Chapter 1452 We Need a Mascot

Mars.

In the rift valley near the gate of hell, the sky is already covered with oppressive haze.

According to the weather forecast, a sandstorm will soon sweep the area.

In this harsh and dangerous weather, even criminals hiding in the desert wilderness will choose to squat at home and wait for the weather to improve before going out for a walk.

However, at this moment, there is a desert-colored Mars rover parked outside the mine with the sign of the Hidal Mining Company.

Two men in space suits stood near the hole, holding professional equipment in their hands, as if they were investigating something.

"Oxygen cylinders, compacted tire marks, and scratches... The preliminary estimate of the travel time is within a month," through the custom function of the augmented reality system, to restore the scene a month ago, the one squatting on the ground The slightly younger man stood up, looked at the person behind him and said, "They should have entered from here... Captain Liu, what do you think?"

Frowning, the man with a slightly higher status said after a moment of thought.

"My opinion is basically the same as yours. The only doubt is that they seem to be a bit amateur."

Shrugging his shoulders, the slightly younger man said.

"It's pretty amateur... Otherwise, they wouldn't have left such things on the scene."

As he spoke, he spread out his right hand.

As the gravel gradually shook off, a silver-white metal strip about the size of a piece of chewing gum lay on the palm of his hand.

Looking at the letters with some scratch marks on the surface, the corner of the man's mouth slightly twitched.

"...Mammoth Digging Company?"

Do mammoths burrow?

However, this is obviously not the point.

As a valuable clue, he had a hunch that something unusual could be excavated from this "mammoth excavation company".

Putting away the metal bars, he was about to explore the mine, but at this moment, a voice from the communication channel stopped him.

"Wait a moment."

He stopped, and the man standing at the entrance of the cave turned his head.

"What's wrong?"

Team Liu glanced at the sky and said in a deep voice.

"The collection of physical evidence is almost done, let's go here first today."

There was a trace of confusion on his face, and the man asked inexplicably.

"But...we're already here, are you sure you don't want to go in and have a look?"

"Because we are all here, we should be more cautious."

Looking at the bottomless mine, Team Liu who was standing next to the Mars rover narrowed his eyes slightly and continued.

"The instructions given to us by the above are to report the progress of the task in real time, and to report every detail in detail. Obviously they have their own views on the outcome of this matter."

"If that's the case, we just have to do what we have to do."

"As for whether to continue the investigation, let them judge."

...

Earth.

In the center of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, in the meeting room of the Pan-Asian Cooperation Headquarters, a round table is placed in the center of the room. There are only two people sitting at the conference table, one of whom is the Secretary-General Wu Shuhua, and the other is the current Chairman Li Guangya.

As the largest regional alliance and economic union in the world, the main function of the secretary-general of the Pan-Asian Cooperation is to coordinate the relationship among the member states and participate in world political activities on behalf of the Pan-Asian Cooperation. As for the function of the chairman, there are more Prefer to deal with the internal affairs of Pan-Asian cooperation.

"How is the situation at the United Nations? Is there any new progress?"

"Three meetings, none of them were good news."

Sitting on the opposite side of the conference table, Wu Shuhua, the Secretary-General of Pan-Asia Cooperation, looked a little tired, and continued to speak with his index finger pressed between his eyebrows.

“55% of the delegates support our proposal on the space elevator, but there is still 45% against, and that includes even our allies, even within our alliance.”

"What about their demands?"

"Environment, security risks, costs and benefits, and the distribution of benefits... In short, they are all commonplace issues that have never been discussed."

About five years ago, the "New Airline" plan proposed by the Pan-Asian Cooperation pushed the tide of the era of great space exploration to its peak.

According to the voting results of the representatives of the member countries within the Pan-Asian Cooperation, the Pan-Asian Cooperation will build a "new space industry" production system in the solar system from the Earth-Moon system to the Kuiper Belt within one hundred years, and a production system around this production system. The route established by the system, in order to spread the fire of civilization to more distant places.

In order to achieve this strategic goal, the Pan-Asian Cooperation not only formulated a colonization and development plan for "Europa" and "Titan", but also dispatched a powerful First Fleet to clear the air pirates on the asteroid belt.

As a crucial part of the plan, the proposal to build a space elevator on the equator was also logically submitted by representatives of the Pan-Asian Cooperation to the conference hall of the United Nations for discussion by the regional alliances.

However, it was almost predictable.

This proposal, which can almost be described as "shocking", has encountered considerable resistance since it was proposed.

The resistance here comes not only from other regional alliances, but also from non-governmental environmental protection organizations, and even voices within the Pan-Asian Cooperation.

After all, punching a hole in the ozone layer and plugging a tube into geosynchronous orbit isn't something you can just pat on the head. If this project is successful, it will be wonderful, and all human beings will benefit from it.

However, if this project fails, the whole world will pay for the consequences of this reckless act...

Although the Pan-Asian Cooperation has also tried to circumvent other regional alliances and build this space elevator alone, but unfortunately, although the Pan-Asian Cooperation owns land on the equator, it is powerless, and all of them are on the Pacific Rim earthquake belt. , accompanied by strong monsoon activity.

Not to mention, a series of troubles such as diplomatic risks and national defense hidden dangers that may be brought about by this.

There are only three ideal locations for construction, one is on the African continent, the other is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and the vast open sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean.

Moreover, from a practical point of view, the 36,000-kilometer expressway hangs directly from the synchronous orbit. This is not a project that can be completed only by a certain regional alliance.

Even if it is the strongest in the world.

Seeing the tired expression on Secretary-General Wu's face, Li Guangya smiled lightly and said in a relaxed tone.

"Then let's talk about something happy. I just received a call from the Security Bureau. The agents we deployed in Tiangong City discovered that the entrance to a mine left by the Sidel Mining Company next to the Gate of Hell Mountain Range. Signs of Mars rover activities were found. According to the scene restoration analysis, an archaeological excavation team has been there within about two weeks to a month, and it is likely to be the team led by Professor Leonard."

Wu Shuhua raised her eyebrows: "So, Professor Lu is probably true?"

"The probability is half and half, like Schrödinger's cat."

Putting down the teacup in his hand, the expression on Chairman Li Guangya's face did not change much, and he continued in a relaxed tone, "If we continue to follow this clue, we may find that a machine that has been buried for billions of years can still recover. The hibernation capsule of the Martians who is working normally may expose a big lie. Speaking of it, I am also curious about the hibernation capsule that can still work normally after billions of years, and Professor Lu who has been dead for a century and suddenly resurrected in situ. Which do you think is more likely?"

Wu Shuhua frowned slightly.

"I don't see what's worth discussing here...I'm more concerned about whether the space elevator proposal will go through than whether a person who has been dead for a hundred years is still alive. The development of Europa and Titan We need to open up the corridor from the ground to outer space, and if we can’t, let alone move towards a more distant world, we may still be arguing with our compatriots on Mars for some trivial things in the next century. "

Regardless of whether Academician Lu is still alive or not, it was a matter of the last century.

She admitted that he had made many outstanding achievements in that era, but now it is the 22nd century, and a hundred years have passed since the era he was familiar with.

Time is always more ruthless than anything.

Just like those old antiques who were sent to the future in the name of "reinforcement for the future", but they couldn't find a suitable position in this era and couldn't solve any future problems, she didn't think that an academic from the 21st century A world leader who can bring any practical benefits to Pan-Asian cooperation other than "symbolic significance".

Otherwise, this "stupid plan" would not have been stopped in the 1970s.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that he saved that flight, she wouldn't even be interested in meeting him, since her current job is enough to cause headaches.

As for things like wealth or property...

It may be an astronomical figure for ordinary people, but it is not worth discussing in the face of the volume of Pan-Asian cooperation.

Looking at Secretary-General Wu, Li Guangya smiled faintly.

"The two things are actually not contradictory, it just depends on how you look at it."

"What's the meaning?"

"People need confidence. Whether our plan can be passed does not depend on the space elevator itself. The key is to convince people that it is safe, reliable and can bring us a bright future."

Having said that, Li Guangya paused for a moment, then continued.

"That being the case, we just have to give them what they want."

Wu Shuhua was slightly taken aback.

"You mean..."

Li Guangya nodded slightly.

"We needed a mascot, and he was just right."

"There are obvious loopholes in your plan," Wu Shuhua questioned, "What if he opposes us? Assuming he is true, it is from a hundred years ago after all. Even if we walk on the same road, it is difficult to guarantee our ideas It is completely consistent. It is not unheard of that similar things have happened, and even almost ruined the achievements we have made for half a century!"

Li Guangya said bluntly, "At that time, we can continue to dig. Anyway, the ruins are there, and we can continue to dig at any time. We can make him real, and naturally we can make him fake."

"A stowaway from Mars who successfully fooled everyone will become the biggest joke of this century."

Chairman Li Guangya smiled lightly and said: "If this joke can help our cause, I am willing to share it with him. It is harmless anyway."

Wu Shuhua was silent for a while, her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Since you have said so, I have nothing to refute. It's just that in my point of view, I still tend to adopt a conservative strategy. Such uncontrollable factors, rather than making it a time bomb, it is better to start It would be better not to take it into consideration."

"Is it a conservative strategy? Haha, this is the most interesting thing I've heard today. Think about it carefully. Is there a more radical strategy than the space elevator?" Li Guangya smiled and continued in a relaxed tone Said, "Actually, you don't need to have such a big prejudice against the dormant person. I took modern history as an elective in college, especially the part about him. The research is the most in-depth."

"A person who can hold a torch in the dark must have a heart for the light. Regardless of whether his ideas are completely consistent with ours, at least I believe that our starting point is the same - hope that the people living in this land , to have a brighter future and a brighter future.”

"I believe this journey may be full of twists and turns, but he will definitely make the right choice."

Wu Shuhua didn't say anything, just sighed.

"I don't want to argue with you about whether to reuse the dormant person, and I'm too lazy to intervene in the work of the household registration department... If you think it's useful, then you can handle it yourself."

Looking at the disappearing holographic image on the opposite side of the conference table, Chairman Li Guangya nodded slightly.

"Well, leave it to me."

Originally, that was what he planned.