Chapter 1337: Side Story: Several Thousand Years Later

Side Story: Several Thousand Years Later

The year 7777 AD.

Using quantum communication, the virtual realm covering the entire Solar System was finally completed.

The fluctuations generated by the operation of the virtual realm triggered dark energy fluctuations, breaking the boundary between reality and the virtual.

Within the virtual realm, countless wandering ordinary data people, under the influence of dark energy, formed individual souls.

The virtual realm, long controlled by the upper class, hid within the gap between reality and the virtual.

Here, it formed its own generation.

Countless souls of beings were guided by the virtual realm into this place.

The immortality of the poor is to return to the virtual realm.

While the immortality of the upper class goes to the cultivation realm, becoming superhumans.

Lanxing and Venus officially became two worlds.

Having lost the enslavement of data people, the upper class could only maintain their lives by exploiting the living.

The world entered an extremely cruel and dark age.

Lanxing people, in order to break the oppression of one world over another,

They found Yang Qing, who had been frozen and asleep.

Then they revived him.

Yang Qing never expected that, upon opening his eyes again, he would become a youngster once more.

Moreover, countless people called him ancestor.

"Have several thousand years already passed?"

Yang Qing looked at the people surrounding him.

They were no different from ordinary people.

In Yang Qing's understanding, humanity had undergone several thousand years of development and should long ago have become unrecognizable.

How could it still look like this?

Even Yang Qing could not sense any Intelligent Assistance System in their brains.

"When I was in hibernation, the Intelligent Assistance System should have already become widespread."

"How could the present situation have arisen?"

He could not figure it out no matter how he thought.

"Why don't you have an Intelligent Assistance System?"

The few people surrounding him explained to him.

"Because we need secrecy; if we were to install an Intelligent Assistance System, we would completely fall under the control of the Venus people."

"For the future of the Lanxing people, we cannot accept any modification."

"Not only the Intelligent Assistance System, but thought-interconnection technology as well cannot be implanted."

"These two technologies have now become the fundamental means by which the Venus people control and enslave us."

"Every year, countless people suffer mental exhaustion from thought-interconnection, and even more are turned into biological computers for cursing the Venus people in their hearts, becoming consumables for interstellar exploration."

"Ancestor, we need you."

This is what Yang Qing fears most: using decisions to maintain this world ultimately becoming a part of the persecution of ordinary people.

In this world, there is fundamentally no such thing as a good decision or a bad decision.

It has always been a game between ordinary people, idealists, and vested interests.

"Bring over the history of these several thousand years for me to see."

The people around had already prepared.

Yang Qing opened the information panel.

The history of these several thousand years appeared before his eyes.

The Yang Family, after him, continued to operate healthily for over a thousand years.

But after a female head of the family appeared, the Yang Family's decisions underwent a major shift.

Yang Qing looked at the history and felt he could not blame her.

Because after over a thousand years of development, the Yang Family's ways no longer work.

Countless clans and forces rose during these several thousand years.

The Yang Family's influence was continually weakened.

To survive, the Yang Family had to go with the flow and compromise.

Seeing the perseverance of the past nearly a thousand years, Yang Qing still felt relieved.

In his estimate, lasting a hundred years would already be good.

When the whole world shifted, everything could be used to seize benefits.

Thus, the thought-interconnection technology and Intelligent Assistance System, originally meant to strengthen humanity's foundation, became the best tools for enslaving the Lanxing people.

The Lanxing people's misery is also related to another matter: after a thousand years of development, the entire Solar System has been fully developed, and the value of Lanxing's exported population has been lost.

And once Lanxing's population exchange with other places stops, Lanxing becomes an isolated island.

An island where some people can do as they please.

Yang Qing sighed as he walked out of the basement.

Lanxing's sky is still that blue, and the air is also very fresh.

"I need information, all the information."

The protesters began to act.

Countless pieces of information began to gather toward Yang Qing.

As Yang Qing's understanding of this world grew, he felt increasingly powerless.

Because Venus has long since become a divine nation.

Every Venusian possesses the power to destroy heaven and earth.

They monopolize everything in the Solar System system.

Before, they not only exploited the Lanxing people physically, but even their spirits and souls were under their exploitation.

The body is used for labor, the mind for providing thought‑internet calculations; even if the body collapses, consciousness can be turned into a digital person and enter the virtual world to work for the Venusians.

That is, the virtual realm broke through the dimensional barrier, introduced dark energy, hid in the dimensional interlayer, and thus escaped the Venusians' control.

"Now that the physical body has perished, can consciousness still enter the virtual realm?"

The rebels nodded.

"Yes, and we can still log into the virtual realm now, but its rules have undergone tremendous change."

"If someone's consciousness is injured in the virtual realm, they suffer the same injury in reality."

"Entering the virtual realm now will produce massive casualties."

"Moreover, the various story backgrounds, game backgrounds, and so on in the virtual realm have undergone tremendous change; they have been re‑compiled anew."

"For example, the ever‑popular Full House of Emotions generates large numbers of unfamiliar plotlines each time it refreshes."

"A little carelessness can lead to unimaginable consequences."

This virtual realm has indeed undergone indescribable changes.

And it can already affect reality.

"Continue gathering news about the virtual realm, especially anything related to the Venusians."

"Also, send someone to check whether the Mist Region still exists."

After instructing the rebels on what to do, Yang Qing thought it over and still decided to enter the virtual realm.

He wanted to personally experience how the present virtual realm differs from the former virtual world.

With a jump of his thoughts, Yang Qing quickly entered the virtual realm.

He opened his eyes to see a Frost Dragon in the distance and his own body encased in ice.

"I never expected I could still return to my own Virtual Body."

"And this game still exists."

Yang Qing strained to break free of the ice's bonds.

At that moment the Frost Dragon awoke.

She looked at Yang Qing in surprise.

"Yang Qing, I didn't expect you to still be alive."

Yang Qing was also surprised.

"You know me?"

The Frost Dragon moved its stiff body; countless ice shards shattered on the ground, making a crisp sound.

"A woman has been coming to see you for decades, and through our constant opposition I have gained sentience."

"She can't beat me anymore, so she started using other ways to see you."

"I quite like her telling me the story between you two."

"So, I am not unfamiliar with you."

"Do you like coming to this game to find him?"

Yang Qing thought of a person, Chen Xueru.

I didn't expect she had persisted for so many years.

Two people without love—what exactly does this amount to?

Yang Qing truly doesn't understand; he thought he had never possessed love, but now it seems perhaps he did have it—he just didn't consider it as such.

"How are you still here? Hasn't the virtual realm ascended in dimension?"

The Frost Dragon looked at him.

"This world is sealed, even motionless."

"I have been sleeping here for thousands of years."

"If you hadn't awakened, I would continue sleeping until this world is destroyed."

Sealed?

Because of him?

Yang Qing's face filled with sorrow.

After moving her body, the Frost Dragon sensed the changes throughout the virtual realm.

She looked at Yang Qing.

"I want to leave here."

"I have two choices: either kill you, or wait for the game to officially launch, have newcomers come in, clear it, and then the game refreshes."

"You also have two choices: either be killed by me, or I give you an opportunity; while the game hasn't officially opened, you go clear it."

"Out of respect for that woman, I'm giving you this opportunity; I hope you don't repay kindness with enmity."

"Is there even a choice? Clearly there's only one path."

He just tried, wanting to leave, but couldn't.

"I choose the second."

The Frost Dragon let out a laugh, very good.

Afterwards, she inhaled at the ice block sealing Yang Qing, drawing out countless cold air from within, and the ice block quickly cracked.

With a splash, Yang Qing fell out.

Ice Frost Dragon, without wasting words with me and Yang Qing, waved a hand and Yang Qing disappeared.

After Yang Qing left, mist began to emanate from the Ice Frost Dragon's body, and her body started to shrink rapidly.

After a moment, a woman in a cheongsam walked out of the mist.

The woman walked toward the cave entrance, gazing at Yang Qing's distant newbie village.

After Yang Qing arrived at the newbie village, he felt lost for a moment, then he remembered what he needed to do; this game he had played with his wives back then.

At this time, Yang Qing also discovered a problem: his permission was still active.

At the very least, in this game, his permission remained.

This is good news; he immediately equipped himself with a set of top-tier newbie gear.

Then he began the path of slaying monsters to level up.

As he slew more and more monsters, Yang Qing felt his body growing stronger.

Indeed, there was a big difference from before.

Following the principle of not wasting anything, Yang Qing fought every type of monster once.

When he reached the Ice Frost Dragon's nest, his level was already 99.

This is a level that ordinary players could never reach.

Shouldering a giant sword, when Yang Qing entered the Ice Frost Dragon's nest, he was dumbfounded.

Because the person before him was Chen Xueru.

Chen Xueru looked at him, and he looked at her, just staring stupidly.

Until Chen Xueru spoke.

"Let's fight!"

Yang Qing looked at Chen Xueru and, with a clatter, dropped his sword.

"Why?"

Yang Qing looked at her.

"Because I can't tell whether you are her."

The Ice Frost Dragon shook its head.

"I'm not her; I just looked at her too much and ended up like this."

"I am the gate you must pass."

Yang Qing still shook his head.

"I can't do it."

The Ice Frost Dragon condensed an ice sword.

"If you don't kill me, I'll kill you; it's the same."

Saying that, she raised her sword and came to kill.

Yang Qing watched her approach step by step.

"You can't kill me either."

The long sword thrust forward; Yang Qing shattered it with a punch, then stepped forward, pressing himself against Chen Xueru, and then embraced her.

His arms tightly restrained her.

Yang Qing held her like that and came to the cliff.

The Ice Frost Dragon lay in Yang Qing's embrace, no longer struggling, accompanying him as he viewed the world's scenery.

The two remained like that, embracing, for a long time.

As dusk was about to fall, the Ice Frost Dragon finally made a move.

"I surrender."

Afterward, Yang Qing's level directly reached 100.

At the same time, a bunch of equipment dropped all over the ground.

Among them, a resurrection crystal glittered with seven-colored light.

"Ding, congratulations on clearing the entire world; please claim your reward."

"One, those who once existed in this world, whether person or object."

"Two, a ten percent share of the revenue from this game world's new version."

"Three, transform a manor into your personal space."

Yang Qing didn't look at anything else, staring fixedly at those who once existed.

"Does that include players?"

"Ding, sorry, players' souls do not belong to this world."

Yang Qing took out the resurrection crystal.

"If I want her body, and then use the resurrection crystal, can it be revived?"

"Ding, it can help you search the whole world for them; if you cannot find their consciousness, revival is impossible."

"If you can find them, revival is possible."

Yang Qing gritted his teeth.

"Regardless of whether I can, I will try."

"Revive Chen Xueru."

A woman in battle armor flew out from the Ice Frost Dragon's nest.

It's Chen Xueru.

Yang Qing looked toward the ice frost dragon.

They revealed a smile.

"My collection."

Yang Qing grabbed Chen Xueru, then took out a revival crystal and pressed it against their chest.

Chen Xueru's body quickly regained color; amidst the trembling of her eyelashes, she opened her eyes.

"Yang Qing?"

She couldn't believe it, reaching out to gently touch Yang Qing's face, a tender feeling transmitted.

It actually was real.

Chen Xueru hugged Yang Qing with all her strength, and the entire game world began to shatter at that moment.

Yang Qing suddenly fell out of the virtual realm.

He wanted to go in immediately to look for Chen Xueru.

At that moment, the rebels arrived with the latest news.

"Ancestors, we have found them."

"Venusians are just like us; as long as they are injured in the virtual realm, they will also be injured in reality."

"Moreover, if our people cause their downfall, we can also receive rewards, which include bodily modification."

"The virtual realm seems to favor the souls of Venusians."

"Now many Lanxing people are preparing to find suitable battlefields to hunt Venusians."

This is a thousand-year hatred.

"How is the mist region over there?"

The rebels.

"We conducted a deep excavation and found a mist region hidden deep underground."

"Good, secretly research mist technology, find a suitable place on Lanxing, and construct a mist region."

"With the mist region, we can obtain enough materials to carry out bodily modification."

"If the virtual realm can indeed yield rewards, we should also tilt toward that direction."

"Because after the mist region develops, we can also use it to detach the thought-link and the Intelligent Assistance System's control over us."

"Everyone, today may be harsh, tomorrow possibly harsher, but the day after tomorrow we will surely see light."

Having arranged the upcoming matters, Yang Qing came to the virtual realm again.

He didn't know where he had arrived, and Chen Xueru had vanished without a trace.

It seemed as if he had arrived in ancient times.

In front of a manor in the distance, a woman was loudly calling off the engagement.

Behind the woman stood an Oriental warrior.