The drone footage wasn’t long, lasting only about five to six minutes.
Yet, the information contained within was quite substantial.
After watching the video, Lin Li asked Lin Ziming, "Colonel Lin, how large is this city’s scale?"
Lin Ziming, evidently having done his homework, promptly reported a number: "The area of this city is about 16 square kilometers, approximately square-shaped, with the population currently unknown."
"A 16 square kilometer square, which means it’s 4000 meters in length and width, right?" Lin Li quickly sketched a model in his mind and then asked the person next to him:
"Professor Ma, you’re an expert in the humanities. Generally speaking, is a city of this size considered large or small?"
The Professor Ma Lin Li referred to is Ma Ning, a renowned professor in the field of applied linguistics at Nanling University.
Ma Ning is also a seasoned researcher in human history and an honorary advisor at the Nanling Museum.
The main task of Ma Ning’s visit was to conduct a preliminary analysis of the languages and cultures that might exist in this other world.
While providing cultural information support to the Fire Squad.
He also had to be prepared for any potential third kind of contact.
Facing Lin Li’s question, Ma Ning took a sip of wolfberry tea from his thermos cup and slowly said:
"16 square kilometers is roughly the size of an urban area of a county in modern times—I’m referring to a county that is not a county-level city, not particularly large.
But in an ancient context... let me put it this way, in Huaxia or even world history before the year 1000 AD, a city of this scale was not considered small."
To help everyone understand this concept more visually, Ma Ning provided an example:
"Everyone knows about Chang’an City of the Han Dynasty, right? During the Han Dynasty, the area of Chang’an’s urban area was only about 36 square kilometers, and it was already ranked among the top ten cities in the size of feudal history."
Zeng Gu Cheng was completely clueless about history and smacked his lips twice upon hearing this: "36 square kilometers was in the top ten? What’s the largest ancient city by area? How many square kilometers?"
Ma Ning glanced at the chubby old man and patiently explained: "The largest ancient city was also Chang’an, but it was during the Sui and Tang periods, which were four hundred years after the Han Dynasty.
Even at its peak during ancient times, the urban area of Chang’an was only over eighty square kilometers, with a population barely surpassing a million, comparable to the urban area of an ordinary prefecture-level city today.
Of course, considering the technological level and social productivity of ancient times, this was already an unreplicable miracle."
After providing a history lesson to the crowd of science enthusiasts, Ma Ning pointed to a corner of the screen: "Everyone, look here, Colonel Lin, please enlarge this part of the screen."
The part Ma Ning indicated was outside the city, near the lower-left corner of the screen.
Through the footage recorded by the drone, one could discern that it was a stretch of undulating hillside.
As Lin Ziming enlarged the image, the scenery on the hillside became increasingly clear.
It was revealed that the stretch of hillside had been carved into wave-like contour lines.
These contour lines were distributed layer by layer up the steep slope, resembling steps built for a giant to ascend to the heavens.
Lin Li exclaimed softly and looked at Ma Ning: "Is this... terracing?"
Ma Ning nodded: "Exactly, this is very standardized terracing.
Leader Lin, you might not be aware that terracing is a significant hallmark of agricultural development, and agricultural techniques are often used to judge or even define the baseline of civilization development."
Lin Li, not being foolish, understood the implication of this statement: "Professor Ma, during which dynasty in Huaxia did terracing first appear?" Follow current novels on novᴇlfire.net
"According to historical texts, it should have appeared during the Qin and Han periods," Ma Ning replied without reservation: "In other words, the civilization system where this city is located can roughly be compared to the Qin and Han civilization.
Whether there are extraordinary powers in this world needs further exploration, but as long as it isn’t exaggerated to the extent that everyone can fly and vanish, then at least the livelihood foundation of this civilization can be somewhat benchmarked against the Qin and Han civilization."
Lin Li was silent for two seconds before suddenly reacting: "Damn, no wonder you used Chang’an from the Han era as a comparison. You had already figured it out? I say, Old Ma, you scholars are quite crafty, aren’t you?"
Ma Ning chuckled twice, his small mustache twitching proudly:
"Don’t blame me for this; each field has its specialization. It’s a rare opportunity to visit another world in this lifetime, how could I not show off my expertise a little? Seeing you all fervently engrossed in scientific research, this old man’s bones weren’t willing to be left behind, you know."
Lin Li gave him an exasperated look and thought to himself where these clowns in the team came from.
Then he picked up a ballpoint pen and tapped it on Wang Qiang’s head, who was watching the show and eating melon seeds.
Then Lin Li cleared his throat and said to everyone: "Alright, let’s get back on track. So far, except for the medical team which hasn’t collected any live samples yet, the first phase of the tasks for all other teams is considered successfully completed.
Xiao Wang, Old Zeng, Comrade Yao Hua, you have ten minutes to organize the relevant reports on sampling and surveying and hand them to Colonel Lin.
Colonel Lin, please personally go through the light gate and deliver all the data, including the drone videos, to Boss Qin at the Shencheng headquarters.
Then please let the core team make a new directive, and by the way, see if there are new personnel or materials that need to be transferred.
Oh, right, during the waiting time for new instructions from headquarters, each team can take turns to rest a bit and recharge.
After all, having rushed to another world in the middle of the night and been busy for so long, not everyone’s body might be able to handle it."
Lin Ziming and others responded in unison: "Understood!"
Except for the medical team, all the other teams’ analysis reports were sealed in a confidential bag, carried back to Earth’s Shencheng by Leader Lin Ziming of the Fire Exploration Team’s special operations group.
At this point, it had been more than seven hours since the entire Fire Squad passed through the light gate.
Five hours later, Lin Ziming returned.
This time, along with him through the light gate were two hundred well-equipped soldiers, several dozen professionals from various fields, and an array of strategic supplies weighing thirty-eight tons.
These supplies were indeed diverse.
In addition to basic food, medicine, and tents,
they also included special cement, precise instruments from various fields, a military off-road vehicle, and even...
A large number of hairpieces, headscarves, and ancient linen garments both new and old.
Of course, there was a new order stamped with the headquarters’ seal:
Initiate the second phase of the exploration plan, dispatch scouts to collect information on the discovered city, and be ready for contact with alien civilizations at any time.