My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

Chapter 544: Chapter 343: Fingertip Star Sand, Heaven and Earth in the Palm: Li Sheng’s Helium-3 Revolution and the Extraordinary Fire Seed

The containers for the liquid Helium-3 were made from materials sourced on-site. Using ilmenite as the raw material, he forged titanium alloy tanks with his Crystal Gold Armor, modeling them after the tanks on a tanker truck.

He wasn’t hand-crafting fuel rods, but giant tanks. ’I guess you could still call them a bigger, cruder version of a ”rod,”’ he thought.

He even thoughtfully added two discharge outlets and two manual ball valves.

The manual ball valves were a purely mechanical design with an exceptionally tight seal. When it came to grinding them smooth, Li Xiang’s Superpower allowed for microscopic precision, creating parts more flawless than anything machined by the most advanced lathes.

The power and methods of a Saint Tier were simply beyond comprehension.

In addition to Helium-3, Li Xiang went on to excavate many other precious resources from the Moon. Ilmenite was a must, of course, as were rare earth elements, aluminum, magnesium, silicon, chromium, nickel, copper, and so on. Erin could make use of all of them.

He also dug up several hundred tons of untouched lunar regolith and unique Moon rocks (like KREEP rocks and Changesite-(Y), among others he didn’t recognize) to bring back for Jiang Cai’Er’s research.

These were all unique scientific resources. The number of academic papers that could be published from them was staggering.

Jiang Cai’Er certainly wouldn’t hoard them; she would share them with other research groups and institutions, both domestic and foreign. However, being the gatekeeper of these resources—deciding who got them, who didn’t, how much, and in what manner—gave her immense authority.

Her husband had dug them up. And even though it was technically an official mission, Jiang Cai’Er had the final say. Besides, with Li Xiang’s status and position, no one would dare challenge her.

He was the strongest person on Earth, the man who had traveled to the Moon alone. His past ”global zero-dollar shopping sprees” had long since been declassified, but had anyone come demanding compensation?

Before his identity was revealed, there had been some outcry demanding the Eastern Great Power provide an explanation, and compensation plans had even been proposed. At the time, the Eastern Great Power simply ignored them. After all, there was no proof.

Now, the proof was out and everyone knew the truth, yet no one brought the matter up anymore.

The Beautiful Country: ”I’ve already issued a direct pardon, so it has nothing to do with me. Don’t look at me.”

Little Book: ”Our frigate was simply decommissioned due to technical difficulties. Mm-hm, all its components were dismantled and repurposed.”

India: ”Our Temple has accumulated so many offerings. Why hasn’t the Lord Divine Envoy come to collect them in so long?”

The nations of Europe: ”We have awarded the respected Armored Warrior a royal medal; he is our dearest and most honorable friend. With the Apocalypse approaching, we’re more at ease with our cultural artifacts preserved in his care than here with us. He has done a wonderful and truly meaningful thing.”

Global netizens: ”...” Holy shit, they can get away with that? No wonder people say the world is just one big amateur production.

The Moon held many other precious resources, like uranium and thorium, both in extremely rich deposits. But these materials were radioactive and buried deep beneath the lunar surface, so Li Xiang couldn’t be bothered to take any. ’Once you have Helium-3, who would even care about this other stuff?’ Uranium and thorium were just fission fuels. While Earth’s reserves couldn’t compare to the Moon’s, there was no shortage of them.

Li Xiang was in no hurry to return. He built three more bases in different locations on the Moon. He had loved playing house and building castles as a child, and now, being on the Moon felt like a chance to recapture that simple joy.

He had a blast just building these bases, enjoying it even more than the mining.

At one of the bases, Li Xiang even constructed Chinese-style pavilions and terraces. He formed a statue of Chang’e and sat in one of the pavilions, facing the beautiful sculpture. Pulling some snacks from his Otherworldly Warehouse, he made a cup of cold brew coffee and sipped it leisurely while admiring the starry sky. It was an incredibly serene moment.

’Yao Yao can transform into Chang’e, too.’

The cold-brew, freeze-dried powder he took out was essentially a type of instant coffee. The coffee liquid was extracted using a cold-brewing technique, then converted into a solid powder via freeze-drying. Its main selling point was convenience.

Compared to traditional instant coffee, it retained the beans’ original flavor, resulting in a smoother taste and a sweet finish.

After a few sips, he felt it was missing something. He took out a bottle of 53% ABV Feitian Maotai and poured a splash in. ’Ah, authentic Maotai coffee!’ he thought. And the Maotai content was far higher than anything sold in a coffee shop.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Li Xiang was about to head back when his gaze suddenly sharpened. His Nine Nether Falsehood-Breaking Gaze spotted an enormous meteoroid hurtling toward the Moon from a great distance. If its trajectory didn’t change, it was highly likely to crash right into his base.

And so, Li Xiang flew up into space to intercept it.

The meteoroid—or more accurately, a chunk of Meteorite Iron—was a high-density alloy weighing at least three or four hundred tons. Li Xiang shot out a palm and stopped its momentum cold.

About three days later, the massive rock had been refined into a single grain of Star Sand, no bigger than a soybean. It danced around him like a streak of light. A direct hit meant instant death; a mere scratch was fatal.

He glanced at the base on the lunar surface and thought, ’Building on the surface is just too risky. A Moon Base, especially one on the far side, really ought to be built inside the Moon itself to be safe.’

’But these were just for fun, so it doesn’t matter,’ he mused. ’I can always rebuild them later if I need to.’

As for whether the radio telescope array might be hit by meteoroids, that was up to fate. If a few dishes got destroyed, he could just pop back up and replace them. The round trip would only take a dozen hours or so.

It was an array, so losing a few dishes wouldn’t compromise the whole thing. The data it collected would be shared with the entire world.

Carrying a massive haul of precious lunar resources, Li Xiang quietly returned to Earth.

The domestic scientific community was ecstatic when they saw how many treasures Li Xiang had brought back. This was especially true for Jiang Cai’Er and her nuclear science research institute.