owlsbooks Chapter 2277
Chapter 2277
Chapter 2277
The control center of the Rainbow Bridge.
The two men were pacing around the control panel.
"Is this thing really that easy to break?"
Gel asked Sif curiously. It had been said before that Gel was just a tribesman, and his understanding of the universe was limited to the perspective of a tribesman. He didn't really understand many things; for example, he still didn't quite understand why those giant steel ships could fly in the sky (referring to spaceships), and why those iron boxes could run on the ground without being pulled by pack animals.
Of course, most of the time, he doesn't need to know the specific principles behind those things; he only needs to understand their functions.
In reality, this is similar to that of the vast majority of ordinary people.
Just like us, we don't really understand how cars work; we just know that you can drive one by adding gasoline.
In reality, the vast majority of people on Earth cannot understand how the Rainbow Bridge works, and many simply regard it as some kind of magic... In fact, strictly speaking, no one on Earth knows how the Rainbow Bridge actually works.
Including Tony.
Tony had been to Asgard more than once, and he was very interested in the Rainbow Bridge. Unfortunately, on the one hand, Asgard would never release all the information about the Rainbow Bridge, and on the other hand, in Tony's opinion, Asgard's technology was utterly skewed! Many things were completely different from Earth's; they weren't even part of the same system.
Tony, at least, didn't quite understand how the Rainbow Bridge worked.
He even had only a vague understanding of the Rainbow Bridge's energy source.
Of course, Tony doesn't need to feel inferior about this, because most Asgardians don't know the specific principles behind the Rainbow Bridge.
It's like almost everyone on Earth knows what a nuclear bomb is, but only a very, very small number of people actually know how a nuclear bomb is made.
In fact, quite counterintuitively, the principles of nuclear weapons have long been published, but the number of countries that can actually manufacture nuclear weapons is pitifully small!
When people think of the "atomic bomb," many might picture the deadly mushroom cloud of 1945 or the tense confrontations between major powers during the Cold War depicted in movies. Considering that only nine countries worldwide actually possess nuclear weapons, have you ever wondered: the principles of the atomic bomb ceased to be a "state secret" decades ago? You can even learn about nuclear fission in your high school physics textbook. So why are some countries members of the "nuclear club," while others, despite economic rise and technological advancement, remain hesitant and unable to build one?
The principle of the atomic bomb is actually not complicated and can be summarized in two steps.
If you have even a slight understanding of atomic bombs, you've undoubtedly heard the term "nuclear fission." It describes the process by which the nuclei of certain fissile materials (such as uranium-235 and plutonium-239) "split," releasing enormous amounts of energy. The power of this reaction is immense; assuming you take out 1 kilogram of nuclear fuel, the energy released is equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT, far exceeding the power of conventional explosives. However, the mechanism of nuclear fission itself isn't particularly complex. Since scientists first witnessed uranium "fission" in 1938, they have revealed its physical essence: a neutron bombards the nucleus of uranium-235, splitting it into two smaller nuclei, releasing new neutrons and a large amount of energy. These neutrons then collide with more uranium, creating a "chain reaction." In short, theoretically, it involves two steps: finding the right materials and causing them to react uncontrollably and explode. However, countries that actually embark on the path of nuclear weapons development quickly discover that the real difficulty lies not in the theory, but in the thorns and pitfalls lurking at every step of the practical process.
A skyscraper rises from the ground, and the "foundation" of the atomic bomb is its raw materials. Without enough uranium-235 or plutonium-239, it's all just empty talk. So, are these materials really that difficult to obtain? The answer is daunting.
If you were to walk into a natural uranium mine and dig up a handful of uranium ore, you might get excited: isn't this a step closer to nuclear materials? Unfortunately, reality will cruelly correct your dream. Uranium-235 accounts for only 0.7% of natural uranium; the rest is almost entirely "inactive" uranium-238, which cannot participate in chain fission. To make an atomic bomb, several kilograms, or even tens of kilograms, of uranium-235 with a purity of nearly 90% are needed—meaning that uranium-235 must be extracted one by one from tens of thousands of tons of uranium ore.
Do you think this is just manual labor? Quite the opposite; this extraction process is almost like "turning stone into gold." The most mature method is "gas centrifugation," which requires separating and enriching uranium. Centrifuges need to rotate at speeds exceeding 60,000 revolutions per minute; even a slight error can cause the entire enrichment process to fail. Imagine that to manufacture a practical nuclear weapon, you might need tens of thousands of centrifuges operating continuously for months to years. Without a top-tier industrial system, this is simply impossible. For plutonium-239, the problem is even more intractable. Plutonium doesn't exist naturally; it's artificially synthesized through nuclear reactors. Uranium-238 needs to absorb neutrons within the reactor to transform into plutonium-239. This process is not only time-consuming but also produces highly toxic waste, and scientists risk their lives if they handle it carelessly. When the United States launched the Manhattan Project, the cost of producing nuclear materials alone exceeded $2 billion, while most countries in the world might not even be able to afford the budget to build a single reactor.
With the materials in hand, finding the right method for detonation became extremely difficult.
Assuming we successfully obtain enough enriched uranium or plutonium, the next step is an even more challenging one: how to successfully "detonate" these materials. In science fiction movies, you might have seen scenes where scientists press a red button, instantly detonating a nuclear bomb. However, this scenario is far removed from reality. The detonation process of nuclear weapons is an art form of pursuing the pinnacle of precision. The slightest error will result in a "dud," and a priceless atomic bomb might only silently emit a wisp of black smoke. A common design approach is "implosion" detonation. Taking plutonium bombs as an example, the key is to compress the plutonium-239 core to a supercritical state through the explosion of a high-performance chemical explosive, thereby triggering a violent chain reaction. It sounds simple, but in practice, the chemical explosive must detonate precisely at all three angles; even a few microseconds of error can lead to compression failure. Under the technological conditions of World War II, the United States invested hundreds of scientists and over a dozen military industrial companies to barely complete the design of such a device through calculations. The "stability" of the bomb is an even greater challenge. Nuclear materials are extremely unstable; even slight vibrations or material anomalies can easily lead to premature reactions. Designers must ensure absolute safety during transport and storage, while also guaranteeing perfect accuracy once the decision-maker issues the detonation order. This seemingly contradictory requirement is enough to exhaust the entire research and development team. Beyond the complex technology, countries aspiring to build atomic bombs must overcome another invisible "life-or-death line": comprehensive international political containment. Since 1945, a global system of restrictions surrounding nuclear weapons has been established, the core of which is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This treaty stipulates that only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, Russia, China, the UK, and France) can legally possess nuclear weapons, while other countries are explicitly prohibited from developing them. In addition to the NPT, there is the strict regulation and technological blockade imposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Uranium enrichment equipment? Exports are restricted; key technologies for plutonium reactors? They won't be sold to you. Any country attempting to circumvent the treaty will face severe economic and military sanctions.
Moreover, developing nuclear weapons is not an isolated scientific endeavor; it requires the support of a massive industrial system. Take, for example, the Manhattan Project mentioned above, which consumed the equivalent of 1% of the US GDP during World War II, including the construction of three nuclear materials plants and several testing centers. For most countries, such an extravagant investment is virtually impossible.
Rainbow Bridge technology is many times more complex than nuclear weapons.
So if you ask an Asgardian about the Rainbow Bridge, they can talk to you at length, but once you ask them specific, crucial questions, they'll look completely clueless... They genuinely don't know!
Although Sif could hardly be considered a mother, she certainly didn't seem to be a technically skilled person either.
So I only have a superficial understanding of the Rainbow Bridge!
This thing is essentially a combination of technology and magic. Either one is incredibly complex, but when combined, the difficulty skyrockets.
Sif can't do that either!
Can you figure out what the problem is?
Ger asked Sif.
Sif looked helpless: "The Rainbow Bridge is Asgard's top secret. Normally, its maintenance is handled by professionals, so..."
She didn't know what was wrong.
"What do we do now? We can't stay here, can we? What if we're discovered..."
In truth, Ger didn't care much. He had already offended Asgard, so this was just another matter. Ger might not be confident about other things, but when it came to his ability to survive... to be honest, Ger was very confident! Back in his hometown, how many people starved to death during the Great Famine?
All his relatives and friends died, but he was still alive!
After that, no matter what he did, he just couldn't die!
In response, Ger felt that he must have a talent for this!
They have an exceptional ability to save their lives.
And to be honest, by now, Ger has developed a serious tendency toward self-destruction, and he doesn't think death can be that painful.
In fact, death is a relief rather than starvation!
People who have never been hungry simply cannot understand that feeling!
Few people in this world truly know what real hunger feels like. Before we discuss what's happening to the body, let's look at some real-life cases of people starving to death. Not long ago, a case occurred in the United States where a 14-year-old boy was locked in a basement and had barely eaten anything for weeks. When he was found alive, he weighed only 55 pounds (25 kilograms). A news report described his condition as follows: "He was severely and chronically malnourished, dehydrated, suffering from acute respiratory distress, shock, hypothermia, and hypothyroidism." He was covered in sores and other wounds and couldn't even speak. He only began to recover after being connected to a breathing and feeding tube, but it's uncertain whether he will survive for some time. Essentially, his body was ceasing to function. His organs were failing. He was devouring himself from the inside out.
In ancient times, many people starved to death due to frequent wars, natural disasters, and man-made calamities. Those on the verge of starvation said they didn't feel hunger before death. On the first day, they might feel hungry, but after a day or two, they would experience body aches, especially in the abdomen, along with a warm, numb sensation. At this point, they felt increasingly less hungry. They felt weak all over, and some even experienced cold sweats. If they had water to drink, they could sustain life. Gradually, the body began to deplete its reserves, storing energy such as fat and protein. After several days without food, metabolism slowed, the immune system weakened, and temperature regulation decreased. To maintain basic life functions, the body would first break down glucose stored in the liver. The body would slowly emaciate, and stored fat would gradually be broken down into energy for survival. Excessive emaciation reduced mobility. Symptoms such as hypoglycemia and dizziness would appear, and the person would appear to be on the verge of death as body tissues were gradually consumed. When a person becomes emaciated, almost skin and bones, and their stored energy is nearly depleted, there is little nutrition left for organs like the heart and lungs to function. The heart and lungs begin to shrink. The person becomes increasingly weak, their body temperature drops, and some experience confusion, irritability, difficulty concentrating, or depression. If even the body's protein reserves are exhausted, death is imminent. People who starve to death don't experience intense pain before death; in the final moments, they may experience hallucinations, convulsions, irregular heartbeats, and ultimately, cardiac arrest. This is the process of starvation. It takes about half a month to a month for a person to starve themselves to death, depending on age and body weight. More obese people can survive for about a month, while middle-aged and elderly people who are thin and don't eat will likely face life-threatening situations in about 10 to 15 days.
This torment was long and agonizing!
Many people actually go crazy halfway through.
This is already considered one of the cruelest ways to die.
Geer had survived all of this, and he truly didn't think anything could be more terrifying! Death, so what? Death was the end of everything. Could anything be more terrifying than starvation?