Deep Space Wandering Fleet-Chapter 156 - 157 47th Century

Chapter 156: Chapter 157: 47th Century

Chapter 156 -157: 47th Century

Academician Ding no longer had the image of being decisive and swift in action. Perhaps because he had experienced so much and with age, he had become a kind old man. He nodded with a smile and said, “Zhang Yuan, taking advantage of this lucid period, there are some details regarding spacecraft control authority that I want to pass on to you…”

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Zhang Yuan sighed deeply in his heart and nodded. He clearly understood what this really meant…

The Scientific Council meeting this time was very grand, relating to the next generation’s successor, with over three thousand participants, many of whom were reserve cadres like Zhang Yuan.

The civilization’s requirements for the next Captain were very high, not only needing to be excellent in both character and learning but also possessing sufficient experience to command respect. They needed to be proficient in the spacecraft’s internal structure and understand human psychology and sociology, as well as possess the ability to spontaneously adapt… The most challenging aspect was mastering the related computations of New Civilization History, not merely echoing others’ opinions.

For someone in their thirties like Zhang Yuan, not yet forty, the experience was still slightly lacking.

After such elimination, there were basically only a handful of candidates left, including several Deputy Captains and people like Senior Brother Zhao.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the Scientific Council, good day. I am the current Captain, Ding Zhaodong,” Academician Ding began his speech on stage.

“We have been adrift in the starry sky for 2419 years, and it is necessary to sort out the current state of our spaceship, as well as the current population status. Moreover, we need to confirm the candidates for the next Captain.”

“During these two thousand three hundred years, the spaceship experienced a variety of incidents, a total of 3123, among them significant power outages: 3, and significant material leaks: 1. Fortunately, all these incidents were within our capability to withstand…”

“It’s indeed not easy to have persevered until now, which couldn’t have been done without the hard work of all the staff.”

A round of enthusiastic applause arose from the audience.

The government report was lengthy, as several Deputy Captains took the stage to report on the performance of different areas of the spaceship, the status of resource reserves, and the population.

There was a nuclear fuel leak incident on the spaceship, thankfully it was just a fuel storage, and it didn’t affect the core components.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the probability of errors occurring on the spaceship is slowly increasing, and everyone must be extremely careful in the journey ahead.”

“We have not yet reached our true destination, and I hope everyone can maintain a rigorous style always…”

As for the current population status, the average age had risen by about 5 years, still in a relatively young state.

Over 2300 years of navigation, a total of 645 senior leaders had passed away in this expanse of starry sky. Corresponding to this was the birth of a total of 1644 infants.

In fact, sixteen hundred infants weren’t considered numerous—less than one a year. These individuals had basically graduated from high school and entered a hibernation state.

After listening to these reports, Zhang Yuan had a general understanding of the state of the entire spaceship.

After the two-day reporting meeting concluded, the voting and the power transition between old and new leaders immediately followed. Then there would be a year of training.

Academician Ding and several Deputy Captains were getting older and there was a need to train successors in advance.

Zhang Yuan’s job level also rose to Level 19. He now had the authority to control the nuclear fusion engine switch, to start it, and the spaceship’s emergency control rights.

When Elder Ji handed over a series of passwords and control authorities to him, Zhang Yuan felt a profound sense of responsibility and mission.

As if the lives of everyone on board were weighing down on him.

It turns out… we were no longer young.

Zhang Yuan solemnly saluted the old man.

“Dr. Zhang, I have great faith in you, from now on, we’ll have to trouble you folks,” Old Man Ji said with ease.

“Thank you, Elder Ji.”

After the entire handover ceremony concluded, a routine banquet was held, with toasts and quiet discussions about future considerations.

Many newcomers, including Zhang Yuan, didn’t feel the thrill of gaining power, but rather a heavy feeling in their hearts.

Senior Brother Zhao had been promoted to Deputy Captain Zhao and, in a few hundred years, he might even be promoted to a real captain. He was navigating and interacting with the crowd, getting a handle on the overall affairs of the spaceship as if he could replace wine with tea and still be in his element.

From a certain perspective, over the years, Senior Brother Zhao had grown a lot, no longer as green as he used to be.

After a while, Senior Brother Zhao finally arrived fashionably late, “Old Zhang, it feels like we haven’t seen each other in a very long time… here’s to you.”

Clink!

They clinked glasses, and Zhang Yuan took a sip of the boiled water in his cup, laughing, “My most vivid memory is of you by the engine exit, lamenting about the pressure of being a captain.”

“I didn’t expect to take on the burden so quickly.”

“Yes,” Zhao Qingfeng sighed, “there are some things you have to accept, and you end up getting used to them. You’ve only had three or four lucid periods in this time, while I’ve had more than ten, enough to take on these responsibilities.”

They chatted casually like this, and soon the slight awkwardness between them turned back into the familiarity of old times.

Senior Brother Zhao was still that Senior Brother Zhao. He sat next to Zhang Yuan, smiling and asking, “Do you know what my biggest wish is now?”

“What?”

“It’s… for you, my outstanding junior brother, to find a wife. I hope you find one before I close my eyes for good.”

Zhang Yuan shrugged, “Haha, I’ve already found one, so you can go in peace, brother.”

Senior Brother Zhao took an interest, “Oh? Is it that little doctor you always bully? I knew it; she seems like a traditional girl.”

Traditional?

Zhang Yuan glanced sideways. Did Lin Xuanyuan disguise herself so well in front of others? Unconvinced, he protested, “I haven’t bullied her that much…”

Senior Brother Zhao asked again, “Any plans for having kids?”

“No… things are pretty good as they are now. Giving birth in this kind of environment is unethical. Besides, we should probably not set that kind of example…”

As the banquet thinned out, with fewer people paying attention to them, Zhang Yuan quietly asked, “So, Senior Brother Zhao, give me the lowdown, are we still executing the decisions calculated by the New Civilization History? That’s what I’m most concerned about.”

“After Mr. Aiding passed away, we no longer had Earth’s history as a reference… and there’s no need to keep putting off these decisions.”

Apart from the Alien Spaceship incident, the decisions calculated by the New Civilization History had always been one of the top three hot topics.

Debating back and forth on many things, and after discussing them a lot, they didn’t seem as unacceptable as one might imagine.

Especially after being intimidated by the Alien Spaceship, a small fraction of people gradually let go of their original stubborn thoughts.

“About this matter, let’s talk privately later, let’s go to Teacher’s place,” Senior Brother Zhao deliberately left him hanging in suspense.

After the dinner, the two of them went back to Academician Ding’s office.

“You’ve arrived!” Having put down his heavy responsibilities, the old man looked much better in spirits, his voice returning to that of his younger days, and he even personally brewed tea for the two of them.

“Today has really been a relaxing day, from now on, all tasks will be handed over to you young people!”

…

(PS: Does anyone want to join the group? The old group is almost full and it’s quite quiet, not many people are talking. If there are active readers, we might consider starting a new group…)