"With the Tyranis' technology, this will be easy," the Hive Mind replied calmly. "However, they won't be able to level up by killing monsters like in one of Earth's MMORPGs."
Xu Zhi nodded thoughtfully.
That much was obvious—this wasn't a real game.
He didn't want a leveling system based on grinding or monster-slaying. His vision was more akin to Minecraft—a creative sandbox with freedom to explore, build, and shape the world.
A game of evolution. A simulation.
Something like Spore, or even Mole Manor, where players could farm, evolve, and engage in peaceful activities. No endless combat, no kill-to-grow mechanics.
He planned to set the cell division rate at 10,000 units. Every player would begin as a single spore, evolving freely into whatever species they wished. From cell division to birth, growth, aging, and death—every stage would be under their control.
A complete life cycle simulation.
A full playthrough of Spore Evolution would span several days. Hopefully, some players would surprise him and create truly unique lifeforms.
This was just a side project—a spontaneous idea. It wouldn't take much effort. His main focus remained the primary sandbox.
The players wouldn't have access to that larger world. Instead, they'd be confined to a smaller, isolated ecosystem.
He couldn't risk them mingling with the native species. After all, without combat leveling, they'd always be weaker. Could they train like the natives?
Haha.
Like I've got the time to babysit every single one of you.
Since this smaller sandbox would serve as the cradle of new species, Xu Zhi decided to name it:
Land of Genesis.
From there, he would handpick the most promising and powerful species—the ones with the greatest evolutionary potential—and transfer them to the larger sandbox. It was the perfect way to seed a diverse new world in the aftermath of the Great Flood and the collapse of Sumerian civilization.
He couldn't let the Bugapes monopolize intelligence.
One sentient race wasn't enough—it would tip the balance and break the system.
This world needed diversity.
As for monetizing the game?
Xu Zhi wasn't interested.
He had only one goal: to cure his cancer.
"How long will it take to set up?" Xu Zhi asked.
"About three days," the Hive Mind replied. "We'll use existing VR technology as a medium."
"VR? Seriously?" Xu Zhi blinked in surprise.
VR movies were popular, sure. But the few VR games he'd tried online were total trash.
Still, if the Hive Mind vouched for it, he wasn't going to argue. The Tyranis had once evolved their brains to an unfathomable level, creating a civilization of unparalleled science and advancement.
"Alright then. I'll get started on building the new sandbox in the yard. It'll be the setting for Spore Evolution."
Compared to before, his physical condition had greatly improved.
"A thirty-square-meter patch, right in front of my door," he muttered, swinging his hoe with practiced ease. "This way, if any of you get annoying, I can just squash you under my boot on the way out."
The Hive Mind would need a few days to set up the network and backend infrastructure. Xu Zhi would use that time to finish his part of the work.
"I've really turned into a farmer, haven't I?"
Wielding his hoe, Xu Zhi carefully shaped a thirty-square-meter sandbox. Thanks to his previous experience, the job went smoothly. He modeled it after the original sandbox layout, ensuring it had varied terrain and subtle design cues to inspire exploration and adaptation.
When he was done, he fired up the flamethrower and swept the area clean of lingering plants and creatures.
This time, his body was strong and healthy. The whole job took a day and a half. By the end, he was covered in blackened mud. He trudged inside for a well-earned shower.
Meanwhile...
Chen Wenshan, a seasoned gamer and Steam junkie, had just rage-quit Sekiro for the third time that week.
"Too damn hardcore," he muttered, rubbing his sore hands as he scrolled through the indie game section. Maybe there was a hidden gem somewhere in that endless list.
Huh? What's this?
Spore Evolution – Closed Beta
A VR Simulation Game
Casual. Evolution. Limitless Possibilities.
The #1 Choice for Creative Gamers!
Chen Wenshan snorted. "Scamming Chinese devs at it again."
Limitless possibilities? Starting as spores?
You think you're Civilization VII?
Even in Civ, you started with tribes, not as microscopic lifeforms. This was ridiculous.
And a VR game? Seriously?
"I've played VR. You put on some glasses and play with blocks, milk cows, or pretend to be a pig. The tech's still garbage."
Still, he downloaded it out of curiosity.
43 gigabytes?
What the hell did they put in here? The genome of every organism on Earth?
After the long download, he registered an account—Akinas Speedster—and donned his old VR glasses, the kind he usually used to watch movies.
To his surprise, the title screen wasn't bad. In fact, it was... polished. Well-made. A single prompt appeared:
Do you wish to begin your evolution?
He clicked yes.
Darkness engulfed him. It felt like plunging into a deep ocean.
"What the hell? I can actually feel my limbs... Like I'm swimming?"
His mind reeled.
Was this some kind of next-gen tech? A VR system that transmits sensory data directly into the brain? Realistic touch, movement... Is this the legendary full-dive VR?!
What Chen Wenshan didn't know was this:
His soul had been digitized and uploaded into a spore, floating in Xu Zhi's yard.
Inside the Land of Genesis.
Xu Zhi had no clue how the miracle tech worked—and frankly, he didn't care.
"It's pitch black," muttered Chen Wenshan as he swam through the void. "What the hell am I doing? Am I blind?"
Then a message flashed before his eyes:
You are currently a spore. Please evolve eyes to gain vision.
"...???"
Evolve eyes?
He froze. This wasn't a casual sim game—it was more hardcore than Sekiro!