Chapter 225 - Chapter 225: Chapter 224: No Living Humans

Chapter 225: Chapter 224: No Living Humans

Translator: 549690339

“Du Ming…” Jiang Li landed in front of the black coffin with Du Ming’s name, gingerly touching the plaque. He couldn’t imagine that the person who was just passionately introducing himself to him was lying here, devoid of life, his soul gone.

Du Ming, lying here, was completely dehydrated. His skin was so thin, the skeletal frame was visible. His eye sockets were void of eyeballs. His lips couldn’t close, revealing shriveled gums.

Jiang Li had no idea how long Du Ming had been immersed in the blue solution.

Du Ming’s plaque revealed his personal details – he was born in 5839 of the Gou Le era and was immersed in the solution in 5885 of the Gou Le era. He was a small-time employee under a company affiliated with the Flying Sky Corporation. He had a wife and a son.

His wife and son lay next to him.

Jiang Li never heard Du Ming talk about his family members.

“Did you know him?” Bai Hongtu asked, noticing Jiang Li’s demeanor.

“Just now when I mentioned how fun the holographic simulators were, he was the one that introduced them to me. He discussed the broader world, and how the smaller ones functioned. He even enthusiastically suggested that I should try creating a small world for fun.”

“That is indeed rather incredible.” Bai Hongtu couldn’t understand the situation Jiang Li had encountered.

“Let’s go, let’s first see what the current situation of the Gou Le civilization is.”

Jiang Li didn’t obsess over this issue. He intended to uncover the current status of the Gou Le civilization before returning to the Virtual World.

Whether one was alive or dead, no conclusion could be achieved through pure imagination.

One cannot speak without investigating, can they?

The Gou Le civilization spanned five major galaxies, named after the periodic table of elements, implying ambitions beyond these systems.

There were eighteen Earth -like planets within these galaxies, each displaying traces of human life.

Now, the masters of these planets were all in eternal slumber within these black coffins, their expressions serene.

Under Jiang Li’s divine sense probing, he shockingly found not a single living person in the Gou Le civilization!

A thick layer of dust covered traces of the past civilization, imposing buildings crumbled under the effects of time, natural forces led plants to grow wildly, transforming cities into primitive jungles of steel and foliage. Geological changes had left some cities irreparable, their original appearances lost.

All signs indicated that human activities had ceased hundreds of vears ago.

No wonder Du Ming had said there had been no newcomers for a long time.

If the entire Gou Le civilization had entered the Virtual World, how could there be any people left in reality?

As Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu moved through the technopolis abandoned for centuries like ghosts, the entire city was eerily quiet, like a steel graveyard burying its glorious past, waiting for explorers from beyond to uncover its secrets.

If the two were just ordinary people given the capability to traverse between two realms, they could have made a fortune from the remains of the Gou Le civilization.

Sadly, however, they were not ordinary people and they didn’t have the interest in exploiting these opportunities.

They only wanted to investigate what the Gou Le civilization had gone through to end up in such a state.

“These things sure are bizarre.” Bai Hongtu marveled. Despite having seen the unspeakable technology of the Ming Zhong continent and having a certain level of mental preparation, he was still amazed by the wisdom of the Gou Le Civilization.

After all, the Ming Zhong continent mainly comprised land, they had no technology for space travel.

On the other hand, the Gou Le civilization was indeed skilled in space technology.

Space elevators for planet-to-planet communication, instantaneous information space channels used between planets, Dyson spheres powered by stars, and military-commercial dual-purpose starships…

Worth mentioning is the information space channel technology used in simulators, originally used for interstellar communication, in order to prevent the lag of five minutes to half an hour that would occur otherwise.

Efficiency in information sharing was crucial for civilization unity.

Thanks to their broad range of experiences and ease with accepting new things, having learned much technological knowledge from Ming Zhong, they didn’t have to spend too much time understanding the purpose of the machinery.

“I just don’t know how it compares to the technology of Ming Zhong, who’s stronger?”

The two explored a military base, disguised as a small asteroid and hidden several kilometers underground. Under their powerful divine senses, the base had no chance of staying hidden.

Weaponry was, after all, a display of a civilization’s most advanced technological breakthroughs. The two could gauge the technological prowess of the Gou Le Civilization through them.

“Hydrogen bombs, microwave beam weapons, weather weapons, biological weapons…” They identified these terrifying weapons from a military report left by a general.

These weapons had huge power against groups, but were quite ordinary against individuals.

For instance, weather weapons could change weather at will, causing frequent floods, earthquakes, and high temperatures. But could mid-high-rank cultivators fear something like this?

Even low-rank cultivators could barely cope using water-avoiding and fire-avoiding techniques.

“None of these are as powerful as Ming Zhong’s Annihilation Cannon. Their technology has an edge over them.” Jiang Li answered Bai Hongtu’s question.

Jiang Li held the Annihilation Cannon in high regard. Only a true Body Integration Realm cultivator could withstand this weapon.

For example, in the world of the undead, sixth-rank enhancers were equivalent to the Body Integration Realm, but lacking the triple integration feature, they only had strong bodies and could not withstand the Annihilation

Cannon.

Ming Zhong and their people had put in great efforts to fight the mutant

beasts, sacrificing their entire civilization to research and develop lethal weapons. In contrast, it was clear that the Gou Le civilization didn’t face any external threats and didn’t prioritize weaponry. Therefore, it was within reason that they had fallen behind.

Besides, Ming Zhong and their people had established highly advanced productivity and complete automation of production. The government could provide every person with food, clothing, housing, and transportation for free. This proved that they were technologically more advanced.

“Come and look at this, it’s their history book.” Bai Hongtu found a book in the library.

Books that had not been maintained for hundreds of years were very fragile and could easily crumble at the slightest touch. Bai Hongtu used a spell called “Wind and Fire Restoration” to restore the book to the state it was in a hundred years ago. Only then did he feel secure to flip it open.

“Eating raw meat, primitive farming, civilization unification, industrial revolution… These are quite similar to what Ming Zhong and others have experienced.”

“After the Industrial Revolution, they started exploring space and initiated a new Industrial Revolution…wait, there’s a problem here,” Jiang Li pointed to a line in the book.

In 5520 of the Gou Le era, Xiang Gu, the founder of the Flying Sky Corporation, led the current wave of industrialization.

“What’s the problem with this sentence?” Bai Hongtu, who had not heard Du Ming mentioning this, didn’t know that the real ruler of the Gou Le civilization was the Flying Sky Corporation.

Jiang Li shook his head without explaining, indicating to continue reading.

Xiang Gu was the smartest scientist of the Gou Le civilization. He had epoch -making achievements in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, material science, and other fields. It seemed as if he had already foreseen the results, leading people step by step to discover the essence of science…”

. The government was corrupt and incompetent, plundered taxes frivolously… The Flying Sky Corporation, as a private enterprise, firmly held the lifeline of the civilization and stood at the forefront of the era. They influenced government elections, and became the leaders of the Gou Le Civilization…”

. Unlike ordinary private enterprises, the Flying Sky Corporation were keen on public welfare. At all times, they demanded themselves as leaders, constantly refreshed people’s understanding of technology, and were committed to applying technology to livelihoods…”

. In 5835 of the Gou Le era, the Flying Sky Corporation developed a new generation of holographic simulators. Unlike the previous ones, users in the Flying Sky Corporation’s simulation world could not tell any difference between it and the real world…”

At the same time, the Flying Sky Corporation also developed the longevity and long sleep nutrient solution. Users just need to be immersed in the nutrient solution to prolong their lifespan. They could sleep endlessly without needing to eat or excrete. Any physiological activities or needs could be met in the Virtual World…”

. In 5885 of the Gou Le era, all humans gave up reality and used holographic simulators. The Gou Le civilization officially entered the ‘Virtual era’.”

Bai Hongtu closed the book, and saw the words “Published by Flying Sky Corporation Publishing House” on the spine.

Jiang Li noticed that the digital calendar in the library was still calculating time.

It showed that it was the year 6000 in the Gou Le era..