Chapter 24: Consciousness Detachment and Hibernation, Entering the Virtual World

After leaving the Hundred-Eyed Star, Yan Xia did not immediately enter a state of hibernation.

He wanted to test his current body.

It had reached perfection in every aspect.

His weight was 95 kilograms, with a bench press of 290 kilograms, a squat of 430 kilograms, and a deadlift of 410 kilograms.

While there was still some distance from the data provided by Ella, Yan Xia was not a professional athlete and didn't need to push himself to his limits.

Standing in the gym, there was a 30-square-meter room next to him.

Inside was a new-generation hibernation pod, but this time, numerous wires were connected to the pod.

"It seems everything is ready."

"Has it been tested?"

Yan Xia asked, still feeling uneasy about this technology, as it involved invading the brain and directly reading consciousness.

In various science fiction works, people could even use this technology to read thoughts.

Even if one wasn't invaded, an accident could lead to memory loss, becoming an idiot, or even brain death.

"Don't worry, Yan Xia. This technology has been developed and tested over thousands of years."

"I've cultivated tens of thousands of brains from your cells, and after losing a few thousand in the beginning, all the subsequent brains have remained intact."

As Ella spoke, Yan Xia imagined the scenes of her research and shuddered.

Although he still felt a bit apprehensive, the allure of this technology was too great.

On Earth, humans had envisioned two possible futures and were indeed moving towards them.

One was the deep development of the virtual world to solve the population problem.

The other was extraterrestrial colonization.

Now, Yan Xia could say that he was pursuing both simultaneously, as the two goals did not conflict.

During the long journey through the universe, even the most hardcore homebody wouldn't be able to play on their phones and computers all the time, so a true virtual world was the optimal solution.

"How will you solve the latency issue?"

As the spaceship moved away from the mothership, there would inevitably be latency.

"Then I'll have to ask you to watch recordings, and everything you experience will be transmitted recordings."

"Including interactions with characters."

"You don't have to worry about communication with other players, as you'll only be able to chat with friends through the friend list. If you want to have virtual conversations, I can also let the characters in the recordings be controlled by the mothership, allowing for real-time communication."

The speed of light.

An insurmountable gap.

Yan Xia had thought about this problem and was curious about Ella's solution.

It wasn't that he couldn't accept it; it was like playing a single-player game with a chat software installed.

Yan Xia went into the bathroom to take a shower and used a towel to dry off the water droplets on his body.

He entered the room and saw that the hibernation pod was at least twice the size of the ones he had slept in before. He looked inside and saw that it wasn't a soft bed or chair but a special jelly-like viscous liquid.

Ella also came over to explain to Yan Xia.

"This is a special cooling liquid that won't freeze and can perfectly maintain your body's condition."

"The reason for using this is to ensure that your brain remains active during hibernation. This liquid can provide your brain with sufficient oxygen and nutrients."

"However, this method of hibernation requires you to prepare by inhaling this liquid into your lungs."

The brain is an extremely energy-consuming organ, even though it doesn't make up a large proportion of the body's mass.

Decades of hibernation would not be able to guarantee such energy supply.

Yan Xia looked at the liquid and thought of a similar substance, fluorocarbon compounds, which allowed humans to breathe in a liquid environment.

However, this substance was clearly different because fluorocarbon compounds remained inert at room temperature, while the temperature during hibernation was -262 degrees Celsius.

Yan Xia lay down in the liquid.

At first, there was a strong sense of suffocation and water entering the lungs, but as the liquid filled his lungs, this feeling gradually disappeared, and he became calm.

A strong sleepiness overcame him, and he slowly closed his eyes.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he opened his eyes again.

What he saw was not the spaceship but a vast green grassland stretching as far as the eye could see.

The sky was azure blue, the clouds were white, and the wind blew by, ruffling Yan Xia's hair and causing the fine grass to ripple like waves in a green sea. A herd of horses was frolicking in the distance, and a flock of white herons, startled, flew straight up into the sky.

Yan Xia stretched out his arms and took a deep breath, feeling incredibly refreshed, as if it were real.

At this moment, it was as if he had truly returned to that world, to Earth.

"Yan Xia."

A crisp voice came from behind him, and Yan Xia turned around to see a white-haired girl.

She was less than one meter tall, with almond-shaped eyes beneath willow-like eyebrows, and her eyelashes trembled like fluttering white feathers. She wore a white floral skirt that reached her knees and matching round-toed shoes, and her long hair fell to her waist, complementing her rosy, delicate skin like white jade.

She wasn't stunningly beautiful, but rather, she had a friendly, girl-next-door vibe.

In front of Yan Xia, she spun around, her skirt flaring out like blooming flowers, and her face lit up with a joyful smile, emitting a crisp, bell-like laughter.

"Ella?"

Yan Xia was taken aback for a moment.

After all, in reality, Ella rarely used holographic projections to communicate with him and mostly used the silicon robot.

Now, Ella's appearance was a 3D version of her initial 2D character, and her temperament was completely different.

"Yes!"

"I registered a character in this world to accompany you on your adventures so that you won't get bored."

"Is this what it feels like to be a human with blood and flesh?"

Ella curiously pinched her arm, then released it, and the spot turned slightly red.

This world could simulate sensations, including sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.

"Hehe, it feels great!"

Yan Xia, on the other hand, was horrified.

"Ella, don't do that. I'm a bit scared."

Ella was so lifelike that Yan Xia felt like a real person was standing in front of him.

Ella pouted, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance.

"What do you mean, Yan Xia? Don't you want me to accompany you?"

Yan Xia looked down at the ground, as if searching for something.

Ella curiously came over and asked, "Yan Xia, what are you looking for?"

"Don't you see it?"

"Goosebumps all over the floor."

"Ahahaha~ Yan Xia, you're so mean~~~"

Ella stamped her feet in anger, adorably so.

Yan Xia had originally planned to explore this world on his own, but now he felt that having a 'person' by his side wasn't a bad idea.

He summoned the interface and looked at his own ordinary attributes.

"Level 1, basic attributes of strength, agility, stamina, and intelligence are all at 10 points. No skills, no weapons, no accessories, no talents..."

"Looks like I'm starting from scratch."

Yan Xia was full of enthusiasm.

Although Ella could give him a max-level account, what would be the point of that?

He didn't need to show off to anyone; he just wanted to experience the joy of exploration and adventure.

This world incorporated various elements from Earth's legends and games, including cultivation, martial arts, literary arts, soul cultivation, magic, and fighting spirit.

According to the information Yan Xia had gathered, there were 100 billion creatures in this world, with 3.9 billion types, including 700 million types of monsters, 3 million types of intelligent creatures, and 1.7 billion countries.

There was no limit to levels and attributes, and currently, the NPCs in this world were at a relatively weak level, growing alongside the players.

The journey to Proxima Centauri would take 283 years, and Yan Xia would spend this time growing in this massive virtual world with a diameter of 0.5 light-years and a circumference of 4.7 trillion kilometers.