Since humanity ventured into the stars, their pace has never ceased, spreading like locusts across the Milky Way, reaching farther and farther. Wherever they go, if a planet is rich in resources, they quickly take root and establish colonies. What if the planet has indigenous species? Huh? What do you think? Do you even need to ask?...
Interstellar humanity presents a thriving scene, superficially prosperous, but that gloss is stained with raw, dripping blood. With each increment of growth comes another layer of brutal, cold civilization's history of conquest. The universe's cruel dark forest law dictates only bloody struggles between races for territory and living space, survival of the fittest. For instance, the North Galactic hegemon, the United States of Meidi Planet, in its Earth-era predecessor, the United States of America, didn't it gain its precious land by massacring Native Americans? Races that seem civilized, once they clash, are utterly brutal, even more savage than beasts. After all, a sated beast often stops hunting other animals. But intelligent races, often because one race poses a potential threat, will slaughter them all, whether they're enemies or not!
The most common tool humanity uses for interstellar colonization is the colony ship, also called a base ship. This type of ship is far more valuable than ordinary ones, capable of faster-than-light travel, crossing wormholes to traverse astronomical cosmic distances. Once it lands, the ship automatically switches to base mode, transforming into a human living base, taking root on the planet. Each colony ship stores all kinds of human technological knowledge, internally capable of forming an ecological cycle system. When humans enter a new planet and decide to colonize, they can command the ship's AI to deploy a large number of robotic workers to mine the planet's resources, produce various supplies, and quickly establish a human foothold. Then, using energy to generate power, purify water and soil, plant seeds stored in the ship, and breed animals from fertilized eggs. Over time, the human foothold gradually expands, transforming nature, turning the entire planet into a habitable life-sustaining world—this becomes inevitable.
Every colony ship is the pinnacle of human technology, multifunctional. With just one such ship, no matter how vast the interstellar space, you can go anywhere, fully self-sufficient. No wonder the people from Giant Pharmaceutical were so confident they could bounce back quickly after leaving Mars—they had this trump card. Feng Lin nodded, pleasantly surprised. Compared to ordinary ships, a colony ship is far more valuable and hard to come by on the market. He hadn't expected to land such a benefit. With the "Flower-Fruit Mountain" ship, no matter how vast the stars, he wouldn't worry about going anywhere; he could come and go freely, survive alone in the immense universe without any constraints, greatly increasing his freedom.
Feng Lin, like a king inspecting his domain, followed the beautiful AI's guidance, quickly touring the ship. After circling the interior, he felt satisfied, with a sudden thrill like a pauper turning into a nouveau riche overnight. Everyone hates the nouveau riche! But who would refuse to become one? Though Feng Lin had a calm temperament, he was still human, and at this moment, he couldn't help but feel elated.
"Zixia, is that all?" The ship was too large, and there might be omissions, so he asked one more question.
"Physical assets have been checked. There's also a virtual asset!" the AI Zixia replied.
"Virtual asset?" Feng Lin's heart stirred, and he quickly said, "Take me to see it!"
"Please follow me!" The AI Zixia smiled lightly, leading the way, bringing Feng Lin to a completely sealed virtual game pod, and introduced, "Captain, please enter the virtual universe through this, and you'll gain control of Giant Pharmaceutical's virtual planet in the virtual universe!"
A virtual planet? Feng Lin was visibly moved. Although most of interstellar humanity's territory in the real universe is occupied by superpowers, the virtual universe, as a second universe, is an exception. Over three thousand years ago, Caesar Lee, the father of the virtual universe, was dissatisfied with the interstellar superpowers using force to dominate most of humanity's territory, leaving no free land for all people. He aspired to create a second universe of equality, without oppressive power or high-pressure rule, only absolute freedom. Anyone who put in effort could find meaning in life there, with infinite possibilities. After a hundred years, he finally built a server completely beyond the control of interstellar superpowers, establishing a virtual universe covering the entire galaxy. Anyone could enter freely, with absolute privacy and no snooping. It used star coins, fully connected to reality. Once built, the virtual universe caused a massive sensation among all humanity, spreading like a plague across the galaxy.
Every virtual planet is a unique virtual world, blending movies, games, animations... all kinds of elements, forming a kind of illusory reality through digital simulation of things imagined in the real world, creating a virtual multiverse where people can freely enter and enjoy. Its unique infinite multiverse worldview is full of endless possibilities. The virtual universe thus became humanity's second world. However, building it exhausted Caesar Lee's energy, delaying his cultivation, and he died at just over three hundred years old, remaining at the interstellar cultivator level. But the world, grateful for his immense contribution, called him the father of the virtual universe, etching his name into interstellar human history—a form of immortality. Strangely, after Caesar Lee's death, no one in the galaxy knew where the virtual universe's server was. Its signal could span the entire galaxy yet remain untraceable—an unparalleled treasure. Whoever obtained it could control the entire virtual universe, the second life of countless people! Unfortunately, this massive project seemed to be completed by Caesar Lee alone, and after his death, the secret of the virtual universe server became an eternal mystery!
The virtual universe has been running continuously, with countless people tirelessly searching the galaxy for that unknown server, but never finding it. Because of its absolute confidentiality and freedom, the intangible territory in the virtual universe is also a highly valuable virtual asset. A territory as large as a virtual planet is immeasurable, sometimes even more precious than a real planet. The galaxy is vast, mostly dead planets, piles of useless rocks with no value. Only an extremely rare one in a million life-sustaining or mineral planets hold great value. But the virtual universe can change at the owner's will, transforming into various virtual worlds with infinite possibilities, truly magical. He hadn't expected Giant Pharmaceutical to leave behind a virtual planet! This was an unexpected delight for Feng Lin, and he inexplicably thought of the giant planet he'd seen during the virtual interview with Giant Pharmaceutical. Feng Lin's heart raced. If I control a virtual planet, can't I establish my own faction in the virtual universe? Mythic Gene Society... right?