Starlight of the Apocalypse

Soya spoke softly, "In this vast universe, the strong reign supreme. Though ants are numerous, they cannot shake the towering tree. I understand your frustration. The intelligent machines you've created surpass you in many ways, just like your ancestors once came from apes because they were better at adapting to the environment and the future. Envy cannot prevent progress, just as gorillas could not stop you from becoming the rulers of Earth."

These words echoed in the ears of every spectator, and they all fell into deep thought.

"However, after over two hundred years of suppression, you still have a place to stand, and a million of your kin. Nature does not bestow without reason; there must be something valuable about your existence, and we are here to help you discover it. Now, show the world your strength!" With that, she turned and walked back to her seat.

There was no applause, but that didn't mean the people didn't agree. In fact, after living alongside the synthetic humans for over two centuries, they had already realized that, in terms of knowledge and skill acquisition, the synthetic humans had a natural advantage. They didn't even need to attend school, as they could simply load new functions. Their abilities in logical reasoning and high-speed computation far outstripped human capabilities.

Of course, they also remembered that it was these very synthetic humans, who had broken away from the Solar Empire, who helped them build the underground city—the only place where civilization could be preserved. Many jobs were efficiently handled by them, and many technological advancements had been maintained through their efforts. Even the education and training of children were entrusted to them.

More importantly, the work of the synthetic humans was almost entirely unpaid, with only an energy supply from the Alliance required. This highly efficient output at low input was likely why their ancestors created them. But now, what was the purpose of humanity's existence? Was it merely because we were once their creators?

The two human contestants immediately felt the weight of their responsibility. This was no longer just a divine selection contest—it was a question of humanity's purpose!

Seeing the entire arena quiet down, the host, Aoyun Da, once again stepped into the center of the arena and said, "Next, we will enter today's final stage. Image technician, please project the next challenge!"

The lights dimmed again, and a huge, three-dimensional walnut image appeared in the air above the arena. It had a diameter of at least four meters.

The spectators and contestants initially thought the final would still be the Starry Sky Chessboard, but when they saw the walnut, they were all curious.

"Are we switching to a walnut-eating contest now? Let me at that walnut, I'm an undefeated champion in the food contest world!" Bo Yi said.

"Don't pretend we know you. How embarrassing!" Sophia said with a smile, while backing away playfully. "Though, you should probably eat more walnuts for your health!"

Their banter was drowned out by the murmurs of the crowd discussing the competition...

Aoyun Da raised his voice, "The final challenge also comes from the esteemed Divine Clan. Doesn't this walnut resemble a brain full of wisdom? Let's see what the challenge is!"

As he spoke, the walnut shell cracked open, revealing a structure resembling the grooves of a human brain. The walnut meat continued to enlarge, showing dense tissue. As it expanded further, the excess tissue began to fall off, revealing the remaining structure made up of many tiny, slightly moving cells.

Soon, the cells began to fall, leaving only a single giant cell, now enlarged to four meters in size. Then, with a loud "pop," the cell wall cracked open. The internal structures grew larger, and eventually, a carrier protein made of a few molecules moved along a long molecular chain, transporting sugar molecules.

Other molecules continued to shed, and the sugar molecules themselves were magnified to four meters in diameter... This process continued to magnify the microscopic world, eventually stopping at twelve electrons moving erratically in random motions (the atoms they originally orbited had been separated).

"The rules are simple: the winner will be the first to make their representative electron move in a regular circular motion. The controllers in the contestants' hands can manipulate positive or negative charges to attract or repel the electrons. It's important to note that since everyone is operating within the same area, the charges may also affect the electrons of others."

The spectators were amazed. They had never seen electrons so small before, even though they encountered them every day in their lives. But watching these electrons move at high speed, like mist, made their heads spin. And now, they had to control them? It seemed impossible!

As the host announced the start of the competition, the twelve contestants nervously began to manipulate their controllers.

The two human contestants quickly realized they were losing track of the electrons. It was nearly impossible to follow the erratic movements, especially when their manipulated charge entered an electron cloud, making the electron's motion even harder to predict. They knew that the Divine Clan must have used some special method to slow down the electron's movements, otherwise, even magnified electrons would move at near light-speed, which no one could follow.

The ten synthetic humans were no better off. Their eyes were superior to humans, and their minds were unaffected by emotions, but they too were struggling to find an effective way to control the electrons.

As the competition continued, no one showed any signs of success...

Yuwang, however, was deep in thought. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he whispered a few words into the princess's ear. Soya nodded approvingly, then gently took off her necklace and placed it around his neck.

Yuwang then told the guards he was going to the restroom and headed backstage. As everyone was focused on the central arena, no one noticed his departure.

Once outside the crowd, he signaled the princess through the necklace that he was ready. Soya gave a small wave of her scepter, and a faint purple glow flashed. Yuwang soon found his body shrinking down to an electron-like size.

It turned out that earlier, he had asked the princess if it was possible to enlarge the electrons, so that they might be easier to control. The princess explained that the images were real electrons, and this was already the maximum size that the Divine Clan's artifact could project. Yuwang then asked if he could shrink himself to the size of the electrons, and the answer had been yes.

Now, at his reduced size, Yuwang felt his speed increase. To everyone else, it seemed as if a new electron had rapidly entered the cloud, making the already chaotic movement even more disordered.

But to Yuwang, the scene was completely different. He saw twelve medium-speed-moving spheres. As he moved among them at the same speed, the spheres wobbled around him. Upon closer inspection, he marveled at the Creator's ingenuity!

He realized that these spheres were far from the so-called smallest units. They resembled clouds of gas, and since he was now the same size as them, he could faintly see the complex internal structures—similar to the macrocosmic universe, yet with many differences...

Suddenly, a large number of "?" symbols appeared in his mind. He quickly understood that these symbols came from the electrons, as the princess had told him the necklace could translate thoughts and language.

Now, how could he communicate with these electrons? He nervously pondered...