419: Heading to Space City

After listening to Tian Ming's explanation, Meng Xian's eyes flashed with a hint of enlightenment. He nodded, a smile appearing on his face: "Boss, your idea is indeed very clever. Using air buoyancy to build a floating platform, and then using this platform to push materials into near-Earth orbit, is indeed much easier than launching directly from the ground."

The other attendees also started discussing animatedly. They had previously been stuck in a fixed mindset, believing that a space elevator could only be built on the equator, never expecting Tian Ming to propose such an innovative and practical solution.

Tian Ming smiled slightly and continued: "Moreover, this solution has another advantage: it can be built modularly. We can first build a small floating platform for testing, and then gradually expand its scale. This can both reduce risks and accelerate progress."

"That's indeed true," Meng Xian echoed.

"Then let's discuss the implementation details of this plan in detail. First, we need to determine the specific dimensions and required materials for the floating platform, as well as how to transport materials from the ground to the platform."

The atmosphere in the conference room immediately became lively, with everyone offering their opinions and suggestions. Tian Ming sat quietly listening to their discussion; the rest was up to these experts to implement.

In the following days, the base was bustling, with everyone working hard on the construction of the floating platform. Tian Ming also personally took charge, leading everyone to overcome one difficulty after another. After repeated demonstrations and experiments, the design of the floating platform gradually improved, and the required materials and dimensions were also clarified.

To ensure the safety and stability of the floating platform, the base adopted advanced helium balloon technology and reinforced the carbon fiber platform. At the same time, an intelligent control system was designed to adjust the platform's balance and stability. After a period of intense preparation, the construction of the floating platform finally began.

At an altitude of 20,000 meters above the base, a huge floating platform gradually took shape. On the platform, various facilities were complete, including transportation channels, energy systems, and living areas. Below the platform, an elevator shaft soared into the sky, like a passage to the sea of stars.

The floating platform was built extremely quickly, with massive helium balloons being installed in place. These balloons provided strong buoyancy and carrying capacity, allowing large quantities of materials to be transported to near-Earth orbit with only a small amount of fuel at high altitudes.

In the days that followed, the base continuously optimized and improved the operation mode of the floating platform, gradually expanding its transport scale. At the same time, the construction of the space city proceeded in an orderly manner.

On another front, the progress of Quantum AI Tianquan in the Underground City was also very smooth. Deep underground, there was a bustling scene, with countless robots excavating minerals and collecting geothermal energy, providing Tianquan with a continuous supply of computing power and energy. The construction of the Underground City continued to advance, with massive server rooms distributed like beehives deep underground. The stronger the AI's capability, the faster the equipment was built.

Tianquan developed itself while helping humanity build the space city.

Three months later, the zombie hordes had spread across the globe, and even the seabed saw a large number of zombies. In low-Earth orbit, there were orbital robots everywhere. They worked together, coordinating through communication satellites spread across the orbit, to install the modular components of the space city.

Tian Ming's family was not idle either; he and Xiao Xiao transported all the super-heavy modules and equipment. Xiao Xiao's maximum teleportation range was a thousand kilometers, with almost no skill cooldown. However, since Xiao Xiao was still very young, she could only teleport a few hundred tons of material per day.

"Daddy, this is too big, Xiao Xiao can't do it!" Xiao Xiao frowned, looking at the massive component in front of her. Her small hands drew circles in the air, but the halo could not completely envelop this large space city component.

This component's length already exceeded one hundred meters, and its weight reached over 600 tons, clearly exceeding Xiao Xiao's single-teleportation limit.

Tian Ming looked at Xiao Xiao trying hard with her little frown, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of affection. He gently stroked Xiao Xiao's head and said with a smile, "It's okay, Xiao Xiao, this component is too big. Daddy will cut it in half for you."

After saying that, Tian Ming stepped forward, placed his hands on one end of the component, and used his power to split the component into two halves. As long as it was teleported into space, Tian Ming could repair it there. Repairing it from the atomic and molecular level would not affect the overall strength or function of the component.

"Alright, Xiao Xiao, try it now," Tian Ming encouraged.

Xiao Xiao nodded, her small face full of seriousness. She extended her small hand again, drawing a halo in the air. This time, the halo successfully enveloped a portion of the component. With a spatial fluctuation, that part of the component vanished from its original spot, successfully teleported into space.

The father and daughter worked together seamlessly, one after another, teleporting the massive components in batches. Although the process was somewhat tedious, with the combined efforts of Tian Ming and Xiao Xiao, the progress was not slow.

In the base's Underground City, Gouzi, You Suowei, Zhou Sumei, and several shareholders from food companies were discussing going to space.

The ecological deterioration on the surface, having lost the necessary living conditions, had a huge impact on the ordinary members of the base. Especially for the thriving companies within the base, operating food processing plants in space presented even more problems.

You Suowei sighed and said, "I went to inquire about the news. The newly established Space Management Administration in the base has an acquaintance of mine. I'm afraid we won't be able to take our production equipment with us. Although the space city is designed to simulate the same gravity as on the ground through rotation, it is still space, directly facing various miscellaneous radiations from the universe, and not all personnel will go up."

Gouzi frowned and asked, "Are you saying that some people will be left on the ground?"

You Suowei nodded slightly and said, "If everyone goes into space, then why would Tianquan still develop underground, and why would it build so many geothermal power plants? The main host of Number Three has already migrated to space, but AI Tianquan is preparing to stay on the ground. According to the information I've obtained, about several hundred thousand people will remain on the ground. Tianquan itself has production capabilities and research and development capabilities. The AI left on the ground is for clearing zombies."

Zhou Sumei waved her hand and said, "What we're discussing is how to transfer our business to the space city. No matter how many people stay on the ground, most people will still go to the space city. You all, why did you get so sidetracked?"