nycdaug Chapter 1, Sky Curtain Earth Online, officially begins!
Chapter 1, Sky Curtain Earth Online, officially begins!
"It's over, the world is doomed!"
Someone in the classroom shouted that.
"Who's spreading conspiracy theories?"
Lin Xia casually made a comment, then looked up and froze.
Am I playing a species evolution game at home?
Where...is this...?
The classroom before me looked all too familiar.
Are you dreaming about attending classes?
Have I traveled through time?
However, he quickly figured out the situation.
No wonder someone just said the world is doomed.
Three days ago, a golden light appeared in the sky, and the names of various countries appeared beside the light—
China, the United States, Russia...
Its name is: Sky Curtain Earth Online.
The rules are simple: one person is randomly selected from each country to become a civilization observation player.
The sky will provide a theme.
For example: In Earth Online, who was nerfed the least after the version update?
All those selected must choose an answer that fits the theme from among countless prehistoric behemoths.
Subsequently, the sky screen will be displayed in order of ranking based on the answers.
The top-ranked countries will receive rewards in terms of luck and resources.
The first place winner will receive a super gift pack!
The bottom five countries will not only have their luck deducted, but will also suffer natural disasters.
The day when fortune reaches zero will be the day the nation perishes.
At first, no one believed it.
Until all renewable resources cease to be generated and all resources cease to be produced.
People finally realized that it was true.
Three days from now, which is today, the game will officially launch.
Therefore, during these three days, all countries have been conducting comprehensive research on Earth Online.
Everyone needs to study, and every place is teaching.
After all, the person who draws the lottery might be an idiot, a hooligan, or a mentally challenged person... no one can say for sure.
But Lin Xia soon discovered a more critical problem.
This world is exactly the same as my previous life on Earth, except for one thing—
Regarding the origin of humankind, the mainstream views are creationism, extraterrestrial visitors, or mystical explanations of "it always existed".
People are too lazy to even study their own history, let alone that of other living beings.
They didn't even know that cats actually evolved from some kind of ancient cat-like creature, and that whales' ancestors were four-legged animals that lived on land...
Humans have virtually no knowledge of biology and evolutionary history.
That's why this Sky Curtain Earth Online is causing so much panic...
The whole world will be completely baffled...
"So... I'm the only one in the world who knows about evolution?"
Lin Xia scratched her head, somewhat dazed.
……
On the other side...
In response to this sudden global crisis, countries reached an unprecedented consensus in a very short period of time.
Build a global joint command center.
This enormous facility stands majestically in a neutral zone.
internal.
Representatives from all countries gathered to share information and focus their attention on the central dome of the sky.
Although it was said that everyone was "gathered together," the atmosphere was not very harmonious.
"This sky screen is truly idiotic. Why did they create a domain that nobody knows about? Isn't this deliberately targeting us?"
"Yes, we should create a field that only people in Japan know about, and that no other country knows about. That would be so fair."
"Fuck you—"
Despite the arguing and the noise, everyone had a fine layer of sweat on their foreheads.
Because the golden light on the sky had already begun to circulate.
It's about to begin.
[Sky Curtain Earth Online, officially launched!]
I will randomly select players from various countries to become Civilization Observation players.
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire room fell silent.
Dragon Kingdom District.
The three old men clenched their fists simultaneously, and two of them almost blurted it out.
"Please, please, don't pick ordinary people, don't pick students..."
The third person remained silent, but beads of sweat were already sliding down his face.
Eagle.
In the conference room, several elderly men in suits stared intently at the ceiling, some muttering to themselves.
"Anyone from the research institute would be fine, even an intern..."
Cherry blossoms.
"Please, don't let it be ordinary people..."
An official clasped his hands together, his lips trembling.
"At least one person should be given a postgraduate degree."
Russian bear.
A burly old man took a big gulp of vodka and slammed the glass down on the table.
"I don't care who gets drawn, just don't draw someone who can't even read!"
Kimchi Country.
The conference room was deathly silent until finally a trembling voice could be heard speaking.
"Anyone can do it, as long as they're not that internet celebrity who livestreams eating all day... anyone can do it..."
The world held its breath.
The golden light on the sky began to rotate, like a giant roulette wheel, with the pointer rapidly jumping between the names of various countries.
The golden light suddenly froze, and lines of text slowly appeared.
[Representative of the US: John Hopkins, Senior Fellow at a leading applied research institute in science and technology.]
The meeting room in the United States erupted instantly.
"YES!"
Several elderly men jumped up from their chairs, waving their fists, and the champagne was popped open on the spot.
Someone excitedly slapped the table.
"First place is secured! This is a sure thing! The reward is in the bag!"
The surrounding countries cast envious and jealous glances, their sourness almost palpable.
The bear representative, with his pipe in his mouth, snorted coldly and said nothing.
People in South Korea are already shaking their heads and sighing.
[Cherry Blossom Representative: Ichiro Suzuki, a student at the Institute of Space and Space Sciences, University of Tokyo, and a paleontology enthusiast.]
The US immediately changed its tune.
The people who were just celebrating were now sitting with their legs crossed, giving a casual glance.
"Ha, a student? A paleontology enthusiast? So-so, not in the same league as us."
Cherry blossom area.
When Ichiro Suzuki's name was mentioned, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and some were even so excited that their eyes reddened.
"While not top-tier, it's definitely not bad!"
An official clenched his fist.
"Top three! Top three is possible!"
"Suzuki's paleontology knowledge is quite well-known in academic circles. Choosing him for the Sky Screen is practically a blessing for Sakura!"
The representative from South Korea standing next to him had a livid face and muttered something under his breath.
"Why... how come they're so lucky..."
The French team also looked resentful, and someone muttered curses under their breath.
"Graduated from the Academy of Sciences? What's the difference between that and a pre-arranged job?"
Meanwhile, in the Dragon Kingdom...
There was no sound.
The three elderly men sat side by side, their backs ramrod straight.
One of them had his lips pressed into a thin line.
The other person's fingers were tapping unconsciously on the table, the frequency increasing.
The third person finally spoke, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
"It's not out yet..."
The sky continued to pulsate.
The name "Dragon Kingdom" has not yet appeared.
The noise in the conference hall seemed to disappear in an instant, leaving only a heart pounding in its throat.
The golden light in the sky began to swirl once more...