Chapter 216 Finale (Part 2)
Lan smiled and said, "Hello, Miss Lu."
The girl is Lu Ming!
She looked around in surprise, then raised her hands and turned them over and over, finally asking, "What is going on? Where is this? Why haven't I been cleared out?"
Lan made a gesture of invitation, "Follow me."
Lu Ming followed her towards the other side of the big screen.
For some reason, Lu Ming felt that this place looked like... the cockpit of some vehicle?
"Please sit down."
He led Luming to a chair closest to the wall and sat her down, then he sat down next to her and asked her, "Are you ready?"
"What?"
"Know the truth."
Lu Ming nodded quickly.
Lan snapped his fingers, and the silver wall in front of the two of them suddenly rose up, revealing the glass windows behind it.
Then Luming was stunned.
They saw huge floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding them on three sides, and outside the windows was... pitch black, but they could see that the place they were in was moving forward.
Lu Ming looked at the scene in front of her in shock, then she ran to the floor-to-ceiling window on the far right and stared at a ship outside...which looked very much like the interstellar spaceship in the new technological era she was in.
So, what exactly is this place?
Lan walked over to her and spoke slowly, "In 2759 AD, humans on Earth suddenly discovered that the fertility rate in every country in the world was rapidly declining. Countless scientists gathered together and studied it for twenty years, but they could not find any results. To make matters worse, one morning in that year, a meteorite hit the Earth without warning, killing over a billion people. After this, the Earth's ecological balance was disrupted. Coupled with humanity's own lack of care, the Earth's natural environment became increasingly deteriorating, and the population continued to decline."
He looked at the interstellar spaceships outside and said in a vague voice, "More than fifty years later, Earth's population of seven billion has been reduced to only three billion. Nations have begun violently competing for limited natural resources, and the world has been plunged into endless war. Until, the Earth's population has plummeted to one billion. Coincidentally, at this time, there were no newborns in the world for three consecutive years. People realized that continuing to do so would only lead to the extinction of the human race."
"So, all the countries merged into one international league, and from then on they were governed separately, with no longer any distinction between countries or ethnic groups."
"The absence of new life means there is no hope. People wondered if the Earth's environment was no longer habitable, leading to the human race's inability to reproduce. So, interstellar migration was put on the agenda."
"It took the entire world a hundred years to build these dozen spaceships."
"They targeted the Gemini Galaxy, three million light-years away from Earth, and sent people there to explore the way."
"The news brought back by the pioneers is that the environment is suitable for immigration."
"At this point, only 80 million humans remained, and they were very happy. They boarded their spacecraft, bid farewell to Earth, and headed for the Gemini System."
"It's been a very long journey. During this long period, someone decided that humanity couldn't just fall into slumber in vain. So they invented a game system that allows everyone's consciousness to be completely preserved within it. This system is called World."
"This game is like building a virtual world. Since people can spend a short time in it and experience different lives, it is very popular. Almost everyone has entered this system."
"And then, the Twin Galaxies arrived."
"However, what awaits people is not a beautiful home, but a pile of ruins floating in the universe."
Lu Ming was surprised and waited for his next words.
Lan turned to look at her and continued, "This galaxy was destroyed by an asteroid just as people set out from Earth."
"At this point, those who are still awake face two choices. One, wake up all humans and tell them this truth, and then everyone will search for the next habitable galaxy in the fear of the unknown. The other, let them sleep and wait for the arrival of their next new home in the game system."
"Of course, they chose the second option."
"So everyone worked together to modify the game's system and connected it to the main system of the spacecraft, creating a new system. That is, me."
Lu Ming opened his mouth wide and looked at Lan in amazement.
Lan laughed again. "It's really unlike me, isn't it? But I am indeed the main system's artificial intelligence. What you see now is just my simulated robot."
"However, until this group of people grew old, humans never discovered another habitable galaxy nearby."
"So, after discussing it, they planned a new way out for everyone on the spacecraft. They changed the name of the spacecraft to Gemini, and then put all humans into permanent hibernation, retaining only their brains and consciousness within the game system. While they continued their lives within the system, their bodies drifted through the universe until they found a new home or were rescued by other intelligent life forms."
"The game system has also been transformed into one that mimics the real world 100%. People's memories of the real world will be sealed, and from then on it will be like living in that world. After completing one scene, they will be randomly born in another world, grow up, age, and then enter the next reincarnation."
Lu Ming's mind was a little confused. "So you're saying that this place, these spaceships, is the real world, and the places I've been in before, whether it was the new technological era or the end of the world, were actually scenes in the system?"
"That's right."
Lu Ming was a little confused: "Then what was that time-travel game I played in the new technological era? And why did I suddenly travel from one scene to another and still retain my memories?"
According to him, even if you die in one scene, you will be reborn in another scene. It is not like traveling through time like that.
"I'll tell you why in a moment, so please continue listening."
"Okay, then you tell me."
"After everything was set up, those who were awake fell asleep, leaving only the captain to handle necessary matters."
"The captain carries a heavy responsibility, for he has complete control of the entire system. This means he could instantly kill every human on board if he so desired. To prevent this, the people who created me divided the highest authority in half, giving it to me and the captain. Anything affecting human life requires a consensus between both parties. And my first rule is that you must not actively harm anyone. This minimizes the possibility of me or the captain harming humanity on our own."
"Because the captain needs to be awakened frequently, and this process will damage his brain consciousness, the captain's term is fifty years. Upon the expiration of the term, I will select a new captain from among those who meet the requirements."
"But a few days ago, a turbulent stream of meteorites struck the spacecraft, destroying a power source in the main ship. The previous captain was replacing the backup power source outside the ship when he was struck by a meteorite and tragically died. Therefore, I need to select a new captain to take over the spacecraft."
Lan said this, turned to look at Luming, and said: "And you are the one I chose, the next captain."
"What? Me?"
Lu Ming was at a loss at first, then he finally remembered something very important, "Wait, so you don't want to tell me that the reason I traveled to the apocalypse was actually a test, right?"
"Yes."
Damn it!
Lu Ming really wanted to swear!
"No, then that last part about the plot only being able to be changed by rebooting, was that also a lie?!"
Lu Ming glared at him and questioned him.
Lan touched his nose, his eyes a little vague, and nodded slowly, "Well, that is indeed a level we set up specially..."
"you!"
That’s too much!
"I don't want to be this lousy captain! You're testing me without my permission, and you expect me to do any work. You're dreaming!"
Lu Ming was furious. She had been so heartbroken over the separation of her loved ones for so long, and it was all because of this spaceship!
Lan advised gently, "I've detected that your emotions are fluctuating too strongly. I suggest you calm down and listen to me. Actually, being a captain has many advantages. For example, you can go to any system scene at any time."
What? !
When Lu Ming heard this, she felt a little nervous. She asked in a low voice, "Does that mean I can still go back?"
"certainly."
"Really? Then when I go back, will those people still be there?"
"Once a scenario is initiated, the system has no right to intervene. This time, because we need to select the captain, we can make an exception and change some settings during the scenario. So, in theory, as long as the scenario ends and nothing unexpected happens to the people in the scenario, they will remain."
!!
Lu Ming's heart began to beat rapidly. So, as long as she became the captain, she could go back to find Ah Chao and the others?!
"So, what exactly is the Captain going to do?"
A glint of pride flashed across Lan's perfect mechanical eyes. He smiled and led Luming forward, "Follow me."
As he walked, he explained, "First and foremost, the captain's mission is to ensure the physical and mental safety of all humans on board during his term of office."
The two took the elevator to the top floor of the spaceship.
As soon as he got out of the elevator, Lu Ming was shocked.
Before my eyes were countless white hibernation chambers, one next to the other, filling the entire hall.
She walked to the nearest hibernation chamber and took a closer look.
There is a piece of transparent glass on the warehouse door, which is just enough to see the appearance of the people inside. Below the glass are introductions and vital signs of each person in the warehouse.
"Generally speaking, if anything goes wrong with these hibernation chambers, I can repair them by myself, but some projects require the captain's approval, and then you'll need to be present."
The two walked forward, and Lu Ming came to the middle of the hall and found that the middle was empty and he could see below.
Then she saw that the hull was of unknown depth, and each layer was filled with countless hibernation chambers like this. It was so spectacular that she had never seen anything like it before.
Next, Lan took her to visit her body and told her that her consciousness was now just borrowing the robot body, and her real body was still lying in the hibernation chamber and could not be easily awakened unless necessary.
Lu Ming looked at her face covered with white frost in the glass window and felt that it was a very magical feeling. She also discovered that her real body was only 50% similar to her previous appearance in the system, not exactly the same.
Then Lan took her to find Gu Chao's hibernation chamber with understanding.
Lu Ming reached out and touched the glass window of his cabin door. Longing surged up in his heart and his eyes involuntarily became red.
He looked pretty much the same as the one I had seen before.
"Secondly, we must ensure the safety of all human consciousness within the reincarnation system. However, I can usually handle this, so you don't need to worry about it."
"Finally, if there's any problem with the spacecraft that requires human authorization to handle, you'll need to be woken up and take control yourself."
"Actually, the Gemini has been drifting in space for hundreds of years. You're the eleventh captain, and all the previous captains have only been awakened a dozen or so times combined, so you don't have to worry. The role of captain, aside from responsibility, isn't a particularly burdensome one, and I can handle most of it. And you, on the other hand, possess supreme power within the Samsara System. Why not take it?"
is that so?
Lu Ming always felt a little bit unbelievable.
But being able to go back was very attractive to her.
"So, what's your decision?"
Lu Ming thought for a long time and finally made a decision, "Okay! Then I accept this position!"
Lan smiled with satisfaction and nodded, "A wise choice. Then please follow me and we will proceed to the handover ceremony."
So the two of them returned to the main control room where they started, and Lu Ming stood in front of the screen again.
The gentle female voice sounded again: "Lan, have you confirmed the captain candidate?"
Lan replied, "Confirmed."
"So, are you sure you want to take over as the eleventh captain of the Gemini?"
Lu Ming took a deep breath and said, "Confirmed."
"Authorization successful, scanning human body data..."
"Scanning successful. Registering the new captain's information. Please do not leave..."
"Registration successful. Welcome, ma'am. I'm your personal butler, Xing. If you have any questions, feel free to call me. I'll do my best to serve you."
Then, countless Lu Ming's faces appeared on the huge screen in front of him, and after a few seconds, everything returned to normal.
Lan explained, "The Star is the ship's primary system. Together, it and I form the entire Gemini system network. You have absolute control over the Star, and I each control half of the Samsara system. Please remember your three main work rules: First, you must not harm any human without authorization. Second, you must not disclose any information about the Gemini to anyone without authorization. Also, you must not disrupt the balance of the Samsara system or interfere with its normal operation."
"Okay, I'll remember that."
Lu Ming asked expectantly, "So, when can I go back? After I go back, will I need to come back again? Oh, and also, will I still remember everything after I go back?"
"The handover ceremony has been completed. You are free to do as you please. You do not need to return unless absolutely necessary. When you return, you will remember everything. Your memories will no longer be suppressed."
Very good!
"Then, send me back immediately!"
"As you wish."
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