Digital God of War

As night approached, the already empty living room grew even more desolate. Fireworks celebrating the centennial celebration continued to burst into the night sky outside the window, but they couldn't penetrate the warmth inside the room.

"call……"

After completing the last exercise, Lin Xian began to calm his breathing, slowly came to a stop, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

I glanced at the time—23:52 PM. Today is almost over.

Ignoring the aches and pains all over his body, Lin Xian forced himself to drag his exhausted body into the kitchen.

A moment later, he came out carrying a steaming bowl of fried egg noodles and sat down at the table.

I haven't cooked in so long that the edges of this fried egg are a bit burnt.

However, a smile appeared on Lin Xian's lips. After placing three empty bowls and chopsticks opposite and on either side of him, he silently made a wish over the bowl of longevity noodles and then blessed himself:

"Happy birthday."

Today is his 120th birthday.

He had completely forgotten how many years had passed.

A century of indulgence, revelry, and debauchery... had blurred the passage of time. It was only this year's overwhelming centennial celebrations on Earth that made him realize that a hundred years had already passed.

"It's at least 80% as good as my mom's cooking..."

Lin Xian slurped up mouthfuls of noodles, comparing them to the taste of his mother's cooking in his memory. "Hmm, just as awful."

Although a century has passed, he had long forgotten the taste.

But three months ago, he discovered that an abnormal change had suddenly occurred in his body, as if he had "awakened". His memory became extremely terrifying. He not only had a photographic memory, but also completely recalled all his experiences in his life.

From the excitement on their parents' faces when the baby was born, to the helplessness and relief they felt after the lottery, including the subtle changes in the wrinkles on their faces... everything is still vivid in my mind.

He vividly remembers everything he has experienced since birth.

With just a slight recollection, the past unfolds in his mind like a cleaned photo album, revealing every detail with crystal clarity.

It's as if I'll never forget it.

"Slurp slurp—"

As he ate the noodles, his physical strength gradually returned, and at the same time, a stream of ice flowed from all parts of his body, allowing his body, which had been damaged by overtraining, to recover at an abnormally fast pace.

Lin Xian was already used to it, and while eating his noodles, he slowly waited for his body to regenerate and recover.

Suddenly—

"Knock knock knock".

Then there was a knock on the door.

Lin Xian put down his chopsticks, the tenderness in his eyes quickly fading. He walked over and opened the door, only to see two women and a man standing outside. They were all impeccably made up, dressed smartly, and still smelled of alcohol from the revelry.

—These were his former drinking buddies and bubble tea buddies.

"We've come to celebrate your birthday," the handsome young man with a side-parted hairstyle said with a smile. "Surprised?"

"Only fright," Lin Xian said calmly.

"Brother Xian, what are you doing hiding here on your birthday?"

The woman in the red sundress glanced at the dining table inside. "Sister Lily booked the entire rooftop garden, with unlimited top-quality champagne and seafood feasts, and you're eating... noodles at home? And the eggs are burnt, did you fry them yourself?"

Another girl in a black strapless top glanced at it with a hint of disdain. "Why are there three sets of chopsticks and bowls? Are they for us? I'm not eating them; there's a big meal coming up later."

The handsome young man with the 3/7 parted hairstyle was taken aback, seemingly understanding something, and looked at Lin Xian: "Dude, thinking of your parents and sister?"

The two girls were also taken aback. "Xian Ge's parents and sister?"

"It's all the fault of that damn government. Back then, there were eight billion people participating in a lottery, but only two billion spots were available. Of the Xian family, only Xian got a spot." The handsome young man shook his head. "Everyone else was frozen out like those six billion people."

He walked up and put his arm around Lin Xian's shoulder. "Brother Xian, don't be sad. Tonight, I'll drink with you until we're drunk. Let's drown our sorrows in one drink."

"Get lost, I'm not going." Lin Xian pushed his arm away without even lifting his eyelids: "I just finished practicing, I don't have the energy to mess around with you guys."

"Just refresh the page, it's only one credit point," the handsome young man said discontentedly. "When have you ever played for days on end? As long as you have the stamina and the energy, it's all good, isn't it?"

"What a load of crap."

Lin Xian glanced at him. "Refreshing only restores the current state to normal, but the effects of my training today haven't even taken hold in my body yet. A single refresh wipes it all out. Did I suffer all day for nothing?"

"Then let's not practice today." The handsome young man muttered, "Old Xu used to practice for more than ten years and he was quite good at combat, but he still didn't master this basic evolution method. I heard that many people have practiced for many years and still failed. You've only been practicing for two months, you have a long way to go."

Lin Xian glanced at him: "Those people are just too tough to endure hardship. They practice for a couple of moves and then refresh the page because it hurts. Even if they practice for ten years, it's all for nothing."

"Fine, I can't argue with you."

The handsome young man leaned closer and lowered his voice: "The key is that Sister Li is here this time. Last time you offended her, and she wouldn't let you into nightclubs anymore. Take this opportunity to apologize, make amends, spend a few nights with her, and cheer her up. Maybe she can talk to her dad and get your family out of trouble, right?"

He sighed. "This is better than you hiding away every day practicing martial arts, right? You don't actually want to become an investigator, do you?"

"You've been hanging around with Jiang Li for so long, don't you know what's going on?" Lin Xian scoffed. "With her personality, her eyes are practically on the heavens. Could she possibly help us low-level E-ranks?"

The handsome young man was taken aback.

He paused for a moment, then said, "You wouldn't be so foolish as to become an investigator, would you? Investigators do have the opportunity to upgrade their privileges, but the price is going to their deaths in the real world. Reality isn't Earth; once you die there, you're really dead!"

Lin Xian glanced at him and said, "You won't die here, but you can't really be considered alive either."

The handsome young man fell silent again.

He knew that suicide was impossible on Earth, but in recent years, the number of people voluntarily applying for "self-isolation" had been increasing.

Humans today are finally exempt from physical death, but spiritual death still exists.

"……OK."

The handsome young man sighed and said, "Even if you want to be an investigator and practice physical skills and evolution techniques, you don't have to stay at home every day, do you? I heard you only went to the martial arts gym once and never went again."

"One time is enough," Lin Xian said casually. "You can practice on your own after you learn it."

"Once is enough?" The handsome young man asked in surprise.

He knew that the physical techniques and evolution methods taught at the martial arts school were very complex, and many people only managed to become familiar with them after one or two months of study, let alone master them.

And for people like him and Lin Xian, whose minds have long since given up on learning and are constantly numbed by alcohol and women, no matter how much they refresh their minds, their memories are still terrible.

How could you possibly learn something just by going to study it once?

Lin Xian didn't explain further, just waved his hand, "I'm not going to say anything more, you guys go have fun, I need to go to sleep, I have things to do tomorrow."

He then closed the door.

The corridor was quiet, leaving only the three of them staring at each other.

The woman in the red sundress couldn't help but ask, "Is Lin Xian serious? Is he really planning to take the investigator exam?"

The handsome young man paused for a moment, then said, "Ever since three months ago, when Brother Xian suddenly became obsessed, crying and laughing and saying he missed his family, he's become a completely different person. He even stopped drinking."

"I think it's because he met that female investigator. I don't know what kind of spell she cast on him."

The girl in the black strapless top said helplessly, "But he was probably just acting on impulse, it's just a passing fancy... Besides, becoming an investigator isn't easy. There are tons of people who want to get into that tower, but how many actually succeed? And quite a few investigators have died outside."

"I think so too..." the woman in the red dress whispered, "I think he's just living too well and has to cause trouble. I heard that after the apocalypse, the earth will become a wasteland, which is very dangerous."

"You are wrong."

The handsome young man suddenly spoke up: "Brother Xian is serious. He's always wanted Sister Li's help, but now that he's offended even Sister Li, how could he be lying?"

He glanced at the closed door, shook his head, and said, "Let's go."

……

"I've almost recovered. After a few more practice sessions, I should be able to reach 100%."

In the living room, after resting on the sofa for two hours, Lin got up, stretched for a while, and then immediately began practicing the "Basic Evolution Method" again.

The Basic Evolution Method is a special training method that the Blue Star government provides free of charge to all citizens.

The entire basic evolution method consists of forty-eight movements, which must be coordinated with specific breathing methods and different speeds and frequencies. The stimulation to the body and the consumption of physical energy are astonishing, but the training effect is also excellent.

In theory, this "Basic Evolution Method" can train one to the limits of human potential.

However, it's best to practice only once a day; otherwise, overdoing it will only harm your health.

However, in this era, not many people are willing to endure such hardship, and in the virtual world, even if one succeeds, it is of little significance.

"Phew... Third time, all done."

Lin Xian gritted his teeth and practiced the basic evolution method three times in one go before stopping.

When it was over, his face was quite pale, and his whole body was trembling with pain. He then collapsed onto the living room floor, completely limp.

Practicing the "Basic Evolution Method" three times in a row puts a tremendous strain on the body. At best, it can cause muscle and bone injuries requiring several months of rest; at worst, it can lead to shock and near death.

Lin Xian remained calmly lying on the floor, and soon felt icy currents flowing out from all parts of his body. The tearing pain throughout his body began to gradually subside, and the feeling of exhaustion was also rapidly relieved.

Before long, he felt much better and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Since his "awakening" three months ago, not only has his memory become extremely terrifying, but his regenerative and recovery abilities have also become far beyond those of ordinary people.

He couldn't understand why such a superpower awakening-like anomaly would occur in a virtual world.

However, it is precisely because of his amazing regenerative and recovery abilities that he has been able to progress so quickly in the basic evolutionary method.

Practicing the basic evolution method several times a day without stopping, and then being able to recover afterwards, such training efficiency that exceeds the limit would allow anyone to progress very quickly.

After lying on the floor, half asleep, for several hours, Lin Xian had recovered most of the fatigue and damage he had suffered from the training of the Basic Evolution Method. His physical fitness was also slowly improving through the process of destruction and repair.

Suddenly—

[Dear citizen of Earth, congratulations on completing the "Basic Evolution Law" and taking the first step in the evolution of life.]

Suddenly, a small, semi-transparent light screen appeared in front of him, and then slowly disappeared five seconds later.

"Is it finished?"

Lin Xian's eyes lit up. He pushed himself up with his hands and felt a surge of even stronger power erupt from deep within his body. His strength was much greater than before, and with just one movement, he jumped up.

He didn't care about anything else and immediately started chanting in his mind, "State, state, state."

A semi-transparent light screen appeared.

-

Citizen's Name: Lin Xian

Citizen ID: 330109200910303712

Access Level: Level E [Click to view access description]

Evolution Level: Basic Evolution Method 100%

Remaining Credits: 8740

-

"Mastering the basic evolution method to 100% really makes a difference."

Lin Xian smiled slightly, "Only by using the basic evolution method to train to the limits of the human body can one begin to utilize the deeper power of the human body..."

He walked to the sandbag placed in the living room, gathered his strength slightly, and then immediately stood on tiptoe, twisted his waist, swung his arms, and threw a punch with all his might. With the rise and fall of his spine, he transmitted the power completely.

"Bang!"

After a clear, crisp sound, a spot on the sandbag dented deeply, and a crack appeared faintly in the dent, revealing the material inside the red leather.

Immediately, Lin Xian picked up the fruit knife on the table and stabbed it directly into his arm with the tip. At the same time, he clenched his fist, and as his muscles and bones unleashed a deeper level of power, the muscles in his arm became even tighter and more solid.

With a sudden thrust, the knife tip pierced the skin, but only penetrated a few inches into the muscle before getting stuck.

Blood continued to seep from the wound, but Lin Xian smiled.

"If that's really the case, after reaching 100% of the basic evolution method, not only will the explosive power be stronger, but the muscle tissue will also be more solid."

Lin Xian sighed inwardly before pulling the fruit knife out of his arm muscles.

Meanwhile, the wound on his arm began to slowly thaw and heal at a visible speed.

However, no matter how fast regeneration is, it still takes a considerable amount of time.

Lin Xian was too lazy to wait, so he silently repeated "refresh" three times in his mind. As one credit point was deducted from the status panel, he instantly turned into a blurry blur.

When he regained his clarity and reality, the wound on his arm had disappeared without a trace, and his physical condition was better than ever before.

"I can take the investigator assessment tomorrow."

Lin Xian put down the fruit knife, walked barefoot to the window, and gazed at the most conspicuous giant tower in the depths of the city's night view.

Even from tens of kilometers away, the nine-story pagoda still appears majestic and enormous. One has to look up to see its spire, which is faintly visible in the clouds. Strange streams of light linger around the pagoda, reaching straight into the depths of the sky.

That was the only light for ordinary citizens.

In this virtual Earth, or rather, on Blue Star, there is only one way for someone with E-level privileges like him to climb the ranks—

Enter the Tower of Babel that leads to reality and become an investigator.

"Completing the basic evolution method in just three months... I've never heard of anyone I know who did it faster. I wonder if the Investigation Bureau values ​​that..."

"And where did this suddenly awakened terrifying memory and regenerative ability come from...?"

"Perhaps the Tower of Babel can give me the answer... I hope I can climb higher..."

Lin Xian gazed at the giant tower, his heart filled with anticipation.