The scene Tao Yuda described took shape in the minds of the academicians and professors.
The light in Lü Yongchang's eyes grew brighter.
"...Professor, that's all I have." Sensing the strange atmosphere in the conference room, Tao Yuda swallowed and spoke quietly.
A brief silence fell over the conference room.
Just as Tao Yuda began to grow uneasy, soft applause broke out.
Tao Yuda looked toward the source in surprise.
It was Professor Lü.
A faint smile rested on Lü Yongchang's face, and his eyes were full of appreciation.
"Good, very good."
"This really is an entirely new direction. We don't know whether it's feasible yet, but coming up with the idea alone deserves encouragement!"
As Lü Yongchang finished speaking, the other academicians and professors, whose expressions had been grave, began casting friendly looks at Tao Yuda.
The tension in Tao Yuda's eyes gradually eased, giving way to a hint of excitement.
Lü Yongchang turned and looked around at everyone. After a moment of thought, he spoke again. "I'll investigate the feasibility of Nano-Robot mining. As for the rest of you...keep trying conventional methods. Of course, do your best to overcome the difficulties we discussed earlier."
February 14, 2037
"Professor, happy Lunar New Year's Eve."
In Lü Yongchang's office in Mars City One, a hologram lit up, and Zero's virtual avatar appeared before him.
Hearing Zero's greeting, Lü Yongchang lifted his head from the pile of documents before him and blinked, looking slightly dazed.
"Lunar New Year's Eve..."
Once he registered the words, a trace of loneliness and anxiety flashed through his eyes.
"Has another year gone by already?" Lü Yongchang murmured to himself. "Does humanity have less than nine years left...?"
Nine years was still the optimistic estimate.
In reality, humanity only had about six years of usable