Chapter 810: Our Names Will Be Engraved on This Immortal Monument

Chapter 810: Our Names Will Be Engraved on This Immortal Monument

Watching the old friend descending from the open hatch, Chu Guang extended his right hand with a smile.

“What a pleasure! Mr. Li, it’s been far too long!”

The man standing before him now was none other than Li Changkong, manager of the Construction Department from the Ideal Group.

As one of the representatives dispatched by the Enterprise Aid Alliance to Shuguang City, Chu Guang hadn’t seen him since the war in the Luoxia Province ended.

For a long time, external communications between the Council and the Alliance had been handled by staff from the General Management Department and Yi Chuan from the Overseas Division.

This time, Li Changkong’s visit to the Southern Sea was not on behalf of the Enterprise Council, but rather the oldest of the five major enterprise groups—the “King of Infrastructure,” the Ideal Group.

Back then, the infrastructure of Ideal City was built entirely by the Ideal Group. Its shift to property management and maintenance came only after the city’s completion.

As for the purpose of Li Changkong’s visit, it was naturally to conduct an on-site inspection of the “trackless space elevator” project proposed by the Alliance at the Conjoined Body Conference.

Maintaining Ideal City’s operations consumed enormous amounts of energy, and this task happened to fall within the Ideal Group’s business scope.

If they could reopen a stable passage from the surface to outer space, or even restore the Earth-Moon flights that had been suspended for two centuries, it would undoubtedly resolve the potential energy depletion crisis facing Ideal City in the future.

For this reason, from the moment the Alliance proposed the plan, the Ideal Group had shown extraordinary interest.

Upon hearing that the Alliance had already teamed up with the South Sea Alliance to begin site selection in the Southern Sea, the chairman of the Ideal Group immediately sent an application to Shu Yu, the Alliance’s ambassador to Ideal City, requesting a field inspection of the Southern Sea.

Seeing that the tycoon from Ideal City was so keen on his plan, Chu Guang was naturally delighted. He promptly had Shu Yu approve the application and even personally boarded the Conch Submersible Carrier to welcome him.

Standing on the sturdy steel deck, Li Changkong looked around, his astonished eyes half filled with shock and half with admiration.

Unbelievable.

That settlement, once so dilapidated and possessing nothing but hope, had now accomplished such an incredible feat of engineering!

Although Ideal City sat along the coastline and had been developing marine resources, its shipbuilding technology was far from outstanding—at least not as impressive as its aerospace equipment.

The reason for this was not hard to understand.

During the Prosperity Era, the Human Alliance’s development focus had continuously shifted toward outer space, with surface logistics and manufacturing gradually moving toward the four major industrial zones near the space elevator.

Under this trend, the market share of orbital and air transport experienced high growth, while maritime shipping actually stagnated or even shrank.

Coupled with the Human Alliance’s restrictive policies on marine resource development to protect the ocean’s ecology, human civilization’s nautical technology saw no significant advancement over the more than a century of the Prosperity Era. The entire industry’s ecosystem remained largely as it had been in the early days of that era.

Even if some ships had made progress in materials and power sources, it was mostly driven passively by other high-growth industries.

Ideal City had largely inherited the attributes of the Human Alliance era. Though it wasn’t foolish enough to continue the environmental policies of that time, its investment in marine equipment was far lower than in other fields.

At least none of the five major groups considered marine engineering or shipbuilding as their core business.

That was precisely why Li Changkong was so deeply shaken.

Though in Chu Guang’s view, the strategic significance of the “Overlord” transport aircraft far outweighed that of the Conch Submersible Carrier, Li Changkong saw it exactly the opposite.

This thing was far more astonishing than the Alliance’s aircraft!

“How incredible… a mobile airport that can submerge—did you design this?”

Seeing Li Changkong’s amazement, Chu Guang chuckled.

“I wouldn’t dare take full credit. To be precise, it’s a joint creation of our Alliance and the people of the South Sea Alliance.”

It was truly a poignant thought.

Once upon a time, he himself had been just as astonished when he saw the Enterprise’s Pioneer.

Now their roles had reversed, and it was the Alliance’s manufacturing that left the Enterprise wide-eyed.

“This is too unbelievable…”

Looking at the flat deck beneath his feet and then at the towering bridge, Li Changkong still couldn’t calm down. He stared at Chu Guang with a puzzled expression.

“Our ships grow barnacles and oysters after a few months at sea. How do you keep those things from crawling onto the deck?”

This was hardly a secret worth hiding, so Chu Guang replied in a casual tone.

“The mental interference device isn’t just for driving away mutants—it’s also effective against some troublesome shellfish.”

A look of realization dawned on Li Changkong’s face.

“I see.”

Though he wasn’t a professional, this unconventional approach certainly had something to it.

“There’s even more astonishing things ahead,” Chu Guang said with a faint smile, continuing, “Come with me. I’ll show you the cabin.”

With that, he walked ahead, accompanied by his guards, leading Li Changkong and his party toward the bridge.

The cabin entrance was just below the bridge. The group stepped onto an elevator, and with a slight hum, they quickly descended into the submarine’s interior.

Inside the spacious compartment, more than twenty Alliance carrier-based aircraft were parked in rows.

Among them were vertical takeoff and landing transports like the Viper, fixed-wing aircraft like the Lightning and Thunder, and even the Cloud Dragonfly ornithopters imported from Ideal City.

Electromagnetic launch rails connected directly to the upward-curving hatch at the front, with a straight main rail linked to multiple branch rails that connected to the fixed-wing aircraft.

In the event of combat, the Conch Submersible Carrier could surface and immediately launch all stored aviation equipment, forming an aerial attack formation in an extremely short time, while using the outer deck runway as a staging platform for land-based air units.

Beyond the aviation gear, the submersible carrier’s ammunition reserves were equally impressive.

On the missile racks beside the rails, various types of missiles were packed tightly.

Just by quantity, the current ammunition stockpile on this submersible carrier was more than enough to sustain three battles!

And that wasn’t all. In the dome mezzanine of the spacious area, rows of folded “King Crab” amphibious engineering armor lay ready.

When not in use, they quietly idled on their charging stations.

Once deployment orders were given, they could be hoisted by robotic arms fixed to the rails and placed on the inner deck, then exit through special buffer channels for combat.

From the moment he entered the cabin, Li Changkong was filled with awe.

This was nothing less than a mobile sea fortress!

And one that could submerge at any time!

However, Chu Guang wasn’t taking him to showcase the Alliance’s military might, but something else entirely. So he pulled the reluctant Li Changkong straight toward the observation cabin at the very front of the submarine.

On the way to the observation cabin, Li Changkong seemed to finally remember why he had come. He turned to Chu Guang, who was walking beside him, and asked.

“By the way, how is your site selection going? Smoothly?”

Chu Guang smiled.

“Site selection was last week’s business. We’ve already moved into the experimental and validation phase.”

Li Changkong looked at him in surprise.

“Site selection is done? That fast?”

He had assumed the Alliance would wait for the discussions at the Conjoined Body Conference to yield results, or at least secure some investment, before starting the next phase. He never expected the project to have already advanced to experimental validation.

What efficiency!

Not at all surprised by Li Changkong’s astonishment, Chu Guang stopped at the entrance of the observation cabin, glanced out the wide panoramic window, and continued.

“We believe that for something unprecedented like a trackless elevator, discussion alone won’t yield results. The only way to know if it works is to try.”

Regardless of whether they ultimately gained the support of the Conjoined Body, the Alliance would proceed with the project as planned.

It was not merely because of the threat from the "Celestials," but because the future of human civilization lay out there.

To merely inherit the legacy of the Human Federation was not enough to escape the wasteland.

If the Alliance truly wished to end the Wasteland Era and keep the flame of civilization burning, it had to confront the myriad problems left behind by the Human Federation era.

Rebuilding the space elevator was just one part of his plan, and there was no better time than now to undertake it.

Of course, whether or not anyone supported him, he would continue regardless—but if he could secure some "investment," that would naturally be welcome.

After all, for a project of such epochal scale, whether from a political standpoint or for pooling wisdom, the more forces that could be united, the higher the probability of ultimate success.

Suppressing his surprise, Li Changkong steadied himself and looked at Chu Guang, continuing his inquiry.

"I agree with your perspective. But... from a practical standpoint, how do you plan to deal with the debris floating in orbit? That's an astronomical amount of wreckage. If you can't solve that problem, forget about a space elevator—even launching a spacecraft up there would be an issue."

The Enterprise had indeed attempted to launch spacecraft into outer space, but almost everything that passed beyond low Earth orbit became part of the debris.

If it were just debris, that might be manageable.

But the orbit also harbored automated defense systems with ultra-long standby times, patrolling and identifying any intruders.

Although the Enterprise had cracked a few of those orbital weapons, they were still a drop in the ocean compared to the astronomical scale of the wreckage.

Rather than whether the "trackless elevator" concept could be realized, he was more concerned about this far more practical problem.

Unsurprised by Li Changkong's question, Chu Guang replied smoothly.

"We've already considered the issue you mentioned. We're looking into using a 'gravity well' to clear the orbital debris."

"Gravity well?" Li Changkong frowned slightly, a puzzled expression on his face.

Chu Guang continued.

"The gravity well I'm referring to isn't a natural one, but an artificial gravity well. Simply put, it involves using graviton manipulation technology to interfere with Earth's own gravitational field, creating a 'well'-shaped graviton channel that dips downward in a specific area. This would guide orbital debris moving into that region to fall deliberately into a designated zone."

Li Changkong stared at Chu Guang in bewilderment, and it took him a long moment to speak.

"Is something like that even possible?"

He had never heard of such a thing!

Chu Guang smiled sheepishly.

"We're actually still in the conceptual stage, much like the 'trackless elevator.' As for practical implementation, there are likely considerable difficulties. After all, our grasp of graviton-related technology is too limited—the only 'prototype' we have was captured from the Legion."

Graviton-related technology had been cutting-edge even during the Age of Prosperity, yet its applications were far from few.

For instance, the classic FTL engine, hyperspace lanes between massive celestial bodies, anti-gravity technology, and even deflector shield technology—all of these were essentially achieved through graviton manipulation.

The Alliance's current manufacturing level had risen to a new plateau thanks to the B7 layer's manufacturing center, but it had only reached the point of being able to produce deflector shields. Replicating the "corvette core" of the Steel Heart was still quite challenging, let alone the black technology of interfering with a large celestial body's gravitational field—something akin to a "forbidden-level spell."

Honestly, when the experts from the scientific expedition team first proposed this idea to him, he couldn't help but wonder if their heads were broken.

Before this, Chu Guang had been more inclined toward the brainstorms on the forums—

That is, launching N rockets into low Earth orbit, tossing large nets up there to float like kites, catching whatever they could. Then, after a while, sending another rocket up to retrieve the haul, gradually hauling the debris back down to Earth bit by bit.

The method proposed by the expedition team's experts sounded more convenient than that Sisyphean approach, but the theoretical part was too difficult for him to grasp.

Still, despite his hesitation, Chu Guang ultimately avoided the mistake of an amateur meddling in professional matters, leaving the validation to the expedition team's experts.

For now, Yin Fang's preliminary assessment was that "the technology is feasible in principle, but the difficulty of implementation is likely considerable"—at least it didn't outright dismiss the possibility.

Li Changkong was clearly stunned by this bold idea. After a long silence, he gave an awkward smile and said,

"This... is really beyond my knowledge. I'm afraid I'll have to consult the professors at Cloud University. But I never expected you to have considered such an unconventional method. It seems Mr. Chu Guang is quite optimistic about the prospects of outer space development."

Chu Guang smiled faintly.

"Of course. I believe the significance behind this doesn't need me to explain it to you."

Li Changkong sighed.

"That's true, but our board of directors is more focused on the interests right under their feet."

Chu Guang continued in a gentle tone.

"There's nothing wrong with focusing on immediate interests. Walking the path under your feet well allows you to go further. But in my view, you've already developed the land beneath your feet quite admirably. So why not expand your ambitions a little? You clearly have the capability—why confine yourselves to a single Ideal City?"

Hearing this, Li Changkong's eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

"Is the Ideal City small?"

He felt this guy was getting a bit carried away.

He admitted that Dawn City had developed well, but comparing it to the Ideal City was far too arrogant.

Yet Chu Guang showed no restraint, continuing bluntly.

"Yes, small. And not just you—including us, the Alliance, and even the Legion that dominates half the continent—compared to the territory of the Human Federation era, we're all just a drop in the bucket. To be honest, I think you could do much bigger business. For example... how about opening a branch of the Ideal City five light-years away?"

Li Changkong was taken aback, momentarily forgetting his earlier displeasure.

"...Five light-years away?"

"Exactly."

Chu Guang nodded, his tone still gentle as he continued.

"Farther than Proxima Centauri. Don't you have the coordinates of a new world on your colony ship's core? Once we've dealt with the troubles on this planet, sooner or later we'll have to finish what was left undone before."

Li Changkong laughed wryly.

"That kind of thing is far too distant."

Chu Guang shook his head.

"It's not that far, actually. We can start preparing for that day right now. I think your forefathers, when they turned back all those years ago, probably didn't intend for their descendants to be trapped forever on this hopeless planet. They must have believed that here, new hope could be nurtured, that you could set out again—that's why they turned back without hesitation."

It was perhaps inappropriate for him to say this, since those people were the ancestors of the Ideal City, not his own.

But Chu Guang didn't know why, when he spoke of their stories, he felt admiration yet not a trace of awe. He even slipped easily into their perspective, thinking from their standpoint.

That was, in a way, somewhat presumptuous.

Yet he spoke these words naturally.

Perhaps because he was an outsider.

When recounting that history, it felt like telling an ordinary tale, as if narrating a plot from a game.

Li Changkong stared at him blankly for a long moment before finally giving a faint smile.

"...Perhaps."

The residents of the Ideal City were not averse to others mentioning or evaluating their ancestors; they were not as sensitive as the Legion.

But his indifferent expression showed that he hadn't taken Chu Guang's grand vision to heart.

What Li Changkong didn't realize, however, was that those words—which had stirred no waves in his mind—had inadvertently planted a seed within him.

The engineering machines of the Ideal Group had indeed been sitting in warehouses for too long, so long that the equipment was nearly rusting.

Once, the Ideal Group had worked miracles on the wasteland. Now, they could only do patchwork repairs on the foundations laid by their predecessors.

Though he was merely a manager in the construction department, he had indeed, at times, yearned for the great achievements of the predecessors from two centuries ago.

One of Chu Guang's words had struck a chord deep within him.

The reason the Zhiyuan colonial ship turned back was never so that its descendants would be left to mold on this planet forever.

They must have believed that their descendants would one day pick up their unfinished mission, and so they chose to turn back without hesitation, to save those who could still be saved.

Thinking of it that way...

That pie dangling five light-years away actually smells quite appetizing.

"I'm very interested in your proposal, but... could I see something tangible?" Following Chu Guang's gaze to the panoramic window, Li Changkong looked out at the endless sea horizon and continued, "The surprise you mentioned on the phone... is it just this Conch?"

Before coming here, he had spoken with Chu Guang over the phone, and Chu Guang had promised him a surprise when he arrived.

He had been looking forward to it, especially now that he knew the Alliance had pushed the project into the experimental verification stage.

Yet standing in this observation cabin, he saw nothing.

Though the Conch was impressive from an engineering perspective, he hadn't come all this way just to learn about the Alliance's naval strength.

The Council might be interested, but that had nothing to do with his purpose here.

"Of course not. As for the surprise I mentioned, you'll know soon enough." Chu Guang smiled mysteriously, then turned to the captain standing close beside him and gave the order, "Prepare to dive!"

At Chu Guang's command, the captain immediately stood straight and gave a crisp military salute.

"Yes!"

The captain, having received his orders, took the walkie-talkie from his shoulder and issued the command with a firm voice.

"All hands, dive!"

At the same moment the order was given, the towering steel hull pushed aside rings of waves and slowly sank beneath the sea surface.

Watching the panoramic window submerge into the water, Li Changkong suddenly remembered his plane was still on the landing pad. He quickly turned to Chu Guang and said.

"My plane—"

"Don't worry," Chu Guang said, giving him a reassuring look, knowing what he was concerned about. "We've already brought your plane inside."

The landing pad itself was a lift platform; when they stepped onto the elevator, the transport plane, which looked like a "Viper," had also sunk into the cabin with them.

Hearing this, Li Changkong finally relaxed and turned his gaze back to the panoramic window.

And at that moment, the scene before him left him frozen in place.

In the depths of the blue, arcs of light flickered like "sprites" dancing beneath the sea surface.

A massive alloy structure stood at the center, surrounded by countless flickering "sprites," with metal structures extending outward, gradually taking shape as the light pulsed.

Li Changkong's eyes widened in astonishment. He wanted to ask Chu Guang what this was, but the latter seemed to read the surprise in his eyes and waved to the captain.

The captain immediately understood and ordered his men to turn on the submarine's forward searchlight.

As the beam of milky white light illuminated the entire dark space, Li Changkong finally saw what those flickering sprites really were.

Mechanical bodies shaped like manta rays flapped their large pectoral fins, circling a construction site.

The flickering light came from the low-temperature arcs emitted by the welding equipment on their heads.

Under those arcs, metal pipes and plates were quickly welded onto the pre-assembled metal framework.

Around the framework, many crab-like mechanical bodies were busy completing more detailed tasks, taking over from the "manta rays."

"...That thing that looks like a manta ray is called the Electric Ray, an underwater automatic welding drone we developed not long ago. I forget which company made it. Those crabs are the 'Crab-type,' modified from our 'Beetle-type' engineering armor. You're in engineering, so you've probably heard of them."

Li Changkong nodded dumbly, then let out a heartfelt sigh after a moment.

"Incredible."

Though the Corporation was not lacking in innovation, the Alliance's terrifying speed of innovation truly opened his eyes.

The pace of development was simply too fast!

Even the word "snowballing" couldn't describe it!

Though part of it was due to the Corporation's contributions, everything here was clearly unrelated to the Corporation, created entirely by the Alliance's vault dwellers and wastelanders.

He felt not just disbelief, but also genuine admiration.

These people were truly remarkable.

In the past two centuries, everything the Ideal City had done was merely a repetition of the Prosperity Era, without taking a single step forward.

Yet a survivor alliance born just a few years ago had the courage to challenge a peak they had never dared to imagine—building a new Tower of Babel that even the Prosperity Era had never possessed.

No wonder the Council favored them so much!

With these torchbearers leading the way, even the lazy citizens of the Ideal City couldn't help but take a step forward.

Including himself—

That was why he stood here!

Gazing at the man before him, Li Changkong suddenly saw a possibility he had never imagined.

If it were him, perhaps there really was hope to end this wasteland!

"...Before coming here, I still had some doubts, including whether it was too early to rebuild the space elevator at this point in time."

He paused, looked at Chu Guang, and continued in a serious tone.

"But after seeing all this, I only feel ashamed of my earlier doubts."

"Calculating the value of this project with asset returns is an insult to it. This is a project that can usher in a new era!"

"As you said, if we can truly rebuild the bridge between the surface and space, maybe one day we can reclaim all the territories of the United Human Federation."

"This magnificent monument should bear the names of the citizens of the Ideal City. Please, let us lend our strength too!"

That impassioned speech made Chu Guang almost blush, but he was now an old hand, with a face as thick as a city wall.

Looking into those sincere eyes, Chu Guang solemnly took Li Changkong's extended right hand and shook it firmly.

"On behalf of all the survivors who have united and are uniting, I must thank you!"

"Thank you for joining us!"

"I promise you, our names will all be engraved on this eternal monument!"