Chapter 391: Foreseeing

Meanwhile, in the Elite Player Chat Group:

AkinaSpeed: "Let me tell you something explosive! In the Ancient Wood World, a group of powerful figures suddenly appeared, all bruised and battered, looking utterly dejected, coming to me to top up and buy races! I instantly made a fortune! I secretly increased the price by 30%! Squeezed those big spenders dry!"

System Distributor: "???"Cute Girl Evolves into Dragon: "???"Primordial Thunderbolt Hand Evolves into Kun: "???"

They too were dumbfounded, a million expletives racing through their minds.

AkinaSpeed was truly ruthless! How dared he exploit those powerful figures? Didn't he know what forces stood behind them?

After a burst of laughter, their expressions grew serious. They found this sudden eruption of events unfathomable. It was perhaps the most significant and shocking incident in the game since the Cthulhu evil god's combined arrival:

A vast world of technological civilization awaited discovery by Earthlings!

These elite players already knew that 'Spore Evolution' wasn't a game created by humans, but by a god!

It was a gateway connecting to myriad worlds, a monumental opportunity for Earth's civilization to venture into the vast cosmos. The character data within the game would gradually influence reality, subtly transforming players' physical attributes.

And for them, it was an incredibly huge opportunity!

"Want to dig?""If you could even scratch that overpowered race, that would be a miracle..."

Xu Zhi sat by the window, propping his chin on his hand on the table, looking out at the world.

"What myriad worlds? It's just my small orchard sandbox," he mused. "But since you all love to imagine so much, sooner or later, I'll make my development speed match your imaginative speed, and it will become a true multiverse."

No one could have imagined that the magnificent, vast universe and endless myriad worlds they envisioned were merely his orchard in the countryside and a "deep orchard cellar" located a kilometer directly beneath it.

This morning, Xu Zhi uncharacteristically received a phone call.

It was from an executive at the foreign company he used to work for.

Xu Zhi vaguely remembered the caller's appearance: a pot-bellied, middle-aged boss with a beer belly and deep dark circles under his eyes, yet he spoke with a strong, resonant voice. He had been very kind to Xu Zhi back then and had even promoted him.

This kind-hearted man inquired about Xu Zhi's cancer, and some former colleagues also expressed their concern from the other end of the line. Clearly, making this call had caused them some hesitation.

The boss, wanting not to hurt Xu Zhi's self-esteem, subtly proposed a project from their team, suggesting he could participate remotely via computer and would receive a portion of the remuneration afterward.

Moreover, the work assigned to Xu Zhi was undeniably very simple and familiar. It was clear that these colleagues, after his resignation, were trying to find a way to help him, who was terminally ill.

At this moment, he snapped back to reality, somewhat dazed.

He realized that only two months had passed since his resignation!

Just two short months!

In their eyes, he was still that down-and-out young man with cancer, who had moved to the countryside to spend the rest of his life in an orchard. They likely assumed that after two months, his cancer would be in its advanced stages, and he would be struggling to survive with daily chemotherapy, draining his life savings.

"Only two months have passed, and I'm already at the Sixth Tier, excitedly planning to build mechs to walk in space..."

It was only when his former colleagues called that the reality of his situation truly sank in, leaving him feeling somewhat disoriented. Thinking of his old work group, his friends who used to pull all-nighters to meet project deadlines, he felt as though he was separated from them by two different worlds.

"No need, thank you. I've found a good job now, in the countryside, and I'm self-sufficient," Xu Zhi quickly said, politely declining. Dealing with those idiotic players and the troublemaking research institutes was quite tricky!

His work was indeed very busy.

The chattering on the other end of the line immediately fell silent.

"Are you really okay?"

It was Brother Li from the work group, an older figure in his thirties with a family to support, two children, and a mortgage of 8,000 yuan a month for a house in the big city. His life was very stressful.

"Brother Xu Zhi, Sister Yun broke up with you! She's utterly despicable; I knew from the beginning she wasn't a good person," Xia Xiaoxiao said through gritted teeth. She was a lively girl who had graduated from a prestigious university and joined this foreign company for her internship, where Xu Zhi had mentored her. She had even had a crush on him back then.

"I truly am fine," Xu Zhi said with a smile.

The other end of the line fell silent once more.

After a long pause.

Xia Xiaoxiao: "Then we won't bother you anymore! We wish you good health, Brother Xu Zhi! And may you live the rest of your life happily!"

The three of them hung up, deliberately refraining from asking what kind of job Xu Zhi had found.

After all, inheriting an orchard left by his parents in the countryside could hardly be considered a good job. In their eyes, this young man with cancer was simply trying to retain his last bit of dignity and spare them worry.

In truth, after they hung up and exchanged glances, they too felt a pang of emotion.

They wondered when their own bodies would give out. Being a programmer was a demanding, youth-dependent profession, constantly bringing on minor and major ailments. What was the purpose of such a mundane life?

Even these dull office workers and white-collar elites longed for the exciting and free world of 'Spore Evolution' that had suddenly appeared in the past two months.

For Xu Zhi now, there was no longer any need to work. Money and power in the real world were within easy reach, but they held no appeal for him anymore.

The passionate heroes from different eras in those worlds—Emperor Qi, Medusa, Armin—their noble ideals and the divine pursuit of truth also subtly influenced him.

Now, creating worlds from scratch with his own hands was what he found truly interesting.

His gaze turned to the scene before him.

"New players have been let in. Let's see what they do. I just need to watch from the sidelines... And now that three or four decades have passed, it's time to meet her, at the request of the Ishdarans, or perhaps Caroline's request."

He stood up. "I hope when I enter, this player hasn't already been captured by the Ishdarans and paraded around for discovering a 'new species'."

Xia Niming was also utterly bewildered right now.

What the hell!

His target was the Archaic World!

His species was born to scare people! There was a great opportunity in the Grotesque Era to save the Three Realms from dire straits, acting as their savior!

But coming to other worlds, it completely lost its effectiveness, becoming an utterly inferior species. Seriously, what could a mimetic hot air balloon even do?

It was as useless as a slime, a truly pointless creature!

"At the very least, if I can't enter the Three Realms, let me enter the Ancient Wood World! It's safe there, and powerful players have set up bases. I could ask the mighty AkinaSpeed to pay for surrogacy and transform into an elf species!"

But this new world...

Just looking at it, it was incredibly dangerous. There were lava rivers everywhere, terrifying transcendent life forms in the forests, and mysterious mechanical wreckage and mobile phones... and he himself was a total weakling.

At this moment, he deeply wished he could switch places with the species players who had entered the Ancient Wood World. Both sides had clearly come to the wrong place.

However, while he wanted to leave, the other player forums instantly erupted in excitement, urging him to continue exploring this brand new, vast world and live-stream the pioneering of the new game map.

"Brother, don't panic! We've got your back!"

"Exactly! There are dangers ahead, but don't be afraid, because behind you stands us, your loyal bros! (with a kindly wink)"

Xia Niming became even more bewildered. This was truly a situation of wolves in front and tigers behind!

Even some well-known elite players joined in the fun.

AkinaSpeed: "Don't panic, I'll take you for a ride!"

Cute Girl: "Brother, this is one small step for humanity, one giant leap for technology! Your shoulders bear the future of mankind! I lend you my luck!"

Meanwhile, various research institutes also mingled in the forums, expressing their full commitment to help. They had no other means; they could only explore this transcendent world through this particular player.

As Xia Niming live-streamed his journey, flying through the sky, he soon saw a group of goblins riding wolves, speeding wildly through the wilderness.