431: Is eternal life really that great?

Looking at the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, Tian Ming smiled slightly and said, "Meng Xian, you should have a communication channel with the Rebel Army, right? Although both sides are at war, a basic communication channel should exist."

Meng Xian nodded slightly and said, "Yes, Boss!"

Tian Ming smiled indifferently and said, "Alright, tell them I'm back. Send a representative to talk to me. Give them three days. If they don't come, I'll go to them."

Meng Xian was stunned and asked, "Boss, are you playing your cards openly?"

Tian Ming smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right, I'm playing my cards openly. There's no need to hide anything now. Bai Yan, how many space battleships do we have?"

"One Command ship. Ten manned motherships, over three hundred small unmanned battleships, all AI-controlled. A total of over 6 million robot legions, General Lu, what are you planning?"

Tian Ming chuckled and said, "Pull all the battleships up to Blue Star's orbit, parked at an altitude of about 30,000 kilometers, covering the entire globe."

"Blue Star's defense system is very powerful. Tian Quan has deployed a large number of energy weapons across the entire planet. They only allow low-value targets to enter the atmosphere. If anything approaches within 100,000 kilometers, it's considered an attack, and they will fire."

"First, establish communication, then issue an ultimatum, and finally, have the battleships approach to form a deterrent. Tian Quan won't dare to attack our battleships; I can guarantee that. If he dares to open fire, I will make him understand what regret is."

Bai Yan nodded slightly and said, "Alright, I'll go arrange it now."

"Ji Ruping!"

Ji Ruping immediately stood up and said, "I'm here!"

"What is the current population size of Space City?" Tian Ming asked.

"Currently, the population of Space City is 4.089 million people. The initial population migrated here was 1.83 million. After Space City's expansion, we implemented a series of birth policies, and our current population structure is very healthy," Ji Ruping replied.

"I didn't ask you that. Issue an announcement: ordinary residents of Space City aged 18 and above can apply for consciousness backup, but they must pass a one-minute test." After Tian Ming finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a circular, button-like metal patch floated in the air.

Seeing a hint of confusion on everyone's faces, Tian Ming said, "Alien technology, consciousness imprisonment patch. It takes a biological consciousness as the main body to construct a perfect virtual world based on that creature's cognition. In this world, whatever you wish for comes true, and there are no annoying things. One minute in reality means staying for one million years in the virtual world."

Shen Yuan, looking at such a small piece of metal and listening to Tian Ming's explanation, asked curiously, "Husband, where did you get this technology?"

Tian Ming smiled slightly, "A god gave it to me. His hobby is collecting technology from various civilizations. I have countless such items. This consciousness imprisonment patch is used as a form of punishment in that civilization, and the effect is exceptionally good. Don't they want eternal life? Then let them experience one million years of perfect days."

Ji Ruping was even more confused and asked, "Boss, in that world, whatever one wishes for comes true. Can such a perfect virtual world be considered a punishment? I've never heard of such a punishment before."

Tian Ming looked at Ji Ruping and said, "This patch is single-use. You can try it; after all, one minute won't delay anything. How about it, want to try? After trying it, you'll know why a perfect world is a punishment."

Ji Ruping nodded, and the metal patch floated directly over. She curiously took it, "Boss, how do I use this thing?"

"Just stick it on your head," Tian Ming said.

Ji Ruping carefully placed the metal patch on her head. In an instant, she lost consciousness and slumped limply into her chair.

This virtual world is designed to let you live a perfect life, a perfection without any regrets. The thrill of the first year will be maximized, like cheating in a game.

Cheating in a single-player game feels great for a day or two, but after a month, some people might not be able to stand it. After a year, they'd probably feel sick just looking at the game. One million years passing in consciousness, perhaps only one year is happy, and the remaining 999,999 years are empty. If this isn't punishment, what is it?

Before a minute was up, Ji Ruping woke up. She hadn't fully experienced one million years because Tian Ming had given her a test patch, which had an exit option in the perfect world.

Ji Ruping spent ten years in the virtual world, satisfying all human desires, and then she got bored. Life had no challenges; whatever she wanted, she got, and eventually, nothing interested her. After doing everything she wanted to do, she endured only three years of boredom before choosing to exit.

Tian Ming smiled as he looked at Ji Ruping, "How was it? Don't you feel life is incredibly beautiful?"

Ji Ruping smiled bitterly and shook her head, the look in her eyes already changed, becoming indifferent: "Boss, I need to recover."

Tian Ming asked with a faint smile, "Ji Ruping, how many years did you stay inside?"

"Not many, only thirteen years."

"Not perfect enough?" Tian Ming asked.

"It's not that it's not perfect, it's too perfect. No regrets, just boring. Living like that for a million years, I think I'd go crazy," Ji Ruping said slowly, still with lingering fear.

A moment later, Ji Ruping recovered slightly and said, "Boss, personally, I don't recommend letting people fully experience these one million years. If they experience it fully, they might develop world-weariness, or even become psychologically twisted in search of stimulation. This will cause problems; it might make people feel jaded."

Tian Ming nodded and said, "Look at the number on your patch!"

Ji Ruping removed the patch from her head; there was a number 13 on it.

Tian Ming continued, "I will provide you with this patch, with a minimum setting of one hundred years before one can exit. Those who can endure three hundred thousand years can have their consciousness backed up. Those who can endure one million years can undergo mechanical ascension and gain eternal life. Additionally, I will provide something that can erase the memories of the illusion, but a waiver for consciousness backup must be signed before the erasure."

Ji Ruping looked at the patch in her hand, took a deep breath, and said, "Boss, this test is too cruel. A million years of perfect life sounds very tempting, but to truly experience it, I'm afraid no one can withstand that endless emptiness and boredom."

Tian Ming nodded slightly in understanding: "I know this test is cruel. Human consciousness and experience are actually a kind of resource. Aren't they stubborn? I specialize in dealing with stubbornness."