Genius Playground

Chapter 321: Chapter 8: The Truth of History

“Ahahaha… Ahahaha…”

A few minutes later, Chi Xiaoguo pushed the door open and came in. Her face was dripping wet, and she scratched the back of her head with an awkward laugh.

“Jeez, it was so hot just now, I was feeling a little dizzy! I splashed some water on my face, and I feel much better… Yep, yep, much better.”

“What were you saying earlier? You wanted me to be the one outside answering the phone, right? No problem, no problem, I’m ready whenever!”

Jiang Ran picked up his phone and glanced at the time.

It was already 10:52 PM.

Chi Xiaoguo had taken too long washing her face in the bathroom. There were only eight minutes left before the dorms locked up.

“Let’s save it for next time.”

He looked up and said:

“It’s a little too late today. There are a lot of precautions I’d need to explain, and we’re running out of time.”

“So… let’s just do the experiment the usual way today. I’ll be the one outside, and we can switch tomorrow.”

“Okay, okay, okay.”

Chi Xiaoguo nodded her head rapidly, like a chick pecking at grain.

Jiang Ran wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like Chi Xiaoguo’s gaze was unfocused. Her eyes never met his, constantly darting from side to side.

But time was short and the task was important, so he couldn’t dwell on it.

He braced his hands on the windowsill, vaulted out, and landed beside the transformer box. Taking out his phone, he called out:

“I’m ready!”

“I-I-I’m ready on my end too… Just a second…”

Chi Xiaoguo was unusually flustered and tongue-tied today.

Biting her lower lip, she picked up her phone, dialed Jiang Ran’s number, and then shouted out the window:

“Okay, I’m starting the countdown! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! 0!”

The Positron Cannon aimed at the transformer box roared to life. Jiang Ran timed it perfectly, pressing the “answer” button on his phone—

BUZZ!

BUZZ!

BUZZ!

Dizziness washed over him, the world spinning. By now, Jiang Ran had grown accustomed to this stage and handled it with ease.

Two seconds later, the discomfort vanished.

The enticing aroma of cake wafted toward him as Jiang Ran opened his eyes.

“Sir, would you like to try our new orange juice? It’s free!”

‘The same scene as always.’

A young waitress in a maid outfit noticed him and walked over with a smile.

“No, I’m good, thanks.”

Jiang Ran waved his hand.

Ever since he’d learned that everything around him was fake—a Virtual World simulated by a computer—Jiang Ran had lost all interest in such insubstantial food.

He turned around.

Then turned back.

“Actually, I’ll have a glass.”

He pursed his lips.

‘The juice is fake, sure… but I can’t deny how good it tastes. And I am a little thirsty.’

“Hehe, our shop’s new special! I promise it won’t disappoint you!”

The waitress in the maid outfit was delighted. She took out a shockingly large cup, poured it full of orange juice for Jiang Ran, and handed it to him.

“If you like it, come find me for a refill anytime!”

‘It’s the exact same line every time. It’s hard for me to believe she’s a real girl. The more I look, the more she seems like an NPC controlled by a computer program.’

He walked to the side of the road with the orange juice and drank it down in big gulps.

So good.

‘I have to say, the juice here is incredibly pure. It’s just so good!’

After finishing, he threw the paper cup into the trash can.

Then he hopped on a shared hoverbike.

He flew toward the familiar watch shop.

‘A watch was essential to keep accurate track of the time.’

Soon, he had the free digital watch on his wrist. He got back on the hoverbike and went to find a street-side bookstore.

‘Perhaps physical books had truly become obsolete in this era.’ He’d flown in a large circle without finding a single bookstore.

In the end, he had to land and ask a passerby. Only then did he learn the location of the library and speed off in that direction.

All the fuss had wasted a lot of time, much to Jiang Ran’s frustration.

Thirty-nine minutes and eleven seconds sounded generous, but after factoring in all the prep work and the time wasted traveling, there was very little left.

On his way to the library, he passed by the classical-style building and spotted the furtive-looking Sang Biao by the wall again.

‘What the hell is that guy doing here?’

Jiang Ran was curious, but he didn’t have time to mess with Sang Biao today. That would have to wait.

Another ten minutes passed before he arrived at the library.

He lifted his wrist to look.

The time was already 10:22. He only had 17 minutes left to look through the history books.

‘Faster, faster.’

He sprinted through the building, asking for directions as he went, and finally found the historical records section on the third floor.

While the library retained a traditional atmosphere, it was also filled with high-tech features in every respect.

For example, in the main reading areas, every seat at every table had a tablet computer embedded in the wooden desktop. These tablets could be used not only to read e-books but also to search the database.

By comparison, the physical books on the shelves seemed to be more for show—a memorial, a continuation of the spirit of reading.

But Jiang Ran had no time for such sentimentality.

‘If I’d known they had something so convenient, I wouldn’t have bothered coming all the way to the third floor. I could have just grabbed any open seat.’

Jiang Ran quickly began searching on the tablet. He was looking for this world’s history between 2025 and 2045, hoping to quickly uncover the truth behind the Virtual World’s origin and existence.

“Found it!”

The tablet’s search function was incredibly precise. Jiang Ran quickly found a commentary by a historian—

In 2028, due to periodic solar activity, an unprecedented natural disaster swept the globe. Sixty percent of the world’s population perished, and Earth’s environment became inhospitable to human life.

The air filled with toxic gases, atmospheric temperatures soared, and human civilization was on the brink of collapse. The extinction of our species seemed inevitable.

Fortunately, in what was otherwise a catastrophe, the great Mr. Pompey had the foresight to overcome the challenges of Consciousness Upload technology. In the years prior, he had deployed a vast number of servers and data centers across the globe, creating a path forward for the continuation of human civilization.

Consciousness Upload technology could extract a person’s consciousness and memories from their brain, allowing them to shed their physical body and become a “Digital Life” composed of computer data.

A Digital Life can exist within a virtual world, unaffected by the harsh external environment or resource scarcity. For the humans who transformed into these digital lifeforms, they completed a higher level of evolution and entered a true Utopia of happiness!

The Virtual Digital World built by Mr. Pompey is indistinguishable from the real world. Thanks to a breakthrough in Controllable Nuclear Fusion, the problem of supplying power to the servers and data centers was solved.

While the post-disaster Earth was no longer habitable for humans, the toxic gases and high temperatures had no effect on the operation of the servers.

Thus, with Mr. Pompey’s selfless help, a total of 2.3 billion people underwent the Consciousness Upload procedure in time to begin living in the Virtual Digital World. A new epoch for humanity began at that moment, turning the page to write a new chapter.

‘So it’s true. This really is a Virtual World.’

Although he had already deduced as much, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but feel a little shocked now that he had concrete proof.

He looked around at the diverse crowds of people.

‘It seems these people—men, women, young, and old—were all once living real lives on Earth.’

‘According to this historical account, they were forced to abandon their physical bodies and become Digital Life simply to survive.’

‘In 2028, a global natural disaster devastated the planet’s environment, killing sixty percent of the population.’

‘For the survivors, that left only two choices—’

‘1. Remain on post-disaster Earth and wait to die in the toxic air and extreme heat.’

‘2. Undergo Mr. Pompey’s Consciousness Upload procedure, abandon their physical bodies, and have their memories and consciousness converted into a “digital lifeform” to live in the Virtual Digital World.’

Jiang Ran believed some people would have rather died on Earth than become “digital pets in a server cage.”

‘At least, that’s what I would think…’

‘Then again…’

‘It’s easy for me to say that now.’

‘If I were really faced with a choice between life and death, the truth of the old saying “a miserable life is better than a good death” would probably knock some sense into me.’

‘But…’

‘2028… That disaster is way too close.’

That was what truly shocked Jiang Ran.

‘His reality was already late 2025. If this historical account was true, didn’t that mean human civilization had only two years left before everyone kicked the bucket?’

‘Granted, this Virtual World was, in a way, another form of continuation for human civilization.’

‘But from a physical and biological standpoint, it was no different from extinction.’

‘If the air in the real world outside was truly filled with toxins and the temperature had soared to 50 degrees Celsius, then it was true that no one could have survived.’

‘Even if a few lucky people survived under extreme circumstances, it would only be temporary. They wouldn’t last twenty years.’

‘According to the records, by 2030, there were no humans left alive on Earth. Human civilization continued only within the Virtual Digital World.’

‘But is this a long-term solution?’

Jiang Ran scratched his head.

‘If humanity is stuck in the Virtual Digital World forever, what future is there? Wouldn’t they be trapped here for life?’

‘Besides, won’t the servers and data centers in the outside world eventually break down?’

Filled with questions, he looked down and continued reading the historian’s commentary.

Mr. Pompey’s Digital World project was flawless. Robotic factories in the outside world have already formed a self-sustaining, expansionary cycle. Robots maintain the data centers and servers, constantly manufacturing new hardware to meet the ever-growing data storage demands of the Digital World.

According to Mr. Pompey’s projections, the Digital World can be sustained for a full 30,000 years under the current plan. Thousands of generations will be able to live and thrive in this Utopian World, developing technology and moving toward a future of even greater possibilities.

The greatest advantages the Digital World has over the real world are [Infinite Resources] and [Process Acceleration]. Whether it’s construction, scientific experiments, or academic research, everything can be expedited using the Virtual World’s unique architecture.

With this in mind, one year of development in the Digital World could potentially surpass ten years of development in the real world.

At this accelerated rate of development, human potential is limitless, far exceeding the constraints of the real world.

The Digital World is humanity’s sanctuary, and also its Garden of Eden. Once human civilization has developed to a certain point within the Virtual World, it is destined to greet a brand new future.

The article concluded with a famous quote from Mr. Pompey:

“Minds need not be shackled by flesh and blood; civilization needs a new path forward!”