Xu Zhi secretly checked his post and observed him from the shadows.
This player's usual gameplay involved almost no species evolution. He spent all his time livestreaming himself building tools and houses. His current home was already a seaside settlement backed by mountains and facing the ocean.
There were houses, fields, fences, and his own mine.
It was a beautiful, happy little homestead, like the secluded home of a scientist cut off from the world.
In his yard stood the simplest kind of bicycle, made of wood. Its tires had been replaced with the skin of some tough, flexible creature. It could actually be ridden, though it bumped and lurched along.
"What a talent! He even built a bicycle."
Xu Zhi was somewhat startled. "The internet really is full of weirdos. Instead of properly evolving species through Spore Evolution, he directly evolved some bizarre multi-tentacled species, settled down, and started climbing the tech tree."
At that moment, after being slapped to death by Xu Zhi, the player had worked hard to evolve a new species. This time, it was a strange creature with six arms. Having just climbed ashore, he returned to his little home and resumed farming, mining, and chopping trees.
He was still leisurely and ordinary, loving pastoral life just as much as Xu Zhi did.
The others began discussing it.
"The boss is absurdly talented. This time, he evolved a species even more powerful than before. Look at those serrated mantis arms, and that shovel-shaped arm. They're practically multifunctional mechanical arms. He cuts trees and digs dirt insanely fast."
"The boss is neglecting his real talent. He clearly has terrifying potential, and after studying for just a little while, he came up with this multi-armed creature. If he got serious, he could probably crush Mount Akina Speed and become the first player to earn an achievement. But he doesn't compete for that stuff and is obsessed with farming instead. What a waste of talent."
Countless people felt bitterly disappointed on his behalf.
Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou ignored them. He was livestreaming himself mining in the shaft beside his home, his six arms digging frantically. "I still haven't found anything. It seems this Spore Evolution Sand Table game world doesn't have minerals. It doesn't allow technological civilization to develop. I guess we can only take the species evolution route."
Countless people mocked him. "Exactly! It's supposed to be a game about evolution, yet the boss has turned it into Civilization Origins. He wants to smelt iron, make weapons, cars, cannons, and planes."
"But this also proves that the game's freedom is terrifyingly high. Just like the real world, it has endless possibilities. Anything that can be made in reality can be achieved in the game, and even the theory of species evolution perfectly aligns with modern evolutionary science."
As everyone debated, Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou shook his head again. "Forget it. If I still can't dig up minerals tonight, then without iron ore, I can't make cars or machine tools. Without gasoline, I won't have a power source either. From now on, I can only pursue biological evolution technology. My biggest goal right now is to build a wooden biological automobile."
No metal, no gasoline, and he still wanted to build a car? Everyone was stunned. What exactly was this boss's real-life identity? From the way he spoke, he actually seemed confident that he could build cars and machine tools, starting from nothing and climbing the tech tree. That was terrifying. Could he be one of those professors at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, some mechanical structure expert who researched aircraft components and engine structures or invented missiles?
But would someone like that come here to play a game?
And act so goofy, screaming so miserably when he died last time?
Someone could not help asking, "Boss, you want to build a car out of wood? The structure is too precise. The gears and framework would be hard to assemble. Even if you manage it, you still won't have an engine."
"I've thought about the engine," Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou said. "We can evolve a Biological Engine: a special organism with only a mouth and one enormously strong tentacle. It would eat food and frantically pull a bellows, providing power."
"I asked a biologist friend who won an international award. He said such a creature could never emerge through natural evolution, because of survival of the fittest. A creature with only a mouth and one powerful tentacle couldn't survive. It doesn't conform to evolutionary laws. But we can artificially control evolution. This place has the conditions for it."
Everyone sucked in a breath.
A Biological Engine? Using that to replace gasoline and electricity? Thinking about it, it really could work in theory. As long as a creature ate and did its job, it could discard all its other organs, just like Big Eye Monster taking an extreme path.
"Boss, you're incredible! No wonder you're a professional. Your technology and innovation are a whole industrial age ahead of ours."
"If a special engine creature like that is really born and wrapped inside a wooden car, then it would be a Mechanical Creature. Who knows, it might earn the second potential achievement reward!"
Everyone talked excitedly. The idea was completely wild and unimaginably awesome. This was still a primitive, evolving Paleozoic Era, yet a boss was already thinking about evolving Mechanical Lifeforms.
"Need test subjects?"
"Boss, do you already have an evolution blueprint and a plan? You provide the theoretical knowledge, and I can handle evolving this Biological Engine. I have cirrhosis, so I can endure hardship. It doesn't matter if I fail a dozen times. Please experiment on me as much as you want. Please play with my body to your heart's content."
Faced with everyone's enthusiasm, Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou politely declined. He said he would evolve it himself and had already contacted several professional friends to help plan it. Naturally, he would not hand over an opportunity that might earn an achievement reward to someone else.
Though he was mild-tempered, he would not give up this opportunity.
Elsewhere.
A Biological Engine? Xu Zhi frowned, excitement gradually igniting within him.
This was the rudiment of alchemy, another utterly unexpected surprise.
Unfortunately, alchemy might be appearing, but Alchemy Potions still had no leads, which made Xu Zhi uncomfortable. He was eager to develop this branch of civilization to treat his illness.
"He really is a true boss." Xu Zhi silently pulled up the man's identity. He was in his forties, the founder of a well-known domestic technology company. His various identities and background were simply astonishing.
In reality, Xu Zhi would not even be qualified to lick the feet of someone like him.
He had struck it rich. So many talented people were helping out. This idea truly was incomparably correct. If Xu Zhi had been alone, he would never even have thought of it.
After that, Xu Zhi ignored the excited discussions and went straight to sleep. After all, they could handle overcoming the difficulties of evolving those species. He only needed to receive the results.
After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Zhi went to bed. The next morning, when he got up, Chen Xi brought him breakfast as well.
He glanced at the small Sand Table. Clearly, after dying once, everyone had become much more obedient and was developing in an orderly fashion. Meanwhile, on the Great Sandbox side, after losing the Three Witches, a drastic change finally arrived.
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