The moment the abrupt maintenance notification flashed on-screen, the entire sandbox community exploded into chaos. In less than a single day, the server had reached its maximum of one hundred beta testers—and now every last player was consumed by outrage.
Most had barely crawled out of the primordial ocean, repeatedly dying and respawning as single-celled spores. A fortunate few had finally evolved into basic amphibians, just starting to whisper excited rumors of the legendary giant figure—when suddenly, their dreams were crushed by this harsh, three-second notice of shutdown.
"Three seconds?! Devs, are you serious right now?"
Click!
Screens went instantly dark. Countless players tore off their VR headsets, fists clenched, some nearly smashing their gaming rigs in fury.
Unbeknownst to these furious players, it was their own reckless chatter that had drawn Xu Zhi's attention—first out of curiosity, now resulting in decisive action.
On the game's rapidly filling forums, a storm of angry and humorous comments erupted:
SporeMaster101: "Is this a joke? Zero warning, devs?! Uninstalling immediately. I've never seen a game with dev communication this atrocious! Prepare for blood sacrifices!"
AutumnMountainSpeed: "Relax—hardcore was always the true essence of this so-called 'casual' sandbox. Brutality is the norm."
RechargeAndSlash: "Rage-quitters will return begging within the hour, just watch!"
Outside observers chimed in jealously:
CrazyAfrican: "If you beta testers can't handle hardcore mode, kindly donate your slots to a real gamer—me!"
CuteFistGirl: "Exactly! Give your slots to someone worthy, please!"
Everyone knew the testers wouldn't really quit—they were hopelessly hooked by the unprecedented evolutionary freedom of the game. Conversation soon shifted back to the colossal giant, the sandbox's mysterious, final-boss figure:
AutumnMountainSpeed: "Did anyone else notice? Every new spore's arrival triggers a cutscene. That giant guy is literally eating lunch in a yard!"
RechargeAndSlash: "Of course he has to eat. We've gotta evolve a species capable of taking him down."
AutumnMountainSpeed: "Direct combat's hopeless right now—but if he eats food, why not poison him?"
SporeBeast: "Poison? Where'd you find toxins in this game?!"
AutumnMountainSpeed: "Then evolve some! Develop neurotoxins like scorpions or venomous insects. We suicide-bomb into his lunchbox, poison him, or at least give him horrible diarrhea."
RechargeAndSlash / CuteDragonGirl / SporeBeast: "Legendary idea!"
Xu Zhi watched these ridiculous assassination plots with amusement and mild astonishment. "This player has guts—openly plotting my assassination."
He smiled warmly, making a mental note of this audacious strategist. Then, unruffled, he retrieved a length of white PVC pipe and a hoe from the courtyard shed.
His solution was elegantly simple: create a secret VIP passage connecting the two sandboxes. Digging a shallow trench, he laid over ten meters of pipe beneath the soil, linking the micro-sandbox directly to the larger main sandbox. This "world tunnel" would remain invisible to all players, allowing only him to pass freely between the realms.
Back in his study, Xu Zhi donned his own VR headset and created a fresh account named "NoteTakersBeDamned." He clicked [Start] and plunged into darkness.
[Evolve your eyes!]
After several anxious moments drifting through pitch-black nothingness, his avatar finally emerged onto land. Like most players' first attempts, Xu Zhi's creature appeared bizarre—a three-eyed raven covered in sleek, glossy black feathers. Between its two normal eyes sat a vertically slit pupil. Unfortunately, his new form could only glide a few meters at a time.
Xu Zhi asked curiously, "Hive mind, does this raven species have any significant transcendent potential?"
The hive mind replied bluntly: "Highly unlikely. This appears to be a malformed, failed evolutionary experiment."
Xu Zhi shrugged indifferently. Without hesitation, he crawled into the concealed pipe. After traversing the dark, narrow tunnel beneath the soil, bright daylight finally reappeared at the tunnel's exit.
Emerging from the passage, Xu Zhi found himself within a lush, primeval forest—ancient towering trees, dense underbrush, and distant roars of colossal beasts echoed through the vibrant prehistoric wilderness.
"I've finally entered the main sandbox world," Xu Zhi whispered in quiet satisfaction.
Flexing his sharp raven claws, he strode purposefully toward the territory of the distant Babylonian tribe. His grand experiment had entered an exciting new phase—he would now personally explore his worlds, experiencing firsthand the evolutionary wonders that no ordinary human could ever hope to command.