Chapter 376

Chapter 376: Divergence

On the fourteenth day after their arrival, all crew members were successfully awakened.

The more than five hundred human Elites from the home planet were both amazed by the success of the Dandelion Project and sorrowful over their eternal separation from their homeland.

Now, they had become the new pioneers.

This planet bore many similarities to the home planet, yet there were also significant differences.

Within the observable range, there were no mountainous terrains on this planet; if not for the vast Sea near the landing site, one might assume the land was entirely flat.

As the guard captain, Vladimir had to remain aboard the spaceship, so Wencheng naturally assumed the third role: leading the exploration team on outings.

This did not overly burden Wencheng, as his primary role as a robot maintenance technician had become obsolete due to the extensive loss of artificial intelligence aboard the ship.

During his explorations, Wencheng found several fragments of the spaceship’s ring section, but these pieces combined only formed a third of a complete ring; the whereabouts of the remaining parts remained unknown.

Moreover, no life pods were found among the recovered pieces; only some industrial materials and basic industrial equipment were discovered.

Simultaneously, Wencheng fully understood why the shattered ring section had not sustained damage after a hard landing through the atmosphere: it was due to the presence of the black substance.

This substance formed a hard outer shell on the surface of the spaceship fragments, akin to a non-Newtonian fluid, absorbing most of the impact from the hard landing.

However, over time, the discoloration of that black substance became more pronounced.

Each time Wencheng encountered those creatures, their color was slightly lighter than before.

It seemed that with the passage of time, they would eventually turn completely white.

Through repeated encounters, Wencheng confirmed that those creatures exhibited some fear of high temperatures and shock waves, but with each use of the same attack method, their resistance seemed to increase.

Wencheng had always been cautious in formulating tactics; with the number of humans being extremely scarce, he had to cherish every soldier under his command.

Time moved into the fourth month.

After nearly a hundred missions over several months, neither he nor his soldiers had successfully captured a target creature, nor had they suffered any losses.

Wencheng’s actions earned him the goodwill of the soldiers, but they also drew dissatisfaction from Vladimir and the Captain.

They watched every exploration video replay; they were not fools. The adaptive and transformative capabilities of that unknown creature far exceeded those of current humanity, making them anxious.

Yet, Wencheng always seemed to retreat at the right moment, showing no signs of striving for the future.

Vladimir had decades of military experience before boarding the Dandelion No. 3 spaceship; human life was, in his eyes, merely a universal currency to measure value.

A joint notice was sent to Wencheng through the spaceship’s system, with the two officers formally and seriously "hoping" that Wencheng could obtain a sample of the unknown creature within a month.

Also agreeing with this plan was Haines, the leader of the biologists awakened alongside the crew; she was eager to acquire samples from the unknown.

Under pressure from multiple parties, Wencheng reluctantly revised the battle plan, preparing for the possibility of some team members sacrificing themselves.

He had always obeyed authority and remained absolutely loyal to humanity.

However, he was ultimately just a secondary member on the ship and was unaware that a rift had already appeared among the higher-ups, continually widening.

While Wencheng was busy exploring and revising plans, two differing opinions emerged among the decision-makers.

The point of contention was whether to quickly initiate the awakening of frozen embryos.

Currently, there were fewer than six hundred humans available for use, and various divisions led to a constant shortage of manpower.

The food supply was very adequate, and the chambers capable of producing food were even buried underground; as long as the main body of the spaceship did not fall, there would not be a shortage of food in the short term.

This led some of the higher-ups to favor awakening and rapidly maturing some embryos for immediate use.

The Dandelion No. 3 spaceship had the capability to do so, using facilities in a large greenhouse to allow tens of thousands of embryos to begin rapid development simultaneously. The nutritional reserves from the home planet were also ample.

In just a year, they could emerge from the devices at an age close to ten.

Another device capable of influencing the brain could modify human memories, including but not limited to erasing and adding information.

Once this plan was implemented, humans could obtain a large number of young individuals who could perform most auxiliary tasks. If time allowed, they could even be born to a state close to fourteen years old.

Of course, this rapid maturation would not come without side effects; as a consequence, these individuals’ lifespans would be only half that of normally developed humans, and once awakened, they would find it difficult to accept new concepts.

In other words, their knowledge base would mostly consist of the knowledge they were born with.

They would struggle to fully grasp new information that appeared in their minds.

Led by Haines, a faction supported this plan; their stance was clear—

They did not intend to awaken all embryos but only to randomly select a portion to get through the current crisis.

These individuals might die prematurely due to various side effects, but at the very least, they would lay the foundation for a better life for future generations through their sacrifices.

If they managed to overcome the current crisis, they would certainly find ways to help these individuals extend their lifespans and reward their contributions.

Conversely, if they failed to survive this crisis, what kind of future would there be?

Another faction, led by the Captain and the First Officer, unequivocally opposed this plan.

They believed the role of the sleeper advance team was to lay the groundwork for those yet to develop, not to treat them as consumables to be recklessly used and manipulated.

No one knew what the future would hold, so neither side could persuade the other.

Thus, they focused on Wencheng and his exploration team.

External pressure served as the best adhesive; the research outcomes on the alien life samples would play a decisive role in the final resolution from the higher-ups.