items and practitioners that could support the plan.
Afterward, delegates from the Super City Alliance brought up the Super City construction plan. That project had already progressed to drafting blueprints since the last meeting; this session discussed details and resource mobilization among countries.
Then the meeting addressed faith power.
Xisiya delegate Torafuto was first to present survey data.
"After yesterday's rule ended, our Administrator ordered an investigation. Through some short-term studies, we believe the Dialoguer was correct that collecting the power of belief — faith power — can accelerate increases to Ascendants' Mind Power upper limit."
He displayed the survey results on the large screen, which showed well-known Xisiya figures — musicians, writers, painters — celebrated domestically and abroad.
"According to inquiries with well-supported, famous Ascendants who still remain, their Mind Power upper limits have indeed been increasing faster than ordinary Ascendants. The increase is limited, so research institutions previously overlooked it."
"Additionally, our Administrator Ye Lianka Konia contributed her own data. She showed that after becoming Administrator and gaining broad support and adoration from the Xisiya populace, her Mind Power growth rate increased dramatically, far exceeding what those artists experienced."
Other delegates acknowledged the data; no one doubted its authority.
Everyone knew that Xisiya's young new Administrator had received unprecedented support from the populace.
The reasons were… partly due to her bold, sweeping reforms, and partly because she was simply attractive.
Yes, humans are visual animals, that much is undeniable. Before television, presidential candidates with strong oratory skills had an advantage. After television, good-looking candidates fared better.
In this era, another factor magnifies physical appearance's advantage: the era is dominated by the young.
The first Doomsday Rule, Sleep Deprivation, almost wiped out the elderly worldwide. Young people can endure seventy-two hours without sleep; the elderly generally cannot.
With society now skewed young, a young leader naturally garners more support. Xisiya's youth saw Ye Lianka Konia's young, energetic, attractive face and instinctively felt she was "one of them," wholeheartedly supporting her.
Thus Ye Lianka Konia gained a considerable boost of faith power, which manifested as a significant acceleration in Mind Power growth. By contrast, decision-making bodies in other countries remain dominated by middle-aged figures who avoid public exposure, and thus cannot gather much faith power.
The most prominent example is Suroma's leader, King Bruce.
Due to multiple iron-fisted policies and a slightly gloomy demeanor, and his reluctance to appear on screens, most young Suromans dislike him. They're not likely to support or adore him; staying silent is already an achievement.
Bruce's personality might appeal to the elderly, who appreciate steady decisiveness. But the elderly voter base is gone—only the young remain. In that environment, what faith power can Bruce possibly receive?
"To gain faith power, you must bring the target into the spotlight and shape their public image," Mary said. "And you must package that figure well."
The other delegates were silent, thinking that packaged personas don't last long.
Besides, those still alive are not fools; an artificially constructed "idol" will be instantly exposed by skeptical audiences at the first flaw.
"In my view, it's better to let things develop naturally." a small-nation delegate said. "Forcing someone forward won't win broad acceptance. Something as unique as Xisiya's Administrator is impossible to copy. A young, talented, attractive person in high office requires the right timing and conditions. Reproducing one is unimaginable."
The Human Consortium did not pursue the topic further. Even if some country wanted to push a public figure forward, that was its own business; a consortium-wide endorsement was unlikely.
The meeting's final discussion topic was the quota list.
Mary said, "The Human Consortium's previous statements avoided this issue to prevent public suspicion and people viewing others as competitors. But avoidance doesn't mean the issue doesn't exist, correct?"
Gao Liangwei sensed Mary's implication and asked, "Does Suroma have plans regarding this issue?"
"We do have an idea," Mary replied. "Create a list in advance. As each rule unfolds, optimize that list continuously."
"You mean a quota list?"
"Yes." Mary nodded. "If quotas are limited, planning ahead is necessary so things don't fall apart at a critical moment. Think about it: with a list, those on it will know where they stand and can band together to handle chaos when needed."
A delegate questioned, "How can you make a list when you don't even know how many quotas exist?"
"It's simple," Mary said. "Rank people in order. For instance, list a hundred names; if only eighty quotas exist, take the first eighty names."
"Won't the last twenty fiercely oppose that?" someone asked.
"That's the advantage of making a list." Mary smiled. "If there is opposition, the first eighty will handle the problem together."
"What if the list is leaked?" another delegate objected. "Once the public learns of the list, who can bear the consequences?"
"That won't be an issue. The list will be entirely oral and not recorded. Even if it leaks, we can deny it or release multiple conflicting lists to confuse the public, labeling them all as rumors."
"Beixing firmly opposes this list. We will not compile such a list," Gao Liangwei said decisively, looking directly at Mary without courtesy.
"Moreover, we must urge everyone to abandon the idea. The Doomsday Rules era changes in an instant; a new rule could invalidate any plan. Making such a list is pointless and will only encourage those on the list to prioritize themselves over others and the collective. Besides, with the Fire Thief Worship Cult and parasitized forms still not eradicated, compiling an entry list now is absurd!"
Xisiya delegate Torafuto expressed support: "Delegate Gao is right. Before converting abandoned cities into super nuclear power stations, we must completely eliminate the threat of cultists and parasitized forms. Otherwise, after investing vast resources into construction, these bastards could sabotage everything. Building a nuclear plant is difficult; destroying one only takes a few bombs!"
"Exactly. The Consortium can't defend that many facilities if destruction occurs."
"We must resolve the internal threats first."
Other delegates echoed Gao Liangwei and Torafuto's sentiments: ensuring the security of planned nuclear plants is more urgent than debating any quota list.
Mary's eye twitched; she was angry at Gao Liangwei's rebuke, but she did not explode. She said calmly, "Very well. Since you all oppose it, the list proposal will be shelved. The threats from parasitized forms and cultists to nuclear stations cannot be ignored. Since Delegate Gao brought this up, you must have a plan to deal with them. I am all ears."
Gao Liangwei replied in a low voice, "Beixing does indeed have a proposal for this matter."