Evolution - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
They were all single by their own merit, so no one could look down on anyone else.
And so, out of a precarious sense of conscience and a friendship forged over twenty-odd years of roasting each other to death, the members of the five-person group were still willing to lend one another a hand.
Lin Huang, with her background in finance and investment, was the group’s primary rescuer. She had professionally carried them through several ventures, charging a consulting fee of only half the market rate—a truly conscientious price.
Discussions about serious matters in the five-person group often felt like forced, awkward chats that would fizzle out within three minutes. During one such three-minute window, Lin Huang suggested that if globalization was accelerating, then cultural exports, infiltration, and internet technology were of paramount importance. Ji Changqing added that they could focus on the top three companies in the film/gaming/AI industries. In the end, due to their limited areas of expertise, they pooled their judgments and unanimously decided to buy some gaming stocks.
As for foreign exchange, that was Lin Huang’s domain alone and not up for discussion.
Less than three months after the summit, rumors began to circulate that a technological bottleneck had been overcome, leading to a breakthrough in holographic gaming. But since the technology involved was so extensive, a brand-new company was established as a joint venture between several of the most powerful nations on Earth. When the new company was founded, a quick search of its shareholders revealed a dense list of names: well-known gaming companies, internet giants with game development divisions, and a host of unfamiliar companies whose names hinted at their national affiliations.
The moment the news broke, the stock prices of any publicly listed company on the shareholder list shot up.
The entire world was watching the progress of the holographic game, buzzing with speculation about its release date and hoping to experience the long-fantasized technology within their lifetimes.
Among the five friends in the WeChat group, only Zhong Lan was a fan-level enthusiast; the others were merely casual observers. They were all too engrossed in making money and planning for retirement to have any interest in dating, let alone pay-to-win games.
But the launch of the holographic game still came with unbelievable speed. Just six months after the company’s formation, it announced the start of a closed beta and launched a global advertising campaign.
The entire internet exploded.
The ads showcased magnificent visuals, fantastical scenes straight out of imagination, and game instances spanning every conceivable genre: Xianxia fantasy, Western magic, sci-fi, historical… and many more that completely transcended imagination.
It was almost unbelievable.
Even if all the preparations had been made before the company was even founded, how could such a dazzling game be launched in just six months? It felt so unreal!
“Whoa, maybe they’d been secretly working on it for a decade and only announced it when everything was ready? Like, ‘Behold, mortals, we’re releasing a holographic game,’ and then just dropped it on us?”
“Haha, it’s like those top students who act like they barely studied but secretly pulled all-nighters, and then are all, ‘Oh, I have no idea how I scored so well.’”
“I just don’t buy it. Did the game planners, developers, and special effects artists all turn on cheat codes or something?”
“Even cheats aren’t this powerful, are they? This is like they suddenly broke through the dimensional wall!”
“Wake up, dude upstairs. This is on a completely different level. Scientific research is a rigorous process. Holographic gaming is so broad. You’re telling me they solved every single problem with a sudden flash of inspiration, without publishing tons of papers on overcoming related challenges? That’s a fairy tale.”
“So, what’s the reason? It went from concept to reality in a flash. The surprise came so fast it feels fake!”
“I have a bold idea… did an alien civilization finally discover Blue Star?”
“Wow, that’s a bold idea upstairs.”
“An alien civilization discovers Blue Star, and instead of an interstellar war, we get tech support? Blue Star’s cheat code is way too OP!”
“You’re too cynical! Why does it have to be war when aliens find us? Can’t they just love peace?”
“For details, please refer to Columbus discovering the New World.”
The online discussions were fervent, with each theory wilder than the last.
“After reading so many comments, I’m starting to think the ‘alien civilization’ theory is the most plausible. Damn, did the guy who suggested it go crazy, or did I?”
“Me too! Whoa, are we about to enter the interstellar age? Just thinking about it is kind of exciting.”
A huge wave of replies followed, all strongly endorsing the “alien civilization” nomination, chanting, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
Someone even posted with tearful emojis: “I never thought that in my lifetime, I’d get to ascend on the spot and whoosh right into the interstellar age.”
Then the netizens burst into laughter and started a new trend: the “in my lifetime” series.
Some tagged authors, demanding updates: “We’re about to leap into the interstellar age! In my lifetime, will we ever see the end of XX novel?!”
Some tagged their celebrity crushes: “We’re about to leap into the interstellar age! In my lifetime, will I ever see you get out of singledom?”
Some confessed to an ex: “We’re about to leap into the interstellar age! In my lifetime, will I ever get the chance to sweep your grave?”
The thread immediately derailed again, this time with a flood of posts about “toxic exes.”
The topic had strayed completely, but the netizens, having a blast, had long forgotten what they were originally discussing.
Aboard a starship, the idle Brigadier General Xie'er and the chief negotiator, Claire, were openly monitoring the feeds. Countless comments scrolled past as they watched and offered their own commentary.
“These keyboard warriors are kind of interesting. Much more amusing than those bigwigs.” The glamorous Brigadier General Xie'er expressed her approval of the wildly ranting netizens. She offered no comment on the planet’s political systems but was quite concerned about the general populace.
After all, for the Alliance, population—especially a population with the potential for evolution and development—was a valuable asset. If they had evolutionary potential and a relatively strong desire to procreate, they were even more valuable.
She sighed deeply, knowing it was a fantasy. The birth rate curve was always negatively correlated with individual strength and technological advancement. Thinking of the planets currently in the Alliance, regardless of when they joined, their population peak was always at the moment of entry—a result that felt like a curse.
“Keyboard warriors? Are you serious?” Claire gave Xie'er a complicated look. Honey, this isn’t what we agreed on! Weren’t you the one who supposedly did a full analysis of the collected data on the way here, gaining a profound understanding of Blue Star’s culture and earning the title of ‘Blue Star expert’?
Xie'er realized she had made a mistake, but admitting it was out of the question. Unflustered, she calmly passed the buck. “Oh, my dear Claire, their words always have so many interpretations—original meanings, extended meanings, and they can even pull off the magical feat of having an extended meaning that’s the complete opposite of the original.”
In any case, it couldn't possibly be Brigadier General Xie'er's fault!
Fine. Whatever you say. One had to be broad-minded, so why get hung up on such a minor issue? Claire smiled, her mood quite pleasant, and said gently, “Their imagination is quite impressive.” At least their intelligence was up to par. “I just wonder which direction their evolution will take.”
“We’ll know soon enough.” The change of topic pleased Xie'er immensely. She knew it; Claire was nothing like those drama queens in the government. She was a breath of fresh air among all those relentless motormouths. Her lips curved upward, though she maintained a composed expression. “The fastest planet took six months. I hope they don’t disappoint.”
Indeed, this holographic game had been developed when the Galactic Interstellar Alliance was first formed. Its original purpose was to facilitate learning for children and training for adults, optimizing their physical fitness and mental power even within the game. After discovering new civilizations, they found that judging the evolutionary direction of a planet’s lifeforms was an extremely slow and uncontrollable process of trial and error.
But after the holographic game was implemented across the Alliance, they were astonished to find that by letting new populations into the constantly optimized and enriched game, their evolutionary direction would manifest very quickly. After all, every possible path was incorporated into the game. With proper design, players could learn some common interstellar knowledge while also accelerating their evolution.
It was just like how people are slow to learn things in school, but they pick up skills in a game with incredible speed. Most importantly, they would pour immense passion into becoming a top player, never tiring of the learning process.
It was an instantaneous switch from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation.
Simply perfect!
Of course, the rapid deployment of the holographic game was not a scenario the upper echelons of each nation had been happy to see. Claire and Xie'er were not surprised in the least. With every revolution, regardless of its purpose, the vested interest groups were always reluctant. If it was something bad, they were happy to let irrelevant people test the waters. But if it was good, they desperately wanted their own people to reap the rewards and preserve their status.
Claire and Brigadier General Xie'er had very little patience for such petty schemes. Who knew what kind of trouble they would stir up after discovering the game’s effects? Rather than cleaning up a mess after the fact, they preferred to prevent trouble before it happened.
This was thanks to the Brigadier General’s “helping hand.”
Brigadier General Xie'er had only said one thing, her tone light: “If the Galactic Interstellar Alliance hadn’t been hunting space pirates and discovered the jump point they had already charted, Earth would have soon become the pirates’ supply depot.”
This time, the expressions of the Blue Star delegation, despite their different skin colors and languages, were unprecedentedly uniform: Yes, we understand. The space pirates who are no match for you could easily slaughter our entire planet.
And so, at the suggestion of the Alliance delegation, and with the Blue Star delegation feigning reluctance, the two sides engaged in a “friendly sparring session” of their armed forces.
During this friendly session, Brigadier General Xie'er made a point of introducing the Alliance participants: they were all clerical staff from the fleet. One by one, each nation’s elite soldiers were defeated. What made the Blue Star delegation’s faces twist was that every match was decided in a single move.
After realizing they stood no chance in terms of technology and weapon systems, they had clung to a one-in-ten-thousand hope, however unlikely: what if their individual combat strength was higher?
Now, that dream was shattered too.
The representatives at the meeting became remarkably obedient, changing the originally planned three-year observation period for beta testers to just thirty days before a global release.
At the same time, they felt a little uneasy. They were accustomed to scheming and haggling over every detail. The Alliance’s current posture, which resembled a poverty alleviation program, was deeply unsettling.
How could there be a free lunch in this world?
Yet, the people from the Alliance, aside from the unyielding and forceful Brigadier General Xie'er they first dealt with, were all quite amicable—though they were all equally firm and rarely conceded ground, they had never made any excessive demands.
Just like now. Their attitude was far from sincere, but the Alliance representatives pretended not to notice.
Claire had readily agreed to the Blue Star delegation’s request regarding the release date, but she had casually set a trap, stating that the holographic game had to be rolled out as soon as it was ready. The Blue Star delegation figured that since they were all new to this, even if the Alliance’s technology was sound, they would still need a year or two to design the game based on Earth’s themes, culture, and human characteristics to avoid any accidents.
But how long does it take to copy homework? An assignment that takes someone else four or five hours to complete can be copied in about ten minutes.
And so, that led to the current situation.
“When do you think we should go down?” Claire asked for Xie'er’s opinion. Xie'er was fully in charge of their security upon landing on Blue Star. Claire had a preliminary plan, but she made it a habit to consult with her—foreseeing that they would need to work closely for the next five to ten years, she was careful to avoid potential misunderstandings.
Asking one more question could prevent a lot of unnecessary trouble. It was a worthwhile investment.
“In a few more days, once the physical data from their beta testers comes in for comparison, we’ll arrange to go down.” Xie'er frowned slightly. “The information we’ve gathered is substantial, but it’s all public knowledge. Before their evolutionary direction becomes clear, you may need to travel to various places to observe. I’ll assign a squad of guards to you at that time.”
“Alright.” Claire accepted the Brigadier General’s kind offer, but she was still a little worried. “What are the military’s intentions?”
Xie'er paused for a moment. She understood the meaning behind Claire’s question. The difference in evolutionary direction would affect her far more than it would Claire. If the direction was the same as her own, she would not only gain contribution points later on but also have priority in recruiting qualified individuals from Earth into the military. She tilted her head and said nonchalantly, “Its appearance is enough for me.”
She had never counted on something that was purely a matter of luck, had she? This discovery was already like winning the lottery. While there might be a little, just a tiny bit, of regret, she was confident enough to achieve her goals even without the hidden benefit of a compatible evolutionary direction.
When you were powerful enough, a lucky bonus was merely icing on the cake.
Seeing her confidence, Claire was no longer worried that she would retaliate against society out of disappointment. She smiled, stood up to leave, then paused at the door. “Xie'er, thank you for the arrangements. Good night.”
She had analyzed Blue Star’s systems and structures, and she felt a deep sense of concern for this primitive civilization. If, by some cruel twist of fate, their evolutionary direction turned out to be ABO, then things were really going to get interesting.
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