Chapter 682 - 430: Ignite the Artificial Sun

Chapter 682: Chapter 430: Ignite the Artificial Sun

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Satellite City, Central Command.

The large screens played live satellite surveillance footage, showing the horrifying spectacle of total annihilation.

Floods, blizzards, hail, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, earthquakes... Countless terrifying disasters swept across Gaia Land simultaneously, just like the world-ending apocalypse of ancient prophecy.

The earth cracked open, mountains crumbled, and torrential rains fell as a bitter, pallid cold covered everything. In this extreme environment, Gaia’s lifeforms suffered a devastating blow. It was estimated that on the first day of the apocalypse alone, at least three hundred thousand people died from the various natural disasters. The number of extinct species was too great to calculate; Gaia’s ecosystem had all but collapsed.

And this was after all the major powers had prepared in advance, knowing full well the apocalypse was coming.

Three days had now passed, and nearly all of Gaia had become a harsh Restricted Area, devoid of any signs of life. Even the Abyssal Demons had perished in the terrifying catastrophe.

Survivors flocked into the major cities, seeking refuge behind their protective Barriers. With technology like controlled nuclear fusion, food and energy were not an issue, which could keep the cities running for a considerable time.

Data for each major city appeared on the computer screen, followed by a string of red numbers counting down—the city’s projected survival time.

The city with the shortest projected survival time was ninety-seven years, while the longest was three hundred and twenty-five years.

This was not good news.

A severely compressed living space meant a reduction in resources. If the Gaia People were left with only a few scattered cities, it would be difficult for future arriving Players to level up. The game would then get stuck—Players wouldn’t even be able to leave the Newbie Village, let alone kill bosses.

This arrival of Players was Gaia’s last chance, and also the most promising one in history.

To beat the game and unseal Gaia, the Star Association had been laying the groundwork ever since the very first Players arrived. Now, after more than a dozen centuries of development, the Satellite City’s technology was on par with the outside world. They had even spent the last few centuries secretly manufacturing the equipment needed to upgrade the Godslaying Weapon.

In just one more week, Tang Ling would complete his upgrade and return to his peak.

But no one knew what might happen in that one week.

Jiang Che took a sip of her bitter coffee, cradling the warm cup as she silently watched the image on the screen.

It was the live feed of Sun Cliff Mountain.

After connecting to the internet, the super AI Tang Ling had taken over ninety percent of the work in the major cities. As a result, a good number of people were left idle, making them feel restless—despite being in the middle of a tense crisis, they couldn’t find anything to do, which felt deeply unsettling.

So, many people went off to help maintain order in the cities, leaving only a few behind on duty.

This was a good thing as far as Jiang Che was concerned. She had been traveling the world with no intention of working, so a bit of downtime now was just fine by her.

"It’s been three days. Is there still no sign of him?" A small avatar of Tang Ling appeared in the bottom right corner of the desktop.

"No. I guess he’s comprehending the legacy left behind by the Dwarf King and the Giant King," Jiang Che said flatly.

Tang Ling’s chibi avatar stared at her for a moment, then smiled. "It seems you’ve learned what it means to worry and be impatient after getting rid of the Hypnotic Pocket Watch. You’ve been acting so calm, but your body is very honest. I’ve detected the hormones you’re secreting. You’ve actually been worried about him this whole time, right?"

"Isn’t that obvious?" Jiang Che stirred her coffee and said calmly, "He’s my subordinate. It’s only natural for a superior to be worried."

’So stubborn...’ Tang Ling didn’t dare say this out loud. After a moment of contemplation, his eyes sparkled like stars and he pressed his hands together. "Given that our fundamental natures have some similarities, I’d like to ask for your guidance—what exactly do emotions taste like?"

In the past, Jiang Che’s emotions had been suppressed by a Forbidden Object, leaving her with only rationality and calmness. This had a lot in common with an AI. But now, Jiang Che had thrown away the Hypnotic Pocket Watch and experienced many of life’s ups and downs while traveling the world. That was why Tang Ling wanted to ask this "person of experience."

"Emotions are psychological and physiological states generated through one’s subjective cognition and experiential judgment, synthesizing one’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Emotions are both subjective feelings and objective physiological responses. They are purposeful and also a form of social expression. Emotions are multifaceted, complex, and comprehensive events..."

"Wait, wait! I’m not asking you to recite research materials!"

Tang Ling held up his hands to make an ’X’ and quickly interrupted, "I want to ask about your own feelings."

Jiang Che cradled her hot coffee, her thoughts drifting back. "Positive emotions make you feel delighted, happy, and excited, as if everything has become wonderful. Negative emotions make you feel sad and melancholic... These feelings all spring from your heart and Soul. If you want me to be more specific... I can’t."

"Hmm... So what kinds of things have you experienced?"

"I helped a little kid pull down his balloon that was floating away, and he said thank you. Later, I helped a girl find her lost cat. She thanked me and even gave me a gift. Both times, I felt a sense of joy. Every time I think back on it, I can’t help but smile. Maybe that’s the joy of helping others.

"Later, I won eighty million and a lot of Extraordinary Artifacts in a casino city. The person who lost laid an ambush for me outside. I broke every bone in their body, and that also made me feel quite happy..."