Chapter 217: A Hundred Years After Earth

Time flies like a shuttle; even the most prolonged history of civilization is but a fleeting spark of birth and extinction against the boundless, endless universe.

In the blink of an eye, a hundred years have passed.

Viewed from the distant deep void, the once water-blue Earth now resembles a pearl set against a black curtain, white and shimmering with a faint luster.

Massive sky cities layer upon layer, suspended above the Earth like thick white clouds, enveloping the entire planet and lending it an ethereal, dreamlike quality.

A figure suddenly appeared above the endless sky cities.

It was unmistakably a young man.

When the detection beams of the sky cities swept over him, they seemed to pass through a vacuum, eliciting no response whatsoever.

"It's been nearly a hundred years since I returned; much has changed..."

Lin Qing observed the present-day Earth with keen interest, noting the faint halo of the atmospheric control system flickering at the edge of the outermost sky city, making the sky cities covering the globe appear even more dreamlike.

A hundred years ago, he had heard Did Chu Hongjun say they planned to undertake a major transformation of Earth using the planet-construction methods of a Type 1.9 civilization.

Yet he never expected it to happen so quickly.

In just a hundred years, the entire Earth had completely transformed, evoking the feeling of returning to a remote, backward hometown only to find it suddenly turned into an advanced city that would appear only in science fiction films.

"So many people..."

With a glance, Lin Qing could see the connecting passages between these massive sky cities.

These passages resembled ribbons winding around the floating cities, with various sizes of spacecraft shuttling back and forth within them, crisscrossing in a complex yet orderly manner; the hub centers where numerous passages converged were all traffic fortresses, where vast amounts of information and supplies gathered and dispersed.

Almost no human staff were visible; everything was managed and controlled entirely by intelligence to ensure the normal operation of the entire sky city system.

The vertical eye on Lin Qing's brow shifted, and his gaze pierced through the spatial channels to see the interiors of the sky cities one by one.

The urban landscapes inside each sky city differed; some preserved cityscapes from the twenty-first century or in a retro style, and the clothing of people on the streets also varied, mostly consisting of realistic projections.

"Today is May 20, 2249 in the Gregorian calendar. As the centennial tradition of the 'Revival Day', the Earth Supreme Council has convened as scheduled."

"The intelligent mainframe 'Archon', representing the Earth's highest decision-making layer, delivered an important speech at today's meeting. Upholding the will and ideology of Council President Lin Qing, it decided to implement the Mars colonization plan within five years, with the first batch of colonists tentatively set at one hundred billion people, all to reside in the Mars city cluster 'New Chang'an'; new fertility policies will also be introduced."

"Looking back, Earth once struggled to survive amidst the apocalypse, burdened by resource scarcity and ecological crises that pressed down on us until we could barely breathe; yet the unyielding human pioneers rebuilt their homes amidst the ruins and ventured into the starry cosmos, finally ushering in this best of eras."

"Now, the sky cities in Earth's orbit are ablaze with lights, and people of different skin colors strive hand in hand for a common dream; this brilliance was won through the sweat and blood of countless predecessors. Please remember..."

While flying between the sky cities, Lin Qing casually listened to the global broadcasts playing within each sky city.

Visible in Earth's orbit were also incomparably massive spaceports, shaped like floating silver giant ships.

Gazing across hundreds of millions of li at the sun, one could see strange net-like clouds encircling the sun, utilizing energy almost perfectly and transmitting it directly to every sky city on Earth via transmission towers.

"Oh? Lin'an No. 1?"

Lin Qing suddenly discovered that the cityscape inside one sky city was exactly the same as the Lin'an City he had lived in over a hundred years ago; the familiar streets of the Xiaoshan District were all eerily reminiscent.

He moved his form and flew directly into that sky city named Lin'an No. 1.

The familiar streets and buildings made Lin Qing feel a touch of nostalgia.

Many tourists and pedestrians could still be seen visiting the area nearby; especially at the Patrol Bureau where he once lived and worked, numerous tourists were recording memories and taking commemorative photos.

Lin Qing could understand this.

Before entering seclusion in the Vacuum Great Tomb back then, he had instructed the intelligent life form responsible for controlling and leading Earth's civilization to generate itself based on his own blueprint.

Whether in thought, appearance, or accent, it was nearly identical to him, and it absolutely obeyed orders.

Coupled with the full cooperation of the propaganda department and various beautifications, he truly embodied the glorious image of a leader, naturally known to everyone, with global reputation at maximum value.

"This current appearance is too conspicuous; let's change it."

As Lin Qing revealed his form, his entire appearance transformed into another guise.

Afterwards, he slowly strolled along the streets to revisit the feelings of those days.

"Benefactor, the universe is impermanent."

Suddenly, a bald monk wearing a retro-style monk's robe approached, clasped his hands in prayer, and smiled, saying, "Would you like to learn about the New Impermanence Temple?"

"New Impermanence Temple?" Lin Qing raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Wasn't the Impermanence Temple a temple in Lin'an City over a hundred years ago?"

"Benefactor, your history studies are quite good."

The bald monk looked at Lin Qing with some surprise, then explained, "The New Impermanence Temple is built within the virtual world. The legendary Second Universe Network requires one to be a Universe Citizen to enter, but most have no hope of becoming Universe Citizens and thus have limited lifespans in the future. However, after the development of virtual world technology, uploading one's personal memory backup to the New Impermanence Temple, which is nearly 100% perfect, can achieve immortality."

"Immortality?" Lin Qing was stunned. "It's just long-term storage of memory data, not consciousness uploading; how can that be immortality?"

"Not so," the bald monk shook his head and sighed, "Benefactor, consider this: Who are you? Is what you perceive now truly your perception? What truly matters is your root, the so-called Alaya-consciousness..."

Before the bald monk could finish speaking, a staff member dressed in black approached, frowned, and said, "Hey, baldy, this is the Lin'an Restoration Scenic Area; haven't you seen the new regulations? Propagating any form of digital life ideology here is prohibited. Leave immediately."

The bald monk helplessly said, "I'm not propagating religion, just..."

"That doesn't matter; leave now," the staff member frowned.

The bald monk sighed and had to turn and leave.

That staff member glanced at Lin Qing and reminded him, "Young man, you're still quite clear-headed; don't believe those new digital life companies; they just want to make money off you."

"Young man?" Lin Qing smiled, not minding, and simply asked, "Are there many people spending money on this?"

"Many," the staff member sighed and said, "After all, most people struggle even to awaken their genes, with lifespans of only one or two hundred years; who doesn't want immortality? Even knowing digital life is unreliable, some still believe in it, causing an existential crisis to emerge recently; the Original Human Protection Association has even been established. If you're interested, you can check it online."

"Alright."

Lin Qing smiled.

He continued to casually stroll through this restored city scenic area while extending his mental power to observe the current Earth civilization.

"The number of people with gene awakening has increased significantly, yet they remain a minority; those who become Universe Citizens are even fewer; no wonder..."

Lin Qing pondered thoughtfully.

Over a hundred years ago, gene awakening was extremely rare globally; among the eight billion people on Earth, excluding urban circles, there were only a few hundred gene awakeners.

Now, with a careful sensing, he could sense tens of thousands, perhaps even more, of gene awakeners.

But compared to the current global population, they are still a minority.

Without gene awakening, even with current medical technology and long-term consumption of various drugs beneficial to bodily evolution, one could probably live healthily to only one or two hundred years old.

Compared to over a hundred years ago, this lifespan is already considered very good, and almost no terminal illnesses exist; even late-stage cancer can be completely cured. But people fear comparison.

Compared to the lifespans of the few Gene Awakeners, which often span hundreds or even thousands of years, it naturally creates an inner sense of imbalance.

No wonder some would take the opportunity to promote Digital Life, such an unreliable method of immortality.

"To achieve universal Gene Awakening for Earth's environment, it wouldn't be too difficult..."

Lin Qing could sense that the various energy sources where Earth gathers cosmic energy were currently accelerating their energy accumulation.

Once enough energy accumulates, it will once again, just like two hundred years ago, unleash a massive energy burst forming an Evolution Radiation Field, this time covering the entire globe.

This must be the work of Chu Hongjun and the others.

Whenever a planet transforms into a Perfect Planet, it unleashes massive energy that turns into Evolution Radiation spreading across the globe, causing everyone on the entire planet to evolve and their genes to optimize.

It's just... two hundred years ago, when Earth transformed into a Perfect Planet, the unleashed energy was turned by the Intelligent Star People into a doomsday storm that destroyed the entire globe.

Now, it should be the energy re-accumulated by Chu Hongjun and the others.

No mistakes, one sentence, one release, one content, all in one place!

"Let's go see them." Lin Qing immediately flashed his figure and vanished from the spot.

"Lin Qing, you're back?"

Qi Lingxiao, who arrived first, looked at Lin Qing with a smile. "I didn't expect you to be in seclusion for so long. How is it now? Are you confident about the Star God Trial?"

"About right." Lin Qing nodded. "I see Director Qi's Chaoyang Martial Arts Hall is doing well; it has even become a high school curriculum?"

"We improved it again, but unfortunately, it is still very difficult for ordinary people to cultivate to Gene Awakening through this." Qi Lingxiao shook his head slightly. "We can only wait for Chu Hongjun to replenish Earth's energy."

"As expected, it was Dean Chu who did it." Lin Qing nodded slightly.

"Chu Hongjun said he plans to replenish Earth's energy three times, accumulating for about one hundred and ten years each time. This will allow Earthlings' genes to optimize to the point where they are born with Gene Awakening." Qi Lingxiao said.

Lin Qing understood and said, "Over three hundred years? Not that fast."

"It's quite fast."

A calm voice sounded, and Chu Hongjun appeared, dressed in a white lab coat as always. He said, "After the initial humans appeared on Earth in the past, it took hundreds of thousands of years for Earth to accumulate enough energy. Now shortening it to one hundred and ten years is already very fast."

Yi Leina Duo also entered; today she wasn't wearing her nun's habit, but rather something more casual.

"Alright." Lin Qing didn't quite understand, but with the Intelligent Main Brain making decisions, there was no need to worry about anything.

"How many people are on Earth now?" Lin Qing asked curiously.

"One hundred and thirty-seven billion." Chu Hongjun said.

"So many people? No wonder..."

Lin Qing glanced at his Anti-Entropy Panel; the Order Level had now reached over eighty thousand, not far from one hundred thousand.

Over a hundred years ago, Earth had only eight billion people.

Now it has increased more than tenfold; no wonder the Order Level is so high.

It's just that the number of experts hasn't increased much, so the Order Level hasn't broken one hundred thousand.

"This Sky City, imitating the Cloud Kingdom of a Level 1.9 civilization, is best suited for increasing living space and population on life planets. Plus, with the abundant resources procured by the Golden Merchant Guild, increasing to over one hundred billion in a hundred and some years isn't fast."

Chu Hongjun said, "Mainly, it took twenty years to adjust society's ideology. In the past, people advocated for remaining unmarried or childless; turning this around also requires time. Otherwise, there would be at least two hundred billion people now."

"Can the Sky City hold them?" Lin Qing asked.

"Even if there were one trillion people, the Sky City could hold them now."

Chu Hongjun said, "However, considering Earth's energy burden, the High Council has already begun implementing a migration plan. After the first global Evolution Radiation outbreak, those with no hope of attaining a Divine Office and insufficient talent will migrate to Mars to live. Moreover, the Life Planet Transformation Plan on Mars is also being implemented."

He looked at Lin Qing and said, "It's a pity there are no Void Beings; otherwise, planets in nearby star systems could also be developed for migration. Relying solely on fortress transport takes too much time."

Lin Qing pondered thoughtfully.

Indeed, with Void Beings, they could create spatial materials to open wormholes, forging wormhole after wormhole.

Otherwise, even with a ten-times-light-speed navigation technology, traveling to a place over a hundred light-years away would take ten years.

"It's fine. Recently, I have a feeling that if given enough time, I should be able to transform into a Void Being." Qi Lingxiao suddenly said.

"Director Qi's comprehension is quite high?" Lin Qing asked in surprise.

"Just good luck." Qi Lingxiao smiled. "Mainly, during my second exploration of the Silver Labyrinth, I obtained a 'Divine Office Guide' from a Star Knight. Combined with my Divine Office specialization, cultivation has indeed become much easier, and I have already mastered the combined Divine Skills."

"Oh?"

Lin Qing's eyes lit up as he asked, "Does Director Qi now have the strength of the tenth layer of the Yu Xingyuan?"

"Barely." Director Qi nodded. "I tried many times; only with good luck did I pass the tenth layer of the Yu Xingyuan."

Lin Qing couldn't help but smile and said, "Then as long as Director Qi's authority meets the standard, he can also enter the Vacuum Great Tomb. There is hope of becoming a Gravekeeper. Once I pass the Star God Trial, I will help you try. If you can visit the Cosmic Wonders Museum within the Vacuum Great Tomb frequently, the probability of transforming into a Void Being will also increase."

Unfortunately, he still isn't confident in forcibly controlling those Imperial Princes of Level 9 civilizations. If they commit suicide while their authority source is being extracted, that would be troublesome.

"What about Ms. Yi Leina Duo?" Lin Qing looked at Yi Leina Duo again.

"Transforming into a Void Being... I currently have no clue." Yi Leina Duo shook her head slightly. "These years, I have mainly been observing civilization evolution, guiding constantly, so I haven't had that much time."

As a rare Civilization Guide, she can accurately discover the birth of geniuses, their areas of expertise, regulate the energy distribution within Earth on a large scale to increase efficiency, and even influence the luck of a civilization, or rather, cosmic favor.

These tasks are also quite mentally draining.

Lin Qing didn't urge her further, simply saying, "Once things stabilize, Ms. Yi Leina Duo should still devote more effort to personal evolution."

Ms. Yi Leina Duo nodded gently and said, "When you have time, pay more attention to Zhao Jiayi."

"We often meet on the Second Universe Network."

Lin Qing perfunctorily replied to his mother-in-law's remark, then said, "Additionally, over these hundred and some years, the spacetime of Earth should have been probed multiple times by people from Level 2 civilizations. Some auras are so terrifyingly strong it's hard to believe; they are likely terrifying existences descending from the Void Star Sea. Fortunately, they still cannot find Earth."

He looked at the three of them and said, "So, we must improve as soon as possible. Even if all the Gravekeeper points are used to conceal Earth, it might last for hundreds of thousands of years, but one day we will have to face these Level 2 civilizations."

Chu Hongjun nodded slightly and said, "I have already told them. How is your cultivation going? Whether your Star God Trial succeeds or fails has the greatest impact on Earth's civilization."

"I plan... to go participate in the Star God Trial tomorrow." Lin Qing said.

(End of this chapter)