Chapter 10: Returning to the Sand Table

Dongcheng was a fairly large city, and Xu Zhi and Chen Xi spent a long time exploring it.

He visited a shopping mall and bought a washing machine, a microwave oven, a refrigerator, and a whole host of other miscellaneous items, intending to modernize his old house. The mall owner was naturally beaming. Most people shopped online nowadays, so it was rare to have such a generous customer at a physical store. He immediately offered to have the purchases delivered to the countryside.

Xu Zhi wasn't particularly inclined towards online shopping for home appliances. After all, their performance was mostly similar; his main focus was on the appearance of the furniture, how it would actually fit together, and how to create a cleaner living environment.

Next, guided by Chen Xi, Xu Zhi went to some other shops to acquire instruments and equipment, such as high-pressure water guns, electric drills, chainsaws, and sprinklers—improved tools for the farm. After all, these were essential tools for a Creator!

"Pack them all up, pack everything up, and we'll deliver them to the young man's farm for free," the owner chuckled, facing such a big-spending customer. Some of the equipment cost thousands or even tens of thousands. Xu Zhi had already spent between seventy and eighty thousand in scattered purchases, but he still had one hundred and ten thousand in savings. He wasn't bothered about saving money in the short term and didn't bother thinking too much about it. He spent money when he had it; after all, he had "currency power."

On the way back, Xu Zhi rode the electric scooter in front, with Chen Xi sitting behind him. She couldn't resist touching Xu Zhi's thick hair and suddenly pulled out a strand forcefully, making Xu Zhi's eyes water with pain. "What are you doing? So clumsy!" he grimaced.

Chen Xi was also surprised. She threw away the pulled hair, utterly shocked. "Such strong hair! What on earth have you been through?!"

Xu Zhi had a headache. "Why are you so obsessed with me growing hair? Can't I grow hair?"

He looked exasperated and said in great pain, "I already told you, it's chemotherapy, chemotherapy! The after-effects of my chemotherapy are gone now that I've recovered. I wasn't born bald."

"Really?" Chen Xi's eyes widened.

"Really." Xu Zhi had a serious expression.

"That's just too incredible," Chen Xi said, completely astonished. After all, she had been bringing him food for several days, and it didn't seem like a temporary burst of energy. Had he truly changed this much? Not only had his hair grown back, but his physique and face had also become much handsomer. Could it really just be the result of rest and exercise? She just felt that something wasn't right.

"You're too suspicious, I can't be bothered with you," Xu Zhi said, riding his flashy electric scooter, with a bewildered Chen Xi behind him. He rode along the rural dirt path, even riding over occasional cow dung. After all, it wasn't his scooter.

On both sides were neat, staggered farmlands, and from time to time, aunts and grandmas would greet them warmly:

"Oh, Xiao Zhi and the girl just went into town!"

"You two young people, you should go out and explore more often."

"Our village is aging; those who study, study, and those who work, work. Now it's just you two young people left!"

"Hello, Aunt Li, hello, Uncle Zhang," Xu Zhi replied with a chuckle. "Just taking Chen Xi out for a walk and buying some daily necessities."

The warm sunlight streamed down. It was already past six, and faint stars were visible in the sky. Unlike polluted cities, the night sky in the countryside was exceptionally clear. He believed that even in that miniature sand table, during fifty years of continuous night, one could still see a sky full of brilliant stars and a full moon, understanding the vastness and infinite possibilities of this universe.

"How small is our world? For them, over two hundred long years have passed, five or six generations living and dying, while for me, it's only been a little over two days, just enough time to go out and buy some things..." Xu Zhi smiled, said goodbye to Chen Xi, and returned to his courtyard to look at the sand table. It was then that the Hive Mother Sub-brain informed him that Gilgamesh was about to die of old age.

"He will likely pass tonight, perhaps even within half an hour," the Hive Mother Sub-brain said.

"That fast? It doesn't feel real at all."

In the orchard courtyard, Xu Zhi paused. He held a small knife, silently peeling an orange, the continuous orange peel spiraling down, circle after circle. Suddenly, the knife slipped. It broke. "Too bad I didn't peel it perfectly."

Xu Zhi scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then stood up. He marvelled that the tiny ape-worm from all those years ago could reach such a point, writing a grand epic of a life. He had only given him some tools; not everyone given a lever for a civilization could move history and become a great figure. Undoubtedly, Gilgamesh was an outstanding king, despite the many cruel and tyrannical aspects of his character. The ape-worm race he created, once called "Baldy" and "Baldy," had ultimately flourished.

"Never mind," he thought. "Since he wants to see me, I might as well go. I can't change his lifespan, but it's good to meet an old acquaintance. Also, I must stop this race. I didn't expect that in just a few days, they would destroy countless ecosystems and extinguish many species. They conquer, wage war, and kill like locusts, with no regard for the environment. If this continues, the sand table will probably collapse soon, countless species will go extinct, and only they will remain. I need to go and advise them to exercise restraint."

Xu Zhi stood up, putting down the orange. It would only be a moment; he could eat it later when he returned. "Slow down their time flow, restore it to normal," he commanded.

With that, Xu Zhi put on blue laboratory shoe covers and slowly strode into the sand table.

Thump, thump, thump.

The ground subtly vibrated: mountains, rivers, land, oceans. Trees were trampled, valleys bore giant footprints, and countless beasts in the dense forest fled in panic.

"This is..."

"The city is collapsing?"

Gradually, the entire royal city of Uruk seemed to tremble slightly. The city walls, houses, ground, streets, and the ant-like pedestrians all showed signs of slight horror. Gilgamesh, leading his officials, knelt on the ground. Suddenly, he felt something, and for the first time, a childlike joy appeared on the aged face of the great Hero King. "After two hundred years, the great intelligent being I saw in my youth, the wise giant beast who granted my civilization three treasures, has finally returned..."

The ground was shaking; the entire city of Uruk was gently bouncing. This towering circular city, the massive Uruk accommodating tens of millions of people, was merely a disc slightly larger than a dining table in Xu Zhi's eyes. After all, for a city of ant-sized creatures, it was already incredibly grand and magnificent. It was exquisitely detailed, every part meticulously carved, fine and luxurious. What kind of beauty was it when every detail was scaled down to the microscopic size of an ant? It was like the most perfect fortress in the world.

Although this giant city wasn't very sturdy, their civilization was still too primitive, not quite understanding how to build some of the city wall's stone pillars into foundations deeply buried in the soil, which caused the city to tremble slightly with each step Xu Zhi took. "This is also related to their inability to use cement; merely piecing stones together results in very low stability." Xu Zhi strode towards the royal city, trampling patches of green trees. He finally arrived before the Nordic-like city, which already possessed an ancient civilization's characteristics. He overlooked the city's exquisite altars and temples.

That old Hero King, entirely white-haired and with a handsome, aged face, was looking up, propped on his Sword of Damocles, tears glistening, as he gazed at Xu Zhi.