Currently, inside Base 2, there was not only uneven ground filled with rubble, but also a large amount of cables, planting racks, and other items piled there.
The construction of the planting racks could not begin yet; the land needed to be leveled first.
Large quantities of rubble were wheeled out in small carts, and uneven areas were flattened.
After a rough leveling, though the surface was still not perfectly smooth, it was at least not as chaotic as before.
If he really wanted to level it completely, Tom could do it right now; it would just involve burning lime and making cement.
But there was no need.
Why make it so aesthetically pleasing? As long as it worked, that was fine.
After a general leveling, 15 Clones busied themselves laying out circuits inside the cave according to the blueprint.
Only after that would the planting racks be constructed.
This massive cave, with a total area of about 11,000 square meters, had approximately 8,000 square meters allocated as a planting area.
In addition, Tom, following a standardized development model, also designated a storage area of 200 square meters, with a total volume of 1,000 cubic meters, and a 300-square-meter dormitory.
The dormitory beds were triple-bunked, with 100 beds in total, capable of accommodating 300 people.
Furthermore, there was a 100-square-meter canteen and kitchen, a 100-square-meter warehouse, a 100-square-meter equipment room, and a 200-square-meter nutrient solution preparation room and waste recycling station, among others.
The overall goal was to allow the Clones to live and survive within the base without ever needing to go outside.
This would both reduce risks and lower the consumption of space suits.
Even the low-quality space suits were currently a case of "one less when one breaks," so they had to be used sparingly.
As for issues like crowding or limited space, Tom did not consider them at all.
Clones had no self-awareness, so why would they need such comfort?
Of the 8,000 square meters of planting area, 3,000 square meters were four-tiered, providing 12,000 square meters of planting space, still used for growing sweet potatoes.
Every three months, approximately 80,000 kilograms of sweet potatoes could be produced.
Another 3,000 square meters were two-tiered, providing 6,000 square meters of planting space, which Tom used to grow wheat.
Similarly, it was a three-month harvest; the wheat harvested every three months, when ground into flour, would yield about 4,000 kilograms.
The remaining area included peanuts, soybeans, rapeseed, sunflowers, sorghum, cotton, various vegetables, and so on, occupying a total of 2,000 square meters.
The last 2,000 square meters were not used by Tom for planting crops, but for raising livestock and poultry.
For poultry, Tom chose chickens.
These things could lay eggs, provide meat, were easy to raise, and took up little space; it would be unreasonable not to raise chickens.
Then there were pigs, cattle, and sheep.
These livestock not only provided meat, but their hides, bones, and so on also had many industrial uses.
Although they were not needed at the current stage, Tom had to make some preparations in advance.
For example, animal fat could be used as lubricant, and fur could be used as insulating material.
All things considered, if Base 2 were to operate at full capacity, it could sustain at least 400 people.
Furthermore, this sustenance would be nutritionally balanced, with comprehensive carbohydrates, proteins, cellulose, vitamins, and other nutrients, while also considering taste, unlike the previous reliance solely on sweet potatoes.
Some of the Clones now were so tired of eating sweet potatoes that even without consciousness, they would instinctively feel nauseous.
For long-term utilization, Tom had to consider these aspects.
And even without using any automation technology at this moment—Tom also lacked such technology—even under these circumstances, to get Base 2 running at full capacity, it would only require about 80 people at most.
In other words, by deploying 80 people, Base 2 could sustain 400 people, a fivefold input-output ratio!
This way, Tom would have more manpower to develop industry and promote the advancement of science and technology.
But…
It was regrettable.
At the current stage, Base 2 was still far from operating at full capacity.
"It's still about population.
The population is too small; even counting the batch of Clones currently being cultivated, I only have 37 people at most.
But at least for a long time, I won't have to worry about food and can focus on population growth."
Sighing, Tom controlled the Clones to begin constructing the planting racks.
Eventually, all the racks were built, but only a small portion was put into use.
There was no other way; there simply weren't enough hands.
Base 1 was no longer cultivating crops; all plastic films had been recycled, and all Clones had been moved back to Base 2.
Currently, among the 32 Clones, only 7 were responsible for planting and breeding.
Counting the two remaining on the Deep Space Spaceship, two in the mining team, and three as firemen, there were still 18 Clones left.
Tom put all these 18 Clones into another great project that filled him with excitement.
Tom intended to adopt a standardized construction method, similar to a regular cultivation area, to build an industrial zone!
Of course, this could not be completed in a short time, nor could it be completed with the current small number of people.
Tom set a timeframe of ten years for this project!
Ten years, to work on it little by little, to supplement the population little by little, and in ten years, to build a comprehensive industrial zone!
Tom did not plan to build this industrial zone inside a cave anymore.
A cave was, after all, too confined and offered insufficient space to operate.
He planned to build this industrial zone directly in the canyon.
For things that didn't require atmospheric pressure, they would be left open-air; for those that did, they would be enclosed with steel plates.
After all, he now had the capability for metal smelting and processing.
In this industrial zone, Tom would make overall arrangements for various future industries, such as energy industry, metallurgical industry, metal processing industry, machinery industry, and chemical industry.
Among these, Tom placed the most importance on the chemical industry.
The reason was simple: the tanks for Clone cultivation were easy to manufacture, and the initial cell processing and gene editing could be completed using the equipment in the Deep Space Spaceship.
The only obstacle to rapidly expanding the population lay in the preparation of nutrient solution.
And this required the chemical industry to develop to a certain stage.
Once he possessed a certain chemical capability, he could prepare nutrient solutions himself and cultivate Clones on a large scale.
By then, he would no longer have to wait painstakingly for half a year to gain five Clones.
This was assuming he didn't encounter any accidents or lose any Clones.
If his luck were a bit worse, with such a small replenishment rate, the Clones might die faster than they could be replenished.
Such a comprehensive, massive industrial zone would be extraordinarily difficult to plan, something that could not be completed by one person alone.
He would be exhausted to death and still wouldn't finish it.
But it didn't matter; Tom could now utilize as many as 32 brains.
Moreover, these were 32 brains with no communication barriers, no communication costs, no misunderstandings, and no internal friction.