Chapter 377: Great War in Switzerland

As for…

It was unclear whether Professor Noah would ultimately abandon the Digital World project entirely or simply modify the plan.

“I hope he gives up on it completely.”

Jiang Ran muttered to himself.

“But as for the actual outcome… I’ll just have to wait until I get back to Dragon Country, fire up the Positron Cannon, and go to 2045 to verify it.”

…

Outside the academic building, Tang Hu rubbed the arm that had been grabbed, grimacing in pain.

“These damn foreigners are so rude!”

Walking down the sidewalk, he noticed a young, clean-cut man who looked to be from Dragon Country standing there, gazing at the parking lot.

He hurried over and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey bro, got a smoke?”

Fang Ze turned around, looking the Dragon Country man up and down before pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

“Marlboros. Want one?”

“I wouldn’t touch that crap!”

Tang Hu scoffed.

“This foreign junk tastes like perfume. How can you, a man from Dragon Country, stand this stuff? Don’t you have any Dragon Country cigarettes?”

“Heh.”

Fang Ze chuckled.

“I’m not from Dragon Country. I’ve actually never tried any Dragon Country cigarettes.”

“Fuck!”

Tang Hu flipped Fang Ze off.

“Traitor!”

Then he stalked off.

…

Fang Ze watched Tang Hu’s retreating back and huffed softly.

‘How bizarre.’

He pulled a Marlboro from the pack, stuck it between his lips, and lit it with a lighter, watching as Professor Noah got into a van in the parking lot.

‘Jiang Ran, what exactly did you and Professor Noah talk about?’

After exhaling a cloud of smoke, he smiled.

‘But what you talked about doesn’t matter anymore. Thanks to you, we now have our target locked in.’

‘If I’m not mistaken… that Professor Noah must be Puppet, right?’

…

Sitting in the van, Professor Noah furrowed his brow, thinking about his conversation with Jiang Ran.

The issue of newborns in the Digital World was indeed a problem that required serious attention.

According to his plan, after winning this game, he would establish a Virtual Digital World capable of holding billions of people.

And within this world, the parameters for lifespan and death had to be locked.

It was a matter of principle, one that concerned the development and destiny of human civilization.

No civilization could survive without newborns, without new life. This was especially true given his ultimate goal: for humanity to evolve within a rapidly advancing Virtual Digital World, transcending their species, shedding their flesh and blood, and ascending to a higher form of existence.

But if…

If the data capacity problem truly couldn’t be controlled, it would indeed cause the Digital World to collapse from its very foundation.

This definitely needed to be taken seriously.

He pressed a button on his seat, and a soundproof partition slid shut, completely isolating him in the passenger compartment from the driver and female assistant up front.

Now, with the driver and his female assistant in the cockpit and him alone in the back, they could no longer hear each other speak.

“Lilith.”

He took out his phone.

“With our current level of technology, how many points would it cost to build a small-scale, functional Virtual Digital World for me?”

“The world doesn’t need to be very large. It just needs to accommodate two Digital Lives and allow them to have a child inside.”

Lilith’s voice, tinged with a hint of regret, came from the phone:

“Uhm… I’m sorry, Mr. Puppet, but to fulfill that request, you’ll need 323.8 billion points.”

PFFT—

Noah nearly choked and coughed twice.

“Why don’t you just ask me for a trillion! How could anyone have that many points?! Not even the Priest with his Veto Power could have earned that much!”

“That’s right.”

Lilith admitted candidly.

“But it is a reasonable price. You yourself know very well that with the current level of technology, it’s completely impossible to achieve.”

“Even if you used all the computing power in the world, you couldn’t simulate a virtual environment comparable to the real world. As an expert in computer science, you, more than anyone, must have a deep reverence for nature.”

Noah let out a long sigh.

Yes.

The truth was, he already knew it was hopeless the moment he asked the question.

Lilith was indeed very capable, but her abilities were still confined within the framework of science and physics.

The harder a task was to complete, the more points it consumed.

But at least…

_For any wish, Lilith would always quote a specific price; she had never once said “impossible.”_

It was just that…

A price so far beyond the realm of reason was no different from “impossible.” It was utterly unattainable.

‘Looks like there are only two paths to achieve my wish,’ Professor Noah thought as he gazed at the snowy scenery outside the window.

‘The simplest method would be to get them to approve my proposal at the meeting on the 16th of next month. But that would be foolish… First, they would never agree. Second, the moment I reveal my true plan, my identity would be partially exposed, and my situation would become dangerous.’

‘Two years ago, agreeing to help the Magician save that girl, and the subsequent deal I made with the Priest, were already risky moves… But thankfully, I didn’t expose too much. And now that the Priest has been eliminated, only the Magician is keeping an eye on me.’

‘So, solving this problem through the monthly meeting on the 16th isn’t an option. That leaves only one way… winning this game. Achieving the final victory.’

He clicked his tongue.

‘The Priest, the King, and the Princess have all been eliminated. There are currently eight seats left in the Genius Playground.’

‘It’s just a shame that combat and investigation aren’t my strengths. All I can do is hope they start fighting each other soon. A bloodbath would be best, leaving me to reap the rewards in the end.’