Homo Sapiens

「July 8th.」

Tuwah Port was being battered by a fierce storm.

Kevin, who was in charge of the region, was reporting on his work to Li Qingye from inside an underground bunker.

After landing in Bangkok, Li Qingye had taken on the identity of Andrew and was supposedly staying at a resort near the city. In reality, a Soldier was impersonating Andrew and moving about the resort in his place.

Meanwhile, Li Qingye himself, posing as a member of a minor family from Siam, was in the Tuwah Port area of Hongsawaddy.

Kevin said stiffly, ”Boss, the Third Research Base is complete. However, we have very few researchers specializing in nuclear physics. Right now, there are only 17 relevant researchers. The remaining positions are filled by custom-built Soldiers.”

Li Qingye did not blame him for this. ”It’s fine. Nuclear physics is a field closely watched by the world powers. It’s right to be cautious.”

”Also, our crude uranium ore reserves have reached 3,213 tons. We’ve built three small graphite reactors at the third base in Black Tiger Canyon, but we currently lack low-enriched uranium-235, so we haven’t conducted any official tests yet.”

Li Qingye nodded with satisfaction. ”I came here this time specifically to solve the enrichment problem. Where did you store the items the Internal Affairs Division transported over a while ago?”

”They’re in Black Tiger Canyon.”

”Then we’ll head to Black Tiger Canyon once the rain stops.”

”Understood, sir.”

By noon the next day, Li Qingye, Kevin, and the others had traveled by boat and arrived in Kachin State, located in the southwestern part of the Shan Plateau.

Black Tiger Canyon, the site of the third base, was situated in a mountain valley on the plateau—a very inconspicuous little river valley plain.

To conceal the base, Hongsawaddy had designated this area as a nature reserve for Bengal Tigers and even established a scientific research station as a front.

The advantage of this location was that it could be accessed directly by 500-ton class vessels via a tributary of the Salween River.

Especially after dredging, and with it being the rainy season, even 1,500-ton class vessels could reach Black Tiger Town in Black Tiger Canyon.

After a series of migrations and relocations, the entire Black Tiger Town was now populated by Qingye Group personnel. There were no outsiders, ensuring the secrecy of the location.

Upon arriving in Black Tiger Town, Li Qingye did not appear before the regular employees. His cover was that of an inspector sent from headquarters.

Led by the base chief, Wu Hu, the group entered a mine near Black Tiger Town.

This location was originally chosen partly for its concealment and convenient river transport, and partly for the mine itself.

It was a small lead-zinc mine, and its previous owner had excavated numerous underground tunnels.

After a second phase of renovation, all the tunnels were reinforced, expanded, and modified, transforming them into the current underground base.

Furthermore, the second phase of construction for the base was also secretly underway.

Li Qingye took an elevator shaft converted from a mineshaft down to a depth of 27 meters. Taking the mountain above into account, some parts of this area reached a depth of up to a thousand meters.

The nuclear facilities were located beneath the cover of the mountain.

”We’ve already moved some of the crude ore here. Currently, we have 1,200 tons stockpiled,” Kevin explained in a low voice.

At the bottom of the elevator shaft, past the elevator, was a small underground station. A tram system was used for transportation here.

Wu Hu quickly opened the tram car door. ”Boss, let’s get on.”

Soon, the tram started moving slowly, heading deeper into the base.

However, the tram did not go directly to the nuclear experiment zone or the crude ore storage area, as these materials posed a certain degree of risk.

Only after changing into full-body biological hazard suits in a safe zone did Wu Hu lead them into the nuclear experiment zone.

A group of researchers, also clad in full-body protective suits and wearing transparent, custom-made resin helmets, were gathered in front of a small centrifuge.

Wu Hu called over the head researcher, Dr. Levis. He had been a researcher at the Luzon nuclear power plant and was one of the few scholars in Luzon studying nuclear physics. He had been secretly brought here early in the year after faking his death and altering his appearance.

Levis had actually met Li Qingye in Luzon before. With a look of resignation, he said, ”Li, this small centrifuge can’t possibly separate uranium-235. You should understand how dangerous this is!”

”Don’t worry. I’ll solve the uranium enrichment problem,” Li Qingye replied confidently.

”You can solve it? Li, I admit you’re a top-tier biologist, but this is nuclear physics,” Levis said doubtfully.

Li Qingye shrugged, then turned to Wu Hu and ordered, ”Bring Item 983 that was delivered earlier to the special biological lab here.”

”Yes, Boss.”

A short while later, inside the special biological laboratory.

The item Li Qingye had requested was now placed before everyone.

He opened a briefcase, revealing rows of test tubes. These tubes contained special cryogenically frozen fungal spores. He took one out.

He inserted it into a large, barrel-shaped culture dish.

After adding various pheromones and hormones, a continuous supply of nutrient solution, and adjusting the temperature, the fungus began to grow rapidly in the dish.

After an hour of rapid growth, Li Qingye mixed one hundred kilograms of uranium-containing powder with a nutrient paste.

Finally, he poured the fungus from the culture dish into the uranium-infused nutrient paste.

”Let’s go.”

”That’s it?” Levis was completely bewildered.

Li Qingye replied with full confidence, ”Don’t underestimate the adaptability and potential of living organisms. You know, the area around the Chernobyl reactor is now overgrown with fungi.”

Skeptical, Levis muttered to himself, ’Can biotechnology really achieve uranium enrichment?’

”You’ll find out tomorrow.”

「Early the next morning.」

Levis arrived, unable to wait. He was clearly eager to see how effective this bio-accumulation technique really was.

When they opened the row of lead-lined cultivation tanks, a large mass of reddish-brown fungus was floating on the surface, somewhat resembling an algal bloom from eutrophication.

”Remove the fungal mass from the surface, then dry the sludge at the bottom of the tank.”

”Yes, sir.”

The floating fungal mass was removed, and the sludge at the bottom of the tank was filtered and dried, resulting in over a hundred kilograms of what looked like mud.

Levis then took his team to measure the uranium-235 content of this ”mud.”

After more than five tense hours of testing, the results for the uranium-235 content in the mud finally came back. The concentration was between 7.2% and 8.3%.

This concentration level was clearly unbelievable to Levis. It was equivalent to being enriched over a hundred times. He said, overcome with excitement:

”Li, you’re a true genius.”

But Li Qingye seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

”This technology isn’t perfect yet. The uranium-enriching fungus can’t purify uranium-235 in a single pass. It requires 15 repeated absorption cycles to enrich uranium-235 to a concentration of over 90%.”

”Moreover, the uranium absorbed by the fungus still contains a small amount of residual uranium-238, so the waste material has to be reprocessed.”

Heh. Levis was left speechless.

In his eyes, the technology was already incredible. Even if it required 15 repeated absorption cycles, it was still faster and cheaper than the centrifuge separation method. In fact, it was practically a bargain.

After all, the bio-accumulation method only required simple cultivation equipment, the fungal strain, nutrients, hormones, and pheromones.

For the Homo Sapiens Company, the cost of these items was not high at all.

Levis made a rough estimate. Based on the current data, the cost to produce one kilogram of 90% enriched uranium-235 wouldn’t exceed 5,000 Jin Yuan.

This cost completely blew the centrifuge separation method out of the water.