Shepherding Humanity

After the Evil Eye, Xu Zhi was really looking forward to seeing how the players would surprise him next. After all, there were quite a few talented people online.

The second beta test had already begun.

While Xu Zhi had been eating breakfast before sending off the three witches, fifty new players had passed the screening process and entered the sandbox to begin their evolution amidst pitch darkness.

The older players had also entered the sandbox, and started an animated discussion.

"Damn, the second beta has a lot of new content. There's even opening music."

"Yeah, it's Beethoven's Symphony of Fate. Is this meant to symbolize our difficult life as creatures who evolve from spores?"

The players in the small sandbox could also hear the loud music playing in the courtyard.

The newer players had apparently done their research. The game opened at 5:00 a.m., and now, four hours later, they had already evolved eyes and were looking around in amazement at the diverse species within the ocean.

"It's a true virtual reality, complete with bodily sensations. It's like a second world!"

"Hahaha, I feel like I'm made of money right now! In this virtual reality, every word I speak, every evolution I undergo, and even the environment I come into contact with, requires six hundred thousand dollars worth of computing resources!"

What a bunch of idiots. It doesn’t cost me a dime. You’re only in my yard, OK?

Xu Zhi ate an apple as he sat cross-legged in the courtyard. He looked at the distant sandbox like a feudal landlord surveying his serfs. "Get moving, people, and create new species for me."

A group of players noticed Xu Zhi observing them and started a quiet discussion.

"F*ck, f*ck, f*ck. I finally saw the giant with my own eyes. He’s so huge!"

"He's eating an apple again. Is this some kind of hidden clue? If I investigate this, will I be able to become a special spore and get a hidden job class?"

"Don't. The older players have already tried, and only got stomped to death. This game has too much freedom, and there are so many things we haven't discovered yet. It's such a mysterious game."

…….

The second beta test had begun, and the older players were beginning to feel a little pressured. A tester position was really precious, and worth about six hundred thousand dollars after all.

Akina’s Speedster did not rest on his laurels as the oldest and most celebrated player in the forums. He devoted himself to studying “Evolutionary Cytology”, “The Origin of Species”, “Biomolecular Structure”, “The Mechanics of Skeletal Development”, and “The Evolutionary History of Neurotoxins”….

His dormitory had more than ten thick books on the subject from both at home and abroad.

Though he had become a game addict in recent years, he was still the student of a prestigious university in the capital, and a genius with a very high score on his college entrance exam. At this moment, he had rediscovered his passion for learning.

"This time, I’ll first evolve into an arthropod. I’ll eat plankton and evolve an exoskeleton!"

"Then, I’ll become a herbivore, evolve an abdomen, and climb onto land. Next, I’ll move to the swamp, and evolve neurotoxins… To evolve the toxin sac, I will have to start hunting swamp frogs…"

He planned it out step by step, filling over ten pages of paper with his densely packed notes.

Different environments, different foods, and different advanced organs will result in different evolutionary directions, creating a massive evolutionary tree that had as many branches as the stars in the sky.

Saying that this was the most profound subject in the world would not be an exaggeration, and even a lifetime of research would not be enough to master it.

Finally, Akina’s Speedster was satisfied: "After so much planning, it's now time to implement my "Pallbearer Chicken Plan" and poison the boss!"

That's right, he was going to make waves in the game on the first day of the second beta!

The new Achievement System wanted you to evolve species with extraordinary potential.

But what counted as extraordinary potential?

Nobody knew.

However, if his species could poison the BOSS, then he’s got it in the bag for sure!

Of course, he was joking when he said that he’d evolve a species that looked like a pile of shit. Who would eat something that looked so unappetizing? His species would look delicious while hiding strong poison.

That's right, he was going to be the first player to get an achievement in the “Spore Evolution” game!

In this game, a single player used up six hundred thousand dollars worth of computing resources, the mystery reward was sure to be something unbelievably good!

He entered the game, and was greeted with the message: "Please evolve your eyes!"

The second beta test started at five in the morning, and he started his journey while the new players were still figuring out how to play. Ten hours passed, and it was past three in the afternoon.

"It finally worked, although, there are still some flaws…" Akina’s Speedster was thrilled as could be. He had finally been rewarded for his ten hours of effort!

His current species was a delicious looking little red rooster the color of flames. He was the king of the species and had control over a small flock of roosters.

"It's time to show these cute new players the awe-inspiring power of their seniors from the first beta. I'm going to show them how to poison the giant boss to death!" Akina’s Speedster smiled crookedly.

That's right, after preparing for so long, he was ready to change the world!

So, he posted in the forum and started live streaming.

[Akina’s Speedster has decided to celebrate the opening of Spore Evolution’s second beta by showing new players how to take down the giant apple-eating boss in the yard!]

When this post came out, the entire forum exploded.

Everyone knew that right now, even the best players from the first beta could only evolve deformed crap that couldn’t survive natural selection.

Hands Off: "Bossman, you’re already that knowledgeable about evolutionary theory! Isn’t this already at the level where you can receive a Nobel Prize? Now that you've evolved a really strong species, you’re ready to fight the boss?"

Cerebral Bluff: "This noob is trembling in awe. I have just started evolving my eyes and am still reading the beginner’s textbook recommended by all of you: “On the Origin of Species”."

All of them were incredulous!

They know from the videos how huge the giant truly was.

The players were still inexperienced and could only evolve into flawed species. The largest of them all was only as big as a beetle, and the rest were the size of ants. How could they hope to challenge the boss?

But there were some older players who instantly understood what Akina’s Speedster was talking about.

Future Skywhale: "Bossman, you were serious back then? I thought you were only joking. You're going to put shit in the boss's food, and there'll be poison in the shit? (?)"

Cute Girl who wants to become a Dragon: "F*ck! F*ck! Oh my God, is the bossman really going to do it? You’ve evolved a species with neurotoxins? And it’s even called a Pallbearer Chicken? (?)"

What were they talking about?

Put shit in the food? Hide poison in the shit?

How unbelievably evil!

Within the forum, people from all walks of life snickered and gave a thumbs up when they learned of the plan, and marveled at the amount of freedom in this game.

Akina’s Speedster: I hope you'll cooperate with me. Is there a martyr among you who would be willing to use his species to test the strength of my toxin? It would be best if you could test it personally, using the "king" of the species. If you could set your sense of touch to 100%, and tell me what it feels like to be poisoned, I would really appreciate it.

The other players only laughed incredulously at that.

No one was masochistic enough to test it themselves. But still, there were some who were willing to help with the experiment by using the creatures under their control. The poison was truly astounding, and a large number of them died in an instant.

After that, because the population of their species was too small, they quickly went extinct.

This caused them to cry.

Akina’s Speedster: "Hahaha, comrades, your glorious sacrifice has proven that my toxin is really effective! It’s time to move to the next step of the plan. It's now past four o'clock, and almost time for the boss to eat dinner, which is at five according to his daily schedule. Help me get on the bench, and I’ll find a way to sneak into his lunchbox and poison him!"

The lazy onlookers all cheered him on.

"Let's help!"

"On the first day of the second beta test, the giant boss will die!"

The excited players swarmed to the bench like ants, and began to prepare themselves for the epic boss battle.

Xu Zhi: "…….."

He of course also visited the game forums to see the feedback from the players on this first day of the second beta test.

He was dumbfounded…

"I'm just an observer. What did I ever do to you?"

This cretin, Akina’s Speedster, still hasn't given up on his idea, and is planning to jump into my lovingly prepared dinner and poison me?!