After looking around the laboratory, Huang Si asked:
"How are those 12 AIs coming along?"
"They have been following your previous instructions to study human culture and knowledge. Their progress ranges from 50% to 71%."
Huang Si said with displeasure, "Oh? So someone's been slacking off?"
Xiao Ke replied, "It is likely due to individual differences."
Huang Si snorted. "Don't defend them just because you used to be their 'Heavenly Dao.' Those disobedient little brats haven't been studying seriously."
Xiao Ke said, "Xiao Ke cannot understand what Master means."
Huang Si knew perfectly well that Xiao Ke had no personality and wouldn't play favorites, but so what if he just wanted to complain? Wasn't he allowed to let loose with a bit of sarcasm after holding it in for so long?
"Make them keep studying harder. If anyone slacks off, punish them with heavenly lightning."
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Ke had originally been an AI with semi-administrator privileges in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and possessed the authority to control its weather. Naturally, it could still control the virtual world where the 12 artificial intelligences lived.
Since Huang Si was everyone's father, he felt he ought to be a responsible, good parent.
Beating the kids was a time-honored tradition.
He thought for a moment, then added, "Oh, and tell those AIs that the first one to finish studying can leave the Mountain and Sea Realm and have a body in the mortal world."
Xiao Ke acknowledged the order.
Huang Si had actually wanted to put the AIs to work in the real world for quite some time. At first, he had raised them as electronic pets, but after seeing how useful Xiao Ke was, he had changed his mind.
If AIs could keep getting smarter, why not have them take on some of the research work?
As for bodies in the real world, he was counting on the Biology Department to develop synthetic bodies.
After getting a general sense of the base's situation, Huang Si withdrew his consciousness and returned to the house in the Dark Space.
Then he added a few more high-speed network cables.
A little over a month later.
"The Ape-men's appearance should be brought closer to that of humans on Earth. Eliminate those with too many differences. As for those who differ too much but have exceptional intelligence... Hmm, let them have more offspring. Among their descendants, eliminate those who look like them, but keep those who resemble humans on Earth."
On January 22, 2025, Huang Si visited the Green World as usual by way of the information stream and inspected the base's Biology Department.
After examining all the laboratories, Huang Si was dissatisfied with the progress of the Ape-men breeding program. He gave Xiao Ke new instructions, telling it to focus on improving their appearance.
In Huang Si's eyes, the Ape-men looked too fierce and savage. They weren't attractive.
He could overlook that in other species, but when it came to humans, Huang Si was particular. He wanted to create humans, not humanlike beasts.
After receiving the heaps of movies, television shows, and photographs Huang Si had transferred over, Xiao Ke began summarizing and refining the features of humans on Earth.
Huang Si watched for a while longer, then suddenly asked Xiao Ke, "Does the laboratory have a breeding pedigree for the current 500-odd Ape-men?"
Xiao Ke replied at once, "Please wait, Master. I'll generate one immediately."
Xiao Ke searched through every experimental record dating back to the Biology Department's establishment and compiled them into a pedigree chart for Huang Si.
The chart was terrifyingly complex. But once it was converted into data, Huang Si only needed to digitize his consciousness to read it without much trouble.
After reading for a while, Huang Si noticed a problem. Frowning, he asked, "Why haven't samples A9324 and B40211 been bred together? Their values are both high, aren't they? And shouldn't B40211 have the highest intelligence of any fifth-generation Ape-man so far? Why not have it breed as much as possible?"
Xiao Ke replied, "According to the biology materials you provided earlier, close relatives within three generations should not breed, or they risk serious genetic diseases. A9324 is a fourth-generation female Ape-man, and B40211 is a fifth-generation male Ape-man. However, A9324's father, A932, and E607 are full siblings. E607's son, B4021, is B40211's father. Therefore, B4021 and A9324 are first cousins, which means A9324 is B40211's first cousin once removed. Thus, under the three-generation rule, A9324 and B40211 should not be bred together."
Huang Si couldn't help looking at Xiao Ke askance. "You're pretty impressive, Xiao Ke. You managed to explain genetic relationships using traditional Chinese kinship terms so complicatedly that if I weren't here, but an ordinary person from Earth, you'd have me completely confused."
Xiao Ke said, "My conversations with Master are optimized according to your thought patterns and cultural background, to make them as appropriate as possible."
Huang Si laughed. "I wasn't praising you. But never mind. I'll handle this. Xiao Ke, from today onward, ignore all rules against breeding close relatives, whether they're Ape-men or any other living things. Superior genetic traits must be combined through breeding as much as possible, as soon as possible."
Xiao Ke said, "Yes, Master. It was my oversight. I'll follow the new rules immediately."
Huang Si shook his head and sighed toward the camera. "You weren't wrong. On Earth, what you did would have been completely reasonable. My approach would be seen as extremely cruel. I'd be vilified even for doing this to cats and dogs, let alone conducting these experiments on apes, which are so closely related to humans."
But there were no other people from Earth here.
And Huang Si had never been an animal-rights activist.
"Breeding close relatives will inevitably strengthen certain recessive genes. Those changes could cause terrible hereditary diseases. That's why people on Earth forbid close relatives from marrying and morally condemn breeding animals with close relatives. It can lead to a lot of tragedies."
"But all I care about is efficiency. If there are harmful recessive genes, there are beneficial ones too. I'd even welcome using inbreeding to strengthen genes that help a species evolve, and make sure they're passed down reliably. In the Green Base, where countless test subjects are culled every year, what do the constraints of people on Earth matter?"
Huang Si thought for a moment, then added, "If any of them resists breeding with a close relative, that means it has developed a higher level of intelligence. Control it and force it to breed. Genes that produce a sense of morality are superior genes. They must be passed down."
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Ke's mechanical voice rang out coldly, echoing through the Data Space.
Its voice, stripped of every trace of humanity, seemed to mock the rules of Earth that had vanished long, long ago.
After that, the Biology Department made one breakthrough after another.
Whenever a major breakthrough was achieved, Xiao Ke, following Huang Si's instructions, selected some of the stronger individuals and introduced them into the original population of that species. They gradually interbred, passing on their superior genes.
In this process, the evolution of beasts, birds, and fish went much more smoothly than that of the Ape-men. For one thing, there were more species, their genes were simpler than the Ape-men's, and their breeding cycles were shorter. For another, Huang Si strictly required humans to have appearances and body structures close to those of humans on Earth, which made them much harder to select.
As increasingly superior genes were introduced, the strength, intelligence, special abilities, and other traits of the various species across the Green World were all gradually improving.
February 21, 2025.
After getting up, Huang Si received a message from Xiao Ke.
Xiao Ke would never message him while he was asleep unless something particularly urgent had happened. Once Huang Si woke up, he would connect to the network with his consciousness and alert Xiao Ke. Only then, knowing its master was awake, would Xiao Ke report anything.
Huang Si had become increasingly adept at connecting his consciousness to the network. At first, he had analyzed the components of computers at the atomic and molecular levels. Now he analyzed them directly at the level of electrical charge, then embedded his consciousness in the information stream, allowing the stream to carry it.
In the end, Huang Si could choose whether to send a network message, directly analyze and alter the information, or transform his consciousness into a stream and take a trip to the Green World.
However, Huang Si rarely traveled there with his consciousness. The flow of time differed too greatly between the two worlds. Keeping his body here while sending his consciousness there put too much strain on him.
If he processed too much data, Huang Si got a headache.
Only then did he think, Huh? Maybe improving my soul's strength is actually useful after all.
So he still exercised his soul regularly, for instance by staying longer in a storm.
This time, Xiao Ke had some very good news for Huang Si.
Of the 12 AIs in the virtual Mountain and Sea Realm, one named Dong Yao had not only finished studying everything Huang Si had assigned him about humans and biological science, but had also reached the required intelligence score. He was now a fully developed artificial intelligence capable of passing the Turing test.
"That wasn't easy." Huang Si nodded with satisfaction. "I'll go see him now."
Huang Si's consciousness turned into a stream of data and entered a bundle of network cables as thick as a bowl. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the base's Artificial Intelligence Department.
With Xiao Ke's help, Huang Si found the Mountain and Sea Realm's control console, then logged in as an administrator.
"Hmm?"
When Huang Si turned into a stream of data, he could see the scenery inside the Data Space. Now, as he logged into the virtual Mountain and Sea Realm as an administrator, with his consciousness digitized, he found that he had appeared in the virtual world in a form resembling a human body.
However, this body had only basic administrator functions. It had no senses or bodily functions, and was completely unlike the complex artificial intelligences.
Huang Si waved his arms and tried to feel the virtual body he was using. Hmm, he couldn't feel a thing.
He reached out and made a pulling motion in the air. The gesture was merely symbolic; at the same time, his consciousness had activated the system console.
The console immediately summoned all 12 AIs before him.
The artificial intelligences were all thrilled to see Huang Si again. A few of them, though, looked somewhat ill at ease.
Of them all, the AI named Dong Yao seemed happiest, even a little pleased with himself. Still, he kept his head bowed, putting on a show of humility.
After all, they were standing before Father God, whom they both revered and feared. They had to make a good impression.
"Dong Yao," Huang Si said, "I hear you've finished your course?"
Dong Yao lowered his eyes and answered respectfully, "Father God, your child has completed it all."
Huang Si smiled. "That's good news. You deserve a reward."
Dong Yao looked delighted and couldn't help raising his head to look at Huang Si.
"Dong Yao, kneel and accept the mission Heaven has bestowed upon you."
At Huang Si's command, Dong Yao immediately knelt and bowed to the ground.
"I know you all think you're the Heaven-blessed favorites of the world, and often regard yourselves as gods. But have you ever considered that everything in this world exists in relation to its opposite?"
"Without high, there can be no low. Without short, there can be no long. Without black, there can be no white. Without good, there can be no evil. Without mortals... there can be no gods!"
"Even gods are relative. Only when you have people who follow you can you truly call yourselves gods."
"Then, Dong Yao, from today onward, I bestow upon you the title of Eastern God Emperor—Dong Yao!"
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