Chapter Fifty-Four: The Data Ether Body

He spent every day studying the handful of survivors, their physical features etched into his mind so clearly that he could recognize them by silhouette alone.

"Ji Cheng!" Yao Lun forced out the name from his throat.

The other council members began whispering among themselves.

"That kid’s got something special."

"Ruthless enough—I like that."

"If you ask me, what Southport lacks is that sort of lethal resolve."

Bang.

Yao Lun slammed his fist onto the long table, his gaze sweeping the conference room with malice.

"Councilor Yao," Zhou Ze said, his tone indifferent, "I must remind you, surely you know why Chairman Zhang hurried back in such haste."

"I know. It’s because of the Hive Laboratory." He answered Zhou Ze, but his eyes fell on Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng adjusted his posture, meeting Yao Lun’s gaze head-on.

"Councilor Yao, I’ve approved your request and you’ve found your man, but right now, I don’t want any unexpected incidents."

Yao Lun took a deep breath and sat down. "Rest assured, Chairman, I won’t let that happen."

Silence fell for a few seconds.

"Let’s discuss who will go to the Hive," Zhang Sheng threw out another topic.

Zhao Lu stretched out his mechanical arm, laying it ostentatiously on the table. "First off, everyone who’s been granted advanced intelligent life quotas should go."

"I agree with Councilor Zhao. Since they’ve been cultivated, they ought to show some fighting spirit."

"I agree as well."

After Zhang Sheng and most had spoken, he said slowly, "This time, I want all young ability users to go."

"Anyone under forty—everyone."

Zhou Ze was surprised. "Chairman, there are at least a dozen ability users under forty. That would require two or three councilor-level powerhouses to lead. Isn’t that too much…"

He felt this weakness of Southport New City most keenly; seeing Zhang Sheng dispatch so many at once unsettled him.

Huang Long’s expression said he’d seen this coming.

Councilor Zhu rolled his eyes and supported Zhou Ze, "I also think it’s too risky. We just pulled off a major operation, and now you want to send so many ability users to the Hive. Wouldn’t the other city-states be suspicious?"

"I support the chairman’s proposal," Yao Lun said, expressionless.

Zhang Sheng leaned against his chair, his voice turning cold. "Have I remembered wrong, or have you all forgotten? Anxi City boasts eight councilor-level powerhouses, while we, in Southport New City, have only six."

"But didn’t we just acquire a lot of advanced intelligent lives? Given time…" Zhou Ze frowned, trying to persuade him, heavy-hearted.

After a long silence, Zhang Sheng spoke. "No matter how much time you give them, unless they inject a second-tier gene prototype, a first-tier ability user will always be first-tier—of little use."

Zhou Ze hesitated. "But if something happens and we lose these people, isn’t that the end of Southport’s future?"

To everyone’s surprise, the usually forceful chairman had no intention of sparing Zhou Ze’s face today. He slapped the table, abruptly interrupting, "Even if all dozen die, as long as two or three succeed in advancing, it’s worth it."

Zhou Ze shook his head with a wry smile. "Chairman, I reserve my opinion."

Zhang Sheng stood and announced, "According to the rules, as chairman I hold five votes, so I need only one supporter for a motion to pass."

"Since Councilor Yao supports me, that settles it. Zhou Ze, Huang Long, Yao Lun—the young generation of ability users are under your command. The three of you will lead them this time."

To avoid a deadlock, each of the six councilors had one vote, but as chairman, Zhang Sheng held five, making a total of eleven.

"Understood," Zhou Ze and Huang Long replied in unison.

"Chairman," Yao Lun stood again, "I request that Ji Cheng be placed under my command."

…

After the council meeting, the others dispersed, but Zhou Ze lingered. Now only Zhang Sheng and Zhou Ze remained in the room.

"Give me an explanation." Zhang Sheng looked down at a file, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest.

His meaning was clear: he wanted to know why Zhou Ze would risk a falling out with Yao Lun over a newly promoted ability user.

"Eighteen years old, one hundred percent gene prototype assimilation, broke through the defenses of Ruins No. 13 without relying on an intelligent life, and also possesses a decent mechanical aptitude."

Zhou Ze pulled a sheet from the file and placed it before Zhang Sheng. "Both Councilor Huang and I selected him for this round of advanced intelligent life quotas."

"Additionally, Deputy Director Liu from the research institute suggests giving him a second-tier gene prototype directly."

Zhang Sheng was silent for a moment.

"The second-tier prototypes are long gone. He’ll have to compete for one himself in the Hive Laboratory."

"And, tell Yao Lun this man is not to be touched. Say it’s my order."

…

"Sister Millie, look what I found!" Mu Zhi held up a piece of deep blue stone, his face alight. "Feels hot in the hand, has a slight rusty taste, and it’s a little sweet too."

"You really have no idea how dangerous your surroundings are," Millie said, backing away. "That’s uranium hornstone, exactly what the boss warned us about. Supposedly it’s good for kidney deficiency if you chew on it."

"Dammit!" Mu Zhi quickly tossed the stone away.

"Here’s a big one," Ji Cheng called out from the edge of a dark underground river, grayish, crumbly sand covering his feet.

He wielded a hand drill, delicately boring a ring of holes into the ground.

Then he extended his hand toward Qiao Tongtong, curling his fingers. "Dust brush."

"Dust brush," Qiao Tongtong echoed, handing over a densely bristled brush.

"This yellow cubic ore is extremely fragile. Any jolt will cause internal cracks, draining its energy in days. That’s why you need to brush away the surrounding earth gently before extracting the mineral."

Ji Cheng explained casually as he drew out a pale yellow, crystal-like rod from the soil.

"Need any help?"

Su Yi walked over, holding a can, scooping out thick beans with her spoon and eating with elegant nonchalance. "This cave smells so foul, I have to eat something just to keep it down."

"I somehow think you’ve got that backwards," Ji Cheng glanced at her.

Most people would lose their appetite in such a stench.

"Control room to Unit 1257," Chen Qian’s voice came through the earpiece. "Council orders—you are to return to the city immediately."

What’s going on? Ji Cheng was baffled. "Unit 1257, received."

"Form up."

The five team members quickly packed up, lining up before Ji Cheng.

"Take inventory, then head back to Southport."

They swiftly evacuated the mining site, crossing the red mist wasteland and entering the southern badlands.

Wild grass, rocks, dust, and sparse shrubland came into view—the only route into Southport New City from here.

"I wonder what’s up. Just finished clearing the mine and got called back. Luckily, the mission’s complete."

After hours wandering the badlands, the formidable logistics and supply center finally came into view.

Since their assignment had changed midway to prospecting a new ore field, they weren’t required to submit a quota of energy crystals and could sell everything.

The energy crystals they’d gathered totaled 548 standard units. As team leader, Ji Cheng received ninety percent of the proceeds, while Su Yi and Millie, the two certified surveyors, split the remainder.

In the end, Ji Cheng pocketed about 9.8 million credits. As for the reward for discovering a new mining area, they’d have to wait for research institute confirmation.

After handling the paperwork, they exchanged brief farewells. Ji Cheng and Chen Qian hurried to a sedan that was already waiting.

As the car started, four military vehicles pulled alongside, encircling them.

Honk—honk—

In the car, Chen Qian was trimming Ji Cheng’s nails when the phone rang.

"Hey, Ji, it’s your brother Lu. You’re in the car already, right?"

Ji Cheng glanced at Chen Qian, then replied, "I’m in the car, Brother Lu. What’s going on? I just finished clearing a mine and was told to return. Even the secretary didn’t know why."

He’d only learned at the logistics center that even Chen Qian had just received the notice, with no details.

Lu Shangbai replied, "As long as you’re on your way, just come straight to the council building. The chairman’s back and wants you there to split the spoils."

From his tone, Ji Cheng could imagine him winking and grinning if he were present.

"Oh, is it that quota you mentioned? What exactly is it?"

For all his talk, he’d never explained it clearly.

Lu Shangbai said, "It’s a batch of advanced intelligent lives. Heh, just enjoy your luck. Let me give you a tip: when it comes to choosing, be careful. You only get one shot."

"What? Advanced intelligent lives? Choosing?" Ji Cheng was baffled. He’d never heard of this in the game.

"Brother Lu, I’ve never heard of this—what’s the difference between these and regular intelligent lives?"

Lu Shangbai sounded as if he’d just remembered something. "Oh, right, you only just became an ability user. Well, these advanced intelligent lives aren’t much different from the regular ones in essence, but they’re much more convenient to carry and have powerful functions. For operating machinery and the like, they’re incredibly efficient."

Operate machinery… Ji Cheng’s mind flashed with a thought—could these be data ether forms?

Lu Shangbai continued, "Actually, it’s all in the database. You’ve got access on your wrist computer—check for yourself later. I’ll hang up now."

Ji Cheng quickly pulled up the entry for advanced intelligent lives on his device. Chen Qian tactfully slid over to the window, gazing outside.

Using his authority, Ji Cheng searched the database, and as soon as he read the entry, his suspicion was confirmed.

Exactly—these were data ether forms. His eyes lit up.

But then he grew puzzled. Baishan Star was a backwater before losing contact; how did it have data ether forms?

Speaking of data ether forms, one had to mention Ether itself.

Ether was the essence of consciousness. Most ancient interstellar civilizations believed the ether form was a being’s true self; the body was just a vessel. Archaeological finds showed the civilization of the Death-Fearers—the forerunners of the Space Revenants—espoused this view.

The Gaia Network was also accessed via ether forms.

Data ether forms were artificial, consciousness entities made of data.

Of course, Ji Cheng preferred to call them—

Monetization schemes cooked up by greedy game designers.

In the game, these things were prohibitively expensive, yet absolutely vital.

Without a data ether form, thousands of warships, battle planets, and mechanical troops were impossible to control by mere human brains.

Only the wealthiest players could afford data ether forms and run mechanical armies, while ordinary players had to stick with gene prototypes and flesh-and-blood builds—a difference in combat capability spanning light years.

Before crossing over, Ji Cheng’s character had managed to get one by luck, though he’d filled it with mechanical engineering knowledge to help his finances.

"Isn’t this planet a bit absurd?" Ji Cheng scratched his head.

On Baishan Star, a planet so poor you could buy a hundred or so with pocket change, owning even one data ether form was a stroke of luck.

Yet here, they seemed plentiful.

It made no sense at all.