<h4>Chapter 145: Base</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    “Next up on the news, in Ennd, the Debye AB Bio-Technology Company announcedst week that they made a major breakthrough in gene-editing technology. They have developed a blood sma for human genes that can induce evolution. Currently, they are experimenting with clinical trials, which is causing an uproar around the world. Two volunteers already tested out the first live injections yesterday. The pair remain in good condition, and have not experienced any side effects,” the news anchor reported.


    “This morning, following the AB Bio-Technology Company’s sessful experiment, they have announced that the time hase for human beings to enter a new era. This major breakthrough in gene technology has made most human diseases theoretically treatable. But, while some are cheering for this new and promised longevity, many more scientists worry that this technology will bring cmity to humanity, along with its benefits.”


    Lu Zhiyu was lying on the sofa next to the window with a cup of coffee. He looked at the beach outside. In the distance, he could see the endless ocean. He was at Byrne Ind in the South Pacific. From time to time, the sound of nes would buzz overhead, as theynded at the airport in the middle of the ind.


    An unbelievable amount of materials and personnel were being transported to the inds. There was also an incredible number of robots that were working on the inds, constantly transporting the new materials, as well as ferrying about people underground. Currently, people could only enter the ind, but couldn’t leave. This was in order to maintain top level secrecy, as no one else knew about the events that were happening on these inds hidden in the South Pacific!


    Lu Zhiyu was drinking coffee while he looked at the newspaper. The newspaper had an exaggerated headline, “In this new era of longevity, our expected lifespan will reach two hundred years!”


    He picked up another newspaper. It featured a picture of the spokesperson of the Debye AB Group, who was quoted as saying, “We are not only breaking through the secrets of life, but we are also investing in space exploration and space technology. In the future, AB Technology Ltd. will be at the forefront of human progress, as we lead the world into a new, interster era.”


    Lu Zhiyu put the newspaper down. How Nichs Debye was using publicity to increase his power and expand his influence was of no interest to him. The blood sma solution that Nichs had named “Embrace” could only be tailored to specific people right now anyway.


    Only Lu Zhiyu could manufacture it. So far, Nichs Debye had only injected it. Even the Prototype 01 solution that could give subjects a two hundred year life span was still not ready for mass-production.


    The Prototype 01 evolution blood sma was a product that was prepared exclusively for the rich and famous. Ordinary people could not afford that sort of luxury. To Lu Zhiyu, this product was not just some so-called herald of a new golden era. On the contrary, he believed that this product would only solidify the existing human hierarchies and form a wider gap between ordinary people and those in power.


    The Vatican n and Nichs Debye were using the technology that they had acquired to rapidly expand their power base. They had even gotten the support of the reigning political parties of several countries.


    After all, the the promise of longevity and healthy bodies was irresistible for powerful men, who were facing death and disease. Thus, they did not hesitate to meet Nichs Debye’s conditions and requirements, just to get a ce on the list of recipients.


    Under Nichs Debye’s ambitious direction, the Vatican n continued to expand. They began to construct a technological empire of legends. From bioengineering and blood sma research to other fields, they began to dominate the market by creating monopolies. They were even stepping into the fields of human space exploration and aviation technology.


    Lu Zhiyu’s AB Technology Co. Ltd. was funded by these donors. The Vatican n provided whatever Lu Zhiyu wanted, as well as supplied an unimaginable selection of talent and resources.


    They also had partial ownership of the AB Technology Co., Ltd. via stock shares, as well as ess to thepany’s technology, which, in Nichs Debye’s view, was a great bargain. But, no one knew that Lu Zhiyu basically had no technology to speak of.


    More and more, Lu Zhiyu began to feel that the Earth wasn’t an attractive ce for him anymore. The vast infinities of the universe were the real future.


    Lu Zhiyu was itching to build a starship that would, at the very least, be able to travel within the sr system. That exploration would fulfill some of his initial goals, but so far, it seemed that Lu Zhiyu’s n had been far too optimistic.


    After all, space technology was aplex and multidisciplinary endeavor. It involved basic science, applied science, and engineering. It was not a unteral technical field.


    As such, in order to create a starship that could be used for travel through interster dimensions, calctions inputer technology, thermodynamics, mechanics and materials science, as well as a series of other technologies, were essential.


    Due to this, some smaller countries did not even have the qualifications to dream of such research, as this sort of research required both money and arge pool of scientific talents, as well as knowledgeable experts and a powerful industrial base.


    The manufacture of an engine alone involved scientific theory that wasplicated enough to make people dizzy. So far, even with the most advanced engine and taking the best route, it would still take more than six months to reach Mars from Earth. Traveling out of the sr system was still impossible.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted toplete his own n to build a starship. In order to do so, he needed arge number of talented researchers to help him.


    These talents were each unique leaders within their fields. Many of them were regarded as national treasures, with their movements being closely monitored. As such, Lu Zhiyu had to get the Vatican n to locate them and snatch them away discreetly.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and pressed a ss door open to reveal an elevator. Lu Zhiyu entered through the door, then went dozens of meters underground before swerving to the left. Finally, after descending a few hundred meters more, the elevator stopped.


    He was in what appeared to be a huge underground cavity. It seemed like it was a location that was straight out of a science fiction novel! Arge number of robots and automatic vehicles were moving back and forth inside it, and fluorescent panels, which were ced overhead, gave the entire underground space a white tint.


    Within the underground base were various buildings, spacious roads, and several specialized structures. The entire underground base was built ording to the specifications of the professionals. As such, it had countless experimental spaces, all of which only had one purpose: to design and manufacture a spacecraft that could travel throughout the universe!