Academician Xiao Yi, who had remained silent at the side, smiled mysteriously. As a pillar of biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academician Xiao had made countless contributions. More than a decade ago, he had been ordered to carry out the Long River Project. After countless sleepless nights and days when he neglected food and rest, he had finally completed the task.
"Everyone, the time has finally come to reveal this secret. I thought it would die with me, never to be put to use. Although I suggested to the leader a long time ago that we put the Long River Project into effect, the leader had too many concerns, and there were a great many issues involved. But now, we can cast aside all those concerns. Everything must be for the continuation of Chinese Civilization."
After a pause, Academician Xiao continued, "For thousands of years, and particularly over the last few centuries, a major obstacle to technological development has been the shortage of talent. Our human lives last less than a hundred short years, and we must spend decades learning. By the time we have learned enough, we find that we have grown old and reached the end of our lives. It must be said that this is a great regret in human development."
"Yes, Academician Xiao. If our scientists could live a few decades longer, things would be completely different. What a pity," Hu Yu said with a sigh. As an officer who had abandoned scholarly pursuits to join the military, Hu Yu felt more strongly about these things than most.
"But from now on, that will no longer happen," Academician Xiao Yi said loudly.
Everyone looked at one another, unable to understand what Academician Xiao Yi meant.
"All right, Academician Xiao, stop keeping us in suspense. Everyone can hardly wait," the leader said with a smile.
"Yes, leader." Academician Xiao nodded and continued, "Comrades, although we have not been able to provide much help from a biological standpoint in the course of fighting the bugs, I discovered a special segment in their genes. I tried modifying the genes of lab mice according to the way this segment was arranged. After the modification, the mice's physical condition improved greatly, and the mice that had already reached old age stopped aging and have lived until now. In a manner of speaking, they have achieved immortality."
"What!!!"
"Everyone, please calm down and let me continue. After I discovered this, I conducted top-secret experiments under the leader's guidance. From kittens and puppies to monkeys and apes, the results were the same. But without human trials, there was no way to be certain it was safe. Ten years ago, with the leader's special authorization, I modified my own genes."
"Academician Xiao, you!!!" Academician Zeng cried. As a fellow research academician, Zeng Zhaoyuan knew the risks of such an experiment. Even if it proved safe in every animal tested, the risks would still be enormous once it was used on humans. Throughout history, such experiments had failed many times.
"Academician Zeng, don't worry, I'm fine," Academician Xiao said with a smile. "Comrades, modifying my own genes has given me more accurate and reliable data. After the modification, my body became very healthy, and my newly formed cells and dying cells have remained in a state of balance. I won't go into the technical details here, but let me give you an example. It's like a fighter aircraft. In the past, when a component was damaged, we would replace it with another old one. Over time, after only a few replacements, the components would grow older and older, and the aircraft would soon be ready for the scrap heap. But after genetic modification, every replacement is a new component. No matter which component it is, it can be replaced with a brand-new one. That way, the fighter can remain in good condition forever."
"Academician Xiao, do you mean we'll never grow old again?" Luo Zhigao asked, somewhat excited.
"Minister Luo, to be precise, it means we won't die of old age," Director Xu said, stroking his snowy white beard.
"Really? That's wonderful. Haha!" None of them could hide their excitement.
"Minister Luo, until now, this project has been top secret. Only Director Xu, the leader, and I knew about it. It is not an easy thing to put into practice, and there are a great many issues involved."
"Oh, yes. It really is a difficult problem." Luo Zhigao came to his senses and nodded.
"Comrades, after ten years, I compared my cells with those from a decade ago and found only a minuscule change. At that rate, human lifespans could reach at least a million years. And I still can't be certain that this change is aging. It may simply be a normal fluctuation in the process of cell turnover. After all, too little time has passed to compare more samples. But in animal trials, the growth of the young was unaffected by this gene. Growth is a process of cell division and proliferation; this genetic modification only plays a key role at the stage when old cells are replaced by new ones. It also has virtually no effect on other aspects, including reproduction, intelligence, and behavior."
"Then, Academician Xiao, is the modification process complicated?" Luo Zhigao asked.
"No, you only need to take one pill. These pills are very easy to produce. This bottle was supposed to remain sealed under top-secret conditions in the laboratory, but circumstances are unusual now, so I had no choice but to carry it with me." Academician Xiao took a small bottle from his pocket and showed it to everyone. It contained several small yellow pills.
"Comrades." The leader looked at their somewhat expectant faces and said slowly, "After we separate, each of you should study how best to use this genetic medicine and how to deal with the problems it might cause. After all, Academician Xiao is still the only person who has used it, and that is far from enough. All kinds of problems could still arise. Academician Xiao Yi will accompany General Hu Yu, but before this, Academician Xiao shared all the relevant information and key details with the other academicians in biology."
"Yes, comrades, there is no need to worry too much. Genetic modification is now a very simple task. In fact, we previously discovered a longevity sequence in jellyfish genes that could extend the human lifespan to around ten thousand years. It was never put into practice only because of ethical and other concerns. In truth, longevity and even immortality are not particularly arcane technologies. Our academicians can handle any problems that arise, so please rest assured on that point."
"Comrades, if we are to survive in the cruel battlefield of the universe, our human lifespan must be extended, and our intelligence must also be enhanced in the future. Otherwise, with our short history of development, we would be at an absolute disadvantage compared to civilizations that have developed for hundreds of thousands or millions of years. With longer lifespans, we can have large numbers of talented people, and our population can grow substantially. Although our starships cannot yet accommodate excessive population growth, that is only temporary. Once we find a new home, our population will surely increase dramatically," the leader said.
"Leader, rest assured, we will handle these matters properly. Now that we are separating, where should we go?" Hu Yu asked.
"As everyone knows, our Solar System lies close to the edge of the Milky Way, but we don't know where the battle line between the Great Star Region Civilization and the insect race is drawn. The Destroyers didn't let us ask more questions, either. Our original course was roughly toward the center of the Milky Way, so the insect-infested region could be on either our left or our right. But it must still be fairly far away. Otherwise, the Patrols and the Destroyers would not have appeared here; fleets from the Great Star Region Civilization or the Small Star Sector Civilization would have handled it instead. So I suggest that your two groups travel in opposite directions, spreading out toward either side of the Milky Way. Until you are strong enough, try to avoid heading toward the galactic center. After all, it is a gathering place for advanced civilizations, somewhere we are not yet in a position to venture. I will lead this group toward the edge of the galaxy. Resources there may be the scarcest, but it will be safer, and the spark of our nation can be preserved."
"Leader, even if we separate, we can stay in contact at all times through quantum communications. You can still lead us. To tell the truth, I'm not ready yet," Luo Zhigao said. Although he was the minister of the Ministry of National Defense and a major figure in his own right, with the leader shouldering responsibility for everything, he had not been under so much pressure. Now that the leader had suddenly asked him to face it all alone, Luo Zhigao felt somewhat at a loss.
"Yes, leader, I have even less experience leading," Hu Yu said as well. His thoughts were much the same as Luo Zhigao's, but Hu Yu was younger, and compared to Luo Zhigao, he had more of a young man's confidence.
"Quantum communications? Do you think they can be relied on? Even when we were very close together in the Solar System, our quantum communications frequently malfunctioned, and pairs of quantum particles often lost their entanglement. On the scale of the universe, conditions are even harsher, and unpredictable factors are everywhere. No matter how much quantum communications equipment we carry, it won't help. And neither of you should be daunted by the difficulties. I believe you will do better than I have."
"Then, leader, how will we contact each other once our quantum particles lose their entangled state?" Hu Yu asked, a little sadly.
"Well, let fate decide. Perhaps we can be a little romantic and make a promise: let's return home once every hundred thousand years and meet in the Solar System. If we can't return home, then as long as we're still alive, we should find a way to send a message to the Solar System."
"All right, leader."
"Comrades, for the sake of that promise, you must do everything you can to develop yourselves. I believe that one day, Chinese Civilization will surely resound throughout the Milky Way. The entire Milky Way will be ours to roam freely, and we may even leave it behind and venture out into the wider universe. When we gather again then, things will surely be very different."
"Rest assured, leader. We will never bring shame to the name of the Chinese Nation. When that day comes, we will return to the Solar System, rebuild Earth, and admire together the beautiful sight of a lone plume of smoke rising straight over the vast desert, and the round sun setting over the long river," Hu Yu said confidently.
"Good, comrades. Advanced civilizations have already taken notice of this place, so we shouldn't stay long. Unwilling as we may be, the sooner we leave, the better. The time has come to part. Take care, all of you. Goodbye."
"Leader!"
"Leader!"
Without realizing it, everyone's eyes had filled with tears. The sorrow of parting made many weep softly. They embraced one another, reluctant to say goodbye. This parting might be forever, and even if they met again, it would be a hundred thousand years from now. For decades, they had worked together to resist the insect race, and the bonds forged through hardship together could not be measured. They were the sincerest bonds of all. Though this was work, who could say it was not the feeling of the Chinese Nation?
"Go on, go on, comrades." The leader waved goodbye to them with tears in his eyes.
They looked back with every step, and at the sight of the white-haired leader, their hearts ached again. Over the years, the leader had sacrificed too much, and even his body had grown somewhat stooped. Yet for the sake of the entire nation, the leader would continue for a long time to lead the first group in seeking survival in the Milky Way and preserving the seed of the nation.