No matter the cost!
For some reason, the moment he heard those words, despite the heater running in the room, the Chief Scholar still felt his hands and feet turn icy cold.
"What are you planning to do?" He opened his mouth and asked.
"Create a super weapon of immense power and blast open the Boundary!" The Emperor waved a hand. "In my early years, I established a weapons research institute in the Western Continent, along with a supporting Military Factory.
"The firearms and artillery they produced were even finer than those used by the Old Dynasty's armies.
"I intend to elevate it into the Western Continent Special Research Institute, gather a group of top scientists there, develop a super weapon, and blast open a new world. What... do you think?"
"This..."
Hearing this, though the Chief Scholar had already vaguely guessed it, his heart was still shaken.
Blast open the World Boundary!
What kind of mad idea was that? Back in the Chi Kingdom era, ever since the Boundary had been discovered, every successive emperor had continued exploring it, but none had ever made such a decision.
Perhaps some had entertained the thought in their hearts, but in the end, none had truly ordered it carried out.
After all, it would inevitably be a project of terrifying expense, one that might very well fail. Moreover, rumors had always circulated among the people that beyond the Boundary lay the dwelling place of the gods.
No emperor had dared risk the condemnation of all under heaven by attacking the Divine Realm.
But the New Dynasty Emperor dared!
As for whether he should accept... whether as a top scientific worker or as the Emperor's "favored minister," he seemed to have no reason to refuse.
"...I obey."
Bang!!
Lishan Martial Arts School, study.
As Lin Tuo clicked the mouse, the final gunshot echoed through his headphones.
On the screen, the last enemy dropped cleanly at the edge of the Poison Zone.
"Whew, could improved physical fitness actually help with gaming too?" Lin Tuo leaned back in his chair, slowly removed his headphones, and muttered inwardly.
After starting work, he had rarely played games. At most, he played one or two rounds a month.
His shooting had declined badly as well.
Yet unexpectedly, he had easily won three rounds in a row.
Though that was also because his account rank was low, and he was playing in a beginner's pond...
"Mm, it should be that Aether tempered my body and improved my neural reaction speed. My concentration is better than before too."
He stood up and took a can of cola from the refrigerator in the next room. Just as he was about to open it, the alarm he had set on his phone rang again.
"Time to collect Aether again."
Lin Tuo's spirits lifted. He jogged back to the Sandbox and looked down, only to discover that the cities on the Sandbox continent had expanded once more. The architectural styles had also changed somewhat.
Many areas had undergone changes.
The most obvious were the countless electric lights at night and the public trams within the cities. On the streets, aside from bicycles, a small number of cars had begun to appear as well.
They were still bulky and rare, however, seemingly at an early stage of development.
"They're developing fast..."
Lin Tuo sighed with feeling, then used the Qi-Eating Method again and took a fierce gulp before turning away in satisfaction to eat a simple lunch.
Then he immersed himself in the game once more.
Within the Sandbox Empire.
In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed since the New Dynasty was founded.
Compared with the Capital, which changed with each passing day, and the many industrial cities,
the Western Continent Special Research Institute, hidden amid the mountain range far away in the Great Western Continent, seemed not to have changed much.
From afar, it merely appeared to have gained several building complexes, while quite a bit of equipment had been updated inside.
Yet the entire region remained desolate, with scarcely any sign of human habitation.
Especially at night, it seemed all the more bleak and cold, accompanied only by wolf howls.
Only through the unending, terrifying streams of money flowing from the Capital treasury's accounts could one notice this borderland.
"We are pioneers bearing a mission, and we must endure bitter cold and loneliness."
For ten years, the Chief Scientist had always used these words to encourage the others.
And under the Emperor's almost extravagant investment, along with the dividends of the age, the research on the super weapon proceeded so smoothly that it was astonishing.
One obstacle after another was overcome. The super weapon went from an idea in their minds, to a sketch on Blueprints... and finally evolved into a real, tangible entity.
Several small-scale detonation tests were conducted.
This had once thrilled the Chief Scientist beyond measure. However, as their research advanced and their probing and understanding of the Boundary deepened, he began to waver.
He began to wonder whether the Boundary could truly be broken.
Thus,
one late autumn, when His Majesty the Emperor came here for another inspection, he finally gathered the courage to voice his concerns.
"So you are telling me that the research has failed?"
Research institute, one room.
The Emperor, ten years older now, asked coldly.
Ten years had passed. Perhaps due to the burden of state affairs, the once high-spirited middle-aged man had already begun to show his age. His beard and hair were faintly streaked with gray, yet his majesty grew by the day.
The officials in the Capital felt this especially keenly.
After the country had stabilized, this Emperor began extending his hand into every corner of society. He centralized power to an extreme degree, ruled with an iron hand, tightened control over public opinion, and gradually deepened his grip on the nation.
In the first few years, he could at least still listen to his ministers' opinions. Recently, however, he had become increasingly arbitrary, and the atmosphere throughout the court had grown ever more tense.
"No, Your Majesty, the research is proceeding smoothly. It is only that the Boundary is far more solid than we first imagined, to the point that the shockwaves produced by the super warheads we originally envisioned may be unable to shake it."
The Chief Scholar's body trembled as he hurriedly explained.
"Unable to shake it?" Repeating the phrase, the Emperor's gaze darkened as he said sternly, "There has never been anything in this world that cannot be destroyed.
"If there is, it can only mean the weapon is not powerful enough, or the resolve to destroy it is not great enough."
"Yes... I do not doubt your resolve in the slightest. As for the weapon's power... it cannot be increased without limit. The power of a single warhead has a ceiling..."
"If one is not enough, then add more!" The Emperor's eyes were unwavering. "If one cannot blast it open, make a thousand, ten thousand! If funding is insufficient, I will raise it for you from the Empire."
"This is not a matter of funding..." The Chief Scientist smiled bitterly. "We have considered that plan too. In theory, destruction can indeed be increased through stacking them.
"But once the force unleashed by the explosions surpasses a certain threshold,
it will have a severe impact on the ecology of the entire continent... and worse still, it may lead to the destruction of the world."
"Destruction?" Chewing over the word, the Emperor, now already entering old age, suddenly wore a strange expression. His eyes stared straight ahead, as though brewing some kind of madness.
Yet his tone was exceptionally calm. "After this year, I will be sixty."
"Ah?" The Chief Scholar was somewhat bewildered.
"Some time ago, the imperial physician told me that a tumor has grown in my brain. With current medical technology, surgery carries tremendous risk, so I do not have much longer to live."
"Your Majesty... you need not be like this..."
The Chief Scholar had barely opened his mouth before the other man raised a hand to stop him.
"I spent the first half of my life on horseback and battlefields, and I have been Emperor for ten years. By all reason, I should be satisfied. Yet I am still unwilling. Before I die, I want to see with my own eyes what lies beyond the Boundary."
After a pause, he continued,
"Do you remember what I said ten years ago, that winter, when I first spoke to you about this experiment? I said I would conquer it, no matter the cost."
"This..."
"Enough. Go out first and summon every core person in charge of this project. I want to hold a meeting." The Emperor abruptly changed the subject.
"Ah... yes."
The Chief Scholar walked out in a daze. Though he vaguely sensed something was wrong, he did not dare defy the order.
Very quickly, he returned with more than a dozen core leaders of the project.
Because the project was top secret, most of the lower-ranking researchers did not know the details of the plan. Only these people were aware.
"Your Majesty? Everyone is here." When the group entered the conference room, the Chief Scholar saw the aged Emperor seated in the seat of honor with his back to them.
Hearing this, he slowly turned around.
Yet at some unknown time, a square, ancient seal overflowing with flowing light had appeared in his right hand.
"The Secret Seal?! Your Majesty..."
The Chief Scholar's expression changed drastically. At last, he guessed what was happening.
Then he saw the old Emperor activate the Secret Seal and unleash its hypnotic power. Smiling at everyone, he said,
"Now, let us destroy the world together."
Gurgle...
Lishan Martial Arts School.
When Lin Tuo finished the last round of his game to his satisfaction, hunger stirred in his stomach.
It could not be helped. At noon, he had merely made do with some snacks and had not eaten properly.
"It's already this late?" He glanced at the time and was startled to find that it was already close to evening.
Entertainment really did kill time. Before he even felt it, night was nearly here.
He exited the game, shut down the computer, then glanced at the Sandbox again, one brow lifting slightly.
It seemed that airplanes had already begun to appear in the Sandbox.
Of course, they were still the kind that could only fly at low altitude.
"Even faster than I imagined." After a small exclamation of surprise, Lin Tuo shook his head and switched the Evolution Sandbox to Observation Mode.
Light and shadow shifted, and in the blink of an eye, Yangcheng City replaced the New Dynasty before his eyes.
"I've been busy for so long. Tonight, I should have a proper meal. What should I eat... Mm, this one." Looking down over Yang City, Lin Tuo's gaze landed on a Hotpot Restaurant he had visited before.
Eating hotpot alone was a little strange, but there was nothing to be done about it.
He reached a finger into a secluded corner of the Sandbox and released his Avatar. Then he arranged his main body in the chair, shifted his consciousness into the Avatar... he had become incomparably practiced at this whole sequence.
Compared with taking a one- or two-hour ride down the mountain just to eat, this method was far better.
Especially since his main body did not go out. If some "accident" occurred, he could deal with it more quickly.
"An accident? What accident could there be? It's not like a dynasty would change again while I'm having a meal, right?"
Walking out from a secluded alley in Yang City, Lin Tuo muttered inwardly.
Then, in quite a good mood, he headed toward the Trendy Hotpot Restaurant ahead.
"I forgot to make a reservation. Wonder if I can still get a table..."
Yang City was peaceful and calm.
Meanwhile, inside the Takk Black Box, within the Sandbox Empire,
deep in the Great Western Continent,
a mad "experiment" capable of destroying the world was about to begin.
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