Age of Cosmic Exploration Chapter 205

The surgery on the male super species was successful.

It had many things to do with the creature’s natural tenacity. Even after such serious blood loss, when he was administered the nutrient potion, his circulatory system came alive, producing new blood. Even though the blood produced could still rival the blood loss, at least the beast was slightly more conscious. This way, the medical crew could work without fear of being hurt accidentally.

The surgery was simply the removal of the rotten muscles and suturing the wounds. The main issue was that the muscle of the super species was too tough, so normal surgical knife couldn’t cut through it. Eventually, they had to use a laser equipment to sever the atrophied muscles.

During the surgery, the male super species was as still as a statue, as if his nervous system was immune to pain. His eyes were aimed at the female super species and baby super species. The female picked up the baby and dropped it at the male super species’ side. Watching the family reunion, everyone present was moved.

After the antibiotic was spread over the wound, the surgery was officially completed. The male beast used his remaining five legs to move towards a small mountain of animal carcasses. He consumed almost half of it in record time. Then, the female beast took the baby super species to the same spot. She licked its body, asking it to eat.

The baby super species took a cautious bite out of a carcass, but it immediately spat it out. Its small nostrils sniffed the air and started squealing at the medical crew. It nodded its head up and down, the action it did whenever it wanted to be fed. After 10 days on the Hope, the baby creature had learned how to ask for food.

The medical crew stared at one another in confusion. Yao Yuan, though, had a fit of inspiration. He immediately called the shuttle to bring in some fish from the sea. Several minutes later, after Yao Yuan sliced a piece of white, firm fish meat and fed it to the baby super species, it chirped happily. It consumed the rest of the fish in one go and asked for more.

The two adult super species were startled. They cautiously sidled up to the heap of saltwater fish. They sniffed it and then growled animatedly. The male super species instantly took a bite out of a large fish that was about 30 kilograms heavy. He hopped to a spot about 10 meters away and started tearing into the fish. The female took a smaller fish and did the same. Obviously, these super species had a special liking for saltwater fish.

"…So that’s why."

Yao Yuan suddenly remembered how these super species prepare their food. They first dipped them in sea water before airing them dry. That could mean that they need a high salt intake. It probably had to do with their high metabolism. The enzyme in their blood that was discovered during analysis was discovered in the fish’s body as well. Even the sea water from this planet had trace amounts of it.

The crucial point was that the super species couldn’t swim. Their body density was too high, so they would sink like metal if put into water. Therefore, the saltwater fish were probably a rare luxury for them. No wonder the baby super species had a preference for the saltwater fish over the freshwater fish during feeding, even though the meat of the saltwater fish was much firmer.

This news greatly gladdened Yao Yuan’s heart. He was afraid of there being nothing these super species wanted, that like beasts they only wanted freedom to roam the jungle. Then there was bound to be conflict between them and mankind. Now that he realized that the super species had a special preference for saltwater fish and that they couldn’t swim, things would be much easier. On this point alone, maybe they could survive harmoniously alongside each other. Maybe they could even be as close to humanity as cats and dogs were.

But first, Yao Yuan had to deal with the three super species before him. If he could somehow help them assimilate into human society, it would be a great addition for humanity because their natural strength could offset mankind’s lack in physical power.

When everything was over, Yao Yuan ordered the medical crew to return to the shuttle. He left the baby super species with its parents. After all, there was plenty of time in the future to build a relationship.

However, something curious happened. When the shuttle prepared to lift off, the baby super species started squealing loudly. It ignored its mother’s licking and crawled towards the shuttle.

Before Yao Yuan could come up with a response, the female super species picked up her child and dropped it before the shuttle entrance before retreating about 10 meters back with longing in her eyes. She stared beseechingly at Yao Yuan and at the people inside the shuttle. Her meaning was clear: she wanted them to take her baby.

It was truly mind-boggling. Never has there been a beast that would volunteer its own offspring to go off with some other parties… with the exception of mankind. When a human realizes that his or her own child could have a better life and future with other people, he or she could be willing to part with the child for his or her own sake. In other words, could the super species’ intelligence have reached that level of sophistication already?

Yao Yuan scooped up the baby super species in his palms. The two super species stood there silently, watching the shuttle lift off into the air. They were still there even after the shuttle had entered the Hope.

In the next ten days, Yao Yuan would spend one hour on the ground. He would bring the baby super species and a bunch of saltwater fish to meet the two super species. Slowly but surely, the animosity they had towards Yao Yuan lowered. They even let Yao Yuan some into contact with their bodies. Even their hostility towards mankind in general had dropped. Of course, they still had a certain degree of caution, but it was more of a caution against a friendly stranger than enemy. It could be said that by then, humanity and the super species had fostered a rather unique companionship… a companionship that was built upon seafood.

On the other hand, the Ultimate Vaccine had progressed tremendously. After the successful trials on 10 different animal species and simulated human bodies, Yao Yuan made a public announcement for volunteers. The Academy needed 100 people to volunteer to take the public-use version of the Ultimate Vaccine. The 100 volunteers would spend 1 month at a seaside villa built near the new capital.

Yao Yuan’s initial thought was that no one would volunteer to become what was essentially a test subject. He was prepared to ask the Barracks to give him some people, but on the morning when the announcement notices went out, about several thousand people had gathered at the 4th floor’s registration point. More than 100 people contacted him via the communicator. These were the representatives, engineers, scientists and even generals. They all wanted to volunteer.

At the end of the day, there were 37,000 people who registered, while they only needed 100 volunteers.

To ensure fairness, the list was tossed into the central mainframe to be randomly picked. The selection started at 8 PM that night, it was like lottery night. 80 percent of the Hope sat in their rooms, their eyes glued to the TV screen as the ID numbers rolled on screen. Of the 100 who were selected, there was 1 representative, 1 engineer, 2 Academy interns, and a 70-year-old scientist.

After they were given shots of the public-use Ultimate Vaccine, they were kept in a germ-free room for 24 hour observation. As there was no worrying symptoms, this first batch of 100 volunteers were sent down to the new planet. They were settled into the 3-story seaside villas.

Of course, the villas were equipped with amenities, like microwave, television and the likes as benefits for volunteering. However, to ensure the validity of the experiment, their actions were monitored 24 hours, except during private moments. They were also given daily medical checks to keep track of their antibodies count.

These 100 volunteers became something like celebrities on the Hope. Everyone prayed for their safe return, since that would also mean the public-use Ultimate Vaccine was a success. Time slowly passed. The construction robots continued working on the new capital, and the interaction between humanity and the super species continued. The 100 volunteers spent their daily lives in the villa or sunbathing. Other than the ban against wading into the sea, it was no different from a summer holiday.

A month later, the 100 volunteers returned to the Hope safely. The public-use Ultimate Vaccine was a great success. It worked perfectly for people from different racial backgrounds, ancestries, and gender.

Next would be public resettlement project!

Chapter end