Chapter 151: Anaerobic Survival Experiment
As time passed, the number of intelligent entities within the Swarm Network grew. Under Luo Wen’s deliberate selection, most of them were scientists. Some were given new identities and returned to the Imperial Space Research Institute, continuing their previous projects. Others joined Starlight Enterprises, heading private laboratories under its banner.
One day, in a Starlight Enterprises laboratory specializing in extraterrestrial environments, a new experiment began.
The Ratfolk currently lacked any means to explore outer space and thus had no knowledge of its conditions. However, Luo Wen, being educated, knew the basics: low temperatures, lack of oxygen, microgravity, and pervasive cosmic radiation.
These experiments, being difficult to justify officially, couldn’t gain approval in the Ratfolk’s official space research institute. As a result, they were relegated to private labs funded and staffed by Luo Wen’s recruits.
Thanks to unlimited resources and funding, this lab had made notable progress. They developed devices capable of simulating vacuum environments and generating various forms of space radiation.
Space radiation—a dangerous mix of gamma rays, high-energy protons, and cosmic rays—was exceedingly harmful to living organisms. The lab publicly claimed its research aimed to develop protective suits that could provide oxygen and shield wearers from radiation.
This explanation served as a cover story, as Starlight Enterprises, which conducted mineral explorations, needed such suits to enable workers to delve deeper underground and endure radiation emitted by certain ores.
For Luo Wen, exterminating the Ratfolk was a simple option, but leveraging their intelligence to develop technology was far more valuable. As such, he preferred deception when possible.
On this particular day, the lab received a rare 30-centimeter-long arthropod. Allegedly caught by a fishing vessel, this marine creature could swim yet had wings. Though beetle-like in appearance, it also possessed pincers and eight spider-like legs. Its exoskeleton, made of a unique material, could withstand immense deep-sea pressure.