Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Wandering Earth Project, Filtration Device
"I want to know, what’s really happened to this world!"
"What happened before we woke up!"
Due to prolonged hibernation, the survivors who awoke on the wasteland lost most of their memories, leaving only indistinct fragments of the past.
Lin Feng was no different, he recalled previously being just an ordinary graduate employee, then some change seemed to occur on Earth, after which he remembered nothing.
The lower-tier Deserters were no different, clueless about everything.
Even Chen Shanshan learned only vague fragments from her master.
Now with the opportunity before him, Lin Feng naturally wanted to understand why Earth has turned into today’s apocalyptic wasteland...
Father Su An was the most powerful and prestigious person he could connect with, even in Oasis Town, he was among that small elite.
Upon hearing Lin Feng’s question, Father Su An smiled knowingly as if he had anticipated the question, and spoke:
"This question has troubled me for a long time, as it troubles every survivor of the wasteland."
"Many years ago, when I first joined the Holy Spring Sect, I might have given you the popular explanation of the wasteland."
"The answer gradually pieced together after most Evolvers recalled the past."
"A long time ago, around the year 2000 AD, humanity faced an end-of-the-world crisis, the specifics of which are no longer recorded, but as the crisis approached, humans gained the ability to start evolving."
"Suddenly, various talented Evolvers emerged onto the grand historical stage."
"Ultimately, they devised a strategy to respond to the crisis: use Earth as a carrier to drive the whole planet away from the soon-to-be-destroyed Solar System."
"According to the planned procedure, move towards Proxima Centauri, the smallest star in a three-star system, where the other two stars are similar in size to the Sun. These three are collectively referred to as Alpha Centauri, also known as Centaurus."
"Approximately 4.22 light-years from the Solar System, approximately forty trillion kilometers. The plan was to build ten thousand Planet Engines to propel Earth forwards, along with ten thousand underground shelters to protect humanity."
"Over five hundred years, Earth would accelerate to 5‰ of the speed of light, which is fifteen hundred kilometers per second, then glide for thirteen hundred years before reversing the engine direction for seven hundred years to decelerate, and ultimately dock into Proxima Centauri’s orbit!"
"The Wandering Earth Plan would take a total of two thousand five hundred years."
"Originally, the plan was to proceed as expected, with all survivors entering the various underground shelters and lying in hibernation pods."
"They were set to automatically awaken after two thousand five hundred years."
"But after that, the first humans to emerge from the shelters were roasted alive by a scorching sun."
"Looking up, there were three Suns hanging at the horizon, creating a world with eternal daylight, without night."
"Eventually, everyone found that the positions of the three Suns almost equally divided Earth, each illuminating about one-third of the area, rotating from east to west at a speed of less than eighteen point five kilometers per day, incessantly moving..."
"Earth’s circumference is forty thousand kilometers, so it takes six years for the three Suns to make one round trip, and thus it’s referred to as the Wasteland Year."
"It’s six times longer than the old Solar System."
"Since then, the survivors from the shelters began migrating and living in the areas between the three Suns, using resources stored in shelters and city ruins to strive to restore civilization."
"As more survivors woke up, people discovered this was definitely not the destination Centaurus; the three-star system was not three stars orbiting each other."
"During humanity’s dormancy period, something unknown happened that changed the trajectory of human fate."
"And from the time humans have awakened, a thousand Wasteland Years have passed as recorded."
"Which translates to six thousand old years."
Saying this, Father Su An sighed deeply and took out a book from behind, a Holy Spring Scripture:
"After I joined the Holy Spring Sect and perused the sect’s internal literature, I found that everything was far more complex."
"Three hundred Wasteland Years ago, there was once an Archbishop who tried to uncover the truth of the wasteland and traveled alone near the equator to inspect the Planet Engines built back then; ultimately, he returned to tell everyone he found nothing."
"The Wandering Earth Plan might not even exist."
"The secrets within were only known to the pioneers of the evolution wave back then, who were responsible for executing the entire plan. Now they have long disappeared, leaving behind stories that have become legends circulated across the wasteland."
"The real truth is buried in relics of the past, and the method to resolve the Three Days in the Sky is among them."
After listening to Father Su An’s explanation, Lin Feng was deeply shocked and gradually began to recall the events of those years.
Everyone was ignited by the wave of evolution; compared to countless geniuses, Lin Feng was just a mediocre Level 4 Enhanced Person, slightly competent among the lower-class people.
Then came an end-of-the-world crisis that necessitated fleeing the Solar System, hence the Wandering Earth Plan was put on the agenda.
Even though his abilities were low, in the chaos he became a leader of a construction team and soon entered the shelter.
He lay in a hibernation pod, waiting for Wandering Earth to take him into a beautiful new world.
But upon waking up, he found himself in the wasteland, wronged, and near death.
He fought hard all the way and finally settled down.
"So the Savior who shot down the Sun, rumored among the Deserters, truly exists?"
Lin Feng recalled the joke Ding Yi made with him when he first arrived.
Father Su An laughed slightly, then said seriously:
"Of course he exists! He is the great Prophet who led humanity to the surface and explored the new world, leaving behind his last future prophecy before his death."
"And the Master of the Holy Spring we worship, the Savior of the Wasteland World, will under the leadership of the Undying Saint, save all humanity, resolve the Three Days in the Sky, and finally reach a true new world!"
Su An’s expression seemed slightly excited.
Lin Feng roughly understood; all the churches on the wasteland likely believed themselves to be that Savior.
So he no longer discussed this unsolvable topic but instead asked another pressing personal question:
"Master, is it necessary to go to the church or the major families in the Oasis to initiate evolution?"
"What to do if encountering an emergency in the wild where evolution is needed to break through the situation?"
The reason Lin Feng was willing to relinquish the opportunity for evolution, besides the enmity with Chen Shanshan due to his orders, was also his cautiousness towards unknown things.
Due to the unknown effects of Mutated Wolf Fang, he feared the provided Evolution Liquid might also have corresponding side effects.
They might leave behind measures, to coerce Evolvers to continue serving the Oasis, and other such threats.
The forces capable of establishing lasting rule in the wasteland, none of them would be benevolent.
Father Su An hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth:
"There is a portable extraction method, through squeezing and filtering, it can extract Basic Evolution Liquid, which can be tried in emergencies."
"As for upgrading after becoming an Evolver, like during the Enhanced Person phase, just eat Evolutionary Meat."
"The physique of an Evolver can withstand it."
After answering, Su An provided detailed explanations:
"Single-use filtering equipment is available for sale at stores in Holy Spring Village, and it can reduce the impurities in the Evolutionary Meat by 90%, barely permitting direct consumption."
"But I suggest still bringing back the Desolate Beast."
"The medical room in the village preserves Evolution Liquid with 99% purity, which corresponds to circumstances like Miss Chen’s evolution today, if blindly conducted outside, the risk of accidents is extremely high."
"I hold high expectations for you."
"Within the limits of my authority, exchanging one Tier One Desolate Beast for a single Evolution Surgery is already at maximum, the Assistant Priest in charge of logistics won’t turn a blind eye."
"Given your current strength, teaming up with Miss Chen to hunt herbivorous Tier One Desolate Beasts is not a problem."
Speaking, Su An pinched the bridge of his nose, the afternoon’s research had been very exhausting:
"If there’s nothing important, that’ll be it for now."
Lin Feng nodded, stood up, and upon leaving, reached into his pocket, taking out the medal for exchange, a golden silver Teaching Emblem token:
"Master, then this..."
Father Su An revealed a subtly meaningful smile:
"It’s not cheap; hold onto it well; it also symbolizes half membership with the church."
"Furthermore, don’t keep calling me master; just call me Uncle An, there aren’t so many formalities in the village."
"Come to play with the children when you have time."
Lin Feng secured the Teaching Emblem close to himself:
"Thank you, Uncle An."
After bidding farewell to the priest, he hurriedly returned to the medical room.
Coincidentally, he encountered Chen Shanshan, who had just unbound herself and slowly regained consciousness, muttering "hungry~ hungry~"
So Liu Qian helped her get back on the tricycle.
In the carriage, Chen Shanshan ate a kilogram of wolf leg jerky in one go and then fell asleep again.
Everyone thus rested for a while inside the church.
An hour later, Chen Shanshan, recovered, emitted an immensely powerful aura from her entire body.
Entirely different from before when she was Level 9 Enhanced.
Lin Feng didn’t pay much attention to this, and opened his mouth to ask:
"Did you recall any past events?"