Reborn

On the west side of Southwest Industrial College, right next to the spacious and quiet Library, lay a famous basketball court.

The basketball court was surrounded by high wire fencing to prevent the ball from going out of bounds and to keep the crowds of onlookers from interfering with the game.

One could see the activity inside the court through the wire mesh, and it was always a lively scene.

With sprints, passes, and shots, the watching students let out sharp shouts and laughter from time to time.

This was the favorite gathering place for the Youngster on campus, brimming with passion, and the air above the court was filled with an atmosphere of challenge and success.

Here, students could exercise their bodies, cultivate camaraderie, and experience the joy of competition.

There were an unusually large number of people at the basketball court today, all there to watch a match between the juniors and the sophomores.

Colorful flags were hung around the court along with various motivational slogans, the tense atmosphere filling every participant with strength.

For some reason, one player erupted with astonishing skill.

As the point guard, Lin Qiye stood in the center of the court, calmly observing the opponent's defensive layout and memorizing his teammates' positioning.

He pondered his next offensive strategy.

The score was currently deadlocked at 56 to 54, and his side needed at least a three-pointer to secure victory.

The ball was passed into his hands, and he instantly broke through the defensive player with lightning speed.

Dribble drive!

Two opposing players crossed to double-team him under the basket.

Lin Qiye suddenly stopped, leaned his body back, and passed the ball from behind the opposing player.

The basketball shot toward the shooting guard waiting outside the three-point line.

The shooting guard, who had been waiting for this moment, shot without hesitation.

The basketball easily entered the hoop—a three-pointer.

The referee blew the final whistle.

The spectators cheered, and his teammates ran over to high-five him in celebration.

This point guard had performed exceptionally well on the court today; not only had he scored ten points himself, but he was also the soul of the entire team's organization.

He had returned to 2012, becoming that twenty-one-year-old junior once again.

At first, Lin Qiye felt as if he had returned to a dream, where everything became so novel and mysterious.

Walking on the university campus once more, he saw those familiar yet strange teaching buildings, the cafeteria, and the Library.

It was like a fantasy.

It wasn't until he stepped onto the long-lost basketball court and squandered his youthful, robust body that it felt real.

The game he had originally lost was now won.

Soaked in sweat and with aching muscles, Lin Qiye truly gauged his current situation.

Being reborn was wonderful.

He picked up his jacket, preparing to return to the dormitory.

Lin Qiye thought that having the chance to re-experience life and get to know those he had once known again wasn't bad at all.

Time is fickle, and life is unpredictable.

For example, the naive Eyeglasses Man, Li Nanguang, beside him would become an Internet mogul ten years later, always acting as the generous initiator and financier at every class reunion.

And the shooting guard who made the final three-pointer, Jiang Dabao, would become the Boss of a local viral barbecue restaurant, going through three wives over the years and hosting three wedding banquets.

Then there was the beautiful class belle, Lin Na, who rarely watched games from afar, currently laughing and chatting with the team's 1.85-meter forward, Song Xiaogang.

It was a pity that this model couple would go their separate ways after graduation; the man went north to a state-owned enterprise, while the woman went south and endured many setbacks.

Later on, the class belle went north to rekindle their old flame and married her ex-boyfriend, but she never expected that their college romance had long since become a bubble. After discovering her husband's infidelity, she resolutely divorced and became a single mother raising her child alone.

However, at later class reunions, she still possessed a lingering charm that drew wolf-like gazes from a group of male classmates.

Life is just like that; there is no perfection, and time only brings a reality full of bumps and hurdles.

"Big Lin, you dropped something."

His train of thought was interrupted as the Eyeglasses Man, Li Nanguang, handed him a square Metal Cube.

It was the Virtual Intelligent Life Incubator!

In the future, with the rapid development of intelligent programs, more and more intelligent programs would hit the market, among which an intelligent device that changed the way humans lived would emerge.

This product was the Virtual Intelligent Life Incubator; as long as there was sufficient Data Feeding, coupled with hardware equipment and Computing Power assistance, it could become an omnipotent super intelligent life.

As soon as this thing hit the market, it was immediately snatched up by the whole world, and those who bought it received tremendous help after feeding it.

They used it to become artists, architects, scientists... shining brightly in all walks of life.

It could be said that the future was not about talent and knowledge accumulation, but about who possessed the better Intelligent AI assistant and cultivation method.

Lin Qiye's rebirth had something to do with this thing. At the time, the Virtual Intelligent Life Incubator was having a global promotion, and Lin Qiye became the super lucky winner who received the incubator for free.

Unfortunately, an accident happened right after he claimed the prize.

So, this thing had followed him back to 2012 during his rebirth.

That meant as long as he had enough time to nurture it, it could become the only and most powerful intelligent life in the world.

All his sentimentality vanished in an instant, and Lin Qiye, clutching the Metal Cube, felt inexplicably nervous.

How was he supposed to cultivate this thing?

It seemed to have a switch; he pressed it, and a USB Interface popped out.

He hurriedly said to his teammates, "I won't be going to the dinner tonight; I have something important to do."

Leaving the court, Lin Qiye went straight back to his dormitory.

His roommates were all out, so Lin Qiye took out the Second-hand Laptop he had bought for fifteen hundred.

He turned it on and plugged in the USB.

The laptop fan suddenly spun violently. Even though no programs were running, the mouse cursor began to lag.

After a while, a black-and-white screen replaced the desktop.

A line of text appeared.

[Insufficient memory, accessing virtual memory.]

[Insufficient physical Storage Space.]

[System overload, closing all background programs.]

[Network connection failed.]

[Current physical environment unable to load lowest-level mode, only communication template can be enabled.]

[Intelligent assistant Chat 1.0 generated, only possesses basic Q&A functionality.]

Having played with various intelligent chat programs, Lin Qiye knew that this kind of primary intelligent template had to be activated through a Q&A mode.

He typed, "What conditions are required for a full startup?"

[Full startup requires the establishment of a Supercomputing Center, with an initial investment of 5 to 10 billion.]

That much money?! And that was using future prices; who knew if it was even possible to scrape together that many high-spec devices in this era.

Lin Qiye clicked his tongue. He finally understood why super-rich people in the future would go crazy trying to snatch this thing up.

"Continue."

[The lowest-spec primary Supercomputing Center requires over 10,000 Node Machines running simultaneously. It requires 10 megawatts of power consumption at peak calculation, and 5-6 megawatts during normal operation.]

"So, you're such a money pit that I don't think I can afford to raise you."

[Intention of the questioner detected, adoption program initiated. Are you willing to raise me to maturity?]

"I want to, but I don't have the money."

[As long as you are willing to assume the responsibility of raising me, I can provide various money-making plans.]

Immediately, a "Cultivation Contract" filled with text appeared.