Chapter 1530: The Deceptiveness of Blue Blood 2

If Third Brother hadn't just explained her physical condition to her, after learning the results of Bai Er's field investigation and research on several thousand survivors and newborns, Xia Qing would have considered this radical researcher's viewpoint worth taking, and wouldn't have ruled out trying it herself.

But now she didn't think so at all. "Not worth taking. Because right now the vast majority of humanity's bodies are in an unhealthy state, doing that would make everyone even less healthy and kill more people."

Seeing her idol's expression turn kindly, Xia Qing was encouraged and added another sentence, "If back then, when the Qiang Yi two elements suddenly appeared in the atmosphere, humanity had been in the current state of health, the death rate would have shot up by a huge margin."

Zhang San nodded with satisfaction. "Your inference is correct. Several researchers—including myself—have run data simulations: if back then human constitution had dropped by 30%, the survival rate would have plummeted from 10% to 1%."

One percent? Xia Qing silently felt that this rate was still too high. Because right now, the constitution of many civilians in the outer city simply doesn't reach 70% of pre-catastrophe levels.

Zhang San leaned back in the soft chair, speaking with earnest weight, "The resilience of genes is forever the foundational cornerstone of every possibility for evolution. A frail immune system can't even obtain the qualification ticket for survival, let alone adapt to the post-cataclysm ecology of Blue Star. Solving the food shortage and improving the public's constitution is the top priority right now."

"That's why we must mobilize the entire nation's strength to rebuild agriculture—this is a critical measure concerning the continuation of the human species. We must restore the physical baseline of the next generation, and even of this generation of survivors, to or above the pre-catastrophe threshold. Only when a sufficiently large population base has re-established a solid immune defense line does the human species qualify to discuss how to develop next…"

After finishing this critical measure, Zhang San paused for a few seconds, worried that the impression hadn't sunk in deeply enough for Xia Qing, and emphasized again, "Population base is the most precious 'clinical sample size' in the process of restarting civilization. Lose this base, and any projection about the future will lose statistical significance, and we will lose every possibility. So the primary task right now is to preserve this 'sample size' at any cost."

Xia Qing nodded vigorously, asking curiously, "Third Brother, after this step is achieved, then what?"

Zhang San replied, "The nation hasn't announced it yet, but I believe that after solving the problem of food and clothing and improving the whole population's constitution, we should implement a 'Controlled Exposure' plan."

This was truly the first time Xia Qing had heard this term; she listened with a serious expression.

Zhang San briefly explained, "It's about precisely, gradually, and in a controlled manner removing some non-essential protections, letting healthy humans' immune systems, within safe margins, recognize, learn, and ultimately adapt to the brand-new Blue Star. This isn't regression, but a proactive, strategic form of guided artificial evolution."

Xia Qing asked, "Third Brother, roughly how many years will it take to achieve these two steps?"

Zhang San answered, not very rigorously, "If Blue Star can maintain its current relatively stable state, about twenty years or so."

Truly worthy of an idol standing at the top of the pyramid, full of a sense of responsibility—already in the eleventh year of the catastrophe, considering what to do in the thirtieth year!

Xia Qing straightened her back and began to declare her stance, "Third Brother. I'll lead our center's staff to reclaim more wasteland and produce more grain, so that more people can eat natural food; I'll also work hard to cultivate high-quality crops, raising the Yi-element content of X spinach, and then you can use this kind of spinach to compound special-effect medicaments to treat many diseases; I'll also establish ties with brain-domain evolved animal groups that can communicate—wolf packs, tiger packs, bear packs, jackal packs, monkey packs, and so on—for mutual benefit, achieving harmonious regional development…"

"Good." Zhang San wasn't worried that Xia Qing wouldn't farm seriously or earn points; what he worried about was this new human being poached by the Blue Blood Alliance. "What I just introduced to you is the moderate faction's viewpoint and development approach; the radical faction doesn't see it that way. The radical faction's position can be summarized as the 'Human Purity Plan.' Have you been exposed to information on this?"

Xia Qing nodded, "I've heard some. The Human Purity Plan is that humanity should also follow the laws of biological evolution on Blue Star. Evolvers, especially high-level evolvers, are humanity's hope and fire seed…"

Zhang San waited two seconds, saw that Xia Qing was a bit hesitant, and gently encouraged her, "Say whatever you're thinking, there are no outsiders here."

Outsiders or whatever—Xia Qing didn't care at all; she just didn't want to bring up viewpoints that would irritate her idol and give him a headache.

But since her idol told her to speak, she told the truth, "I forget where I saw it, but the general idea is: right now humanity's survival supplies are insufficient, like a lifeboat with limited capacity that can only save some of the people; if you let everyone on board, it's collective suicide."

Zhang San elaborated in detail on the viewpoint Xia Qing had mentioned, "During the catastrophe years, survival supplies are scarce—like a lifeboat that can only carry a hundred people, while two thousand on the shore are crying for help. If you choose to let all two thousand swarm on, the final result is everyone sinks together. So, one should select the hundred strongest, most likely to survive, and let them board."

Xia Qing's eyes lit up at once, "Yes, yes, yes, that's it!"

Zhang San pressed his forehead, "This was the content of Professor Guo Qingbin of Red One University, in a seminar in the fifth year of the catastrophe."

"After this metaphor, Guo Qingbin stated his viewpoint: 'The "universal health" advocated by the moderate faction is perfect charity under the premise of unlimited resources, but during the catastrophe years it's a collective-suicide plan wrapped in sugar coating. Indiscriminately consuming the last scraps of food and medical resources to save every frail individual is like pouring the last fuel onto a bonfire about to go out—a flash of light, then eternal darkness. In times of peril, one can only use a ninety-percent sacrifice to exchange for the hundred-percent continuation of a ten-percent fire seed. This is the only cold survival rule humanity should follow during the catastrophe years.'"

Xia Qing silently stuffed a string of diced dragon fruit into her mouth, "Third Brother, is it that all brain-domain evolvers have memories this good, or only that memory evolvers have memories this good?"

Is this the point?!!!

A vein twitched on Zhang San's forehead, "Any human with a normal brain domain can remember, as long as they're willing to focus."

Xia Qing…

Zhang San pressed, "Do you agree with Professor Guo Qingbin's viewpoint?"

Xia Qing shook her head, "I don't agree."

"Why?"

Xia Qing answered very bluntly, "If there really were such a boat, even if I exposed myself as a four-system evolver and pasted on the words 'I am a fire seed of humanity's hope,' I still wouldn't squeeze on."

Zhang San…

Seeing her idol's headache, Xia Qing immediately answered seriously, "Third Brother, I don't have that much learning, I don't know how to refute Professor Guo's viewpoint with solid reasoning. But I've considered the extreme survival state after all the land is destroyed, and I've made preparations. When the time comes, we won't need to squeeze onto a boat with others, because I've stockpiled enough wood and sheet iron, and I've also learned to build boats. When the time comes, we'll get on our own boat."

Zhang San!!!