Gu Shun just stood like this, and pictures flashed in front of him like a movie.

In the first picture, a young man stands excitedly in the dormitory and shouts:

"We have finally succeeded, a VR community that integrates video games, blockchain, currency systems, and uses simulation chips to log in, everyone can create their own small world, and all users are the masters of this world.

Although it was built with blocks, I dare say it was definitely an epoch-making day. ”

"Give him a name." The companion next to him was also delighted.

"I hope that one day it will be carried on a spacecraft flying into space, and become a temporary spiritual home for mankind on the long journey of exploring the universe.

Since it's also a universe, let's call it the metaverse. It may replace the Internet in the future and set off a new technological revolution for Meta City. ”

The calendar on the table shows the time as 2021 on the Uptown calendar, which Shangcheng later referred to as the first year of the metaverse.

The young man next to him high-fived and celebrated, "I didn't expect that one day we would become the creator." Stevens, as the Creator, let's set a creation rule for this world. ”

Without thinking about it, Stevens said: "I want E=MC^2 to remain true in the metaverse, and the rules are universal." ”

The young man named Xiu hesitated for a long time before saying: "The metaverse must achieve a breakthrough at the technical level and satisfaction at the spiritual level, and constantly evolve and adapt, which is called the principle of evolutionary adaptation." ”

"Isn't there two missing, or let's add another one in front." Stevens was a little unsatisfied.

"Add what?" Xiu asked.

"I haven't thought about it yet, so it's better to be empty first and think about it later." Stevens thought about it again and again, and was not satisfied with a few thoughts, but finally put it down.

More than a month later, the virtual platform called the metaverse built by Stevens and Xiu was launched with the first game, Xirang.

The pictures flashed alternately, and in an instant, more than ten years later.

With the maturity and use of three technologies, namely, the neural perceptual synchronization system, the preprocessing theory of brain element terminal analysis, and the principle of human-computer collaborative mutual translation, these three technologies have been matured and used.

A newly built metaverse based on the world architecture designed by the two of them began to become popular all over the world and became all the rage.

The two also co-founded a metaverse development service company, which is the predecessor of Company M.

As the metaverse becomes more and more popular in Meta City, just like Stephen's boast of Haikou back then, the metaverse has officially replaced the original Internet and become a daily necessity for people.

The unprecedented success of the metaverse has not only brought huge wealth to the two.

Stimulated by wealth, there was also a huge disagreement between Stephen and Xiu, the two founders of the metaverse.

What was once a green to golden wheat field has become an overgrown wasteland, and the bustling streets are becoming deserted.

People's aversion to and escape from reality has stimulated the formation of a large number of metaverse communities.

As the business model matures in the metaverse, more and more people are discovering that there is more money to be made in the metaverse than in reality.

A piece of equipment, a rare skin, a piece of land in the metaverse, and a ticket to the experience...... More and more transactions are emerging in the metaverse, which also makes the earliest group of people make a lot of money.

The huge profit attracts more people in Meta City to sell their property just to own a piece of land in the virtual world that does not exist in itself.

Seeing more and more people indulging in the metaverse, the once thriving Meta City has gradually become deserted and ridiculed.

Stephen loudly rebuked in the office of Company M: "The metaverse is not the future that mankind dreams of, but the end of human civilization, and we must correct all this as soon as possible." ”

Looking at the high-spirited young man back then, Xiu at this time had faded away from his youthfulness, and he was covered with scars from copper stench and social polish.

He said unhurriedly:

"Isn't it self-sufficient to observe the world from the perspective of mayflies, with vast spaces, deep and distant time, and insignificant human beings?

What kind of exploration of the universe is just a joke of a group of delusional people sitting in a well and watching the sky, how long will it take us to set foot in space, you will have already become a piece of loess at that time.

In the metaverse, you only need your mind and imagination to be in any corner of the universe. Therefore, the metaverse is the salvation of mankind, and mankind has finally seen itself clearly and found a home. ”

"No matter how grand the world is built by virtual data. It's just a fantasy for human beings to entertain themselves. Stevenham scolded angrily.

Immediately after, he slammed the document in his hand to the ground,

"I'm not going to agree to the sale of energy pills in Meta City. What time and sleep are the biggest obstacles to human development, what a joke.

If human beings are even squeezed out of their time to sleep, then they can still be called human beings.

Time is not an obstacle to human development, arrogance and cutting off reality is! ”

After Stephen finished speaking, he turned around and left the office, announcing his withdrawal from Company M that day.

Three years later, a virus called Spider Cut suddenly began to wreak havoc in the metaverse world.

At the same time as the collapse of the metaverse, there has also been a large-scale food production and economic regression.

The glorious city-state of Meta City was starving and killing countless people.

After this, the vitality of the city of Meta was greatly damaged, and the upper and lower cities were completely broken, and the prosperity was no longer what it used to be.

In Company M, Xiu took all the blame and shot himself. At the same time, the veteran of Company M took real power of the company and invited Stevens to re-emerge and rebuild the metaverse in Uptown.

Stephen did not agree at first, as a man who was born and raised in the Lower City was adamantly opposed to the division of Meta City, and he did not want to see the city split in two.

However, with the Downtown Council naming him as another culprit in the collapse of the metaverse, launching a wanted warrant, banning all metaverse devices, and announcing the abolition of technology, Stephen was completely disappointed in Downtown.

And just when he was disheartened, a letter from Xiu suddenly arrived in front of him, and he changed his mind.

From Gu Shun's point of view, Shi Difen opened the letter.

[Steven's personal revelation: When you read this letter, I may have paid for my sins, living forever and dying forever in a certain metaverse world.

You are right, human beings have evolved in pursuit of something better, for the vastness of the universe, and for the infinite possibilities of the stars and seas. It's not about being trapped alive in a cage woven by this closed fantasy.

If you read this letter, can you carve a tombstone for me in the first world we created?

The epitaph uses the first rule that we haven't thought of, and I think now I have the answer:

Reality is the eternal pursuit, the principle of reality first.

I know you made that spider-cutting virus, but it doesn't matter, there has to be someone to take care of everything, right, you can be the hero of the light-Shuliu. 】

When Stevens read this, his mind was full of the young and immature but passionate figure he had at the beginning.

He didn't feel the tears wet his eyes, and gradually he couldn't control it anymore, and he cried loudly.

He immediately rushed into the utility room desperately and found a dusty notebook, which was a gift from Xiu at the time of graduation.

On the title page of the note, Xiu's imagination of the future metaverse is written, and he also quotes a very nice name for the metaverse: Spirit World.

Only then did Striffine realize that he was wrong, that he was too eager to deny everything, and that it was not the metaverse itself, let alone the users, that was wrong, but the people who created and managed it all.