Chapter 155: Emergency Manufacturing

The machines roared to life, motors humming with power. Thanks to the Federation Government’s highly efficient execution, the Aegis Industrial Complex instantly maxed out its production capacity.

Having already stockpiled a substantial nuclear arsenal, the immediate focus shifted away from weapon manufacturing. The primary objective now was the mass production of heavy-lift rockets and the corresponding surveillance probes.

Scientists projected that in three and a half months, the Viridian ships would pass Mars at a distance of approximately one million kilometers. This presented the perfect window of opportunity for a preemptive strike.

If they missed this window, they would never get another chance, humanity’s current rockets simply lacked the speed to chase down the Viridian vessels.

This might be the only moment in human history where they could launch an attack against the Viridian Empire with impunity, free from the fear of immediate retaliation. It was also an opportunity to gauge the actual gap between their current technology and a true interstellar civilization.

Meanwhile, heavy excavators were deployed to rapidly strip-mine the surrounding landscape. The Aegis Industrial Complex even diverted some of its production lines to churn out more excavators at an astonishing rate.

Raw materials were paramount. Building rockets required minerals, constructing radiation shields required minerals, and above all, human survival depended on these resources!

While this massive operation risked exposing their radio communications to the unknown fleet lurking in the distance, humanity had no time to worry about that now. They couldn’t afford to play hide-and-seek.

People simply minimized the power output of their wireless devices to reduce the chances of detection. They could only hope that the unknown fleet’s attention was entirely fixed on the Viridian ship, causing them to overlook the tiny human presence.

Working day and night, the workforce spent two weeks constructing a massive cement plant capable of producing specialized radiation-shielding concrete. At the same time, various laboratories began mass-producing personal radiation protection gear.

Everyone was incredibly busy. It felt just like the old days at the Lunar Base, the suffocating pressure of impending doom and the stark fear of death driving everyone to work like a maniac.

It had to be said that New Humanity was a truly resilient species. When crisis struck, they felt the same panic and despair as anyone else, but their collective instinct was to unite and fight for even the slimmest glimmer of hope.

This kind of resilience wasn’t innate; it was forged through the crucible of repeated, life-threatening crises. As long as there was hope, they didn’t mind shedding blood, sweat, and tears.

“…Based on our current output, we can construct up to seventeen radiation shielding walls in just over three months. Each wall will be spaced between one and ten kilometers apart.”

“The gaps between the walls can be filled with air, slag, sand, and other materials. These will help block some of the gamma radiation and absorb massive amounts of heat…”

“We can also utilize the Noah’s original metallic structure for additional shielding. The ship’s hull already possesses strong radiation resistance and thermal insulation capabilities,” an engineer explained to Jason, pointing out the specifics on the structural blueprints.

Jason narrowed his eyes, carefully studying the schematics. The layout of the blast walls was highly complex. Several layers were positioned at the Noah’s primary access points, with additional reinforcements in the mid-sections. However, the bulk of the shielding was concentrated around the residential and industrial sectors. The closer you got to the center, the more heavily fortified it became, safeguarding humanity’s most critical assets.

This plan required a massive relocation effort. Many existing structures, homes, heating plants, and factories were located in the Noah’s outer rings.

These areas were deemed completely unsafe. Everyone had to be evacuated to the ship’s central core, the safest location precisely because it was furthest from any exterior breach points.

Furthermore, the Noah featured a unique internal honeycomb structure. The strange purple metal that comprised the ship, while not as impenetrable as the outer hull, could still deflect a significant amount of gamma radiation and heat. It served as a natural defensive barrier.

“Then it’s settled!” Jason nodded in approval.

These blast walls would enclose all critical zones. From now on, humanity would live behind these massive barricades… It was a strange thought, but the towering, hermetically sealed walls undeniably provided a much-needed sense of security.

A short walk from Jason’s command post lay the Central Forest Park, a massive landscaping project meticulously cultivated by the people. Unfortunately, this area was also slated for demolition.

Fleets of automated drones were already draining the water features and uprooting trees, preparing to transplant them to the central core.

A mother stood on the remaining lawn with her young child. The little boy, who looked to be a little over two years old, watched the demolition crews with wide, sparkling eyes, utterly fascinated.

Spotting Jason, the boy blinked happily.

Jason smiled back. Children are so blissfully carefree, he thought to himself.

He recognized the boy, of course. His name was Weiss, the very first child born of the Federation. He was two and a half years old now. In another six months, he would be old enough to start preschool.

However, public facilities like preschools hadn’t even been built aboard the Noah yet.

Jason couldn’t help but marvel at how fast time flew; in the blink of an eye, human society had evolved to this point. If they actually survived this impending supernova, establishing a formal education system would have to be pushed to the top of the agenda.

The population growth rate aboard the ship had initially spiked, but it was now declining year by year. It was 5% the first year, dropped to 3% the second year, and while the data for the third year wasn’t finalized, projections looked even lower.

The core issue was a small population base with a significant age gap. Couples who wanted children already had them, and most families weren’t ready for a second child yet. Those who were single remained single…

He shook his head, pushing the demographic issues aside for now.

Establishing preschools and hiring educators would require reallocating some of their workforce, but it would also free up a large number of parents from full-time childcare, ultimately providing a net boost to the labor pool. It was a necessary step.

Moreover, education was a long-term, foundational necessity. Three- and four-year-olds were at a highly impressionable stage; their worldviews and values were still unformed. This was a highly effective window for development that they couldn’t afford to waste.

Jason planned to have Professor Shane begin drafting a curriculum and screening potential educators as soon as possible. Core principles like “equality, freedom, wisdom, and harmony” would serve as the pillars of their educational philosophy.

The education models for the Federation needed to break away from the old Earth systems. This new society was simpler and built on unity; the children needed to be raised with kindness and cooperation in mind. He didn’t want a repeat of Earth’s hyper-competitive environments that fostered conflict, bullying, and endless friction.

Mitigating these negative behaviors required not only a revamped curriculum but also better ideological guidance for parents.

“Mom?” Weiss pointed at the freshly excavated ground. The earthmovers had stripped away the topsoil, revealing the Noah’s bare, purple metallic structure beneath.

The entire residential zone had previously been covered in artificial terrain, so the little boy was incredibly curious about this strange, smooth purple surface he had never seen before.

“This is our giant spaceship… our ship!” his mother explained patiently. “Her name is the Noah, and she is our home.”

“Home? Huh? Noah?” Weiss couldn’t grasp the concept, babbling happily as he reached down to pat the purple metal with his mud-covered hands.

His mother didn’t stop him, only smiled gently. “Say it with me—Noah, home.”

“Noah, home,” he babbled, mimicking her words as he played in the dirt.

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