Shepherding Humanity

These people are so malicious!

They're all plotting against me!

Xu Zhi clutched his head in despair. This world was cruel.

He had made the smaller sandbox close by the entrance so that he could easily observe them. And yet, it was precisely because he was so close by that the players could not help but get funny ideas.

Strictly speaking, they were all born from his spores; he was both their father and Creator…

And here they were, seriously considering patricide.

Treacherous heretics!

He could accept Gilgamesh’s actions because he was some who had been born naturally in the larger sandbox, but now even his worker ants in the smaller sandbox were planning to overthrow him.

"I must be the most pitiful Creator in history." Xu Zhi was speechless for a moment before regaining his composure. "So you’re all heroes who want to defy heaven and kill god, huh? I believe I've already shown you that I'm strong."

"It seems this guy, Akina’s Speedster, hasn't been beaten down enough yet by society. I need to teach him a lesson! If he wants to brag to the other players that he’s the ultimate badass, then he better be prepared for the ultimate beating!"

Xu Zhi felt that it was time to teach them a lesson, and make them properly work for him.

After thinking about it for a while though, Xu Zhi decided to ignore their plot. It was better for them to be motivated when evolving new species.

He asked the Tyranis Hive Mind: "Does this new species have extraordinary potential?"

The Hive Mind emotionlessly replied: "Yes, this is a species with extraordinary potential."

"It really does!"

Xu Zhiton bit down hard on his apple. He felt really jealous and envious.

Some people just had the talent. He could not compare himself to them.

This species was much better looking than the strangely shaped Evil Eyes from last time.

But still, it was probably too small to poison Xu Zhi, even though it had evolved to the largest size possible within the sandbox, and was about the size of a beetle. For ant-sized creatures, it was as big as an elephant.

With its massive size, the bright red rooster was like a huge crimson phoenix. Its beautiful appearance made it look very appetizing.

It looked really tasty.

"How's the strength of the toxin?" Xu Zhi cautiously asked, "Will it pose a threat to me?"

It would be hilarious if he really got poisoned and met an ignominious end.

"This species is somewhat similar to the pufferfish, its meat is extremely tasty, but the toxins are potent enough that even a small amount is able to easily put down an adult."

Xu Zhi gulped.

This guy is ruthless!

He really is planning to kill me!

A creature the size of a beetle could kill a grown adult with its poison, that showed how toxic it was.

"If the poison is enough to kill an ordinary person, then what about me?" Xu Zhi asked. "My evolved genes are almost perfect, and I have also started my training as a magician.”

If it was something that could only poison ordinary people, then there was no need to put it in the sandbox. Those witches would walk all over it.

The Tyranis Hive Mind replied, "That needs to be tested. As the Tyranis Hive Mother, you can test the toxin yourself."

"I'm not a woman, please call me Father." Xu Zhi mumbled.

The Tyranis Hive Mind apparently didn't have a mind of its own and paid no heed to Xu Zhi's snide remark. It went on mechanically: "Hive Mother, please test the toxin personally. As the Tyranis Hive Mother, no creature born from your spores can threaten you, no matter how poisonous it is."

Xu Zhi paused. "So it’s no threat to me? Since it really has potential, let's not care about Akina’s Speedster’s intentions for now. Let me test its toxin and see how much potential this species has."

Xu Zhi started eating another apple. Perfecting the sandbox's magic civilization was his number one priority, and he was really looking forward to seeing what the second species from the player who had evolved the Evil Eye could do.

"Let's wait for him to start eating!"

"Shh, be quiet. We’ll sneakily poison him…"

"How malicious! But I like it!"

In the small sandbox a little distance away, the players were secretly observing him, while whispering amongst themselves.

Recently, Xu Zhi has been eating fruits almost everyday because they were good for his stomach. This was something he needed to pay attention to as a stomach cancer patient. He was getting started on his second apple. "Eating well is part of a healthy routine. Since he’s offering himself, I’ll try to play along. Hopefully he’ll taste good."

It wasn't five o'clock yet. This was when Xu Zhi usually ate, and he wasn't in a hurry. He started flipping through the black notebook with his notes on the evolutionary process.

This was also something he had to do. It was time to add to his notes a Fifth Age that came after the Age of Darkness, the Age of Radiance, the Age of Rebirth, and the Age of Genesis.

Although the Babylonian Age seemed far from over, he felt that it was time to start keeping records.

"This epoch, I’ll call it…" After a moment of contemplation, Xu Zhi casually came up with a name. "In the Age of Magic, magicians started appearing in great numbers, and became the rulers of the era.”

He bit down on his pen as he picked his words, and continued:

"In this age, Hermes, the God of Wisdom, descended from heaven and conversed with mortals, helping the Three Witches to open the way forward. In the year 198 of Babylon, the Three Witches had reached the end of their lives, and heaven sent down miracles to mourn their passing…"

Knock knock!

Before Xu Zhi had finished writing, he heard Chen Xi knocking on the gate.

Xu Zhi hurriedly stood up and ran to open the door.

The bizarre creatures who were secretly plotting on the ground screamed loudly when they saw this and desperately fled.

"Run, comrades!"

"It’s time for his daily meal. Get away from the Path of the Stampede!"

After all, Xu Zhi had built the sandbox right by the entrance to the yard, and would have to cross it each time he headed out. The players called this path the Path of the Stampede. The giant boss took this route daily, and they had to avoid it at critical times if they didn’t want to be trampled underfoot.

"Whew, it’s over. Nobody died, right?"

"Guys, it should be another four minutes before he starts eating his usual daily dinner. We should take this opportunity to climb up the giant chair!"

"Quick, build a ladder with your bodies!"

"Charge! Kill the boss! The first kill is mine!"

A bizarre swarm of ant-sized creatures started to climb up the chair.

They intended to hide behind the back of the chair after they’ve climbed onto the chair.

But then, Akina’s Speedster suddenly called everyone back. He was a veteran gamer, and had plenty of experience with boss battles. "My friends, don't get excited. It’s important to keep your calm when entering dungeons and fighting bosses. I secretly observed the giant just now and noticed that he was not only eating apples this time. He had also taken out his usual black book. We should try to open it and take a look at his notes. This may be the clue to some hidden content."

The players looked at each other. Hidden content? Everyone loved that. Just thinking about it made them happy.

"I'll go. I've got eight legs!"

"I'll do it. I have four arms!"

"I'm even better, I've got five tentacles! With eyes on them! I can literally flip through the pages with my eyes!"

A dozen strange creatures who were confident in their strength worked together to turn the pages of the huge notebook, flipping through pages of paper the size of a basketball court.

The tiny creatures leaned on the chair, and flipped open the giant notebook’s black cover. When they saw the three words "Age of Genesis" written in massive letters on the first page, they were stunned.

"What is this?"