Chapter 396: The Great Dream of the Starry Sea (Two in One)

Chapter 394: The Grand Dream of Stars and Oceans (Part Two)

Everyone was stunned! It wasn't that people hadn't posted inappropriate content on the forum before. After all, the "Spore Evolution" forum was still a forum, and it had to follow basic rules. Misbehaving, like on any other forum, would lead to an account ban. But what they were witnessing now was unprecedented. It was the first time they had seen such a prominent player, someone who had already left the novice village and ventured into the myriad worlds, get banned and instantly silenced. This was a new record.

"As expected of a master, a sexy balloon, selling videos online!" people chuckled in amazement. "This is simply brilliant; truly worthy of an old hand among our industry elites."

Xia Naiming, watching the people online, felt both frustrated and a pang of regret. Wasn't it just about making some money? It was disingenuous to say he wasn't envious, given how much a single screenshot could fetch. According to the current exchange rate, one thousand sand coins were equivalent to two thousand RMB, and this rate was still climbing; some people were already hoarding them, claiming it had the potential of Bitcoin. He just had one question: would you or would you not exchange a screenshot for two thousand yuan? It was a simple choice anyone would make. It was like money falling from the sky, and unless one was already incredibly wealthy, there was no reason not to pick it up.

Xia Naiming took a deep breath. "These people are too wicked, and I was too naive! It was my adolescent delusions that made me believe their nonsense. They kept spouting silly remarks, and I almost fell for their trick, their monetary offensive, nearly being assimilated and forced to join their ranks."

He didn't realize that certain research institutes were secretly plotting; he simply thought these silly people were deliberately targeting him. With that in mind, he began to get serious. He couldn't be swayed by these scoundrels! Although he was locked up, life had to go on. It had been incredibly difficult to evolve a species and bring it here. His current banter with these individuals was simply because he had already been caught and and there was nothing he could do. But now that he had successfully survived, he still needed to work hard to get out of this predicament.

As Lu Xun once said, as long as there's life, there's hope, isn't there? Clearly, this terrifying world of advanced technology was beyond their imagination. It was like a hell-level dungeon. This alien world, despite having dangerous, supernatural areas with magical beasts, also employed radar scans. It was perfectly normal for him to be directly detected and captured by high-tech means. In this world, the seemingly powerful magical beasts were merely tourist attractions in their zoo.

"Being silenced is actually a good thing; now I can rely solely on myself. In the end, it won't defeat me," Xia Naiming said with a serious expression. He was, after all, a human elite with exceptional intelligence and quite confident; he had just been led astray by those silly people before.

"Based on my observations, the aesthetic preferences of the humans in this world are largely similar to ours on Earth. They are handsome and perfect, and their civilization appears highly advanced, seemingly to the point where they've lost the capacity for deceit and are full of trust in one another. Even though my technological civilization is inferior to theirs, I can still conquer them!" He had a plan for this, and there was a precedent on Earth: Cat-aliens! Cat-aliens weren't strong in combat, yet they could easily conquer humans on Earth through their cuteness, innocent and adorable gazes, turning humans into "scoopers" and "cat slaves."

"Oh, you foolish aliens..." Xia Naiming lay in his cage, continuing to observe these perfect, god-like humans, looking from various angles, still lying on the ground watching the young women and observing human customs. "My species is ever-changing; it can scare people to death or be incredibly cute! It can bring peace with a pen, conquer on horseback, and even... well, it can do anything!"

As he thought this, his balloon fish suddenly shifted, transforming into an adorable kitten that gracefully paced around the cage, playfully trying to charm them.

"Wow! This creature is so cute!""He can transform into so many adorable little animals!" a group of young women watching exclaimed, blinking their eyes as if taking photos.

"Just as I thought," Xia Naiming smiled. Although he couldn't hear the humans' communication, he could tell from their facial expressions that they had taken the bait. Furthermore, he gathered an even more crucial piece of information: "They don't carry cameras; they seem to be taking pictures with their eyes? What kind of high-level civilization is this? It's terrifying!"

"Woof woof woof!" He transformed into an adorable puppy, its watery eyes gazing at the crowd, its tail wagging furiously, eliciting another round of excited squeals.

"Sooner or later, my species will become pets in this world, much like cats!" he thought to himself. "After all, the balloon fish's intelligence is low, no higher than a cat's. But if it's kept in every household, it can steal intelligence and form a vast network of connections."

Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck him, an incredible notion. What if Earth's cats were also a lower-level species than human civilization, having secretly invaded just like him? What if they lived in every human home, gathering information? What if common human technologies like televisions and computers were concepts they couldn't even begin to imagine? When he thought about it in reverse, some things became rather unsettling.

But he remained resolute. "If I can't win with force, I'll just have to rely on cuteness." This was his only option for now.

"That's quite clever," Xu Zhi paused, then chuckled softly. It was indeed the best choice. Whether one called it crude or unrealistic, there was no other way.

"What's wrong? Are you very interested in this balloon fish?" Caroline smiled, highly curious. "Its ability to transform is truly wondrous. Nature always amazes." "Nothing," Xu Zhi replied, shaking his head. His gaze drifted away from the player trying to survive in the zoo. For him, this was just a minor interlude in life; this player was too far removed from himself and the advanced level of this civilization.

Under her guidance, Xu Zhi continued to tour the Yixu Daru people's technology and research achievements. His main goal for this trip remained the construction of a mechanical battlesuit! He was currently only at the sixth rank, with two major ranks separating him from the eighth-rank deity level. Only deities possessed the ability to traverse the universe and roam space. He was still too far from that. For the time being, he needed a mechanical battlesuit for transportation; otherwise, if something suddenly required him to go into space, he would be completely helpless. Perhaps in the future, he could even build a sandbox in space? In the solar system, perhaps? Regardless, a mechanical battlesuit would also provide him with protective combat power.

"A seventh-rank combat power," Xu Zhi mused as he continued forward. In every aspect, it would be immensely beneficial to him. He was a very pragmatic person; a mechanical battlesuit would directly and significantly increase his convenience in reality, providing the most intuitive and rapid boost to his strength. It was worth investing some attention and effort into.

"This is spatial technology, quantum entanglement, but it's still in its infancy. Perhaps in the distant future, we will achieve quantum communication," Caroline explained to Xu Zhi while standing by a glass display case, envisioning the future. "Very impressive, a truly admirable magical energy technology civilization," Xu Zhi commented.

Each of these "black technologies" was incredibly formidable, capable of generating epoch-making advancements and impacts. If these research achievements were dropped on Earth, every nation would pay a heavy price for them. "What a terrifying civilization; this is a technological explosion from the scientific side," he thought as he continued walking.

After passing through the ecological garden in the biotechnology section, they arrived at a huge eight-story domed exhibition hall. This was the research institute for mechanical civilization. At this moment, the entire institute had invested significant financial resources specifically to research vacuum mechs for Xu Zhi. Although Caroline primarily focused on biological fields, the Yixu Daru people still had many mechanical scientists who embraced the romanticism of magical energy mechanics. Moreover, having unlocked brain potential, their mechanical technology advanced countless times faster than before.

"Currently, a research institute composed of ten New Humans can achieve technological advancements equivalent to what a single Li Weisi could," Caroline smiled, "You can imagine how terrifying our current civilization's pace is!"

Xu Zhi understood. Their physical cultivation levels weren't high, as cultivation couldn't be achieved overnight. However, their technology already allowed for the mass production of high-end mechanical armor, even reaching the realm of seventh-rank Heavenly Emperors. Although their combat power hadn't reached the peak Heavenly Emperor level, it was still astounding! In the ancient lava region, magical beasts were also rapidly developing, with quite a few Heavenly Emperors emerging, but compared to the Yixu Daru, they had no advantage in mechanical technology.

"Currently, the Yixu Daru people occupy only 4% of the ancient lava region, yet their combined combat power is comparable to all the magical beasts in 30% of the territory, and it's still rapidly increasing," Caroline remarked, brimming with pride. "And now, even if I were gone, human society would still maintain order and operate stably, because the civilizational order has thoroughly matured."

"I could have retired long ago, my mission accomplished!" As she spoke, Caroline's words were filled with pride for her race, a genuine emotion and confidence, as if she possessed the same incredible self-assurance she had when refusing the gods back then. She led Xu Zhi to a secret research base.

"How are the transfer experiments progressing?""Has the Human Optimization Plan been re-tested?"Under the soft white light embedded in the ceiling, human scientists in white coats hurried back and forth. After navigating a series of corridors, Caroline led Xu Zhi to a secret core room.

A sleek, slender black mech rested quietly within a glass enclosure. "This is our vacuum magic-energy mech!" Caroline's brainwaves faintly flickered. "It possesses extremely strong insulation and pressure resistance, forged from previously used lava materials with their molecular structures altered, combined with our magic-energy crafting techniques."

She had already activated a mechanism, and the air within the entire glass enclosure was rapidly evacuated, creating a vacuum. "Not only can it withstand a vacuum, but it also embodies the collective wisdom of all Yixu Daru people. Its performance and combat power are top-tier."

"Not bad," Xu Zhi observed. This mechanical battlesuit was strikingly futuristic and aesthetically pleasing, perfectly aligning with his tastes. It could also completely withstand vacuum pressure, indicating the immense effort and cost Caroline had invested.

"For practical application, it still needs testing..." Caroline looked at Xu Zhi with eager anticipation. Xu Zhi was momentarily speechless; he knew what she wanted. She was curious about the vacuum of space.

However, this mech did need practical testing for further improvements, and satisfying their wish was no big deal. It was just a vacuum, wasn't it? For them, it was an incredibly rare domain, but for Xu Zhi, it was quite ordinary. "Alright," Xu Zhi replied with a smile.

"Really?" Caroline's eyes lit up. "Of course," Xu Zhi said, not being stingy or constrained. "I can take you and some research personnel to the vacuum world for an on-site inspection."

*Clank! Clank!**Clank!*The next second, the entire massive eight-story research institute rapidly transformed and warped, rising from the ground. Layers of earth peeled away, revealing a sleek, black, mechanical metal body as it turned into a gigantic mechanical spaceship.

Human scientists moved about, and various thoughts echoed through the rooms."For the glory of the Yixu Daru people! We've prepared for countless years, all for this moment!""Thirteen super power reactors, test-tuned and complete!""Vacuum pressure emergency shield, ready!""Optical mimicry stealth shield, activated!""Lava giant cannon, fully charged!""Human ecological specimens, 138,000 animals, plants, and magical beasts, fully loaded and ready to test survival in a vacuum environment!"A series of solemn voices resonated throughout the enormous mechanical spaceship.

Xu Zhi stood in the room, baffled. He hadn't even realized that the entire institute had already been prepared in this manner.

But the next second, he couldn't help but let out a wry chuckle. In truth, Xu Zhi himself had considered this possibility, using the Yixu Daru people's test as an opportunity to explore the universe, as he had never been there himself.

Xu Zhi suddenly wanted to say, "Like you, I also possess a grand dream of the stars and oceans." However, he didn't speak, as he needed to maintain his dignity in front of this incredibly advanced technological civilization.

"Let's depart! This entire research institute was built for you, the Super Ancient God, and for the research results you desire!" Caroline's eyes gleamed brightly. Standing with Xu Zhi in front of the core cockpit, looking out through the window, she asked, "Great Super Ancient God, by what means shall we enter that world? Spatial shuttle? Wormhole? Time-space teleportation?"