Chapter 1: The Sandboxe's Inception
In the nascent stages of gastric carcinoma, a glimmer of hope for a potential cure may arise. However, as the disease progresses to the intermediate stage, the prognosis becomes considerably bleaker. Nonetheless, by persisting with aggressive treatments, a sliver of possibility remains...
"No, I refuse to remain confined within these sterile hospital walls."
After enduring over two grueling hours, Xu Zhi emerges from the clinic, a mere semblance of his former self. Chemotherapy has left his once-lustrous hair thinning, and his body feeble and pallid, a stark testament to his ailing state.
During the initial phase of gastric cancer, a multidisciplinary approach to treatment can potentially lead to remission or even a cure. Nevertheless, as the disease advances to the intermediate stage, the survival rate plummets to disheartening lows.
Treatment seems futile.
He whispers softly to himself.
Xu Zhi possesses remarkable capabilities, having been employed in a prominent foreign corporation. However, his hard-earned savings of half a million have been depleted over the course of five years. Despite years of tireless toil and strife, his endeavors have been in vain.
He purchases a ticket for the high-speed train and hauls his suitcase all the way back to his rural hometown, Dong City.
A year has elapsed since his last visit. Nestled in his hometown is an independent orchard and a quaint courtyard. Once, his family owned a mine in the village, and they cultivated over 100 acres of land to grow fruit trees.
Alas, half a year ago, a wave of misfortune befell them as the market prices for lychees plummeted, resulting in substantial losses due to excessive spoilage of overstock.
They tragically fell prey to unscrupulous charlatans who cunningly professed to wield potent connections capable of ameliorating the crisis. Alas, these deceitful malefactors artfully manipulated their vulnerabilities, skillfully swindling them out of a substantial fortune nearing one million yuan.
Under the burden of profound psychological distress, Xu Zhi's parents succumbed to an overwhelming state of despair six months ago, and regrettably, they have not shown signs of significant remission or emotional recuperation.
Now, the orchard lies abandoned, bereft of caretakers as the hired workers have long departed. The once-lush trees have been felled, leaving only weeds to dominate the barren terrain.
Unlocking the door, Xu Zhi pushes it open, allowing a gust of dust to swirl into the room.
The familiar sights and scents of farm life come into view as he places his luggage down, contemplating a life of solace and retreat in his cherished hometown.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...
A peculiar sound suddenly reaches his ears.
"Who's there? It appears that something is stirring in the yard," he mutters as he rises, drawn towards the vacant orchard courtyard. Amidst a tangle of weeds, his gaze fixates on a black beetle, its size comparable to a bowl.
"It's so strange. What kind of insect is this?"
Curiosity compels Xu Zhi to extend his hand.
Swoosh—
In an instant, his consciousness is ensnared within the obsidian carapace of the insect, thrust into the expansive annals of an ancient race's history.
What unfolded before him was a extensive chronicle of the Zerg race's ascendance. Originating from a verdant planet, reminiscent of Earth's Cambrian period, an ancient insect species emerged—birthing their own intelligence and advancing technologically. Endowed with boundless reproductive capabilities and untapped potential, they embarked upon a intergalactic journey. But as their technology reached its zenith, the insectoids came to realize that they inhabited a barren, primitive realm.
Eventually, they traversed beyond the confines of their reality, delving into an enigmatic realm of fantastical proportions. Yet, their immersive experience and culminating efforts was abruptly snuffed out, as if their inevitable defeat had been predetermined.
Within the Insect Nest, the former Queen had left a message laden with regrets.
"The evolution of living beings does not hinge upon sheer size and strength.
"We have traversed a misguided path from the very start. The more we evolved, the more colossal we grew. Yet, it is in the diminutive form that we discover the foundation for transformative energy... We have faltered. Whoever succeeds as the next queen, aid me in ascending to the realm of immortals!"
...
Soon after, Xu Zhi realizes that he has become the inheritor of this insectoid nest. Immersed within the memories of the insectoid race, he discovers that their profoundly invasive and formidable species possesses a singular unique racial ability.
"Hyperaccelerated Cellular Division?"
This extraordinary ability allows the insectoids to drastically shorten their lifespan, intensifying the pace of cell division. It permits their species to be born, flourish, mature, wither, and perish in an ephemeral instant, much like the pistil of a flower.
With there newfound ability, the Insect Nest emerged as a formidable bastion of war.
By releasing cells or spores onto desolate planets, the Insect Nest triggers "Hyperaccelerated Cellular Division." In a matter of a few years, these cells proliferate and evolve frenziedly, spawning new species to bolster the ranks of the Insect Nest's formidable army.
"This race harbors limitless potential."
Contemplating this revelation, Xu Zhi's mind stirs with unrest.
The protracted agony and torment of chemotherapy have left him mentally and physically drained, even casting doubt upon the purpose of his mundane existence. Now, on the precipice of death, a newfound curiosity ignites within him.
The evolution and progress of living organisms.
"The previous Zerg Queen dispersed spores upon barren planets, nurturing the proliferation and evolution of countless species, constructing worlds in the process. Though I lack a planet of my own, could I harness this ability to fashion a microcosm of evolution within my neglected orchard?"
With the insectoid hive and battle fortress under his command, Xu Zhi reveled in the limitless possibilities that lay before him. Within the boundaries of his orchard, he envisioned a domain where majestic mountains would rise, vast oceans would surge, and meandering rivers would flow, all orchestrated like a meticulously crafted diorama. In this miniature expanse, myriad spores and single-celled organisms would undergo evolutionary processes, fostering a rich tapestry of life.
A surge of hope coursed through Xu Zhi's veins as he contemplated the potential of this self-created civilization, envisioning its capacity to yield a solution to his insidious cancer—a beacon of survival amidst the stark landscape of contemporary medicine.
Eager to bring his vision to fruition, Xu Zhi wasted no time. He unearthed a neglected, dust-laden tricycle from the recesses of his weathered farm garden. Despite the toll that chemotherapy had taken on his fragile body, he pressed forward, propelled by the determination of a battle-hardened warrior, riding the tricycle to the nearby town.
There, he depleted a substantial portion of his savings, procuring an array of agricultural machinery and instruments essential for his endeavor. Returning to his courtyard, elation filled the air as Xu Zhi set about assembling his newfound tools.
Though lacking an entire planet, he possessed a sprawling orchard spanning over a hundred acres—a canvas upon which he could construct his miniature world. With the assistance of laborers, he cleared the orchard of weeds and trees, transforming the land into a pristine expanse of fertile soil. Armed with a hoe, he dug and sculpted with the expertise of a seasoned farmer, meticulously fashioning diminutive mountains, meandering freshwater rivers, intricate cave systems, and arid deserts upon the sandbox terrain.
The high-temperature ejector that Xu Zhi had acquired proved to be an indispensable instrument in his endeavor. With meticulousness, he utilized the ejector to expose the entire sand table to elevated temperatures, thereby obliterating all vestiges of extant flora and fauna. This precautionary measure was of paramount importance, as it ensured the preservation of the spores' evolutionary trajectory, untainted by the presence of preexisting terrestrial organisms and guarding against any potential contamination.
Microorganisms were inconsequential, destined to be assimilated into the genetic tapestry of the Insect Race, spawning new species, their significance dismissed with a dismissive wave of Xu Zhi's hand.
"The genesis of species lies within the depths of the ocean. A vast aquatic realm must be established—an expansive saltwater sea," Xu Zhi pondered.
Recalling the small fish pond his parents had once created within the orchard, Xu Zhi spared no expense. Hiring additional workers, he expanded and excavated the pond, irrigating the soil to fashion an artificial shallow basin. Diligently, he introduced purchased salts, expertly crafting an ocean with the appropriate salinity.
Yet, a perplexing challenge loomed before him.
The land he worked upon was not a grand spherical planet but a square expanse, evocative of ancient mythologies where the sky itself was round, and the earth followed suit.
"Is this the mythical land I have fashioned?" Xu Zhi mused, his health a mere shadow of its former self. With painstaking effort, he labored for an entire week, meticulously constructing a colossal one-hundred-acre sandbox within the orchard.
At the onset of a new day, Xu Zhi exerted dominance over the sub-brain embedded within the hive, initiating the generation of a copious quantity of rudimentary unicellular organisms—the nascent phase of evolution for the Insect Race—known as spores. These diminutive entities were introduced into the newly erect ocean situated within the center of the sandbox, the focal point of his intricately designed sandbox environment.
And so, the grand saga of evolution commenced.
Addressing the mother nest with unwavering determination, Xu Zhi issued a resolute command, "Accelerate cell division by ten thousand times!"
Within the domain of the Insect Race, temporal intervals were calibrated to correlate with Earth's yearly cycles.
By significantly accelerating the rate of progression, a mere day of evolution for these unicellular entities would encapsulate the passage of ten thousand years. Nevertheless, a sense of uncertainty persisted—could this spatially constrained courtyard sandbox truly allow the emergence of novel species and undergo an explosive proliferation akin to Earth's Cambrian period?
On the initial day of spore injection, the Ocean remained unaltered, as still and tranquil as ever.
The second day yielded a similar outcome—an air of serenity permeated the entire sandbox world.
Days three and four followed suit, the realm still devoid of transformation.
However, on the fifth day, a subtle metamorphosis commenced within the realm Xu Zhi had painstakingly designed. The Ocean stirred, as plankton emerged, causing the previously crystalline waters to grow turbid.
