The last human in the universe

Chapter 27 Gold Mine
Zhao Changxing very much hoped that all the facilities and buildings here in the industrial zone could be completed before building other buildings.As it is now, retreating when the construction is only about 80% complete, I will definitely feel a little uncomfortable.

Not only that, Zhao Changxing also hopes to set up a fixed mining team - in addition to pyrite, mining areas such as water mines, nitrogen mines, dry ice mines, etc., it is best to have fixed manpower stationed, build professional mining facilities, and use flowing water The way of chemical industrial mining, so that no matter what you do in the future, you don't have to worry about the lack of resources.

But the reality is that, not to mention the establishment of a fixed mining site, even the planned chemical production lines in the chemical plant and the resource recovery and processing center in the industrial zone are too late to build.

"Time is tight and the task is heavy. We can only talk about things here later. The mode of resource collection can only maintain the status quo."

The current mining mode is that a few people work in the factory when the factory is busy. When there is a shortage of raw materials in the factory, they drive space vehicles to some mining sites that have been proven before, such as Shuikuang No. [-] , No. [-] Manganese Mine, No. [-] Dry Ice and other places, and now we are mining some resources to maintain production.

This will definitely affect efficiency, but there is no time and energy to adjust it for the time being.

Zhao Changxing sighed secretly again.

The work on the industrial zone was temporarily over, and the construction of the No. [-] comprehensive base was put on the agenda.

It is about a year and a half before the third generation of humans reaches adulthood.Then, let's use this year and a half to solve their housing problems first.

"There are a total of 60 children in the third generation. When they are adults and able to work, I will have more power in my hands. By then, whether it is here in the industrial zone or the construction of the No. [-] planting base , Establish a fixed mining point, you can do everything.”

"The difficulty is only temporary, and it will get better and better in the future. Now, just get over it."

Eight people stayed behind in the industrial area to maintain production, and Zhao Changxing returned to the No. 18 comprehensive base with only [-] adults left.

These 18 people, plus myself, a total of 19, are all the strength to build the No. [-] comprehensive base.

After resting for a day, the construction of the No. [-] comprehensive base began immediately.

The drawings have been prepared by Xiaoxi in advance according to people's requirements.According to the plan, the total area of ​​the No. 150 comprehensive base is also about 300 square meters.Zhao Changxing plans to build 150 houses in it, which can accommodate 20 people. The fourth generation of children has also been born, and there will be a fifth generation after the fourth generation. Some of them will be born naturally. In total, [-] houses can meet people's living needs within [-] years.

After 20 years, although the population is larger, the engineering capabilities will inevitably be stronger.It's time to continue cultivating.

150 houses means an area of ​​at least 3000 square meters.Including corridors, passages, walls and other public areas, as well as canteens, warehouses, life support, leisure and entertainment areas, emergency medical areas, etc., the total area will at least double to 6000 square meters.If it is a little richer and not so compact, it will be 8000 square meters.

When finalizing the planning drawings, Zhao Changxing discussed with people: "There is still about 2000 square meters of spare area, and we should simply build a larger sports venue for these areas."

In the several bases on Sedna Star, entertainment and leisure facilities are very scarce.Among the specially planned so-called entertainment and leisure areas, there are at most some relatively space-saving, simple and affordable items such as chess, gymnasium, and video game room.Like the big playground on the earth, there is no place with a large area.

This makes people feel depressed all the time.And this is obviously not conducive to physical and mental health.

Now that the No. [-] comprehensive base is going to be built, Zhao Changxing simply solves this problem together.

The proposal was unanimously approved.So the planning drawings were formulated according to these requirements.

Like the No. [-] planting base, the No. [-] comprehensive base will also be built underground.After all, it is not a factory, but a place where people live for a long time. It is still necessary to consider the radiation protection requirements.

It is still the same construction process as Planting Base No. [-], digging a hole first, then doing isolation, laying layers of boards, and making isolation walls inside according to the plan.

Time passed bit by bit, after the foundation of the No. [-] comprehensive base was laid, Zhao Changxing suddenly received a bad news indirectly.

The news came from Xiaoxi.

"Captain, our gold and platinum reserves have been reduced to close to the warning line, you need to make preparations in advance."

This news made Zhao Changxing startled.It took him a moment to react.

There was an ominous premonition in his heart.

Gold and platinum are very rare elements, both on Earth and on Sedna.They are not widely used in industry, and can even be said to be very rare, but their status is quite important.

For example, the surface of some components needs to be plated with a thin layer of gold, so that its performance can meet the requirements.For example, in some chemical reactions, a small amount of platinum is used as a catalyst-it is also not used in a high amount, but it will not work without it.

When the Tinder spacecraft left Earth, people were not sure whether they could find rare element deposits such as these two elements from Sedna, so they stored some directly on the Tinder spacecraft, and asked Zhao Changxing Wait for the astronauts to bring it directly.

At the beginning, the gold element brought from the earth was not too much, only about one ton, and the volume was only 50 liters.The carrying amount of platinum is about the same order of magnitude.

Because of the small amount used, Zhao Changxing hardly paid attention to the remaining reserves.When prospecting on the Sedna planet, Zhao Changxing also deliberately searched for the ore veins of these types of rare elements, but he couldn't find them.

"Xiaoxi, how many reserves do we have now?"

"There are more than ten kilograms of gold reserves, and 22.3 kilograms of platinum."

"How long will it last?"

Zhao Changxing still had some hope in his heart.He hoped that these rare elements could at least last until the construction of the No. [-] comprehensive base.At that time, people can divide their energies and spend time searching for these two kinds of mineral deposits in other places on Sedna Star.

But Xiaoxi's answer disappointed Zhao Changxing once again.

"Unfortunately, Captain, the platinum element reserves are barely sufficient, but there is still a big gap in the gold element reserves. Gold elements are indispensable for the construction of the core components of the life support system of the No. [-] base."

Without a life support system, even if the framework of the No. [-] comprehensive base is completely built, it cannot support people's survival inside.

"Why didn't you remind me earlier?"

Zhao Changxing was slightly annoyed.

"Originally, the reserves were sufficient. But recently, you adjusted the production plan of the industrial zone and accidentally consumed a large amount of gold elements, which led to insufficient reserves."

Only then did Zhao Changxing realize that he had decided to build a batch of engineering vehicles some time ago, consuming part of the gold element reserve.

However, those engineering vehicles are necessary to maintain the normal operation of the industrial zone. Without them, the production efficiency of the industrial zone will be greatly reduced, and it will not even be enough to support the building materials demand of the No. [-] comprehensive base.But now that they are built, the demand for gold elements in the life-support area of ​​the No. [-] comprehensive base can no longer be met.

"Meet."

Zhao Changxing quickly gathered all the adults, and once again gathered in the leisure and entertainment area of ​​the No. [-] comprehensive base.Those who are unable to come on duty in other places will also participate in this meeting through video.

There is enough space in the leisure and entertainment area, which can also be used as a conference room.

The number of participants in this meeting reached 41 people.The 30 members of the second generation, who originally only had the right to observe and had no right to speak, now have become mature and rational enough after working for several years, and have the real qualifications to participate in the conference.

As soon as this news from Xiaoxi was announced, people began to discuss it.But the discussion comes and goes, and there is only one way to solve the problem in the end.

The only way is to spare a few people to search for gold mines on Sedna.During the period before the gold mine was found, people first started to construct the rest of the No. [-] comprehensive base that did not require gold elements.

How else?Could it be possible to remanufacture the construction machinery that has already been built, and refine the gold again?

Not to mention whether there is the ability to refine, just say that without those machines, what will happen to the production in the industrial zone?The industrial zone could no longer maintain production, and the No. [-] comprehensive base could not be built either.

No matter where you look at this solution, it is the only choice for people.But a very important question is, what if no gold mine can be found until people have built the No. [-] comprehensive base and other places that do not require gold elements?Even... What if I can't find a gold mine?
In that case, not only the No. [-] comprehensive base cannot be built, but also the subsequent No. [-] planting base, the light industrial factories in the industrial zone, and even all future buildings will not be able to be built.

This possibility made everyone feel heavy.

"Don't worry too much about it."

Zhao Changxing said in a very firm tone, trying to calm people's worries as much as possible: "In terms of probability, such a large planet will have almost all the elements that can exist for a long time, but the reserves are more or less That's all. If we look hard, we will definitely find it."

People echoed a few times, and the meeting ended.

But there was one sentence that no one said.

In terms of probability, the probability that there is no gold mine on a planet as large as Sedna is indeed extremely low.But the key question is... where on the planet are they?
surface?Or 100 meters underground, 1000 meters, or even [-] kilometers, or even the core of the earth?

You know, at this moment, human beings don't have much ability to dig down.Besides, if the gold mines are buried too deep, it is impossible for people to find them.

But in the end, there is only one way, so let's look for it first.

(End of this chapter)