Shepherding Humanity

"With the Tyranis' technology, it can easily be done." The Hive Mind replied, "However, they won’t be able to level up by killing monsters like in one of Earth’s MMORPGs."

Xu Zhi nodded.

It wasn't a real game after all, that was only to be expected.

He also did not want to create a level system that encourages people to fight monsters in the first place. His game was going to be something like “Minecraft”, an open world sandbox kind of game where players would be free to explore, evolve, and create whatever they wanted.

It would also be similar to the the simulation game “Spore” and the game “Mole Manor”, where players spend their time farming and engaging in peaceful activities.

Xu Zhi intended to set cell division speed within the game at 10,000 units, and let the players start as spores and evolve into whatever species they wanted.

They’d have control over their cell division, growth, evolution, old age and death, and a playthrough of "Spore Evolution" would take several days… Hopefully, they’d be able to surprise him and evolve some extraordinary species.

This was just a little side project he had thought up on a whim.

It wouldn't take much effort, and his main focus was still the large sandbox.

The players wouldn’t be able to gain access to the large sandbox and would only be able to entertain themselves in the small sandbox.

He couldn’t allow them to share a world with the natives since they couldn’t level up by killing monsters and would always be weak. As for letting them get stronger through slow and patient training like the natives?

Haha.

Like I have the time to look after you guys!

Since this smaller independent sandbox was going to be the origin of many new species, Xu Zhi intended to call it the "Land of Genesis".

From among the species the players evolve, Xu Zhi would select the most powerful and unique species with the greatest potential and move them into the larger sandbox. This should allow him to perfect the new world that would come about after the Great Flood and the fall of Sumerian civilization.

After all, he could not allow the Bugapes to have a monopoly on intelligence.

At this point, Xu Zhi knew that having only one intelligent race could easily lead to extreme imbalance and destroy the sandbox. He wanted to create a diverse world with many different races.

As for using the game to make money?

Xu Zhi didn't plan to do that. He only wanted to cure his cancer. That was all.

"How long will this take?" Xu Zhi asked.

"About three days." The Hive Mind replied. It was surprisingly quick. "We can use existing technology – VR gaming glasses – as a medium. "

"Huh? VR? Will that be okay?" Xu Zhi was stunned.

Now, while VR movies were very popular, the few VR games he had played on the Internet were complete garbage.

But if the Hive Mind said that it was okay, then Xu Zhi would take its word for it. The previous Tyranis civilization had focused on evolving their brains to increase their intelligence and had developed a miraculous level of science and technology.

"Then I'll start by creating a small sandbox in the yard for the players to use as the setting for the “Spore Evolution” game."

Compared to the first time he did this kind of work, his body’s condition has greatly improved.

"Anyway, it’ll be a small area of about thirty square meters placed right before my front door." He swung his hoe. "This way, if anybody annoys me, I’ll easily be able to squish them under my boots on my way out. "

It should take the Hive Mind several days to finish setting up the game’s network, along with various other preparations. Xu Zhi would use that time to thoroughly complete his share of the work.

"I have really become a farmer, haven’t I?"

Wielding his hoe, Xu Zhi created a small sandbox measuring about thirty square meters. Thanks to his previous experience, the work was easy, and he quickly built a small sandbox with a similar layout to the previous one.

Once done, he used the flamethrower again to sweep away the remnants of plants and animals.

This time his body was strong and healthy, and the work only took him a day and a half. His clothes were covered in black mud by the time he was done and he headed into the shower.

……..

Chen Wenshan was a veteran gamer who has purchased countless games on Steam. He had just retired from a session of “Sekiro” and was in the middle of cursing the game for being too hardcore. Once he had calmed down, he started browsing through Steam’s list of new indie games, hoping to find a hidden gem.

What's this?

A VR game?

“Spore Evolution” closed beta?

Casual simulation game. Species evolution. Endless possibilities. The number one choice for casual gamers?

He grasped a few keywords and laughed. He silently cursed the scamming Chinese game developer who had uploaded this in his mind.

Endless possibilities? Evolve from spores?

Do you think you're playing Civilization 7?

Even in that game, you start as a primitive tribe. Here, the starting point is even more absurd. You start as a spore, a single cell? That kind of freedom is simply impossible. You think you're better than European and American game makers?

And it was not like he had never played VR games before. How good could this game be?

"Haha, VR games are no longer a hot new concept, and they’ve long stopped being popular. I’ve tried them before; you put on your VR glasses, then play with wooden blocks, milk cows, and roleplay as a pig… Existing technology just doesn't cut it." He scoffed as he downloaded it.

It was 43 gigabytes, which was ridiculous.

After he finished downloading, he registered his account "Akina’s Speedster", then put on the VR glasses he often used to watch movies, and started the game.

"At least the starting screen is well made." As soon as Chen Wenshan logged in, his eyes lit up with interest. He felt that the game was different from the usual VR game that had just been crudely made. He waited a while, but there was only one option:

[Do you want to begin your evolution?]

He silently selected yes.

The world went black, he felt as if he was swimming blindly in a dark ocean.

"How is it possible that I can actually feel my limbs, like I’m actually swimming in the ocean?" Chen Wenshan's mind went blank for a moment. Was this some kind of miracle technology that used the VR device's electrical signals to transmit the game’s sensory information directly into the mind, enabling you to have super realistic sensations?

Was this the legendary virtual reality game with one hundred percent realism?

In reality, Chen Wenshan's soul has been converted into data and sent over the Internet into a spore within the small sandbox Xu Zhi had built in his yard.

Xu Zhi naturally did not understand the principles behind the miracle technology that allowed him to do this. And frankly, he didn’t care.

"It's so dark." Chen Wenshan felt confused after swimming around for a while in the pitch black ocean.

What the hell am I doing?

Why can't I see anything? Am I really blind?

At this time, a system prompt appeared: "The Player is still only a spore, please evolve eyes to gain vision."

???

Please evolve my eyes?

Chen Wenshan was stunned… This damn game… This so-called casual simulation game is even more hardcore than “Sekiro”!