novelraw Chapter 56: After That
Chapter 56: After That
The terminal contained vast amounts of information, ranging from how early humans domesticated livestock to maintenance procedures for the Dream Creator Type-7 and Mo Wen Type-1 Hyperspace Engines. It even included civilization reconstruction manuals—truly comprehensive and all-encompassing. Unfortunately, the human-like AI originally intended for installation had been damaged for unknown reasons, leaving only a relatively low-intelligence AI.
A specialized learning device connected to the terminal sat nearby. Whenever Mo Wen desired, he could access this knowledge.
However, fully mastering all this knowledge would likely take a considerable amount of time.
Considering that most advanced micro-level knowledge would be completely useless in a world with fundamentally different physical laws, Mo Wen decided not to attempt learning too much at once.
As for the virtual reality device...
Mo Wen sat inside it.
He saw an dazzling array of scenarios. Although limited by computing power, the personal virtual reality device couldn't simulate every scenario perfectly, it still allowed him to periodically conduct combat training to refresh his mind.
Most crucially, at the very top of all scenarios was one titled [Must Watch].
Must watch? Then he should take a look.
Aboard humanity's first starship, Mo Wen opened his eyes.He saw the cold, dark vacuum of space, and the planet that had now become distant and small.
Some time after his departure, humanity had broken free from their home star system's gravitational constraints and launched their advance toward the distant stars.
A screen nearby broadcast news, the host's joy barely containable. In the live footage, countless people could be seen cheering toward the sky.
No, this wasn't just simple footage. Mo Wen opened the scenario settings and discovered that most situations on planet Avel at this moment had been recorded.
He adjusted his position, stepping onto the completely renewed land.
The abandoned town where he had arrived had been demolished and rebuilt into a new city.
A golden giant tree stood in the city center—a branch of the Light Tree, serving as a simple resurrection and production device.
On the streets, every person Mo Wen saw radiated vibrant vitality, unlike the indifferent glances he had witnessed in the past.
The old humans, in the previous era, were supposed to be naturally eliminated as an inferior species over time. They had indeed become completely extinct now—by replacing their bodies with newer, higher-performance versions.
Greater creativity, stronger empathy, enhanced psychic power aptitude, physiological functions that could rival old-style augmentations under the "spirit root" enhancement while continuously growing, and various other adjustments both major and minor.
Even facing intelligent machines, they now possessed competitive capabilities.
Thus, through labor, they had reestablished their value. Because they could create value, they could see hope and feel acknowledged.
They could look forward to tomorrow instead of merely surviving aimlessly.
Some time after his departure, humanity had broken free from their home star system's gravitational constraints and launched their advance toward the distant stars.
Due to privacy concerns, some people and areas couldn't be displayed in the scenario, but the Hawks Academy appeared particularly clear here.
The gang leader who had undergone deep augmentation modification—previously not having enough meat on his bones to make a decent dish—revealed his... or rather, her new body.
She could actually be considered a woman!
Thinking about how masculine she used to be... I suppose this illustrates the difference between cyberpunk and space opera. My big artillery piece (firing capable) transformed into a beautiful young woman!
Kai was preparing lessons. Teaching super new human offspring with added inherited memory functions was clearly not an easy task, but he was still working hard at it.
Additionally, Mo Wen saw his portrait as a sponsor, and children placing wreaths before the portrait while praying to pass their exams.
Being worshiped for the first time felt somewhat strange, and besides, this wasn't really his area of expertise.
Nevertheless, he wished them academic success.
He continued to explore the Dreamweaver Entertainment company.
[The Corporation] had turned into dust of the era, replaced by the new [Human Community] in its position. The corporate system had become a thing of the past, replaced more by "factions" based on research directions and professional functions—though essentially the same divisions under different labels.
However, the External Operations Department wasn't among the faction divisions. As individuals possessing powerful psychic power and even greater capabilities, they were all aboard starships, safeguarding the upcoming voyages.
Mo Wen's consciousness returned to the starship.
The scenario continued normally.
The old humans, in the previous era, were supposed to be naturally eliminated as an inferior species over time. They had indeed become completely extinct now—by replacing their bodies with newer, higher-performance versions.
For the people of planet Avel who had merely known him briefly, they would likely never see Mo Wen again in their lifetimes. But for Mo Wen, they had created weak AIs based on their images and left them in the scenario.
Greater creativity, stronger empathy, enhanced psychic power aptitude, physiological functions that could rival old-style augmentations under the "spirit root" enhancement while continuously growing, and various other adjustments both major and minor.
But he still smiled at the crowd: "Hello, everyone."
"Yo! The hero." "The most awesome buddy is here!" "The Hyperspace God is on our ship—this vessel definitely won't capsize." "Numb, did you forget this is a virtual reality scenario and we're scenario characters?" "Bro, shake hands, let me get some of that tough guy energy." "Yay!"
The atmosphere was a bit too lively for these fake people.
Mo Wen slightly raised his hand, and their voices quieted for a moment, but soon they started being unreliable again.
"Speaking of which, how should we proceed? I didn't have much input." "Um, hyperspace engine activation?" "Oh right, where's the captain?" "Damn, forgot to include the captain. What's this ship's situation anyway? What's powering it?"
"According to the setting, it should be operated by intelligent machines. Realistically speaking, it should operate based on the setting." "Don't take virtual reality too seriously—this isn't full simulation mode anyway."
"Anyway, proceed to the captain's room, press the virtual hyperspace device on the virtual control panel, then watch a CG."
Sounded fairly straightforward.
Mo Wen reached the captain's room and pressed the switch.
He could see everything before him distort, infinite pathways emerging as the starship charged into them, arriving in hyperspace—glowing faintly, existing between the Warp and the physical universe.
It made faster-than-light travel far simpler than before: faster speeds, lower consumption, bringing the beings of the cosmos closer together than ever.
The gang leader who had undergone deep augmentation modification—previously not having enough meat on his bones to make a decent dish—revealed his... or rather, her new body.
Similarly, it was also the first step toward the stars for countless civilizations.
Visible were thousands of spacecraft from every corner of the universe, from various civilizations, all entering hyperspace.
Some angular and geometric, some resembling living creatures, some cold and hard...
They had different languages, different cultures. Among them, some were destined for extinction, some despairing in the vast yet narrow darkness of space, some struggling with internal conflicts. But today, in this moment, they all gazed upon the star routes together.
Looking up at the final traces Mo Wen left in this world, his last gift.