Chapter 184: A Metal Breakdown
"The third phase of the geothermal power plant project has been completed, pushing our total generating capacity to 14 megawatts. The fourth phase of the project is proceeding right on schedule, and we expect the capacity to reach 20 megawatts upon completion."
"...The first phase of the superconducting upgrade at the Aegis Industrial Complex is currently underway. Once finished, it is projected to boost our overall industrial production capacity by a massive 52%."
"The first point-to-point magnetic levitation transit line has been officially completed..."
The towering stacks of reports didn’t feel tedious to Jason at all. He was thoroughly enjoying the immense sense of accomplishment that came with watching their civilization rapidly rebuild and evolve.
However, because there were simply too many tasks piling up, even his high efficiency couldn’t keep pace. He was constantly bogged down by miscellaneous, annoying little administrative disputes.
In the end... he had no choice but to swallow his pride and ask his former assistant, Lily, to return to her administrative post.
The main reason he needed her back was the ongoing crisis regarding the distribution of the new superconducting materials.
Superconductors, superconductors, superconductors! The entire scientific community was practically foaming at the mouth, demanding larger quotas of the material. It truly highlighted just how epoch-making the invention was.
The Federation government now had a fairly complete administrative system, with dedicated staff managing each department. However, these young bureaucrats clearly lacked the experience needed to handle the seasoned scientists!
Because the Noah fostered a culture that deeply revered intellect and wisdom, the senior scientists naturally exuded an aura of untouchable authority. The young government staff simply couldn’t bring themselves to deny the forceful, compelling demands of these great minds.
The root of the problem was that the bureaucrats lacked the necessary scientific expertise to properly evaluate the research proposals. The scientists were clever; they knew their resource demands were excessive. To get around this, they deliberately wrote their proposals using extremely dense, profound academic jargon. They repackaged trivial, low-priority pet projects to sound like absolutely vital, world-saving research... and the government officials simply couldn’t tell the difference!
The supply bottleneck for the superconducting material had become a widespread issue. Even after rapidly spinning up several new production lines, the supply still couldn’t meet the artificially inflated demand.
"What a joke! We have a whole department of PhDs and they can’t even decipher a basic research proposal?" Jason was furious, though he couldn’t criticize the staff too harshly; he knew they were already working and studying as hard as they could.
Because of the bottlenecks, several anxious scientists had even bypassed the system to call Jason directly, causing him endless annoyance.
Please! he thought. If the captain has to personally micromanage every single supply requisition, I’d need 240 hours in a day, and it still wouldn’t be enough!
Jason knew perfectly well that synthesizing the superconducting material required a massive drain on their power grid and raw resources. They simply couldn’t afford to waste it on low-priority research projects right now. Once humanity secured a resource-rich planet, they could experiment all they wanted. Why couldn’t they just wait?
No matter what, humanity couldn’t afford to waste their limited mineral reserves. So, Jason ruthlessly rejected every direct call he received.
However, this only put more pressure on the government staff, leading to administrative confusion and costly mistakes. Left with no other options, he officially brought Lily back to take charge of the resource distribution.
As one of the key researchers who had analyzed the extraterrestrial alloys, Lily was a highly qualified scientist in her own right. Now, however, it seemed she was being used as a bureaucratic shield.
She didn’t complain. After listening to Jason explain the administrative nightmare, she simply nodded silently and got to work.
When it came to professional expertise, the young government staff were no match for the senior scientists but Lily was. She swiftly and decisively rejected dozens of inflated proposals, providing perfectly valid, mathematically sound reasons that left no room for the scientists to argue.
No matter how densely a report was padded with jargon, Lily could easily cut through the noise and understand the core concept of the research. If a project was a waste of resources, she shut it down. She processed the backlog with lightning speed, smoothing out the entire supply chain.
Watching her work, Jason couldn’t help but sigh in relief. "That is the difference between an amateur and a professional..."
What they didn’t know was that while they were fixing the supply chain, the actual inventor of the superconducting material had just been arrested, sparking a massive public spectacle!
In one of the larger sectors of the Noah, a spacious facility had been converted into the Federation Security Department precinct. It was the largest law enforcement hub on the ship.
A large crowd of off-duty officers, medical personnel, and curious reporters who had caught wind of the scandal were gathered tightly around the precinct doors.
Some were waiting for official clearance to enter, while others gossiped excitedly with anyone who would listen. The reporters were aggressively firing off questions, desperate for a scoop.
The official details hadn’t been released yet, but rumors were swirling that the renowned scientist, Peter, had suffered a sudden, violent mental breakdown and committed a serious crime. To protect the privacy of both the victim and the suspect, the Security Department had placed the facility under total lockdown. No one on the outside knew exactly what had happened.
"But he’s a great scientist! I saw it with my own eyes!" one bystander argued.
"What kind of crime did he even commit?" another asked.
Peter had become an overnight celebrity because the entire population was already reaping the benefits of his superconducting material. Now that the public was highly educated in basic sciences, everyone understood just how revolutionary his invention was.
However, Peter was a total recluse; people had heard his name, but very few had ever actually seen him in person. Why had he suddenly snapped and gotten arrested?
Humanity’s natural appetite for gossip was blazing out of control, leading to wild, completely unfounded theories. The crime rate on the Noah was virtually zero, and public security was absolute. It was impossible not to be intensely curious when a major incident occurred, especially one involving a newly minted genius.
"I saw him sprinting like a maniac down the main promenade, violently kicking over railings and potted plants... He was acting completely deranged. Then he ran into a salon."
"I heard him howling like a wolf in his dorm room earlier!"
"Do you think he was on drugs?! No, that’s impossible. We don’t even have access to narcotics on the ship. Wait, did he synthesize them himself?!"
"Did he dismantle a salon drone? Was he trying to reverse-engineer it?"
Suddenly, the heavy doors of the precinct hissed open. The crowd surged forward, craning their necks to get a glimpse of the infamous Peter, only to be forcefully shoved back by a pair of massive hands.
It was Marcus. He stepped out, his booming voice echoing over the crowd. "Alright, alright, that’s enough! Break it up, everyone! Disperse! There’s absolutely nothing to see here!"
Because the crime rate was so low, maintaining a separate, dedicated police force was deemed a waste of precious manpower. Therefore, the military and police roles had been merged into a single entity, strictly managed by the Federation Security Department.
Marcus didn’t use excessive force, but his towering, muscular frame completely blocked the doorway, making it impossible for anyone to peek inside.
The crowd immediately bombarded him with questions. "What exactly did Peter do?"
"Is there going to be a trial? I’m registered as a civilian juror!"
"Quiet down!" Marcus bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Everyone needs to clear the area right now. Peter is perfectly fine. He simply suffered from extreme exhaustion and accidentally damaged some public property in a state of confusion."
"That is all. Go back to your duties."
"Tch..." Robbed of the scandalous gossip they were desperately hoping for, the crowd instantly lost interest.
Most of the bystanders drifted away to return to their daily routines. A few stubborn reporters remained, highly skeptical of the official story, and lingered near the perimeter.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, a specialized medical team slipped quietly through the side doors of the precinct before Marcus slammed them shut, locking down the facility once again.
"...I’m telling the truth! I swear to God I’m telling the truth! You have to believe me!"
Inside the interrogation room, Peter was crying his eyes out. All he wanted was to clear his name as quickly as possible, especially before his crush found out.
Sexual harassment?! Are you kidding me?! What does that have to do with me?!
"Damn it, I swear I didn’t do it! It was the alien! It was a guy named Black! You have to believe me! I’m going to kill you, Black!" Peter screamed, slamming his hands on the table as he grew increasingly hysterical.
"Watch your language and sit down!" Shane, the security officer taking his statement, suddenly shouted, slamming his own hand on the desk.