Chapter 26: There Are Always Villains Trying to Harm Me

Once the announcement was made, all the incredibly excited sandbox players erupted in agitation.

Most players were still struggling in the ocean of life's origin, repeatedly dying and restarting, having not yet reached land. The few who had just crawled ashore and become amphibians hadn't even had a chance to glimpse the legendary giant. After private discussions, this new development made them erupt in curses.

"Incompetent developer! Three seconds! That's like saying nothing at all!"

In a flash, as soon as three seconds passed, their screens instantly went black.

"Damn it!"

Countless players ripped off their VR headsets, almost smashing their devices.

They had no idea that it was precisely their provocative chat in front of Xu Zhi that made him remember them. If you don't court death, you won't die.

**My Primordial Thunder Hand, Evolving into Kun:** Look! Does this announcement even make sense? Incompetent developer, how can you just do things without any warning? I'm quitting this game! I've never seen such a game developer! Ten thousand people should sign a petition in blood, demanding the programmers be sacrificed!

**Akina Mountain Speed:** Just get used to it. This casual game's hardcore nature isn't new; it's been like this for a while (picking nose).

**Recharge and Chop Hands:** Those who just quit will definitely be back, saying "It's so good!"

A group of beta players discussed on the forum, furiously cursing the incompetent developer, but their passion for such a high-freedom game was undeniable.

Xu Zhi glanced at the lively comments.

In this sandbox, the free laborers responsible for breeding new species were even showing off. Xu Zhi, however, couldn't be bothered to pay attention. Faced with the players' wails and pleas, he remained utterly unfeeling—a creator devoid of emotion.

Meanwhile, a group of people who couldn't even play the game instantly grew envious and started posting comments below the beta players.

**Crazy African:** Big shots, if you can't handle how hardcore it is, let me! My liver is failing, but I can grind like crazy!

**Pretty Little Fist:** Beta slots aren't needed, please donate them to those in need, thank you!

A group of people felt their chance had come, silently waiting for the others to quit. Who wouldn't want to personally enter the game, become a spore with infinite possibilities, act as a creator, and evolve boundless potential?

But even though the beta players were complaining, they completely ignored anyone talking about quitting, pretending not to hear. Instead, they started discussing other topics, specifically the mysterious giant. After all, in the entire sandbox, apart from the various evolving species, the giant was clearly the most unique.

**Akina Mountain Speed:** Guys, have you noticed? As we've progressively landed, this game has already started its story progression! The giant is actually eating a bento box in the courtyard! Unbelievable!

**Recharge and Chop Hands:** Nonsense! Given this game's hardcore and realistic nature, even the boss needs to eat, so he naturally has his own NPC programming... We need to evolve species and then defeat him.

**Akina Mountain Speed:** It's basically impossible to defeat him in a short time, but since the game is realistic and hardcore, and he's eating, then we have a way to defeat him.

**My Primordial Thunder Hand, Evolving into Kun:** He's eating, so you mean you want to poison his food? But we don't even have poison in the game.

**Akina Mountain Speed:** No guns, no cannons, we'll make our own! We little bugs can evolve a potent neurotoxin, then self-destruct, jump into his lunchbox, let him eat us, and successfully poison the boss—or at least give him severe diarrhea.

**My Primordial Thunder Hand, Evolving into Kun:** 666! Your plan is so dark and sinister, I love it!

**Akina Mountain Speed:** I'm going back right now to cram biological knowledge about neurotoxins and the evolutionary history of scorpions, venomous insects, and snakes. I'll evolve a highly venomous species that looks like feces, to let him taste the power of us little bugs. I'll put poop in his food, with poison hidden in the poop!

**Recharge and Chop Hands:** Amazing, boss!

**Cute Girl Wants to Evolve into Dragon, Endorse Legendary Webgame:** Amazing, boss!

**My Primordial Thunder Hand, Evolving into Kun:** Amazing, boss!

Xu Zhi was stunned.

"This fellow, your courage is commendable. This time, you actually want to rally people to mess with me."

Xu Zhi smiled, full of goodwill. "Do you hold such deep resentment towards me? I'm just eating in the courtyard, watching you evolve in the small sandbox at my feet. Did I provoke you? Last time, you wanted to poop on my head, and now you directly want to put poop in my food, with poison hidden in the poop?"

Xu Zhi silently made another note about him. "My friend, you'll need to pray for your own good fortune from now on."

He didn't pay them any mind. After forcibly logging off the "Land of Life's Origin" small sandbox, he carried a common white rubber hose, about the thickness of a finger, to the sandbox, intending to adjust its structure.

He began to figure out how to enter the large sandbox world.

He picked up a hoe and started digging. "Since I plan to enter the large sandbox through the player channel," he thought, "there needs to be a link between the two sandboxes. I'll bury a water pipe as a passage underground, connecting them."

He began digging with the hoe, spending half an hour. Under the ground between the two sandboxes, he buried a white rubber hose over ten meters long, thereby opening a path between the two worlds, making it a "world passage."

This was his exclusive VIP passage.

From now on, it would be his exclusive medium to enter the large sandbox. Without Xu Zhi's permission, no one could see it or enter, including those enthusiastic silly players who wanted to harm him.

Then, he returned to his room, opened his laptop, put on his VR headset, and using his own client, registered a player account. "Those who cursed me are all noted down in my little book," he thought.

He logged into the game, clicked to confirm start, and his vision went black, as if he were wandering in seawater.

"Please evolve your eyes!"

After a short while, Xu Zhi, from the player's perspective, saw his evolved species begin to crawl ashore.

"This body... it's so weird, just as grotesque as those players'," Xu Zhi thought, looking at his own bizarre body, as strange as the Big Eyeball's. He had thought he would be more powerful than the players, but to his surprise, he wasn't much better. They were equally matched, all of them strange-looking creatures.

He now resembled a black, long-haired, three-eyed crow, with two eyes and a vertical pupil in the middle, and his whole body was covered in black feathers. It was the kind that couldn't fly; flapping its wings, it could only glide a few meters at low altitude.

Although Xu Zhi was very reluctant to admit it, this was indeed a thoroughly failed evolved species. In the large sandbox, it would inevitably not survive the coming natural selection and would be exterminated.

Xu Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Sub-brain, you said this crow is as ugly as the Big Eyeball, and the uglier it is, the stronger it becomes. So, this species' potential must be just as powerful, like the Evil Eye, right?"

The Insectoid Hive Sub-brain quickly delivered a critical blow: "According to the deduction, it most likely does not possess extraordinary potential. This three-eyed crow is merely a deformed species that failed to evolve."

"You're going too far!"

Xu Zhi immediately felt disheartened.

But on second thought, it was only natural. The evolution of every life form is unique and cannot be replicated. Although the Big Eyeball was born by chance and possessed astonishing potential, it was a miraculous life form resulting from many coincidences, making it difficult to reproduce.

"However, my requirements aren't high; it's enough if the species I evolve can move," he thought. He recovered himself and entered the sandbox's secret passage—the white water pipe buried underground.

After traversing a long, dark tunnel through the world, light gradually appeared before his eyes.

When he came to his senses again, he was already in a dense forest. The trees were lush and tangled, the ground was verdant, and terrifying gigantic beasts roared in the distance, chasing each other in races. It was a magnificent and vast scene of a primeval Paleozoic forest.

"I've finally entered my own sandbox. This is truly gratifying."

Xu Zhi had already surveyed the terrain and locations from a God's-eye view. Next, he swiftly lifted his two crow claws, walking with a confident, almost arrogant gait, directly towards the Babylonian tribe.