CH 10

Zhao Huasheng is a single man and Meng Zhuo does not look like someone who can cook. The two of them went downstairs and sat in the small restaurant they often visited. 

Zhao Huasheng was very familiar with this small restaurant. In the past, Zhao Huasheng did not know how many times he had come here.

The owner of this restaurant was an old man in his sixties. He was in charge of the kitchen, and his old partner was responsible for the service and cashier work. The old man had good skills, and the food was clean enough, so the business of this small restaurant was always good. However, today, for some reason, the business of this restaurant was much worse. Even now, it was dinner time, but there were no customers in the restaurant.

Due to the lack of business, the old man also came out of the kitchen and sat at another table, intently watching the old-fashioned television fixed to the wall. The television was broadcasting news. The neatly dressed host was reporting a news story without any emotion: "The Equator Project has officially started today. More than two million soldiers have been deployed to various parts of the equator, and they will be responsible for the initial construction and subsequent maintenance of the Equator Project. The government has begun to formulate preferential policies, and a large number of construction personnel are gathering around the equator. It is expected that the number of people participating in the construction will exceed 300 million. As a supporting project, there will be more than one billion people in catering, culture, entertainment, and service in the following projects. The success or failure of the Equator Project is related to the future of human civilization, and we have enough reason to invest the greatest energy and the most resources in the Equator Project."

"It can be foreseen that, due to the Equator Project, the areas around the equator will quickly become the economic, cultural, political and entertainment center of the whole planet in the near future."

We have connected to the overall commander of the equatorial project construction, Mr. Sun Hui, the Minister of Construction of the Human Alliance. Next, he will give us a brief introduction on the progress and future plans of the equatorial project.

"Hello everyone, I'm Sun Hui... We humans won't be limited to this small Earth forever, and due to its unique geographical position, the equator will inevitably become the gateway to our human journey into space... All of the resources of our human civilization will be tilted towards the equatorial project, so far there are 26 dedicated freight railway channels, 195 air transport channels, and more than 36 maritime channels opened, countless materials are converging towards the equator at any moment... In the first phase of the project, we will build more than 5,000 living communities and corresponding living facilities, With a community of 20,000 people, the first phase of the project will be able to provide living space for 100 million people. At the same time, large-scale land reclamation is in progress, and large-scale raw material factories, processing factories, energy, electricity, food, light industry, and other factories are also under construction."

This is a massive construction project that will affect our civilization's future. If you are willing to contribute to our civilization, find your own value, and expect to get rich rewards in return for your labor, please come to the Equator. The Equator project has just started and a large number of personnel are gathering here. No matter what kind of skills you have, whether you are a worker, a farmer, or a businessman, you can find opportunities for yourself here. Even if you can't find a job temporarily, it doesn't matter. The personnel department of the Equator project construction command will register your information and help you find the right job for free. The social welfare institution will provide you with all the necessities of life before you find a job. As long as you are willing to come here and participate in the construction of the Equator project, all your needs will be guaranteed."

The camera shifted away from Minister Sun Hui wearing a safety helmet and towards a busy construction site behind him. At this moment, the host also inserted a sentence: "We have just received news from the Transportation Department of the Alliance Government. No matter what your occupation or age is, if you are willing to go to the Equator to participate in the Equator Project, the Transportation Department will provide you with free tickets and take care of all your needs on the way. At the same time, we have also received news from the Alliance Government Office that the Alliance Government is preparing for the specific matters of the transfer to the Equator and is expected to launch the transfer action within a month. After this, the capital of our human civilization will no longer be Hope City but the newly built Equator City."

Zhao Huasheng said, "The government is acting quickly. What is the guise they are using? What is the face of the Equator Project being marketed?"

Meng Zhuo said, "Space elevators, as well as the construction of a giant space city. Because the equator is closest to the Earth's fastest rotational speed, launching spacecraft from there is the most convenient and fuel-efficient."

Zhao Huasheng thoughtfully said, "This reasoning has many flaws and is far from enough to explain the massive undertaking. Human civilization was developing steadily, and people had gotten used to their lives as they were. Now, with the reason of developing space technology and marching towards the stars to change all this, to change the habits of the entire human race... isn't this reasoning too weak? How long can it support? How long can it conceal the truth?"

Meng Zhuo glanced at Zhao Huasheng, still maintaining a faint tone: "Do we need this reason to sustain for so long? Do we need to hide it for so long? Don't forget that according to the current rate of decrease in solar radiation, in just two months, areas above 50 degrees north and south latitude will no longer be suitable for human survival."

"This reason has many loopholes and is far from sufficient to explain the grand scale of this project," he admitted. Human civilization was originally developing in an orderly manner, and people had already become accustomed to the current lifestyle. Now, however, the reason for developing space technology and marching into the starry sky to change everything and change the lifestyle of the entire human race is too weak? How long can it support? How long can the truth be hidden?"

"Moreover...construction is real. We do indeed need to construct countless residential areas, energy plants, power plants, steel plants, food factories, etc. We also have countless pieces of infrastructure to build, and it is impossible for the unprecedentedly huge construction project to be accomplished solely by the government. We can only have a chance of success by mobilizing the power of the whole society and civilization."

"The government doesn't really care how flawed the "Equator Project" reasoning is, nor does it matter if someone punctures it. As long as the reasoning can bring enough people to the Equator, that's all that matters. That's the truth. It doesn't matter what reason is used to deceive people to the Equator Project, the most important thing is to get them here. The government is just an organizer, not an executor. The government is responsible for organizing people building houses for their own residence, power plants for themselves, infrastructure for themselves... Everything built by the people is for themselves."

There are more than seven billion people in the human civilization, and no more than one billion living on the equator. That means our government needs to relocate six billion people... Zhao Huasheng suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. Six billion is a number that can be quite daunting.

Zhao Huasheng could almost imagine the scene. Trainloads of supplies running day and night along the railway, cargo planes shuttling back and forth in the sky, immense ocean liners going back and forth on the sea surface...all of this, was to transfer as much of the wealth and population of human society as possible towards the equator, since the chances of survival here were the greatest.

Time is too tight and the task is too heavy; there is no other way to do this except to mobilize all the strength of mankind.

"What happened to the world? It seems like everything suddenly changed." The old man next to him muttered to himself, "This is too crazy."

"Old man, are you not going to the equator?" Zhao Huasheng asked, "Everyone is going to the equatorial project, and there aren't many customers at your restaurant."

"No, I'm too old to move. I'll stay here." The old man shook his head and said, "There are no customers, so we plan to close the restaurant and go back home to retire."

"Grandpa, you should still go. The government will provide all the expenses on the way, and with your skills, you can open a restaurant there and the business will certainly be booming."

"No, no." The old man said, "I don't have many years left anyway, so I'm just staying here."

Zhao Huasheng felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to tell him the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Zhao Huasheng knew that as long as there is an excuse, even if it is full of loopholes, human society can maintain basic order and rules. If there is no excuse, the truth will be revealed, and who knows how much chaos and turmoil it will cause, how much impact it will have on the Equator Project, and how many people will die.

"Let's go." Zhao Huasheng put down the bowl and chopsticks and walked out of the small restaurant with Meng Zhuo.

"What about those who don't want to go to the Equator?" Zhao Huasheng asked.

Meng Zhu was silent for a moment, then said: "The government can only consider the situation from an overall perspective, and can only choose to save more people... The government has done its best. Maybe... After the overall situation is determined and most of the population has successfully migrated to the equator, the government will choose to reveal the truth and make one last effort to save them."

Zhao Huasheng said dejectedly, "Yes, it should be like this, the government has done its best..."

It was already dark. Zhao Huasheng looked up at the night sky. In that night sky, the moon was dim, and Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars were all dim.

The intensity of the sun has decreased, so the brightness of the stars visible to the earth's humans by reflection of the sun's light naturally decreases as well.

"Right," said Meng zhuo. "I just got a message from the Crisis Coordination and Research Department at the Center - just now, the brightness of Mars has decreased too. The decrease in brightness is consistent with the decrease in solar radiation levels."