Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Huaxian children had been tested too many times since they were little.
When they were little, they had midterm exams and final exams each semester.
‘When they grew older, they had high school entrance exams, college entrance exams, and exams for their postgraduate studies.
Even after they left the ivory tower to join the working world, they still had to undergo tests in the form of interviews.
Although Su Mo was a little uneasy about Su Deben’s test, he still maintained his composure and presence of mind very well.
He was still an ordinary office worker from planet earth.
However, among the billions of people on the wasteland, he was also.
Almighty su!
As the test for the handover of authority finally started, Su Deben’s figure started to disappear slowly, and the whole peaceful world around him collapsed into pieces.
‘The test that used Virtual Reality technology clearly was not a simple question and answer exam.
Compared with the training ground function provided by the system, this time, thanks to this technology, Su Mo experienced a real “dream”.
In this dream, he saw a prosperous and bleak.
Earth!
He called it prosperous because in each city center here, there was a hundred-meter-tall energy beam that was even larger and longer than the base.
Under the illumination of this beam of light, the city looked busy, and was full of cars flying in the sky.
This city was full of high-rise buildings and exuded a post-modern vibe.
On the other hand, he called it bleak because, although the city was large and looked novel, only a handful of people could be seen walking on the road outside.
With so few people around, this city lacked a human’ feel!
Su Mo tried to control his body and, after going down to the street, he saw the expressions on these people’s faces.
Blank looks and numbness!
Su Deben’s voice sounded in Su Mo’s ears.
“The scene you are looking at now is that of the fifth day after the invasion of the Gilead clan.”
“Two days earlier, all the cities issued a ban. Aside from authorized residents, nobody is allowed outside and should await further instructions at home.”
“at this time, our defense and expeditionary armies had already been established. There are only a few law enforcement officers left in the city. The closest army to this city would take three hours and eighteen minutes to rush over here.”
“Right now, the first problem given to you to solve is…”
“Get everyone to protest! Make everyone leave their homes and destroy this system!
“You have three chances to start over. Every time you start over, you will return to this exact time and place.”
“The fewer attempts you use, and the quicker you solve it, the higher your score!”
Whoa!
Su Deben’s voice ceased. Su Mo, who had still been stuck seeing things from the perspective of a bystander, suddenly felt light.
It was as if he had been freed from the shackles that constrained him and had regained control over his body.
Even though the degree of completion rating of the helmet was only thirty-plus percent, at this moment, the surreal experience in front of Su Mo was not at all inferior to the experience of the system’s training ground function.
As it had insufficient technology and computing power, the satellite base outside, that measured two thousand mu in size, began to echo with thunder-like roars.
Oreo was startled by the sound and started walking back and forth next to Su Mo, her body on full alert. Her eyes held traces of suspicion and confusion.
Countless fans and servers started to run, frantically performing data collection, data analysis, and feedback.
Every minor change in Su Mo’s brainwaves was collected and analyzed using computing power, which was then transmitted back to his brain as physical sensations.
‘The best indicator that could reflect these changes was the energy beam in the base center that was visibly dropping with each passing second!
After a minute, the energy beam had fallen by 30 centimeters!
If these thirty centimeters were used to run the base’s basic operations, from what Little Ai said, it would have been enough to sustain the base for more than ten thousand years.
However, at the moment, it was sucked in through the computing servers and transformed into a huge amount of energy to support the authorization test being simulated by the helmet.
“It actually needs so much energy to operate…”
“Leader sure is… Wait, what happened!”
Controlling the energy, Little Ai occasionally observed Su Mo’s movements while it controlled the robot to walk over the base and cool down the computing servers.
However, what it did not notice was that the height of the energy beam at the center of the base had fallen by more than three meters!
Moreover, the rate at which its height was decreasing was still increasing rapidly.
Every second, it seemed that several centimeters of energy would be evaporated inside the tube, and the endless supply of energy was quickly siphoned away like lightning.
Furthermore, the computing power in the base had reached 99% now, and it was about to reach its critical limits.
“No, I have to quickly lower the temperature or the base will explode!”
It could see white smoke already rising from many of the machines.
Although Little Ai was an artificial intelligence program that did not understand emotions, it still activated the highest danger level protocol for the first time to deal with the situation.
Immediately, it shut down dozens of servers, leaving only the last one active to keep the main computer running.
It also regulated the central energy beam, fixing it at a maximum energy extraction rate of 15cm per minute.
It halted the power supply too.
In other words, although this test had only started 10 minutes ago, it was already ending.
The screen rotated.
In the virtual reality world, the scene constructed by Su Deben was dispelled thanks to Little Ai’s actions.
Only the last bits of energy and computing power were left, barely keeping the virtual reality world running.
Su Mo, who was controlling his virtual character, once again lost control and returned to the zone in which he was up above and looking down from the third-person perspective.
However, unlike previously, the world below was currently.
Full of people!
“This is impossible! You actually used this kind of method to get past my level settings.”
Su Deben’s figure appeared, floating high in the sky, his face full of undisguised shock.
According to his original plan, the test comprised three elements.
The first was to test the individual’s comprehension.
Incite everyone to leave their homes and come out to protest. Three chances.
This was a question that was full of traps.
His character possessed nothing, just some random stuff and his basic identity. Even if the defense team would take three hours to get here, it was still not enough to accomplish this terrifying feat.
Blow up the energy beams? Stop joking around. Leaving aside whether the explosives could be bought, even if it could be bought, the energy beams’ defensive measures would be sufficient to withstand it.
Hijacking and waylaying the law enforcers? That was even more impossible. In this world, Su Mo did not have the 20 times bonus to his physical attributes.
Like regular people in this world, he was very weak and powerless.
Given these conditions, there was only one road to success for the test taker.
To give up!
Only by choosing to give up on this level could one truly enter the next.
‘The second test was the true test.
In the end, Su Mo managed to achieve this feat in his first try.
This clearly did not make sense.
“Nothing is impossible. Doesn’t Leader Su Deben agree that us being on the wasteland in the first place is the most nonsensical thing?”
“Or in other words, isn’t it wondrous that the two of us could meet here using this method?”
Su Mo quietly stared at the surprised Su Deben in front of him.
He knew that this move had shocked not just one person, but the “thousands of people” that had created this thing back then!
He had cheated!
After the test started, Su Mo had only done two things.
First, he found a place that he could go online.
Secondly, using the programming knowledge he learned before, he wrote a very simple attack program.
‘The purpose of this procedure was to gain control of the city.
It was naturally impossible with Su Mo’s programming skill, but he had the system!
Without any heartache, after the program was successfully written, Su Mo chose the most expensive upgrade option!
A full 21 thousand points!
According to the system’s description, after such an upgrade, not only could he control the city, he could control the virtual reality world as well.
The energy beam looked as stable as Mount Tai, but it was actually the biggest constraint to human development.
‘The reason everyone could stay peacefully at home was that there was enough energy for them to enjoy their long-awaited vacation.
However, only by cutting off this source of energy would this test be defeated!
‘Taking advantage of the upgraded program and the computing power of the servers in the base, Su Mo even went to the bar in his spare time and bought a cup of coffee.
This coffee was very bitter, but when he drank it, it was very sweet!
Su Mo was not a pedantic person. He naturally knew that if he did not get the highest score in this test, he would have to spend a lot of time and points on revisions.
Instead of this, it was better to make the first move the last one.
“You’re not bad. Really, this ability of yours has obviously surpassed my scope of understanding. No, it has surpassed ‘our’ scope of understanding.”
“This test didn’t have a correct answer at first, but you obtained a correct choice just by relying on your own abilities.”
“I think there’s no need to continue with the next tests either!”
Looking at the rioting crowd below, Su Deben shook his head. The loneliness on his face disappeared. It was replaced by relief and relaxation!
The image rotated, the virtual world shattered, and they had once again returned to the beautiful great plains.
Seeing Su Deben sit down, Su Mo sat down as well.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
Su Mo nodded. “It indeed doesn’t make sense!”
Su Deben said, “However, you’re right. The fact that we even came here in the first place is the most nonsensical thing. That we can meet despite coming from different space and time continuums is also nonsensical.”
“Everything in this world seems to make sense, yet everything is beyond our control, leaving us at a loss.”
“Seeing a lot of these things that surpass my scope of understanding, my nerves have become numb too. Thank you, Su Mo, for showing me something new.”
Pointing to his own head, Su Deben smiled in relief.
However, he then changed the subject.
“Tve changed my mind now. You can have the highest authority in the base. Everything here belongs to you.”
“However, just like before, you can ask me questions. Three questions this time.”
“after the three questions, you’ll have to find the rest of the answers to your remaining questions by yourself!”
Holding up three fingers, Su Deben widened his eyes.
He wanted to see the expression on Su Mo’s face change but, unfortunately, Su Mo was still smiling broadly.
“You’re not angry?”
Su Mo shook his head. “No, I already know the answer!”
“Oh?”
Seeing Su Deben’s face full of curiosity, a trace of a smile pulled at the corners of Su Mo’s mouth, his knuckles rapping on his knees.
“It’s unbelievable that you guys could create something like this, but now I finally understand…”
Before he finished speaking, in his heart, Su Mo finished the sentence silently.
“You guys went down the wrong path!”
After saying those words, Su Mo’s face was full of smiles.
Su Deben was no longer smiling and had instead put on a stern expression.
“You’re sure?”
“Tm sure!”
“Let it go. This is too fake and it’s getting even more unreal. This isn’t the road that we humans should take. There’s no use in lying to ourselves!”
Pointing to the plains around them, and then pointing to his own helmet, Su Mo finally pointed to Su Deben himself.
He implied something, but did not say it.
“alright, you have indeed passed my test!”
“As you wish!”
