Chapter 611: The Nature of Life, Simply Pixels (Two-in-One)

Digital? A digital camera? That was Xu Zhi’s first thought when he heard the word “digital.” It then inexplicably made him think of Famicom consoles from the 80s and 90s, Subor game consoles, King of Fighters, Pokémon, and black-and-white or colored pixel blocks, which led him to think of mosaics.

A digital planet? How strange could it be?

Xu Zhi, as a planetary partner, had just returned to his inner world, the “Six Paths of Reincarnation,” to refine the worldviews of several ancient forbidden zones. Was this a new surprise awaiting him so soon? The thought of bringing those individuals over for friendly negotiations and visits was immediately dismissed. After all, he had just recovered from his interaction with the online gamers from that other world.

“Digital?” Xu Zhi inquired.

“Digital, yes, perhaps that’s the right term,” Caroline replied.

Caroline was indeed a passionate, if somewhat eccentric, life scientist, engrossed in the modification of life structures and genetic engineering.

“As you know, when I created the All-Clan Cells, they represented the pinnacle of Ishtarian biological civilization—a special, high-energy foundational cell. It’s incredibly simple, like tiny clay soccer balls, devoid of complex structures such as cell walls, nuclei, or DNA. It’s merely a delicate, precise, ball-like structure, brimming with endless potential.”

This particular aspect was no exception. After all, their original philosophy was that “one” encompasses “all,” and “all” is contained within “one.”

The All-Clan Cell itself was considered the ultimate genetic programming structure by this race of mad scientists, who self-proclaimed themselves as gods. They believed it to be the theoretically most perfect fundamental form of life programming.

So why does it possess infinite possibilities? Precisely because its structure is exceptionally “simple,” forming a unified “one,” it holds the potential for “all,” thus embodying an infinite future. The “power” they spoke of wasn’t viewed through the lens of current Ishtarian technological capabilities. They firmly believed that even ten millennia into the distant future, when their technological civilization had reached an incomparably advanced stage, this “All-Clan” structure would still hold infinite possibilities.

The simpler, the greater the infinite possibilities. This implicitly aligned with a profound, unseen principle.

“Digital… is it connected to the All-Clan Cells?” Xu Zhi finally understood.

“Yes,” Caroline confirmed.

Caroline smiled. “As you know, the All-Clan Cells no longer possess a spiral structure for genetic programming.”

Xu Zhi was already aware of this. While most life forms possess DNA structures that store vital encoding information, the All-Clan Cells had been simplified to such an extent that they lacked “hereditary genes.” How they reproduced was a mystery to Xu Zhi.

Caroline then explained, “What is the fundamental purpose of a life’s hereditary gene pool? We once embarked on the Ishtarian Genetic Engineering Project, where the combined wisdom of our entire civilization analyzed the spiral structures of billions of gene sequences. We discovered that the hereditary genetic library’s primary function is to manage a life form’s overly complex physiological structure. To differentiate into various structures like bone cells, hair cells, and blood cells, a vast amount of stored data is required. For instance, if a person sustains an injury and only bone remains in a certain area, how can the bone cells regenerate entirely different flesh cells and skin tissue? It’s essential for bone cells to store the genetic information for flesh cells to generate new flesh cells with a different structure and repair the body. Consequently, almost every cell contains a genetic library capable of replicating hair, bone, and blood cells. Theoretically, a single cell could reconstruct an entire human being, which explains the need for such complex information storage.

“But what about the All-Clan Cells? They exhibit no cell differentiation, consisting solely of a single, most rudimentary type of clay cell. Therefore, they don’t require such a complex genetic database. Furthermore, without a genetic repository, they are immune to infection by the Great Unification Virus. This makes them the most powerful virus-immune entities ever invented by the Ishtarians.”

Xu Zhi blinked in surprise. It suddenly dawned on him. So, you’ve been fixated on the Great Unification Virus this whole time?! They remained obsessed with the deadly zombie virus that had decimated their civilization. The Great Unification Virus targeted and exploited a life form’s genes, but now they had conceived a direct cure: “If I have no DNA, if I am ‘one,’ how can you infect me?” That’s truly extreme!

Only at this moment did Xu Zhi truly grasp the immense technological ingenuity and profound resentment that had been poured into the Ishtarians’ “All-Clan” life structure.

“Back then, when the Pillar God Virus couldn’t infect the entire planet, I realized it was a virus’s bane,” Xu Zhi mused. “And the reason it could infect Number Eighteen was that she wasn’t a pure All-Clan; she was an android with cells containing other biological DNA.”

Xu Zhi pondered, “The All-Clan truly holds infinite possibilities. Perhaps, in the distant future, it might indeed be the life structure of the one true Creator God.” After all, what did ancient Chinese philosophy state? “Chaos is one; one gives birth to all things.” Simple clay life cells… While seemingly straightforward, the technical expertise required to achieve such a feat was immense.

Now, the All-Clan could indeed create all things; the clay cells were capable of forming various life forms, though essentially, these were merely superficial clay organisms with defined shapes. As for black hair, it was merely clay filaments coated with melanin.

Xu Zhi sighed thoughtfully. “So, is this ‘digital life’ connected to the All-Clan Cells?”

“There’s a connection,” Caroline confirmed.

Caroline’s expression remained serene. With a slight gesture, a translucent screen materialized before them. “This,” she stated, “is the two-hundred-year history of civilization on this peculiar planet.”

*Whoosh!* The screen displayed a planet rising into the sky, marking its initial ascension. It was a medium-sized planet—a beautiful, art-like, snow-white ceramic orb with a surface area equivalent to a hundred acres. Its interior featured an intricate structure of “true qi” meridians, serving simple functions: suspension, emitting gravity waves, and absorbing creatures on its surface.

*Whoosh!* Quickly, the scene shifted to a white porcelain deity standing in the starry sky, gently extending a hand. Vast amounts of soil and glaciers covered the white ceramic planet, and pre-prepared life forms and plants, suitable for its gravity and ecological environment, were introduced, initiating their initial proliferation.

The dominant life form on this planet resembled a simple paramecium, standing half a person’s height and appearing wrinkled all over. They didn’t seem particularly intelligent; adults possessed the intellect of a seven or eight-year-old child. The trees consisted of various types of small shrubs, more than a dozen varieties in all. As vacuum plants, thriving in the cold, desolate vacuum of space without atmospheric protection, they had long evolved the ability to “suck” ice from the planet to replenish their water supply. In addition to the paramecium-like creatures, there were also simple-structured animals that were entirely wild beasts—beetles and small creatures, representing the lowest tier of animal life.

“At this stage of development, the initial intelligent life on this planet was considered complete,” Caroline stated. “I didn’t have high hopes for this planet. While intelligent life had indeed evolved, their intelligence was quite limited, comparable to a six- or seven-year-old human child. I believed that even after a thousand years, it would remain a simple, primitive civilization, capable at best of building dwellings and wielding sticks to resist alien invasions.”

“Indeed, their intelligence is quite low,” Xu Zhi conceded. This was quite normal. During the initial simulations, most of the processing power had been allocated to the “All-Clan.” The other species were wild, observed only occasionally. While many also exhibited varying degrees of intelligence, races with medium or high intelligence remained rare. The vast majority were low-intelligence life forms, scattered across various planets to fill roles as the dominant species of their respective eras, though not with great expectations. After all, the universe naturally contained the most planets hosting rudimentary life. Only the Stone Planet and Cybertron had received significant effort, as they were designated the primary subjects for their respective eras.

“What happened next?” Xu Zhi inquired.

He lowered his gaze, observing the primordial paramecium planet. It was a wild, untamed forest, with no discernible strangeness. However, typically, two hundred years wouldn’t be enough for “species evolution” to occur on this planet. These paramecium-like creatures should still be paramecium-like creatures, remaining the lowest form of life. It wasn’t operating at a “Genesis” evolutionary speed. Could it be that these lower species were capable of self-directed evolution? Self-evolution, the act of actively raising one’s life level through a path of cultivation, was a capability typically reserved for higher-intelligence species.

“Well, something rather peculiar occurred later…” Caroline began. “It even exceeded my computational predictions. Indeed, the wonders of nature cannot be anticipated through mere calculations; they possess boundless possibilities…”

Caroline’s expression grew somewhat peculiar. She resumed playing the translucent screen. “This is their development history over the subsequent two hundred years. Please observe.”

Xu Zhi turned to watch. The large screen clearly documented the entire planet’s developmental history. It was like watching a movie on fast-forward.

As eons seemed to pass, the paramecium-like creatures and various plants formed the ecosystem of this world. These organisms had very short lifespans, only five or six years, but their reproduction rate rivaled that of ants. Forty years saw over ten generations, which was only enough for subtle population differentiation: the paramecium-like creatures evolved from pure emerald green to two distinct organisms—emerald green and dark green.

“The timeframe for normal evolution is simply too brief,” Xu Zhi mused. “Even after over a hundred years, population differentiation and environmental adaptation would, at most, result in a ‘skin’ color change.” Observing this, Xu Zhi assumed that life would simply continue along this predictable path.

However… Xu Zhi suddenly perceived a critical juncture in their fate. He clearly saw a paramecium-like creature digging through thick soil, reaching the planet’s “core,” and directly contacting the main body of the All-Clan Cell planet.

Then… this paramecium-like creature, during its breeding season, unable to find a mate, astonishingly began to court the entire planet while sprawled on the ground…

Xu Zhi found this scene rather normal, devoid of any particular emotional reaction, much like witnessing two small dogs engaged in an indescribable act on the roadside. After all, such behavior is quite common in nature; many animals exhibit similar, perfectly normal biological responses. For example, a poodle in a certain period might even attempt to mate with the air—haven’t you seen Animal Planet? Even dolphins, during their specific periods, will seek out kayaks or small boats.

But the very next second… he completely froze! He saw numerous paramecium-like creatures, unable to find mates due to survival pressures, imitating the first one and beginning to court the entire planet.

Xu Zhi then watched as this strange behavior became a racial custom, persisting for over a decade, until one day, the entire planet suddenly became pregnant…

The planet! It actually got pregnant! It gave birth to a small, ceramic paramecium, wailing loudly.

*Wuru! Wuru!* The small, wretched paramecium cried out, emitting pheromones. He wept with joy; too weak to find a mate and continue his lineage, this was a gift from the Earth itself. He firmly believed in the child’s extraordinary nature, that it was the offspring of the entire planet and himself—a magnificent and sacred life. Emerging from underground, he held the infant aloft, crying, “U! Ru!—”

*Whoosh!* A golden ray of sunlight shone down, as if eternally inscribing an ancient mythical origin into history.

As Xu Zhi witnessed this segment of the planet’s biological evolution, his mind was seized by a thunderous revelation; his entire perception shattered.

“That’s it…” he murmured. “Short periods are certainly not enough for a species to evolve dramatically, but cross-breeding between organisms is also a method for evolving entirely new species!”

Caroline’s expression was also solemn as she stared at the screen, observing the small ceramic paramecium. She calmly stated, “This race remains unaware that their era has ushered in a brand new epoch, and the murals of history will not commemorate the glory of this particular moment.”

“Even I must concede, this is a miracle of life, incredibly difficult to replicate, as there’s a biological barrier between species,” she continued. “I’ve attempted to replicate this phenomenon many times since, without success. I also experimented with species from other planets, finding that none could produce offspring with the All-Clan. This case appears to be unique. Ultimately, I can only attribute it to the very unique genes of this paramecium, which somehow created a peculiar chemical reaction and fusion with the All-Clan, astonishingly resulting in viable, normal offspring. The probability is unimaginably low; I haven’t been able to replicate it even once since.”

A miracle of life… Xu Zhi murmured, filled with awe. The genetic isolation between two species wasn’t absolute after all. Tigers and lions, for instance, can, with an extremely low probability, produce ligers, though most are deformed or incomplete.

“That’s incredible.” He possessed the ability to control evolution, yet he couldn’t grasp the fundamental secrets of its nature. The evolution of life was always replete with unbelievable miracles and unforeseen futures. Perhaps only in the future, at the Tenth or Eleventh Tier, upon becoming a true Creator God, would one truly comprehend the essence of life.

Xu Zhi clearly observed that with the birth of the first unique ceramic paramecium, its immense weight conferred a significant advantage. It began to reproduce continuously, maintaining its intimacy with the Earth, and performing elaborate sacrifices using a strange, fiery totem, making the entire process extraordinarily grand. With each successive generation, their genes gradually approached those of the All-Clan Cells. Their strength became enormous, their weight increased by over seventy times, their structure became exceedingly simple, and their cells transformed into simple spheres. Like the All-Clan Cells, they too gradually lost their original gene sequence structure.

What happens when a species loses its inherent genetic structure? Xu Zhi witnessed it. These ceramic paramecium-like creatures lost their original tentacles, skin, and cellular structures, gradually dissolving into shapeless masses. No two individuals of the species shared the same appearance or structure. It was as if a small boy had casually molded a collection of bizarre creatures from clay; no two members of the entire species were alike.

*Wuru!* They roared. These primitive creatures believed the Earth Mother was punishing them. Though granted increased strength, they lost their inherent forms and became grotesque, leading them to engage in frenzied rituals and peculiar tribal ceremonies.

“This species has lost its inherent life form,” Xu Zhi remarked, his expression growing peculiar. “Their offspring are all sorts of bizarre deformities; it’s as if no one is molding them… they have every conceivable appearance.”

What followed was even stranger. Among these ceramic clay paramecium-like creatures, the “affliction” supposedly sent by the Earth God continued to spread. The structure of their spherical cells became increasingly simplified, and the cells themselves expanded in size. They became progressively more deformed, resembling large, randomly sculpted lumps of clay monsters. Their genetic chains had completely disintegrated, causing them to lose their inherent genetic life form.

Xu Zhi was stunned by the sight. “Are they reverting to an ancestral form? Degenerating from multicellular organisms back into single-celled ones?” But Xu Zhi’s concerns proved unnecessary. They continued to degenerate until they became organisms composed of merely tens of thousands of cells, at which point their form stabilized.

Only tens of thousands of cells? Xu Zhi found the sight profoundly shocking. Those who hadn’t witnessed it firsthand could not possibly comprehend the visual impact. If you were to tell an ordinary person about a creature made of only tens of thousands of cells, they’d find it hard to grasp, perhaps merely offering an “oh,” because they couldn’t possibly imagine it. They wouldn’t understand the concept of tens of thousands of cells. Even if you then explain that a normal Ishtarian possesses approximately a hundred trillion cells, providing a comparison, the scale would still be unimaginable to them. But witnessing it in person was truly astounding. It was like a collection of mosaic creatures, pixelated animals, with each large pixel block clearly visible.

Xu Zhi felt goosebumps rise on his skin. What kind of bizarre creatures were these?

Caroline, too, fell silent for a moment, her expression filled with emotion. “Now you understand how strange it is, don’t you? Just when I thought I was powerful enough, the miracles of life presented by nature made me truly realize how insignificant and laughable my individual existence is in this vast universe.” She gazed at the low-pixel animal. “In a sense, life is merely composed of particles. If we consider the pixel resolution from the perspective of modern Ishtarians, humans are high-definition creatures with quadrillions of pixels, requiring a microscope to discern their individual ‘mosaics.’ But before us…” She fixed her gaze on the pixels before them. “This creature before us, in our eyes, appears as if it were rendered in 1080p resolution… like observing a two-dimensional creature from a higher dimension.”

Beyond stating that life was composed of individual circles, she also revealed a fundamental truth: The very essence of the world was, in fact, pixels composed of particles.

“The evolution of life is always imbued with mystery and the unknown.” Caroline continued to display images of these enigmatic creatures across the planet, and it was clear this wasn’t the end of their story.

These pixelated organisms soon began to wage war among themselves. Simultaneously, over several generations of evolution, they quickly abandoned their spherical form. Spheres were too soft and lacked robust interlocking capabilities, leading to their swift self-rejection. In a mere fifty years, their spherical pixel cells gave way to square and octagonal forms. Thanks to this interlocking, block-like cellular structure, which possessed a hardness comparable to bone cells, they finally rose to their feet, no longer mere shapeless masses.

In Xu Zhi’s eyes, as if witnessing the passage of eons, he saw pixelated, mosaic-like animals battling one another. Even the trees were composed of pixel blocks. Gazing at this pixelated planet… it was as if he were seeing “Minecraft” brought to life, with blocky animals engaging in a grand, epic forest war!