Chapter 1131 - Land Reclamation, Farming, and Steelmaking

Celestial Trade had a clear position of the Mars Colony as the solar system industrial base from the beginning, so the development direction of the second stage of the colony had been quite clear. The focus was mining, mining, and steelmaking!

Steel was the foundation of industry. To produce on Mars, steel production must keep up.

It wasn’t difficult to achieve this on Mars. It was possible to smell rust when one bent down and grabbed a handful of sand. It was just a matter of the amount that was the concern. Also, the development of heavy industry had the added benefit of artificially causing a greenhouse effect that would indirectly change Mar’s atmospheric thickness. Perhaps after a few centuries, the atmospheric thickness of Mars might return to the levels three billion years ago with human intervention and become the second paradise of mankind…

Of course, this was an afterthought.

In addition to increasing production capacity, the population must keep increasing.

The labor force was always one of the important factors that restricted industrial development, whether it was the general labor force or educated labor force. Even if automated production could drastically reduce the demand for uneducated labor in industrial facilities, it was unlikely to completely depend on an autonomous process.

Impossible for at least two centuries.

In the half-year plan for the Mars Colony, Jiang Chen clearly defined two goals. The first was that the monthly output of steel must exceed one million tons. The second was to expand the size of the colony to a thousand people.

For this reason, the new colonists who arrived on Mars didn’t have time to enjoy the exoticness on Mars. The next day, they had to drag their alcohol-intoxicated bodies to work.

This Seagull-class transport ship not only brought the colonists, but also brought many production tools such as excavators, cranes, and mining equipment designed for the Mars environment. The original colonial cabin with the square could only provide two hundred living units, and the colonists who arrived later could only live in the rooms they built.

After all, a colonial cabin that could be deployed by airdrops was quite expensive, and it would be impossible for Celestial Trade to waste all of their budget on buying houses for the colonists.

All the engineers at the colony started to share the same schedule as they commanded the construction workers to operate construction vehicles. The entire colony turned into a giant construction site, submerged in flying dust.

The first to start the expansion was the soilless cultivation farm then the spherical water pump, followed by the steel mill…

Just as the construction machines were working on the sand dunes, an armored car that had been specially modified for the Mars environment left from the garage and went to the distant horizon…

…

Celestial City, Space Command Center, Mars Colonization Project Department.

After learning that the transport ship arrived on Mars, Jiang Chen arrived by space elevator at his earliest opportunity. He found Kelvin, who was performing an inspection in the command center, and asked him about the current situation of the Mars Colony.

“Our colonists landed safely?”

“They landed yesterday.” Kelvin nodded. “The Seagull-class transport ship escaped Mar’s gravity after a week in the synchronous orbit and is now returning to the Earth-Moon system.”

The colony is moving in the right direction.

Jiang Chen nodded with satisfaction, then he asked about another item he was concerned about.

“What about Mine 071? Do we have an update?”

“It’s not this quick of a process.” Kelvin shook his head. “Our Marines just departed from the colony and haven’t yet reached the mine. Even if they arrived, we can’t immediately obtain information five kilometers below. According to the solution provided by Hong Zewei, we will first drill a five-kilometer deep well at Mine 071, then insert a drone to scope out the underground environment.”

Jiang Chen asked, “What do you think is there?”

Kelvin shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know; maybe it’s really an alien city. But I hope it’s the grave of an alien or a fossil. If there are living Martians, then it will absolutely be a disaster for our colony.”

Jiang Chen didn’t know if it would be a blessing or curse to discover relics of “aliens”. On the one hand, he was excited to see what the colonists could discover, but on the other, he was worried if this would bring disaster to the Mars Colony.

Just when Jiang Chen felt conflicted, he suddenly remembered that maybe someone could give him the answer.

With a stomach full of questions, he took the space elevator back to the ground the next day.

Coro University.

Unlike third-rate universities not much better than community colleges, Coro University was now a world-class institution. Whether in academia or enterprise, the university began to grow its sphere of influence. Of course, their influence was mainly reflected in studies of aerospace, new energy, and materials science. As for other professions…

They weren’t worth mentioning.

When the university was first established, Jiang Chen promised the dean to teach an elective course called Cosmology. It also satisfied his desire to become a university professor. But since he pulled Hawking from his wheelchair, his short-lived interest disappeared and he gave the job to Hawking.

On the shadowy path among the tall trees, many naïve faces traversed between classes. Students with different skin colors chatted with their friends talking about girls, clubs, professors, where to chill next…

Because it was a Saturday, the campus as quieter than normal. Whenever this happened, the students often chose to take a stroll in the downtown area or buy boat tickets for a day trip to Penglai City.

Only hard-working students or students taking public electives stayed in the building.

Jiang Chen quietly visited the campus without catching any attention. He made a phone call with Rafael Leif and learned that Hawking was in class, so he drove straight to the school building.

After waiting for the class to end, Jiang Chen found Hawking, who had just exited the auditorium.

Hawking was surprised by the unexpected visitor as he paused.

“…a rare guest.”

Jiang Chen made a helpless expression. He was about to speak before Hawking said first, “I guess you have something to ask me?”

This time, Jiang Chen paused. He didn’t expect the genius Hawking to have the ability to read minds.

“Yes, there’s a small problem at work… I don’t know if this is a convenient time for you?”

“Of course? If it’s inconvenient, I don’t know how many scholars would be more than willing to have the opportunity to answer questions from the president,” Hawking said good-naturedly, pulling Jiang Chen to the side. “It’s lunchtime, so let’s talk as we go. The cafeteria at the East Building is quite good—the pancakes there are delicious. I highly recommend them.”

Now that class was over, many students noticed the two people at the door. After they recognized Jiang Chen, some people even took out their phones. He would be surrounded.

Jiang Chen didn’t have time to learn about the enthusiasm of university students for the time being, so he quickly followed Hawking and left the building.