NOVEL NEXT Chapter 775 Trash Man
The audience, upon learning the truth, let out a chorus of boos.
Bi Fang chuckled and shook his head.
No one could be certain whether there were any large creatures in Nemo Point, after all, the ocean is too vast, and humans' understanding of the surfaces of Mars and the Moon is even far greater than our knowledge of the deep sea.
But the so-called strange noises were definitely not made by any monsters.
By the afternoon, Bi Fang had dived again, but the result was still fruitless, proving that the morning's absence of findings was not a fluke.
Although the two dives didn't encounter anything, they taught the audience an impressive lesson, deepening their understanding of the so-called South Pacific Gyre.
There are still some snakes and lizards inhabiting deserts, but above Nemo Point, aside from some bacteria on the seafloor, there is almost no sign of life to be seen.
"Nemo Point's geographical location is simply too remote, and it just so happens to avoid the marine currents of the South Pacific. The water has extremely poor flow, resulting in a lack of nutrients, and it's too far from continents for organic material to reach from land, making marine microorganisms extremely rare."
"In addition, the organic-rich meltwater from the glaciers of the Arctic and Antarctic can't reach here, leading to an extreme scarcity of organic matter, making it unable to sustain marine life, and even preventing the establishment of a deep-sea ecosystem. Only the seafloor microorganisms that rely on hydrothermal vents for survival can carve out a new world here."
"However, the seafloor is at least several hundred meters down, so it's impossible for me to dive there alone. We've been sailing for almost six days, well away from the continental shelf, and here the depth of the water is at least a kilometer."
Bi Fang spoke with a tone of regret.
[Humans have limits.]
[Nonsense, humans have limits, but Master Fang does not!]
[Are you saying Boss Fang is not human? (Dog's head)]
[I suggest a DNA test for Old Fang, I've been doubting his human composition for a long time]
[Tests are done, not a drop of human blood]
The seventh day.
The final episode of the tracking expedition was broadcast, along with yesterday's dive bringing some popularity back to the live stream, with the number of viewers returning to over six million. However, more people were asking about the details of Bi Fang's escape.
It wasn't until evening that Bi Fang finally encountered an unexpected event.
The sunset spread across the entire sea surface, the golden light blinding, Bi Fang squinted his eyes and suddenly stretched out his hand to point ahead, "There's something in front."
[Something?]
[What thing?]
[What are you?]
[It's drifting over, such a big piece! Is it a fish?]
[Even if it's a fish, floating on the surface means it's dead, right? Must be some kind of trash.]
[Damn, Earth's pollution is too severe, right, trash even drifts over here?]
[What's the big deal, haven't you seen the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It's between California and Hawaii, and has an area that's about equal to two Ugly Countries of Texas!]
In the glow of the setting sun, it was somewhat difficult to make out what the object drifting closer was, just that it was something flat, not resembling a living thing.
Bi Fang picked up the paddle and steered toward the direction of the "trash."
The distance between the two wasn't very far, and after approaching to about thirty meters, Bi Fang finally made out what the object was, only to be disappointed.
It really was trash!
Bi Fang, after a couple of glances, lost interest, "It's just space debris."
[Trash, huh, no big deal then.]
[Damn, got excited for nothing.]
[I am the Great Pacific Trash Lord!]
[What Kind of Trash is Space Debris]
[It's Dry Trash]
With the development of human space endeavors, an increasing variety of spacecraft have been sent into space. After aiding humans in accomplishing the mission of exploring the cosmos, their recovery costs being too high, these spacecraft could only be abandoned.
The abandoned spacecraft either continue to orbit as useless space debris or they burn up upon re-entry to Earth.
"Over the past 40 years, Earth has received more than 5,400 tons of space debris,"
"During the fall, most of this debris burns up entirely in the atmosphere due to the high temperatures. A small portion that doesn't burn up lands on the Earth's surface. But because Earth is teeming with life, it's very easy to inadvertently cause injuries or fatalities."
"But the fall of space debris isn't like a rocket launch; it can't be precisely calculated to determine the landing point, so a sufficiently wide-open space is necessary."
...Suitable locations around the world...
There was no need to say more, as the audience immediately understood.
Isn't Nemo Point just the perfect place?
No people, not even a complete ecological chain, means no impact on humans or animals. Plus, the surrounding vast sea won't cause fires. It's simply a natural receiving ground. Even if something falls here, it's inconvenient to salvage, preventing the theft of any secrets.
As a result, Nemo Point became the ideal dumping ground for obsolete rockets and satellites.
It wouldn't harm the population, nor would it trigger disasters.
"It's said that to date, over 100 decommissioned spacecraft have fallen here. We're lucky to have found some wreckage,"
Bi Fang retrieved a large fragment, realizing it was quite big, about the size of half a thigh and flatter in shape.
It appeared to be part of a satellite's outer shell.
[So, does this thing have any value?]
The audience was more concerned about this issue.
This is space technology, after all!
"A little, but not that much value, maybe it could be sold to a collector?" Bi Fang thought for a moment and said sincerely.
If there were any high-tech value inside, countries wouldn't be queueing up to dump their fragments here.
Think about the few major countries capable of building satellites, each with vast territories.
Is there really no wasteland to dispose of satellites?
After disintegration and incineration in the atmosphere, there's very little left.
"I remember last month, Feral Ice fishermen discovered some huge remnants bearing Chinese characters and the flag of Huaxia Country at sea. They were pretty big, five meters long and one meter wide. After the incident, the fishermen immediately reported it."
"Later, according to the Philippine Space Agency's assessment, they found it was spacecraft debris, part of a payload fairing from a launch vehicle. But we didn't even ask for it."
The payload fairing is located at the top of the launch vehicle, designed to protect satellites and other payloads; it is usually made of materials like aluminum-magnesium alloy or carbon fiber. Although not small, it isn't incredibly heavy.
This causes the fairing remnants to float instead of sinking to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean after falling. Plus, with factors like ocean currents, it's normal for fishermen from neighboring countries to find them.
Therefore, its greatest value lies in its collectibility.
Perhaps it could fetch a few thousand?
Bi Fang wasn't very familiar with the collectible value of such an item, different trades being as distinct as different mountains, but he supposed it wasn't worth much.
"Still, it's a material and might come in handy, so it's worth keeping just in case."
"The wind is quite strong today; we need to hurry on our way and not miss this opportunity."
Stashing the fragment away in Viking casually, Bi Fang assessed the wind direction and continued forward.