Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 390 - 388 Non-Intervention Policy

Chapter 390: Chapter 388 Non-Intervention Policy

After discussing these topics, everyone felt slightly saddened.

"... Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural cycling laws, and everyone has to die." Zhang Yuan suddenly thought of a long time ago when his teacher, Academician Ding, was on his deathbed. He had advised both him and Senior Brother Zhao, and he couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

Nowadays, the social welfare system had almost been implemented, and the biotechnological advancements, particularly research on various brain-assisting chips, were booming, which were pivotal in biotechnological studies...

Unlike the paths envisioned by their predecessors, humans had now developed the technology of the Virtual World.

The development in this area was also key for future advancements.

"Fortunately, after all these years, policies concerning the Virtual World had already been more or less established... By the way, Li Zhendong, do you want to thoroughly enjoy several lifecycles in the Virtual World, or do you intend to pass the Extraordinary Test and return to the real world?"

Zhang Yuan was quite open-minded about this issue. Already 50,000 first-generation astronauts had entered the Virtual Space to start the "Extraordinary Test."

These were all elderly people who had naturally aged and died, having contributed their lifetimes to the advancement of civilization. Whether they pursued pleasure in the Virtual World or some other existence, no one could criticize them...

Apart from the Pangu Brain monitoring the entrants, regular personnel had absolutely no right to invade their privacy.

The average lifespan of the new civilization’s inhabitants was around 300 years, but that was just an average. Some people suffered from dementia or chronic illnesses by the age of 250, while others could live to 350 years, largely dependent on their diet, personal care, and genetic factors.

Zhang Yuan had a doctor for a wife, which gave him quite an advantage. He ate healthily almost every day and made time to exercise when he wasn’t too busy.

However, Li Zhendong, who ate and drank recklessly in his youth and then worked on research projects without taking breaks for hibernation, appeared even more aged. Ironically, it was these scientific researchers who were among the first to age and die, not management types like Zhang Yuan, which could also be considered their great contribution to civilization.

"For me... I haven’t decided yet! I’m wondering what’s the difference between finding a girl in the Virtual World and being cuckolded by one’s own wife? It doesn’t seem right."

"People are dead, so they’re naturally divorced. What bullshit concerns!" Zhang Yuan said, laughing, "You’ll be living there not just for a few days, but for a lifetime. There’s no need to hold on to moral issues from this side."

This issue had indeed sparked widespread discussion, and the final consensus was—non-interference.

Many political powers naturally disappeared with natural deaths, including marriage and personal property systems. If they passed the test and returned to the real world, the government would return 50% of their personal property from before death, effectively taking a tax.

Once these candidates entered the Virtual World, they were like a few drops in the ocean, hardly encountering each other, and personal lives hardly intersected. Whether maintaining self-discipline or choosing to find a spouse in the Virtual World, it was a personal choice, and no one would criticize for that.

"Is it rather like reincarnation? Just without drinking Mengpo Soup."

Li Zhendong said with a smile, "I’m not a very resolute person, not some great figure... If I could establish a harem and charm more beauties in the Virtual World, I’d definitely have a harem!"

"If in some Mystical World, I hold greater power, I would definitely keep bullying others, enjoying the thrill of acting like a Protagonist... Haha, I might even snatch a virtuous wife or two!"

Zhang Yuan hurriedly said, "I never knew you, Li Zhendong, could be such a villainous character! I’ve got that on record now."

Everyone burst into laughter simultaneously.

Subsequently, Zhang Yuan resumed his serious tone. "You are mistaken. Being a Transcendent does not require you to possess the character of a Saint. Flirting and such are merely trivial matters. However, as a Transcendent, one must learn to think independently, to have one’s own independent will, and maintain individuality in a long-term chaotic environment. This is the first step to becoming part of the Longevity Species."

"If you lack the ability to think independently and merely drift along with the major currents of the environment, then what kind of Longevity Species are you?"

"That makes sense," Li Zhendong nodded.

In fact, everyone understood these big principles, but how many could actually put them into practice?

Those who didn’t follow the current of their surroundings were very, very few; too few, in fact. The social status of Kunlun Mountain was not bad, mainly because of its good humanistic environment.

"Next is the contribution to the entire world, similar to our Civilization Contribution. If the contribution is positive, it means the impact on the entire world is more positive than negative."

"Is it that simple? Just having more positive than negative impacts is enough?"

Zhang Yuan smiled. "It’s not that simple! You should know, these kinds of worlds usually trend towards increased entropy, that is, they get worse day by day, year by year, a mediocre world."

"Why is that? Because for most individuals, the positive impact on civilization is less than the negative impact, thus the whole world continues to deteriorate. Do you think it’s easy to be one of the few?"

Zhang Yuan moved his fingers, and the screen displayed an online novel from Earth Civilization, "You see, this is—the Protagonist, with a Golden Finger, starting as an orphan."

"Even if you possess some unique abilities, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility... Most people would be lost in endless desires for power, beauty, money, and so forth. They may feel good themselves, but their influence on the entire world is likely negative."

Li Zhendong asked in confusion, "Why? Isn’t the protagonist of this novel, who established an industrial system and defeated the blockades of hostile countries, positive?"

Zhang Yuan laughed, "You think helping a country establish an industrial system as a tycoon is a positive impact? Of course not; a big part of it is the positive influence brought by the Golden Finger, which can’t all be credited to the protagonist personally, so a lot of points would be deducted."

"Look at what this protagonist did privately? First, once he got rich, he started a harem, flirting and such, which actually isn’t much, not many points deducted. Second, power rent-seeking, suppressing dissidents, monopolizing, and building a business empire is one thing, but also reaching into politics, wanting to be a planetary Emperor?"

Li Zhendong opened his mouth but did not speak.

"Does he even have the qualifications to be an Emperor with that little intelligence? This abnormative development model with a Golden Finger could easily ruin a country’s potential. Just think, didn’t the same thing happen with Korea on Earth?"

"The system will use theories from New Civilization History to hypothesize your timeline with and without your existence, then compare those worlds to calculate your contribution to this world... It’s a very complex calculation model. You can check out those papers for details."

Zhang Yuan continued, "On the contrary, just being an ordinary person, working normally, performing small good deeds, leads an utterly ordinary life, but the positive impact ends up outweighing the negative. However, how many people, when they can be the protagonist, are willing to be ordinary people, controlling their desires? Far too few."

"In short, if you accumulate enough points in these cycles, it’s equivalent to passing the test."

"So that’s how it is, Golden Fingers don’t count towards the score," Li Zhendong nodded gravely.