Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

Chapter 180 The Horror of Nuclear War

The subsequent experimental results repeatedly challenged everyone's understanding.

The World Tree welcomes all comers!

It can perfectly absorb any radioactive element and convert it into its own growth energy!

"I understand! I understand everything!" Liu Chengen slapped his thigh excitedly and spun around in place.

"Energy crystals! The reason they can be absorbed by it is likely because they possess a type of 'radiation' that is harmless to living organisms!"

"This tree is a perfect converter of radioactive materials!"

Qian Zhenhua quickly adjusted his glasses, and behind the lenses, his eyes gleamed with an almost manic light.

He grabbed Lin Mo's arm and spoke rapidly with excitement.

"Commander Lin! If that's the case, then... then we can simply use the nuclear fuel rods as fertilizer!"

Lin Mo: "???"

He stared in disbelief at the towering figure in the field of physics before him.

"Using nuclear fuel rods...as fertilizer?"

"Good heavens! Are you trying to create a nuclear fusion World Tree?!"

Qian Zhenhua paid no attention to Lin Mo's expression; he was already immersed in his own ideas and became more and more excited as he spoke.

"That's right! Feeding them directly with ore is too inefficient!"

"Bringing over several hundred tons would likely result in the absorption of the entire plant in just a few days, and the disposal process would be troublesome. Furthermore, the area around the World Tree is completely uninhabitable!"

"Why don't we just purify it directly! Let's build a small, controlled nuclear fusion reactor right below it!"

"Let the fusion reaction continue to release energy! To provide the World Tree with a constant supply of fertilizer!!"

Liu Chengen listened intently, his eyes shining as he gazed at the World Tree swaying its emerald green branches, muttering to himself.

"A biological miracle... This is a creation only God could have accomplished!"

Lin Mo looked at the two mad scientists in front of him, who seemed to have already seen the World Tree soaring into the sky, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Should we build a nuclear reactor at the base of this World Tree?

If the elves of Terra knew about this, their worldview would probably shatter into a QR code on the spot.

Soon, everything that happened here was reported.

In a large, glass-enclosed observation room on the lower level of an Arctic military base.

Commander No. 2 is standing here, watching through the thick radiation-proof glass as the expeditionary force soldiers pass through the teleportation gate and enter the inspection channel.

He wanted to stay here forever, welcoming every returning hero.

"Sir, you've been standing here for over three hours. Why don't you go over there and have a meal and rest for a bit?"

Secretary Li whispered a word of advice from the side.

"The soldiers' return process is very long, so please take care of yourself."

Number Two waved his hand, his gaze still fixed on those young and determined faces, and said:

"It's alright. Compared to these heroes, what's a little standing here?"

Secretary Li tentatively advised:

"Sir, with over 20,000 soldiers returning in batches, it will take a full ten days. Should we wait until their quarantine period is over before welcoming them?"

Number Two remained silent for a moment, considering the recent chaotic situation on Earth, and finally nodded.

"Alright."

He turned and left the isolation room. He had just entered the room and hadn't even picked up his chopsticks when Secretary Li received the message.

After glancing down at the title and its importance, he immediately handed over the tablet and said quickly:

"Sir! Urgent report from the New Hope Project's laboratories!"

Upon hearing this, Number Two put down his chopsticks and took the encrypted terminal.

He sat bolt upright after just one glance at the title—"A revolutionary discovery in the preliminary testing of World Tree samples."

He quickly glanced at the report, closed the terminal, and without speaking immediately, abruptly stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

Secretary Li followed behind him, looking at the complex expression on the leader's face, which was a mixture of ecstasy and solemnity, and was a little puzzled. Wasn't this good news?

So he spoke in a low voice:

"Sir, you..."

Number Two stopped, turned to look at him, and suddenly asked a question.

"Xiao Li, tell me, what's the most terrifying thing about nuclear war?"

Secretary Li was taken aback, and immediately thought of the current tense international situation.

In just a few days, the United Kingdom has already joined forces with several countries and announced that it will conduct live-fire exercises involving land, sea, and air on the border of the Great Xia territory in a short period of time.

The Great Xia region is also on full alert, with troops urgently being deployed for defense.

If things go wrong, it could very well escalate into a full-scale nuclear war!

He thought for a moment, then replied:

"The destructive power of a nuclear explosion, and the subsequent 'nuclear winter,' is enough to destroy the entire Earth's ecosystem."

This is a well-known answer.

Number Two shook his head.

"Destruction?" He walked to the world map hanging on the wall and tapped it lightly.

"Our 'Ark' is buried one kilometer underground."

"When it was being built, the possibility that some countries, in a desperate situation facing doomsday, might launch a nuclear attack and drag the whole world down with them was taken into consideration."

"Even if they drop all their nuclear bombs on us now, they still won't be able to breach our underground city."

He smiled again, a smile tinged with coldness.

"As for a 'nuclear winter,' it's not a concern at all."

"The weakening of Earth's magnetic field will cause a series of chain disasters, and in a few years the surface will be a hellish place."

"We'll live underground then, so we won't need the surface anymore. What will we have to fear in winter?"

Secretary Li pondered for a moment, then raised another point:

"A nuclear strike would also damage the foundation of civilization, leading to population shortages, loss of written culture, and potentially technological discontinuity and civilizational regression."

"No, not at all." Number Two denied it outright.

"We have thirty-six underground cities, which are interconnected, share information, and are technologically advanced."

"Trying to interrupt our civilization's legacy? Impossible!"

Secretary Li's brain was racing, but he still couldn't figure it out. He said:

"Then... what are we really afraid of?"

Number Two's expression became extremely solemn at this moment.

He said, word by word:

"It's pollution."

"Nuclear contamination is everywhere."

He walked to the window, looked at the blue sky and white clouds simulated by light and shadow technology, and his voice lowered.

"The power of a nuclear explosion is terrifying, but with the sturdy underground cities, we can always withstand it."

"But that ubiquitous radioactive dust will contaminate everything on the earth's surface."

"Air, soil, minerals... and especially water!"

"When surface water systems are polluted, they will seep into the ground through circulation."

Even a nuclear explosion far away will cause radioactive materials to fall as radiation rain through global atmospheric circulation, reaching every inch of land and eventually seeping into deep underground water veins.

"By then, the humans in the underground city will have no water to use!"

"Even if we could purify it, the cost of meeting the water needs of the entire population would be overwhelming!"

Xiao Li's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

This is the most deadly sword of Damocles hanging over humanity's head!