Free Web NovelChapter 1523: Chapter 721: Space Exploration Foundation
Two grown men hopping and skipping might not sound like anything special, and it might even seem a bit silly, but set against the backdrop of the moon, it’s a completely different story.
Many people watching the live broadcast were filled with envy.
In fact, if they had been on Earth, Zhao Yi and Li Renzhe would definitely not be hopping and skipping. They walked in this way only because of the moon’s low gravity, but it did indeed make many people envious, especially those who knew them. freёweɓnovel.com
Take, for example, Fan Lei.
In the lobby of the Medical Science Center, a live broadcast of the moon inspection was playing, with many people watching it.
Fan Lei was one of them. As he watched the two figures in spacesuits on the screen, he couldn’t help feeling sour and shouted to Liu Chengjie, "Brother Liu, I really regret it now. If I had studied hard in college, earned a master’s degree, and pursued a Ph.D., maybe it would be me on the moon right now."
Liu Chengjie laughed, "That’s hard to say. No one from our Medical Science Center went."
"Good point. With my relationship with Zhao Yi!" Fan Lei said with certainty, "Old Li? No way! By then, I would be Zhao Yi’s representative to the moon. Remember, I helped Zhao Yi claim the Fields Medal!"
"That’s true!" Liu Chengjie nodded in agreement as if conceding Fan Lei’s point. However, agreeing had no meaning; Fan Lei was talking about studying hard while in school.
Now, it’s too late!
Fan Lei couldn’t even dream of doing scientific research in this lifetime.
Yan Yi was sitting next to Fan Lei when she suddenly looked at the time and said, "Lei, it’s almost time. Go pick up the kids."
"——!"
"Alright then!" Fan Lei looked away full of sorrow. He was not only unable to go to the moon and ’hop and skip’ with Zhao Yi, but at his side, he also had someone like Yan Yi, who was extremely dedicated to their child’s education.
Yan Yi’s educational philosophy was vastly different from Huang Wenqian’s. She would enroll their child in various tutoring classes, aiming to give their child a head start over others.
In the family composed of Yan Yi and Fan Lei, Fan Lei was the one with more leisure time, so he often ended up taking care of the child.
Fan Lei had become a new century stay-at-home dad.
As he drove on the road, Fan Lei couldn’t help but miss his past single life, when he could date all kinds of young women, do whatever he wanted in his spare time, and live carefree, a lifestyle even Zhao Yi envied.
But now, ah—
"Sigh!"
Fan Lei exhaled deeply but, upon reflection, he didn’t regret marrying Yan Yi, especially when he saw their child come out from the kindergarten. He picked up the child energetically and asked jokingly, "Did you have fun at kindergarten today?"
"What did the teacher teach you?"
"You danced? Show me your dance when we get home—"
The child rolled their eyes as if very dissatisfied with him and said, "Dad, you’re so annoying. Stop it, I have to go to swimming class!"
"Haha, dad will stop talking, I’ll stop—"
This was typical of the daily conversations between Fan Lei and his child. He had completely forgotten about the moon and his single life, relegating them to the back of his mind; his child was what mattered most.
Meanwhile.
Zhao Yi and Li Renzhe had already entered the lab. The lab couldn’t compare to the living quarters in size, being significantly smaller; each room was extremely cramped. Upon entering the inner chamber and completing disinfection, they finally could take off their spacesuits.
The others, including the reporters, followed in, only to find that the experimental cabin was too small to allow more than one person. In the end, the reporter was the one who entered.
The main reason for the small size of the experimental cabin was that it was built on the ground and placed directly, with several cabins transported in one go by the transport ship, unlike the living quarters, which were assembled bit by bit.
Along the inner edges of the cabin, a large pile of vessels was stored.
These were the fruits of Li Renzhe’s labor.
As Zhao Yi approached the experiment table, he heard Li Renzhe remind him, "Don’t go there, put on protective clothing first."
"——?"
"There’s ultraviolet light!" Li Renzhe pointed to a small window above and explained.
Zhao Yi suddenly understood.
This experimental cabin was specially designed for researching microorganisms because the bacteria needed to adapt to the cosmic environment and receive direct sunlight.
The moon lacks both an ozone layer and an atmosphere, allowing ultraviolet rays to penetrate directly.
If exposed skin were subjected to direct sunlight for an extended period, it would soon suffer from sunburn and could even develop diseases.
Zhao Yi put on the protective suit before going to inspect the vessels containing bacteria.
Li Renzhe pointed to two Petri dishes on the upper left, "These two cultures are doing the best. They have already divided into the third generation and maintained stable reproductive abilities."
Zhao Yi looked closely and noticed the reddish-purple color inside; the color alone indicated that the Rhodospirillum bacteria had mutated again.
’Rhodospirillum’ contains the word ’red’ to represent the color it exhibits when gathered together, but in reality, it’s only slightly red, not pure red. The color in the Petri dishes was now a deep purple, indicating it was quite extraordinary.
Li Renzhe went aside to be interviewed by reporters, introducing them to the lab’s environment, what to be mindful of while living there, and the routine research, among other things.
Zhao Yi, on the other hand, continued observing the Rhodospirillum bacteria and examining experimental data on the computer. He found that Li Renzhe wasn’t boasting; they had indeed cultivated Rhodospirillum bacteria adapted to the ultraviolet environment, and in the two successful cultures, the bacteria demonstrated stable reproductive capabilities and oxygen production capacity over fifty percent stronger than that on Earth.
