Chapter 2: The Dawn of Data

Sitting and waiting for death was not an option.

Chen Mo decided to throw caution to the wind and see for himself what this so-called Evolution Sphere really was.

Leaving the residential complex, Chen Mo was stunned to discover that from all directions, tens of thousands of people were rushing toward the same destination.

Following the crowd, Chen Mo found himself at the entrance of a supermarket, where a sea of people clamored noisily. The supermarket security formed a human wall, blocking the surging masses.

Focusing his gaze, Chen Mo saw at the center of the plaza before the supermarket, a one-meter-diameter, semi-transparent white sphere floating in midair. It was like a giant eye, watching everyone around it. The light inside the sphere flickered with an intense sense of mystery, compelling anyone nearby to draw closer.

“Brother! That’s it! The Evolution Sphere! Zhizi just warned me to hurry inside—there’s a newbie reward today!”

Chen Mo whispered, “Didn’t you see the security has already cordoned it off? Obviously, they don’t want anyone to go in.”

“Let us through! Let us in!”

“Yeah, what right do you have to keep us out? We want to go in!”

The crowd’s emotions boiled over, and thousands pressed against the security’s human barricade.

The security captain, Xiao Yong, shouted into a megaphone, “Everyone, don’t push! We don’t even know what this Evolution Sphere is. Please be patient—wait for the experts to study it before going in!”

“To hell with the experts! All they do is fool us regular folks! Brothers, they won’t dare do anything to us. Let’s storm in!” A shirtless, yellow-haired youth with a blue dragon tattoo hurled a beer bottle at the security line.

That was all it took to ignite chaos. The crowd clashed violently with the guards.

Unable to withstand the onslaught, the security line soon collapsed.

Like a flood, the masses surged toward the Evolution Sphere.

The tattooed youth, braver than the rest, was the first to reach the sphere. His body became semi-transparent, then was instantly pulled inside.

Some, frightened, turned and fled, while the bold pressed on ahead.

Fortune favors the bold; at least half the crowd rushed into the Evolution Sphere.

“Brother, should we go in?” Ning Xuan gazed longingly at the sphere, as if it were a delectable ice cream.

The brave would eat their fill; the timid would starve.

Looking at his pale, thin sister, Chen Mo’s heart ached. Despite all his efforts to earn money, he still couldn’t provide a good life for her. The siblings often went hungry; even instant noodles were a luxury, and sometimes a single steamed bun was the greatest treat they could hope for.

To go in—perhaps it could change their fate.

Chen Mo gripped Ning Xuan’s hand tightly and cautiously approached the Evolution Sphere.

When they were just a meter away, suddenly, Ning Xuan’s body began to turn semi-transparent!

But Chen Mo’s own body showed no change.

“Sister!” Chen Mo lunged to grab her, but his arms passed right through her form.

“Brother!” Ning Xuan, terrified, reached out for him, but her hands could not grasp him.

It was as if Ning Xuan’s soul was being drawn into the Evolution Sphere, while Chen Mo remained completely unaffected.

Damn it!

Chen Mo roared in fury.

Why was this happening? He’d already missed out on a Zhizi, and now he couldn’t even enter the Evolution Sphere.

“Look! That guy over there wasn’t pulled in!”

“Haha, maybe he’s just not qualified!”

No! I must get inside! Who knows what’s happening in there—if anything happens to my sister, I wouldn’t be able to go on!

Bang!

A violent crash erupted. A motorcycle, speeding around the corner, failed to brake in time and smashed into the guardrail. The rider spun through the air like a circus acrobat, landing headfirst right in front of Chen Mo.

Blood streaming from his head, the rider lay dying at Chen Mo’s feet, barely clinging to life.

Ding-ling-ling!

A crisp electronic chime sounded. From the rider’s blood-soaked head, a faint orange glow began to shine, and a strange, firefly-like creature emerged, fluttering into the air.

Seeing the glowing firefly, Chen Mo felt an inexplicable hunger, like an eighteen-year-old virgin beholding a naked woman for the first time. Without thinking, he reached out to seize it.

The firefly, seemingly alive, darted in panic, trying to escape. But Chen Mo was swift—he caught it in his palm.

A sharp sting shot through his hand as the firefly burrowed into his palm, moving up his arm and finally settling in his brain.

[Zhizi +1]

[Datafication Activated]

[First Zhizi Component (1/10)]

Suddenly, Chen Mo’s mind filled with streams of data, though none of it made sense to him. What was datafication? What were Zhizi components? This wasn’t what his sister had described at all.

Looking around, Chen Mo was shocked. Above everyone’s head floated a “Lv1,” just like monster levels in an online game. He could even see into their bodies, where fireflies glimmered with orange light inside their brains.

It dawned on Chen Mo—this was datafication! The world around him was being converted into game-like data for analysis.

And the fireflies were Zhizi!

Bang, bang, bang—his heart pounded. He finally realized the difference between himself and the others: everyone else had their brains invaded by Zhizi and, under their direction, participated in this evolution.

But Chen Mo was different—he could seize the Zhizi in others’ brains to evolve himself. This was madness!

Of course, this wasn’t a game. This was reality—killing people meant paying with your life, and Chen Mo dared not act recklessly.

The most important thing now was to find his sister and make sure she was safe.

Turning toward the Evolution Sphere, datafication automatically triggered.

[Novice Dungeon—Enter?]

Chen Mo: …

It really has become a game?

Others had no choice—they were forcibly pulled into the dungeon. Yet Chen Mo could choose for himself. It seemed that not having a Zhizi from the start had become his greatest advantage!

Without hesitation, Chen Mo chose [Yes].

Instantly, his body turned transparent. A powerful force erupted from within the Evolution Sphere, pulling him in—a sensation like falling endlessly into an abyss.