SWNOVELXO Chapter 635: If the caliber were even slightly smaller, I wouldn't feel at ease.
Walking inside the huge seed vault, everything was suffused with a science fiction hue.
It was like stepping into a massive spaceship carrying humanity's hope, fleeing into the universe, with the sounds around being monotonously terrifying, only the hum of the cooling machines at work.
Removed from human settlements, it was also free from the maelstrom of war and other unstable elements.
The remote location, harsh climate, and being home to polar bears were disadvantages for human habitation, but these factors kept the "seed vault" safe from various external threats.
The perennially frozen ground was perfectly suited for the long-term storage of seeds, unaffected by temperature fluctuations. The air in the vault was replaced once a year during winter, but if for some reason that couldn't be done, the permafrost would still keep the seeds fresh for decades.
Last of all was the stable geology; the likelihood of earthquakes here was zero. The seed vault, located over 130 meters above sea level, would be safe even if Greenland's ice cap melted or Antarctica's ice sheets completely disappeared, raising sea levels by 61 meters.
In addition, Langyel City had excellent docks and an airport, facilitating the transport of seeds from various countries to the location.
There was no better place on the entire Earth to establish Noah's Ark.
"The seed vault construction began in March 2007 and was officially completed on February 26, 2008. The opening ceremony was attended by nearly 150 people from 33 countries, including José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, and Jens Stoltenberg, the Prime Minister of Norway."
"That was also the time it saw the most visitors. After that, almost no one could get in."
"The Global Crop Diversity Trust will provide technical guidance, transportation of seeds, and management assistance."
"Following the security design model of Ugly Country's National Gold Reserve Vault, the seed vault was constructed at the end of the tunnel, with a 1-meter-thick concrete slab built around the tunnel and the vault, and a sealed door at the tunnel entrance capable of withstanding the force of several tons of explosives.
With two airlock chambers, the overall strength could withstand earthquakes, nuclear weapons, and even an asteroid collision with Earth."
Even if someone really wanted to sabotage the seed vault, it would not be an easy task.
The island where the seed vault is located still has no commercial flights.
Even Bi Fang had to come by boat himself.
"Polar bears often roam the area surrounding the seed vault, acting as the vault's natural 'security guards,' since they regard all outsiders who enter their territory as 'unwelcome people.'"
"The locals rarely venture over here on their own because it's truly dangerous. In fact, if Mr. Fang hadn't come over today, we would have been planning to drive over to pick you up."
Barrett's words carried a hint of helplessness. According to Bi Fang's itinerary, he had only just arrived today, yet he had rushed over in a whole day, hardly giving them any time to prepare.
"Ha ha." Bi Fang scratched his head, "No wonder I saw so many polar bears on the hillside when I was coming here."
Barrett had to vent his pent-up frustrations.
Even the builders of the seed vault had to use a combination of kindness and force with the polar bears, feeding them and defending themselves with guns, to temporarily coexist peacefully with them.
Other than Bi Fang, who else dared to wander alone in the Svalbard wilderness?
Almost every hillside had polar bears, and a slight misstep could lead to being a polar bear's victim.
[666, seeing Old Fang come over by himself, I thought that was how he was planning to come, it seemed quite dangerous...]
[+1...]
[It turns out I was overthinking it; Old Fang's travel methods are not normal at all]
At the end, Barrett also showed everyone the new seeds that had been added to the vault that year.
The seeds were stored in sealed glass vials, which looked very ordinary.
"This February was marked by volcanoes, floods, and plagues of locusts. The seed vault was once again filled with 60,000 seed samples, accelerating the stockpiling process."
"Very beautiful."
Bi Fang commented, as the meticulously selected seeds were densely packed together inside the transparent resin tubes, each seed almost identical in size and shape, creating a unique aesthetic.
"Although these boxes have little monetary value, they might hold the key to global food security and the balance of biodiversity."
After carefully placing the seeds back into the storage box, Barrett led Bi Fang out of the warehouse, with the audience seemingly reluctant to leave.
Unbeknownst to them, they had been there for nearly three hours.
Following the same path back, they traversed the lengthy corridor, Barrett closing each door behind them until they returned to the initial small room.
Barrett cautiously opened the outermost iron door, peered through the crack for a long while, and, only after confirming that there were no polar bears outside and that the environment was safe, did he lead Bi Fang out.
Barrett's task was to act as a tour guide, and the seed bank didn't require a guard, so it was the perfect time to leave together.
Outside the dome, the sky overhead was dotted with stars.
As soon as the audience's gaze shifted upwards, they couldn't look away.
[Wow, this starry sky, why is it so beautiful?]
Having followed Bi Fang to wander around, the audience in the live stream had seen many starry skies, the clearest being that time in the desert.
But even that time couldn't compare to the star-filled expanse they saw now.
Under the black curtain, densely packed, were all the stars.
Crystal clear.
Although it was night, it reminded one of the word "crystal clear."
They could even make out the general surroundings without the need for a flashlight.
"It's a pity there are no northern lights tonight," Bi Fang sighed, "The Svalbard Archipelago often has northern lights, and this is the only place on Earth where they can appear during the day."
"At this time, tourists from all over the world would come here to admire the splendid northern lights. From early spring to autumn, Svalbard experiences 99 to 141 days of the midnight sun, presenting a spectacle of daylight sunshine, but unfortunately, we've missed it."
Feeling slightly regretful, Bi Fang followed Barrett, stepping on the snowy ground, to an off-road vehicle parked on the other side of the seed bank.
No wonder he hadn't seen it when he arrived.
Bi Fang suddenly realized that the off-road vehicle was parked on the opposite side from where he'd come, obscured by the seed bank's wedge-shaped structure that jutted out from the mountain.
Once inside the vehicle, turning on the heater quickly made things much warmer.
The temperature outside the car was minus eight degrees Celsius.
While waiting for the engine to warm up, Bi Fang also keenly spotted a gun case under the rear seat.
Barrett noticed Bi Fang's gaze, picked up the gun case, opened it, and revealed the full view.
"CR308, caliber 7.62×51mm, an AR-type rifle developed by the German Heckler & Koch Defense Company," Bi Fang recognized the model of the gun at a glance.
"Correct," Barrett was somewhat surprised by Bi Fang's expertise but then understanding dawned considering the other's identity, "This rifle fires medium caliber, full-power ammunition, which can be lethal enough in a polar bear attack, and one 20-round magazine should be sufficient to take one down."
"Your country's research stations are basically equipped with this type of gun. With a polar bear that's three meters long, I would find anything with a smaller caliber unreliable, and to be honest, I am not even sure if one magazine would be enough."
Barrett obviously had experience dealing with polar bears but did not have a clear understanding of the power of firearms and the defensive strength of polar bears.
In this day and age, the number of people who have fought polar bears is very few.
"It's not that exaggerated," Bi Fang smiled.
Huaxia has many early photographs of the establishment of the Great Wall Station, many of which show foreign armed guards outdoors, holding Winchester lever-action rifles with round-nosed bullets.
Polar bears may be strong, but twenty shots of medium caliber, full-power ammunition would do more than just take one down; they'd turn it into a sieve.