Chapter One: The World Within the Fish Tank

Early February, when the ice and snow lurking in the shadows had not yet fully melted, the lingering chill of winter still rampaged through every street and alley, and the air remained thick with a biting cold that cut to the bone.

Liang City, People's Hospital.

Fang Zhuowei declined the attending physician’s urging and completed his discharge procedures.

A few days prior, during a routine examination, he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer—an exceptionally malignant disease already at a locally advanced stage. Surgery was impossible, and even chemotherapy would merely postpone the inevitable for a short while.

He didn't have much in savings. His parents had passed away early, leaving only a few old houses in the countryside. Cancer treatment was a money-burning ordeal that Fang Zhuowei simply couldn't afford.

Rather than endure endless suffering, it was better to spend his remaining days quietly, eating what he wished, drinking as he pleased.

"After all these years away from my hometown, now that the end is near, I should return and see it once more."

Fallen leaves return to their roots; without going back to one's homeland, one remains a drifting water plant.

Withdrawing all his savings, Fang Zhuowei bought a train ticket to Wucheng, his hometown.

The wheels rumbled on, and familiar silhouettes of buildings flickered past his eyes. Years had passed since he last returned, and upon setting foot in Wucheng, Fang Zhuowei felt as though everything had changed, as if he were in another world.

He first went to his parents’ graves to pay his respects, then returned to the old family home.

No one had cleaned the place for years; unconsciously, weeds had overtaken the yard, and the laughter and joy of yesteryears had vanished, replaced entirely by desolation.

Taking a deep breath and rubbing his slightly damp eyes, Fang Zhuowei set down his luggage, pulled the circuit breaker, and began tidying up the yard.

"What’s this?"

While digging out weeds, his gaze fell upon a peculiar object resembling a turtle shell.

Its surface was covered in marks like knife or axe cuts, bearing the scars of long years.

Fang Zhuowei instinctively poked it; it was extremely hard and icy to the touch, like the shards of winter ice, and he felt a faint electric shock run through his fingertips.

"A turtle shell shouldn't be this cold, should it?"

He shivered involuntarily and frowned.

Just as he spoke—

A sharp crack, like a shell breaking, suddenly echoed in his mind.

The next moment.

Before Fang Zhuowei could react, his vision was engulfed by an intense white mist; before he could say a word, a torrent of vast, fragmented, intricate, and infinite memories surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

At last, it stopped.

"Evolutionary origin? Species compete for survival, the fittest prevail. Evolution isn’t about becoming larger; only mass production triggers qualitative change. The smaller the species, the more thoroughly it can undergo transformation, but not to the extreme—evolution requires a complete life structure as its foundation..."

"Life is both the starting point and the endpoint of evolution; the journey of fate is a struggle against heaven and earth, brilliant as stardust, radiant as summer flowers, holding infinite possibilities..."

...

Fang Zhuowei stared in astonishment at the turtle shell in his hand, overwhelmed by the flood of memories coursing through his mind.

Simply put, this was akin to a platform.

The evolutionary origin provided the basis for life’s evolution—a spore capable of rapid evolution, differentiation, and division. Fang Zhuowei merely needed to supply it with the cellular DNA of other organisms.

Then.

The spore would freely combine with the cells of other life forms, creating unique primordial cells for evolutionary life, heading into unknown directions.

There was one restriction: since Fang Zhuowei was the host, he could not use human genes to cultivate and combine with the spores.

But this was a minor issue...

"Carbon-based life has its own limitations, but if the species I create are silicon-based or another form? Free from disease, immortal, indestructible... In that case, wouldn’t my cancer be cured? Even... if the species evolve far enough, could I ‘resurrect’ my parents?"

Fang Zhuowei began to plan rapidly.

The evolution of life was an unknown realm; death was not the only outcome, especially with the evolutionary origin at hand, which brimmed with limitless possibilities.

"The birth of life should be diverse; the elements composing life shouldn’t be limited to carbon alone. But for now I know nothing else. Water is undoubtedly the most suitable cradle for the emergence and evolution of life. According to Earth’s evolutionary history, unicellular life in water is the source of nearly all species today."

"The origin of species doesn’t have to be water, but it’s the most stable method I know for generating life. So I’ll use the safest approach."

"All species on Earth originated from the primordial ocean. I can’t create an ocean, but I can certainly treat a fish tank as one. For the scale of spore-based organisms, a fish tank is no less than an ancient ocean."

Fang Zhuowei muttered, his eyes shining ever brighter.

If he remembered correctly, there was a fish tank in the storage room, bought by his father years ago, perfect for his purpose.

After searching for a while, Fang Zhuowei found the old fish tank in a corner.

It was about a meter tall and as long as a person, not too large, but sufficient.

After cleaning it thoroughly, he filled it with water.

Life’s evolution required cells from other species. Fang Zhuowei glanced around, and, as luck would have it, a cricket was leisurely crawling before him...

With quick reflexes, Fang Zhuowei caught it.

It was an armored cricket, large enough to prick his hand slightly.

"Perfect timing. You’ll do."

He grinned, focusing his mind.

The next moment, a dark orb about the size of a ping-pong ball appeared above the cricket, silent and deep, like an ancient black hole formed from a collapsed star.

As the black orb appeared.

A droplet, deep gray and about the size of a grain of yellow rice, shot from the cricket’s body and plunged into the black orb.

The spore began to fuse with the cell.

Next was the adjustment of the miniature world’s evolutionary speed.

"Accelerate division and evolution: One day... equals ten thousand years!"

Fang Zhuowei pondered, then spoke softly.

The initial world’s evolution needed to be fast—this was the phase where life’s shape takes form, requiring ages. If the multiplier was too low, given his current state, he might not live to see the outcome.

In midair.

As his words fell.

Above the fish tank, the black hole-like orb appeared once more.

Countless black spheres, tiny as dust and invisible to the naked eye, rained down into the tank like dumplings dropping into boiling water...