Three days later, the preparatory meeting for the planetary landing would officially begin...

At seven o'clock that morning, scientists gathered in small groups in "The Big Breadbox" cafeteria for breakfast.

This old but sturdy cafeteria had a long history. It was originally a renowned restaurant on the Lunar Base. Following several technological breakthroughs, its equipment had been continually upgraded. In the early days, several five-star chefs worked on the moon to serve the base's high-ranking officials. Later, it transitioned to a semi-automated system, and now it was fully automated.

Those former chefs had retrained, becoming programmers who developed the culinary robots. However, humans are sentimental creatures who cherish the past. That was why the old nickname, "The Big Breadbox," remained in use to this day. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

While robot-prepared meals lacked a certain human touch, they were generally tastier, highly hygienic, and perfectly satisfied everyone's appetites while saving an enormous amount of labor. People initially felt some psychological resistance, thinking it was a bit unnatural, but they gradually accepted and grew accustomed to it.

"...There is a lot of preparation left for this landing. Many engineering projects need adjustments, and we have a ton of new research to conduct. I've even drafted several proposals specifically for today's meeting."

As a male scientist spoke, he placed his briefcase on the table and tapped the touchscreen menu. Minutes later, a service robot delivered his hot breakfast. He carefully picked up a freshly baked, savory meat pastry, its crust so delicately thin that the rich aroma of the warm filling wafted through the air. Ignoring the heat, he took a bite. Instantly, the delicious, savory gravy coated his palate...

Breakfast was such a treat!

"Yes, we cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the Mars landing. Everything from spacecraft construction and biological defense research to soldier training needs to be prioritized again," a female scientist agreed.

She was enjoying a bowl of rich cheese ravioli in a hot broth, garnished with fresh herbs and a dash of olive oil, the taste was simply irresistible.

The early bird catches the worm, and a hearty breakfast is the best start to any day. These meals were all generated by robotic algorithms. After years of refinement, they had reached the absolute optimal flavor profiles to suit human tastes. Complex food processing steps that would be tedious for humans were effortless for robots. Even the most complicated recipes were easily managed—just add a few more processing units. To the robots, there was no difference between a lavish breakfast and a simple one, which helped mitigate resource scarcity.

The scientists in the cafeteria were well-groomed and exhibited impeccable manners. It was impossible to tell their real ages. The oldest among them looked barely thirty. In reality, the male scientist eating the savory pastry was well over sixty years old!

Thanks to the new stem cell reactivation treatments, he had regained his youth. He looked thirty, with thick hair and a vibrant complexion. This was the miracle of modern science! Science turned the impossible into reality, and transformed the mundane into the miraculous. It was the most magnificent pursuit in the universe.

"The Super Hadron Collider project needs to take a backseat. Building the new spaceships is our top priority. Not just the spaceships, but many other projects as well, and we definitely need to free up manpower for those..."

Just then, a young scientist walking by with a breakfast sandwich overheard the remark. He glared and immediately shot back, "Why should the Super Hadron Collider take a backseat? It's only in the early design phase; it hardly takes up any project resources! Besides, is the spacecraft construction really going to consume the entire production capacity of the Aegis Industrial Complex? How do you know the Collider isn't just as important..."

He was practically fuming, visibly exasperated.

"Alright, alright, Isaac, calm down and eat. We can discuss it at the meeting," a young woman next to him said, gently pulling him away. She offered an apologetic look to the older scientists. "Excuse me. This is my colleague, Isaac, from the Wolfpack Design Bureau. Because particle physics hasn't seen any major breakthroughs lately, he's become a bit impatient."

The young woman offered a polite nod.

The Wolfpack Design Bureau was one of the most outstanding research institutes among the Precursors. It was staffed by individuals who, like Professor Hao Yu, possessed a fanatical devotion to science. They were incredibly straightforward, always speaking their minds without restraint. Dealing with them was simple: prove yourself to be more brilliant than they were, and they would treat you with the utmost respect. The Precursors' reverence for intellect had been largely shaped by this group of passionate scientists.

And this young man, Isaac, was a renowned genius on par with Arthur Lambert from the Tesla Institute.

Even as Helen led him away, he kept muttering, "Helen, you know the current state of our scientific development. Almost all other disciplines are flourishing, but particle physics is lagging far behind. This isn't sustainable. One day, this weakness will bottleneck us, and our understanding of physics will hit a wall."

As the two walked away, the other scientists could only smile helplessly.

In truth, particle physics was currently in a frustrating slump. While almost all other branches of science were making giant leaps forward, particle physics had stalled completely, making it seem almost abandoned. So, it was common to hear these physicists venting their frustrations, especially in recent days, with rumors circulating that the Super Hadron Collider project might be delayed.

The female scientist eating her ravioli smiled kindly; she didn't take offense.

Those who studied particle physics and string theory were true visionaries. They relied entirely on sheer human intellect to unlock the secrets of nature, rather than seeking technological shortcuts by reverse-engineering extraterrestrial artifacts. Studying alien technology was an easier path to success, which made the physicists who persisted in their original research all the more worthy of respect.

"Personally, I don't see a conflict between the Collider and building the spaceships," she said. "The Collider is still in the design phase, while the A-001 through A-003 spaceships are fully designed and only require manufacturing."

Another scientist standing nearby chimed in, "There is a conflict. The Collider ties up too much intellectual capital, specifically, a large number of our top designers. We still need to engineer specialized equipment for the new planet, which requires those exact designers!"

"As for the Collider, we can postpone it for a few years," someone else argued. "As long as we have the resources, anything is possible. We could even build a colossal starship outside the Precursor Ark, completely enclosing it, turning us into a true Interstellar Civilization."

The conversation shifted once more. Everyone was desperate for resources, craving an endless supply of them! They all indulged in visions of a future where abundant resources fueled rapid scientific development—more powerful spacecraft, faster computers, an endless workforce of robots, and, of course, a better standard of living.

Time flew by, and the attendees gradually filled the meeting hall. The gathering included department heads, senior scientists, government officials, and industry leaders. Essentially, anyone even remotely connected to the planetary landing preparations had been invited.

To put the scale of their journey into perspective:

Pluto is approximately 0.0006236 light-years from the Sun, and it is already a freezing wasteland. The unknown target planet was about 0.6 light-years away from its binary stars, nearly a thousand times the distance!

Even though binary star systems burn much brighter than a single star like the Sun, the sheer distance meant the planet's environment was unlikely to be very hospitable.