Chapter Eighty: The Lunar Creature Research Institute

“Hey! Would you like to visit our Institute of Biological Research?”
Xu Yuqing took the initiative to invite them, and the other two had no reason to refuse. “Sure! It’s a great opportunity for us to learn as well.”
“Shall we set off then?”
“Let’s go.”
Without further ado, the three bid farewell to Xiao Wan and left the lounge, heading toward the base.
On the way, Peng Dongli asked Zhang Mingyang to add Xu Yuqing to their three-way voice communication system.
When Xu Yuqing received the voice request, she turned and looked at them. “You only thought of adding me now?”
Zhang Mingyang smiled. “Let’s not dwell on the past.”
“Little rascal!”
The Institute of Biological Research at the Moon Palace base was located in the northwest corner, the upper left of the grid-shaped layout. The entire institute wasn’t large, just over 200 square meters, with a staff of fifteen researchers.
The trio entered from the south, planning to take the internal corridor to the laboratory.
Once inside the base, Zhang Mingyang finally voiced his curiosity. “Hey, Sister Xu, what exactly does your institute research? Are there actually any living things on the Moon?”
Xu Yuqing explained, “We focus on two main areas: secondary biological research and primary biological research.”
“What’s the difference?” Peng Dongli asked.
“Primary biological research is about searching for indigenous life on the Moon. From a geological standpoint, the Moon is considered a dead planet. But whether a planet is truly dead is closely tied to its ecological environment. You’ve both seen the Moon—do you think it’s a dead planet or a living one?”
Zhang Mingyang pondered for a moment. “I’d say it’s a dead planet.”

Peng Dongli nodded in agreement. “Just look at the land outside—there’s no way anything could survive out there.”
Xu Yuqing listened to their answers and said they were both right and wrong.
“You’re right in that, using Earth’s ecological standards, the Moon is definitely a dead planet. First, the Moon has no atmosphere, so there’s no protective shield. Direct sunlight causes extremely high temperatures, while areas without sunlight become freezing cold, creating huge temperature differences between day and night—most life couldn’t survive that. Second, without an atmosphere, there’s no air or rainfall. According to the standards for life on Earth, without air and water, nothing but microorganisms could survive.”
“But you’re also wrong, because we don’t know how many Earth-like planets there actually are in the universe. So we need to establish other standards to judge a planet’s vitality—namely, does it have water, whether in solid or liquid form, and does it harbor microorganisms?”
“In recent decades, we’ve discovered ice deep in the Moon’s south pole. It’s a natural resource that can be used as an energy source. Through chemical and physical processes, it can be turned into oxygen or fuel, and melted for water. This suggests that billions of years ago, the Moon may have had conditions suitable for life, and it also means there’s a real chance of life existing deep beneath the lunar surface.”
“Sister Xu, have you found any life deep inside the Moon?”
Xu Yuqing shook her head. “I’m sorry, we haven’t found any yet. But scientists are preparing to redefine what qualifies as a dead planet.”
As they chatted, the three arrived at the research institute. Xu Yuqing led them into a room labeled Biological Cultivation Room.
As soon as the door opened, Zhang Mingyang saw the room was filled with plants and animals. The sign listed more than 120 species, including cotton, canola, potatoes, Arabidopsis, yeast, and fruit flies.
Pointing to the living specimens, Xu Yuqing said, “This is the new standard for defining a dead planet.”
Looking around at the abundance of flora and fauna, Zhang Mingyang was still confused. “What do you mean, Sister Xu?”
“How can you be so slow!” Xu Yuqing said with exasperation. She explained, “The future standard for judging a dead planet will be whether its soil can be used to cultivate animals and plants. That’s what secondary biological research is all about.”
Peng Dongli wandered around the room, inspecting each specimen.
“Miss Xu, are these plants edible?”
“Of course!”
Xu Yuqing picked up a pot of potatoes. “Most of the food in our institute is grown right here, using lunar soil.”

“Doesn’t that mean if we eat it, we might mutate into zombies?”
Hearing this, Xu Yuqing rolled her eyes at Zhang Mingyang. “Young man, you need to watch fewer zombie movies. They’ll mess up your understanding of science. Movie zombies supposedly retain motor control of their bodies but lose the ability to think, and they’re fiercely aggressive toward the uninfected. From a biological standpoint, that’s impossible.”
Chastised, Zhang Mingyang immediately became meek, especially when he remembered she was Xu Zihan’s older sister. “Alright, I’ll keep a low profile.”
“Miss Xu, is this all there is to the biology institute, just these rooms?”
Xu Yuqing shook her head. “We have another institute at the Tiangong Base in the south pole, which is a joint venture with the Geological Bureau. This one focuses on secondary biological research—cultivation and experimentation. The Tiangong Base conducts primary biological research, searching for traces of life deep underground with the geologists.”
“Miss Xu, are there any viruses on the Moon?”
“We haven’t found any so far. However, astronauts who landed on the Moon and then returned to Earth decades ago did experience a peculiar illness. They developed symptoms like sneezing, watery eyes, and nasal congestion—much like the flu—but the symptoms disappeared after a few days.”
“At the time, some researchers thought they’d brought back some sort of lunar virus, but others believed the symptoms were caused by lunar dust.”
“In space, astronauts wear fully enclosed suits for various reasons. The moment they step out of the lunar module, they may pick up a lot of dust on their suits. When they open the module or return to it, dust can sneak inside. It’s very likely that astronauts come into contact with this dust when removing their spacesuits. What’s more, the Moon’s surface, under solar radiation, builds up strong static electricity, making it even easier for dust to cling to the lunar module and suits.”
Listening to Xu Yuqing’s explanation, Peng Dongli gave her a thumbs-up. “Is there anything you don’t know?”
Xu Yuqing smiled. “I suppose it’s my habit. Whenever I go to a new place or start a new job, I like to learn everything about it. I find it interesting.”
Hearing this, Zhang Mingyang looked at her and pointed at his mentor. “You’re a perfect match for my teacher—he has the exact same habit.”