Chapter 13: One Hundred Thousand Viewers Watching the Game

Ten years ago, after the divine decree appeared, think tanks from around the world gathered together. Merely analyzing the decree’s literal meaning, they concluded it was an apocalypse meant solely for humanity. The Human Seed Project was quickly drafted and unanimously approved by the highest authorities of every nation.

The divine decree was explicit: it targeted only humans on Earth. But what about humans beyond Earth?

During these ten years, nations abandoned old hatreds and united, pooling global manpower, wealth, and resources to secretly carry out the Seed Project. The so-called Seed Project entailed transferring select groups of people to the moon in batches. The chosen were the powerful, elites in various fields, experts, and a wealth of precious human cultural technologies and genetic materials. The total number was strictly kept under 100,000.

On the moon, within a decade, a hundred large survival bases were constructed, each designed to support a thousand people with all the supplies needed for twenty years. Hundreds of large rockets and spacecraft were built, and, in secret, humanity was transferred to the moon in waves throughout the ten years.

A month before the ten-year mark, nearly all of the 100,000 had been relocated, and those on the moon watched Earth’s every move with anxious eyes. As the deadline approached, tension mounted; they could not be sure they wouldn’t be erased as well, for everything was ultimately based on their own assumptions.

Ants before gods always harbor a bit of cleverness.

And they hoped, perhaps, that ten years ago it was all just a cruel joke.

Compared to their former lives on Earth, life on the moon could hardly be called living, even though the standard of living now exceeded that enjoyed by more than half of Earth’s population.

Humans, especially those who have tasted power and privilege, become addicted to it.

The ten years ended.

As expected, at the same moment, all humans on Earth vanished mysteriously. Those on the moon remained.

After a brief silence, all hundred survival bases erupted in wild celebration, rejoicing that they had not been erased, rejoicing in their continued existence.

Excitement swept through them. They imagined returning to Earth, where all its resources would belong to these 100,000 alone. They would become the new humanity, ushering in a new era—a result predicted by experts long ago.

Some among them wanted to return to Earth immediately, knowing that whoever arrived first would seize the initiative. But the majority quickly rejected this proposal.

For the divine decree stated that a thousand would be left behind at random; perhaps the god had other plans.

Restless spirits calmed. After prolonged discussion among the leaders, they decided to wait three months and observe Earth’s situation before making any decisions.

Each base had enough supplies to last twenty years, so there was no need to hurry.

After brief deliberations among the 100,000, most bases began to celebrate their new life, holding banquets and parties, plunging into revelry.

Most had been suppressed for far too long.

Not everyone had just arrived on the moon; many had lived there for years, some among the earliest arrivals seven or eight years ago.

Most needed such a celebration to release the pent-up emotions they had carried for so long.

But their joy was short-lived. Suddenly, a divine decree descended, directed at the people on the moon.

The god’s voice echoed throughout every survival base; everyone could hear it clearly.

“I am merciful. Ants, you escaped Earth within ten years, so I grant you the chance to live on, to accompany me as spectators.

I decree the following rules:

Rule One: My word is law.

A reminder: Do not attempt to exploit loopholes, for if any arise, Rule One takes precedence!

Rule Two: From this moment, no signal or object can be transmitted from here to Earth, nor from Earth to the moon.

A reminder: A good spectator does not disturb the performance—do not interfere with the actors; be a good audience.

Rule Three: Above the hundred bases, the sky will be filled with ten thousand projection screens, each ten meters wide and long, covering the heavens. Each screen will display one of the survivors on Earth, for you to select your preferred contestant to watch.

A reminder: Where there are spectators, there must be televisions.

Rule Four: As the chosen ten thousand die, their screens vanish; the remaining screens will automatically expand to fill the space, growing larger as fewer remain.

A reminder: Though now the screens are many and small, as their numbers dwindle, they will grow larger. The later stages of viewing will be far more thrilling—doesn’t that sound a bit exciting?”

When the god’s voice faded, everyone in the lunar bases erupted.

But as the sky outside the bases was suddenly filled with countless projection screens, blotting out the heavens, silence fell.

Each screen bore a unique number, with no duplicates.

Each number corresponded to a contestant.

On one inconspicuous screen, numbered 4444, the scene was set in a cyber café, where a young man was absorbed in his game. The camera drew closer, revealing the face of Li Gang.

Aside from Li Gang, the cameras on all other screens zoomed in, showing close-ups of each contestant’s face: men and women, young and old, each with different expressions and states of mind.

Most had witnessed the disappearance of everyone around them, their faces marked by indescribable terror; few maintained calm in the face of it all.

Some, like Li Gang, remained unaware at first, behaving normally since they had not yet realized everyone else had vanished.

A friendly reminder: Everyone is free to choose any contestant to watch, and your viewing will not interfere with others.

The god’s voice rang out in everyone’s mind.

Amazed by such power, all instantly understood its meaning.

Soon, a virtual screen appeared before many people, floating in midair.

They quickly discovered that the sound from their chosen screen was audible only to themselves; those beside them could not hear it, nor could they hear the screens others watched.

Meanwhile, outside the bases, the countless screens remained in the sky, undisturbed.

Everyone soon selected a contestant to watch, and a virtual display appeared before them.

People from different nations chose contestants from their own countries, sometimes switching between them.

Inside the survival bases, everyone quickly adapted to the situation, feeling neither panic nor unease. After all, everything was arranged by the god; acceptance was the only option, for resisting was impossible.

They had grown accustomed to the miracles the god displayed.