Chapter 287 Wartime Orbital Resource Collection Plan

After Wu Di finished speaking, the conference room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone's gaze seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, following the huge floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall towards the end of the night.

That long, straight, enormous silhouette stands silently between the sky and the city.

One of the greatest miracles of human industrialization: the space elevator.

Wang Mingyuan stared at the colossal metallic shadow that pierced the sky for a full half minute. Then, he slowly turned around and slammed the completely red "High-Grade Raw Material Warning List" onto the table.

"Orbital Resources Group," Wang Mingyuan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a decisive air, "Retrieve all the files related to near-Earth orbit."

"Not a summary, but the complete set."

Wu Di swallowed hard and quickly walked to the control panel. He swiped his fingerprint, iris scan, and bone conduction scanner in quick succession to unlock the three top-secret access locks.

The next moment, the surface mineral zone map on the conference room's main screen quickly folded away. In its place was a complete set of [Near-Earth Orbit Industrial Master Plan] flashing with a cold blue light.

A glaring red line rises from the ground base, boldly piercing the atmosphere and connecting to the main geostationary orbit platform more than 200 kilometers away. Beyond the main line, an extremely complex network of branches extends outward, branching into more than a dozen transfer nodes, a massive maintenance ring, an orbital storage station, and a half-finished industrial module.

In the higher, deeper darkness, there are even three space platforms still operating at low power, silently suspended in the weightless vacuum of space, like a few lonely metal islands.

Wu Di cut out a timeline of the project, and his initially tense speech gradually became calmer.

"The space elevator is not just for show, nor is it merely a symbolic project. It has always been the backbone of the Soyuz orbital industrial system. Even in the most difficult times, this line has never been truly abandoned."

"Over the years, our orbital resources group, the military aerospace force, and the aerospace engineering group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have been working hard to push forward the supporting projects."

Wu Di's finger swiped across the screen, illuminating several slightly flickering nodes.

"But the ground has changed too fast in the past few years. Relics have emerged one after another, and the bones and blood of mutated monsters are excellent materials. We need to defend the lines and build fortifications in the war zones. Every place is like a bottomless pit, devouring resources."

"In comparison, the space program is slow to produce results, requires an astonishing amount of upfront investment, and has a long payback period. Therefore, in the budget statements of the Coordinating Department, it has always been relegated to the 'medium- to long-term strategic sequence,' and can only be kept afloat by a small maintenance budget."

Wu Di continued scrolling down the data and reported a series of current status parameters:

[Synchronous Orbit Main Platform: Maintaining Minimum Ecological Operation]

Main cable structure: 99.8% integrity

[Second-generation heavy-duty transport module: 89% complete]

[High-Orbit Psionic Recovery Craft: 76% Complete]

[Orbital Industrial Maintenance Spacecraft: 81% Complete]

[Chang Geng's resource storage depot: Under the highest level of physical sealing, not yet opened]

Upon seeing this series of data, someone in the conference room finally couldn't sit still any longer.

"The second-generation heavy-load transport module is already 80-90% complete?" A general in charge of military production widened his eyes in surprise. "I remember this thing was just an aerodynamic model two years ago!"

"The recovery boats will be here soon too?"

Wu Di nodded emphatically.

"These projects have never stopped. The people, equipment, and automated production lines for low Earth orbit are all there; it's just that in the past, we were given only the minimum standard of maintenance budget."

"This road was already being paved, and most of it was even completed. It's just that it's still one step away from being put into actual use; it hasn't been pushed to the point where it must be put into practical use immediately."

The holographic main screen continues to zoom in.

The breathtaking details of that colossal structure are gradually revealed. The gravity anchor point of the base, the low-altitude relay platform, the high-altitude transfer ring, the geostationary orbit main station, and the outer auxiliary industrial compartments are clearly illuminated section by section.

Many people used to just see it as the most conspicuous symbol of the alliance, but now, after disassembling it layer by layer, they have truly seen its terrifying significance.

It is not a pillar at all.

Instead, it's a whole steel artery that brutally stretches from the ground to the high-orbit industrial zone, used to extract resources from space!

Without pausing, Wu Di decisively switched to another encrypted file with a complicated combination lock.

The title consists of only one line, yet it carries immense weight:

[List of Resources Stored on the Chang Geng]

Several senior experts from the materials team, who had been looking worried, sat up straight almost simultaneously as if they had been electrocuted.

Wu Di immediately highlighted the key points.

"The Chang Geng spacecraft was originally intended for deep space exploration and the manufacture of large industrial components for high orbit. When it was mothballed, three types of core materials were left inside."

"Category 1: High-density meteorite gold ore."

"The second type is a superconducting titanium crystal alloy plate for space skeletons."

"The third category includes a large number of spare components for high-orbit industrial nodes, as well as high-pressure-resistant outer armor modules that have not yet been put into use."

As the parameter table unfolded line by line, the breathing in the entire conference room became lowered.

More than 300 tons of meteorite gold ore.

There is a sufficient inventory of nearly 1,000 tons of superconducting titanium crystal alloy.

Multiple batches of high-specification space components remain in the highest level of sealed storage.

What do these things mean?

This is a complete, pristine strategic material treasure trove that can be directly deployed to military production lines!

The veteran expert from the materials team was the first to react, his voice trembling with excitement: "If the superconducting titanium crystal alloy is still in its physical state, we can cut it off, remelt it, and then add a trace amount of associated spirit gold... enough to significantly increase the strength of the existing flying sword and the Xuanhu skeleton!"

"Not to mention meteorite gold!" another chief weapon refiner slammed his fist on the table. "Even if only one percent is added, the lifespan of the flying sword's spine and its ability to resist high-frequency true energy erosion will undergo a significant qualitative change!"

The officials from the Coordination Bureau, who had kept gloomy faces all night, finally showed a sudden, intense flicker in their lifeless eyes.

Because this is no longer a vague "maybe".

Rather, it is a material depot that can solve urgent problems.

But this intense heat, which was almost enough to lift the roof off, didn't last long before Wu Di brought up another batch of glaring data.

Real-time environmental status diagram of the upper and middle sections of the space elevator.

Table of delayed construction progress of high-speed rail transfer interface.

Near-Earth orbit environmental anomalies and psionic turbulence monitoring map.

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly turned somber, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

"Distinguished leaders and experts, the item is indeed there."

"But the real problem is that these things should be used where they are needed more."

He raised his hand and enlarged the supporting structure for the middle and high-end sections.

"The core components, such as the main cable, elevator, and geosynchronous orbit platform, are all in place and in better condition than many people expect. This is because we have been maintaining and reinforcing them for the past few years."

"It can currently operate stably, handle low-intensity, low-frequency transportation, and maintain the basic supply of high-orbit platforms. However, it has not yet been pushed to a state of full-load, overload operation during wartime!"

On the main screen, several facilities flashing yellow warning lights were lit up one by one: the high-orbit transfer interface still under construction, the heavy-load transport module that has not yet completed final acceptance, the recovery boat with only the main frame completed, and the maintenance spacecraft.

Why is the completion rate of the second-generation heavy-duty transport module stuck at 89%?

"Because the last missing section involved testing for absolute sealing, radiation protection, and structural stability under high wartime loads and multiple rounds of transport!"

"Why is the high-orbit recovery vessel still not quite there? Because it was originally designed for routine, lossless recovery after the expansion of the future rail industry, not for this kind of urgent 'forced demolition'!"

These words effectively shut down what everyone wanted to say.

Wu Di then pulled up another access document with a scarlet top-secret seal.

[Chang Geng's Resource Depot: Strategic Reserve for the Alliance's Deep Space Industry. It may not be opened without the joint authorization of the Supreme Coordinating Office, the Orbital Industry Committee, and the military.]

"There's one more thing, and everyone needs to think it through today." Wu Di's voice sounded heavy in the empty conference room.

"The things on the Chang Geng are not just inanimate objects stored there."

"They were originally intended as the strategic framework for a future mission to truly reach space, build high-orbit shipyards, and undertake deep space engineering. They were the spark."

"Today, we can certainly put an end to the immediate crisis by dismantling them in an extremely violent manner and transporting them back to Earth. But the more violently we dismantle them, the slower we will be when the space industry truly takes off in the future, and we may even lose everything."

The meeting room fell completely silent.

The issue has escalated from a technical question of "whether it can be used" to a brutal choice of civilization: "Should we use the last bit of strategic resources that should have been reserved for the future at this point in time?"

"So the real challenge now is whether the alliance is willing to lay the foundation originally intended for the future space industry in advance in exchange for surface development."

No one spoke in the meeting room.

This is a brutally honest choice.

Taking it now means current development is stagnant.

If you don't take it, your future path will be more complete.

But if the current development stops, there may not be any living people left to walk that more complete path in the future.

Wu Di then pulled up several sets of high-altitude environmental parameters.

The high-radiation zone is still expanding.

The ionization anomaly is ten times stronger than in the old era.

The resurgence of spiritual energy is causing the high-altitude spiritual pressure turbulence zone to continue to expand.

"Our military and maintenance teams have been up there before. But those were mostly low-frequency maintenance and small-part transportation, not large-scale, heavy-duty ore recycling."

"If we were to transport those materials from the Chang Geng ship down, relying on the old maintenance methods would be suicidal."

A general frowned and pressed, "What about the available transport containers?"

"The first generation was usable, but it had a small load capacity and weak protection, so it could only be used for low-intensity transport. Even if it was ruined, it couldn't haul away several hundred tons of ore."

"The second generation is coming soon, but it hasn't been finalized yet."

"The high-orbit recovery craft and the main body of the maintenance spacecraft are both there, but they haven't reached the state of full-capacity operation during wartime yet."

Now everyone understood completely.

The league is not unprepared.

On the contrary, we are already 80-90% ready.

But it's precisely because it's stuck at this 80-90% mark that it's the most frustrating.

If there are still enough raw materials on Earth to spare, this space line can be slowly refined before being put into use.

But now, the terrifying rate at which high-level raw materials on the surface are being consumed is ruthlessly pushing the timeline forward.

We can't wait any longer.

Wang Mingyuan suddenly stood up and made a sweeping motion on the control panel.

A panoramic view of the space elevator, the Chang Geng salvage list, a model of the second-generation heavy-load transport module, structural parameters of the high-orbit recovery boat... all these complex images were crudely lumped together onto a huge main screen.

A whole set of long-term projects that were originally being carried out separately were, at this moment, forcibly twisted into a single battle line where everyone was fighting for survival.

"Request a file."

Wang Mingyuan's sharp gaze swept across the entire room.

"The Materials Group and Orbital Resources Group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the General Administration of Military Industry, and the Technology Department of the Coordination Bureau will all be merged starting tonight!"

"Re-verify all high-orbit storage lists, actual progress of transport modules, environmental anomaly reports, recovery craft structural parameters, and the Chang Gung's unsealing authorization...!"

He paused for a moment, his tone carrying an undeniable authority.

"From now on, this line will no longer be scheduled as a medium- to long-term project."

"Full transition to wartime priority top-level sequence."

No one objected. And no one dared to object.

The military commander immediately approved the application to take over some of the high-orbit permissions.

The special commissioner from the Coordination Agency immediately dispatched personnel to access the unlocking process for the sealed files.

The senior experts from the Academy of Sciences carried data boards and parameter tables out, loudly assigning tasks to groups working through the night as they went.

By the time the meeting ended, night had fallen heavily.

Beyond the glass curtain wall, the massive steel silhouette that stretches from heaven to earth still hangs quietly at the edge of the sky.

It simply remains standing there.

From that moment on, in the eyes of those who held the fate of all mankind in their hands, it became the most likely lifeline to save the Alliance's industrial lifeline.

And on the main screen in the center of the conference room that was still running.

A top-secret file created with the highest privileges has been opened.

The first line of the document reads:

[Space Elevator: Wartime Orbital Resource Recovery Plan - Preliminary Compilation]