The world during the great ice age was terrifyingly quiet, for humans were originally a very warlike species. Not only did humans slaughter all other creatures on Earth, but they also engaged in infighting. That is to say, once humans stood at the top of the food chain and dominated the entire planet, they began to regard other humans as enemies and slaughter each other.
Thus, throughout human history, ever since humans solved the problem of having enough to eat, all people have been at war.
If one calculates carefully, human history has actually only had a few decades without war. Apart from that, human history has always been accompanied by slaughter and combat. In such circumstances, the entire Earth appeared extremely restless. Yet, at this very moment, human society was facing a food shortage. Launching wars required a large consumption of grain, so the entire world became quiet. Everyone hid in their homes. Apart from farming in greenhouses, other matters were to be ignored.
Besides humans hiding in their homes, other animals also retreated into their dens, unwilling to go out. Even if they ventured out, they would find no food and might be targeted by predators.
Thus, under these circumstances, the Earth immediately became very peaceful.
This bottleneck lasted for two years, and finally, news came from the sea. This was released from the radio carried by Chang Haojie. Yuzhou received the news immediately: the whereabouts of the meteorite had finally been found!
For three to four years after the volcanic eruption, people could only live hidden in their homes. However, many fleets on the sea had been searching for the meteorite. As long as they could find the meteorite, they could obtain advanced alien technology and thus save human civilization from its near-extinction.
Almost everyone had placed their hopes on the meteorite. Not long ago, people regarded the meteorite as a source of disaster, but now, countless people placed their hopes on it. Although no one could prove that the meteorite contained alien technology, many people wished it to be so.
Shen Feng, however, did not change his mind. His attitude towards the meteorite had never wavered. He only wanted to send this meteorite into outer space, thereby preventing the meteorite from affecting the various creatures on Earth.
Now that Shen Feng had learned of the meteorite's whereabouts, he was very excited and asked where the meteorite was.
"I cannot say explicitly, because our radio is often intercepted. If I were to reveal the meteorite's location here, then tomorrow countless people would head towards its location. So, wait until I return! I will reveal all the news when I get back. And this meteorite cannot be moved for now!" Chang Haojie replied via telegram.
Upon hearing the reply, Shen Feng regretfully slapped his forehead. He had almost forgotten that when using telegrams for communication, as long as the signal was captured, the content could easily be deciphered, and thus no secret could be kept from others.
So, Shen Feng quickly said, "Then hurry back. Don't say anything else!"
Chang Haojie replied, "The meteorite is very safe now, but there are also many sea beasts guarding it. It is not a good time to seize the meteorite. We can only wait for later! We will return immediately and explain in detail when we are face to face!"
After that, Shen Feng called Li Keyi: "How is the rocket construction going on your end? Have you had any successful launches?"
"One rocket has been built, but the launch failed. We are inspecting the reason. If that doesn't work, we will have to build a disposable rocket, meaning it will only be responsible for launching into space, but not for returning. This is the worst-case scenario." However, there was no good news from Li Keyi.
Generally, rocket launches require a return trip, meaning the rocket launched into space can return on its own. At the very least, the astronauts on the mission should be able to return alive. However, in the early days, many rockets were single-use, meaning they were only responsible for launching into space but not for returning.
What Li Keyi said now clearly indicated that she had prepared for the worst-case scenario.
If they could not build a reusable rocket, then they would ultimately have to use a single-use rocket. It would be enough to send the meteorite into space. However, to send such a heavy meteorite into space, a sufficiently large rocket would be needed, not just any rocket. It would need to be able to carry a considerable weight.
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng said, "Since that is the case, then we can only do as you suggest. However, I plan to go to Jiuquan in a few days to check the progress of the rocket construction. You all wait for me!"
Li Keyi noticed that Shen Feng had never rushed her about the progress of this matter before, but now he was suddenly concerned. She had a guess and asked, "Is there any news about the meteorite? Otherwise, why are you suddenly asking about the rocket's progress?"
Shen Feng replied, "There is no news at all. I just had a whim to ask. Also, when I get there, I have some important matters to discuss!"
After being reminded by Chang Haojie, Shen Feng understood that no important news should be directly spoken over communication facilities like telephones, as it could easily be intercepted or eavesdropped upon. Therefore, he did not reveal the truth and planned to explain the situation to a few trusted individuals after arriving in Jiuquan.
Afterward, three days later, Chang Haojie and his three-person team finally returned. After a year of searching, they looked much more weathered. Although they were only in their early twenties, they now looked travel-worn and disheveled, not at all like young people should.
"You've worked hard. You must have had a tough time drifting at sea and on islands for this past year!" Shen Feng, seeing how tired these three young men looked, immediately began to inquire.
"A little hardship is nothing. We've grown up, and it's only right to strive at this time. But brother-in-law, you definitely wouldn't guess where we found the meteorite!" Chang Haojie seemed to be quite cheerful, his mood seemingly unaffected.
If one were to act alone, they would be unable to cope with any dangerous situations. Furthermore, for humans, being too lonely could lead to psychological illnesses. Fortunately, the three of them carried many books and luggage. When they had nothing to do, they would read, which helped pass the time. After all, the three of them had lived in the mountains for more than five years.
So, after returning, the three of them looked much more tired, but their physical and mental conditions were fine.
Shen Feng said, "You probably found these sea beasts in a large camp in the deep sea. These sea beasts are indeed cunning. They won't let go of the meteorite, even though they don't have the ability to study it!"
To study the structure of this meteorite and what it contained, advanced scientific research equipment and sufficient scientific literacy would be required. However, although the intelligence of sea beasts had improved, their knowledge system had not yet been formed, and they had not even completed their language. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for them to research the meteorite.
However, these sea beasts understood the importance of the meteorite, so they insisted on carrying it wherever they went.
Therefore, in Shen Feng's estimation, these sea beasts must have found a very deep sea area that no one would visit. By operating there, no matter how humans searched for the sea beasts, they would find nothing. Instead, they would be suddenly attacked by the sea beasts, their ships destroyed, causing casualties and property losses.
"Brother-in-law, although you are very intelligent and have more knowledge than me, you are wrong this time. Because these sea beasts are not in the deep sea, but near a small island! Although the surrounding sea area is deep, it is not enough compared to the deep sea!" Chang Haojie said.
"Then tell me, where is this place?" Shen Feng immediately asked.
At this moment, Qu Zhaoqian said, "It's not anywhere else, but Iceland, an island in Europe near the Arctic Circle. It is cold and icy there all year round, and the people there could no longer endure the harsh environment and migrated elsewhere!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng immediately reacted and said, "Since it's close to the mainland, it must be in shallow waters. I didn't expect sea beasts to come to shallow waters. Aren't they afraid of being stranded? If that's the case, it will be even easier to seize the meteorite!"
If the battle were to take place in the deep sea, only a few people could participate, as they would need to be able to move freely in the water or have the ability to fly in the sky to gain an advantage in sea combat. Moreover, only those with special abilities could fight in the deep sea.
Therefore, Shen Feng's biggest concern was that he might have to go to the deep sea to fight. If that were the case, he would need to prepare many things.
As of now, it seemed that the whereabouts of the meteorite were not a concern, as the meteorite was in a shallow water area. As long as they approached this area, they could fight. Even if people fell into the water, they would be able to return to shore quickly.
However, after Shen Feng said this, Chang Haojie said, "Brother-in-law, don't worry now, because this meteorite has already been found by other people, and those people have been interacting with the sea beasts for some time!"
Wang Xiqiang added, "When we found the meteorite, a group of people had already arrived on Iceland, and it looked like they had been there for a long time. Because there were many furnishings inside the houses, and these furnishings had no dust on them, and there was a strong sense of daily life."
"Why didn't you say so earlier? Since someone found the meteorite before me, I can't just stand by and do nothing! I must seize the meteorite!" Shen Feng stood up abruptly upon hearing this, clearly very agitated.
At this moment, Shen Feng had to act quickly because he knew that if the meteorite was occupied by someone else first, it would not be easy to get it back. Therefore, he had to act immediately.
Chang Haojie said, "Don't rush. Listen to us. The reason why we judged that the meteorite would not be in danger for the time being and would not be taken by others is because we discovered the true identity of this group of people, and thus our worries naturally disappeared!"
Shen Feng heard this and asked doubtfully, "Then why do you say there's no need to worry? What is the identity of these people? Which faction do they belong to?"
Chang Haojie said, "If I tell you the truth, you probably won't believe it, but this is the only way to say it now. This group of people is from an animal protection organization! They consider themselves to be part of an organization that protects rare animals, and they seem to have a way to communicate with sea beasts!"
Shen Feng heard this and gradually realized, saying, "You mean to say that this is a group of 'saints'?"