Evolution - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
After Ji Changqing and Zhong Lan’s unexpected reunion in the game, Zhong Lan was in exceptionally high spirits. When she discovered that Ji Changqing and Pencil had such great chemistry that the two of them had managed to take down about thirty wolves, she thought, Oh my god, why is my friend so amazing! Her Majesty never plays games. Maybe it's because none of those other games let you really feel the impact of every blow?
She smashed the head of an approaching wolf with her hammer and kicked it away. Even as flesh and blood flew everywhere, she was still in the mood to chatter. “Your Majesty, you’re so badass, why didn’t you show off? If you had, we would’ve tried harder to come find you sooner!”
What could Ji Changqing say? The only person she had for comparison along the way was Pencil, so she really didn’t think she was all that impressive.
They were all mature, middle-aged people. At most, they would chat about the bizarre things they encountered in the game and complain about how messed up its settings were. Everyone was messed up in their own way in the game, so how could they compare without a reference point?
The others had rather mixed feelings about this woman who, while wielding a hammer and chattering away, could smash a wolf’s head in with a single blow. Your combat power isn’t low either, so could you please not act like such a bootlicker? Besides, she’s the Son of Heaven Zhou, and you’re an Old Cadre. Don’t get your genres mixed up.
Watching the cheerful and unrestrained Zhong Lan, with the name “Old Cadre” above her head, it was suddenly hard to tell what was more tragic: the fact that sixteen people had to face a pack of over a hundred wolves, or the current state of the wolf pack, which was being slaughtered into disarray. They had merely provoked this unlucky six-person team, only to be led into a fight with two tigers that ended in mutual destruction for that first wave. Then they were counter-ambushed and lost another wave. Now, their entire pack had come out for revenge, only to be on the verge of annihilation.
There was courage in numbers. With the powerful damage output from the four Pencil brothers, plus the fact that the two who seemed to be on the wrong movie set, “Her Majesty” and “Old Cadre,” were not weak either, everyone began to feel a mysterious confidence, as if they too could take on ten opponents at once!
With morale soaring, they fought a fierce battle. Everyone was heavily injured, but the gratifying news was that out of the sixteen people, only three had been sent back to the novice village. With thirteen remaining, they rested at the stone house for two days, experiencing “peace and quiet” for the first time in the game. The news that there was a group that preyed on other predators must have spread effectively, because for the time being, no one would dare to mess with them here.
On the morning of the third day, the various teams set off again. Although they had been led on one successful raid, a careful accounting showed that most teams still hadn’t collected enough value points. Only Pencil and Ji Changqing, thanks to their bountiful first harvest, had more than enough.
Zhong Lan cried out that she would never be separated from Ji Changqing. With only one teammate left, she naturally agreed to team up with Pencil and Ji Changqing, whose combat power was off the charts and who had never lost a teammate. It was just that her team had been unlucky all along, losing members as they went, and they were still short on points. Ji Changqing was a generous person; having finally met a friend from her chat group in the game, she was more than willing to bring her along.
Not having enough value points was no big deal. Even if they were in a hurry and didn’t actively seek out trouble, there would always be prey that delivered itself to their doorstep over the remaining two-thirds of the journey. And if they were truly so lucky as to not encounter any valuable prey, Her Majesty, who was now quite wealthy, declared that she could cover the points for her friend and her teammate.
Since Ji Changqing agreed, Pencil naturally had no objections. They had fought side-by-side for so long that they had built up some camaraderie. Besides, “Old Cadre’s” combat power was quite impressive, even if her choice of weapon was a bit wild.
With four people on the team, it was suddenly at least three times livelier than when there were just two. This was mainly due to Zhong Lan, the chatterbox, who could talk enough for an entire team by herself. From her ramblings, Ji Changqing learned that Lin Huang had been killed and sent back to the novice village from this very area. Because of the seven-day lockout after dying, she had simply arranged a business trip for herself, even meeting up with Zhong Lan for a meal in the Imperial Capital.
This time, the team had enough people for a game of Fight the Landlord, but they never got around to playing. That was because Zhong Lan’s teammate was an academic ace. This seemingly weak girl had tenaciously survived the entire unlucky journey of constantly losing teammates. After determining that her current teammates were reliable and feeling an overwhelming sense of security, the academic ace threw herself into her studies with immense passion. She had always been enthusiastic about learning; she had long since memorized the forest’s flora and fauna guide backward and forward. As Zhong Lan told the story, both Ji Changqing and Pencil were filled with respect for the girl. Without Zhong Lan’s considerable combat power and the girl’s intellectual support, their original team would likely have been wiped out long ago.
No wonder Zhong Lan had been so protective of her from the very beginning.
The girl was now engrossed in studying the universal language, which the game prompted everyone to learn for a surprise drop. Humans are strange social creatures, easily influenced by others regardless of age. Especially when a sweet-looking girl was trying so hard to keep up with the group while muttering half-baked universal language phrases, diligently trying to identify and organize its rules, and enthusiastically inviting everyone to join in the fun. And so, feeling a little embarrassed not to, they all joined the study group.
For the first time on their journey, they all experienced what it felt like to be intellectually crushed. They couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up. No wonder this girl had given herself such an awe-inspiring name that was perfectly in line with core values.
Yes, the girl’s name was even more bizarre than Son of Heaven Zhou and Old Cadre. She was called “Technology is the Primary Productive Force.” In reverence of her study god aura, everyone unanimously decided to call her “The First.”
The girl calmly accepted this affectionate, awe-filled nickname.
After all, in her opinion, being called “Your Majesty” was far more embarrassing, haha! She perennially topped the charts as number one, but it wasn’t like Ji Changqing could travel back to the Zhou Dynasty and actually be the Son of Heaven.
Everyone felt that her not naming herself “Intelligence is the Primary Productive Force” was already a great kindness. To show their gratitude for the grace of not being mocked, they all eagerly threw themselves onto the front lines of every fight.
The mortals trembled as they followed “The First” in their study of the universal language, but they also cared deeply for the physically weak study god, taking time every day to train with her and teach her some combat techniques.
Well, The First wasn’t that superhuman. Her progress in combat skills wasn’t much faster than their progress in the universal language. But it was clear the girl was quite interested in improving her fighting ability, though her interest was a bit peculiar. She was researching the technical and fundamental principles of combat, but a lack of data meant she hadn’t made much headway yet.
One day, Zhong Lan finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and voiced a question from the depths of her soul: “The First didn’t seem so intimidating when she was on our team before.”
Pencil and Ji Changqing turned to glare at her. Why did you have to ask that out loud! They absolutely couldn’t admit it was because they were too dumb! After much thought, they managed to say with difficulty, “Maybe she thinks we’re barely capable of communication?”
The First had originally intended to ignore their stupid question, but on second thought, this team was a vast improvement over her last one. Back then, aside from Zhong Lan, she hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone. Now, however, she supposed she could deign to answer. She ticked off on her fingers, “Lovesick fool, egomaniac, straight-man chauvinist…”
With each term she uttered, Zhong Lan tentatively supplied a name. The First nodded in approval, and Zhong Lan actually beamed with the pride of an elementary schooler who had been praised and recognized.
Finally, The First spread her hands. “We really had nothing to talk about.”
Ji Changqing reflexively shot back a snarky comment, “So you can’t talk to anyone who doesn’t have a proactive attitude toward learning?”
The First nodded frankly.
Pencil remained impassive.
“My god! The First, what do you even do for a living? Your standards are so high! For most ordinary people, working, playing games, and just coasting through life is good enough.”
The First turned her face away, speechless, wearing the expression of a summer insect that cannot comprehend ice.
“Are you a PhD student, The First?” Ji Changqing guessed. For someone young who used “Technology is the Primary Productive Force” as their name and was so obsessed with learning, why would a study god waste her precious time playing a game if it wasn’t related to her field? She decided to aim high with her guess. “Something like intelligent systems or automation?”
The First turned back reservedly, but her eyes were shining, unable to hide the light within. The words “You’re pretty smart” were practically written on her face, and her voice was several degrees more cheerful. “I’m just trying to see if the ideas from science fiction novels can be realized.”
Zhong Lan and Pencil nearly stumbled in shock. Was that lofty ambition or just science fantasy?
Ji Changqing, whose own imagination was as vast as the sky, didn’t find it strange at all for a seemingly rigorous and self-disciplined study god to have wild ideas about technology. “Curiosity is the wellspring of human progress. Look, holographic games are a reality now, aren’t they? So for ideas from science fiction, it’s all about bold hypotheses and careful verification. Who knows, maybe the next sci-fi concept will be successfully proven soon.”
“Exactly! I was stunned when holographic games came out! It was like a sudden, massive breakthrough!” The sci-fi-loving study god had been hit right in her sweet spot and grew excited. “Do you think AI brains, starships, and mecha will be next?”
“Actually, it would be great if there was technology that could directly display the images in your mind,” Ji Changqing said, inevitably showing her professional bias as a screenwriter. It would be amazing to write and make movies with brainwaves. It would be as fantastical as you could imagine; whoever had the biggest imagination would win.
Zhong Lan and Pencil silently took on guard duty, giving the other two, who were lost in their fantasies and having a passionate conversation despite talking past each other, a look that screamed, “You guys are insane.”
Can’t mess with them, can’t mess with them.
But as it turned out, people with big imaginations were always happier. One look at the two of them, their faces alight with excitement, was proof enough. People with big imaginations could always construct one magnificent, ideal world after another for themselves, and even find joy in these imagined worlds.
For these four people, the remaining two-thirds of their journey was a very pleasant time. The moment they stepped out of the forest, the entire scene shifted rapidly. The mission scroll they carried floated in mid-air, assessing and tallying the value of the items in their storage, before stamping a large “Excellent” on it.
The city entry permit glowed with a soft light and extended forward, but it split into different paths. To their surprise, they discovered that although a team shared one entry permit, each member was given a different path.
At that moment, they all received a system notification: 【Novice quest complete. Performance: Excellent. New map unlocked. Instant messaging function has been loaded.】
They quickly added each other as friends, waved goodbye, and started walking along their respective paths.
As she walked, Ji Changqing suddenly fell with a splash into… what was it? A pool? A hot spring? An ice spring? She wasn’t quite sure.
The pool looked ancient and natural, surrounded by green bamboo and vibrant flowers, yet she had fallen in by stepping into thin air.
She wiped her face and couldn’t help but complain, “This is a game, and I’m entering a city. Can we not make it like some cultivation or wuxia novel where I accidentally fall into a secret realm, receive some ancient inheritance, and then go out and slaughter everyone!”
Just as she was muttering to herself, the beautiful image of the woman who had guided her at login appeared. “Well, this isn’t a secret realm.” She paused for a moment, thinking, before continuing, “It’s something like the ‘marrow cleansing’ in novels. I hope you can stay inside for a while. The longer you stay, the greater the benefits you’ll receive.”
Getting caught complaining behind someone’s back by the system’s customer service was always a bit awkward. Ji Changqing silently adjusted her mindset and asked proactively, “This is more like the ascension pools in cultivation novels, right? When you ascend to a higher immortal realm, you have to soak in an ascension pool to be reborn.”
Put that way, it didn’t seem wrong. The woman who appeared to be the system’s customer service nodded noncommittally and offered a tip, “If you have things to take care of in the real world, I suggest you log off and handle them first. The amount of time each person can stay in here varies. Some come out in a day or two, while others might stay for ten days or more. The system is set to automatically eject a person when they reach their limit. Before that limit is reached, you cannot exit.”
Ji Changqing nodded to show she understood.
The customer service beauty added that three meals a day would be delivered automatically, and then she vanished.
Ji Changqing took a deep breath and submerged her entire body in the water. The water temperature fluctuated between hot and cold, and her skin began to itch faintly. She chanted silently in her mind, This is marrow cleansing, this is an ascension pool. Endure it, endure it. The longer I endure, the better my rebirth will be!
At a base in an ocean on Earth, Brigadier General Xie’er watched the indicators on the monitor steadily rise, a smile playing on her lips. She opened a communication channel and said with a grin, “Claire, the evolution has begun.”
“It’s the first evolution,” Claire corrected.
Xie’er shrugged. Who cared about that? What she cared about was that once these people completed their evolution, they would know which direction humanity on Earth was destined to evolve.
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