The moment Li Shengjiang pressed the button, a message popped up before his eyes.
[Please reach the designated location and break through the World Barrier to initiate travel through the World Passage.]
What?
Seeing these words appear, Li Shengjiang was momentarily stunned.
The chat instantly exploded. Everyone had been curious about what exactly the third option entailed, and now this unbelievable prompt appeared before their eyes.
"Breaking the World Barrier? A World Passage?"
"What's going on? Could there actually be another world?"
Within the sandbox, all sorts of strange-looking players buzzed with excitement and speculation.
With the help of other players, Li Shengjiang quickly guided his slime race toward the designated location. Upon arrival, a magnificent deep-blue whirlpool filled with shimmering stars emerged before their eyes, resembling a teleportation portal.
"Wow! A portal?"
"A hidden storyline? Could it lead to a new map?"
This portal was precisely the underground passage Xu Zhi had previously constructed to connect the two sandboxes. Back then, Xu Zhi had disguised himself as the God of Wisdom and introduced a bizarre species into the main sandbox, kicking off the Era of the Three Witches.
The other players hadn't noticed it before due to concealment by the Insecta Hive Mind. Now, the spectacular visual effects of the "World Passage" had naturally been added by Xu Zhi for dramatic effect.
"A new map!"
"So after creating a species with potential, you can take them into another world?"
"Incredible! This sandbox evolution game actually has other worlds!"
Amidst envious gazes, Li Shengjiang led his slime species through the swirling World Passage into the new world.
All went dark.
Li Shengjiang and his slime species traveled through a long, dark tunnel. In reality, this was simply the long white water pipe Xu Zhi had buried underground. To these tiny creatures, it was an incredibly long journey.
"It's so dark."
His species struggled to move, bouncing forward awkwardly, propelled by the muscular tentacle atop their slime-like bodies. Their round forms hopped along adorably.
After an unknown amount of time crawling through darkness, a brilliant light appeared ahead.
—Whoosh!
Emerging from the darkness, they found themselves in a lush, vibrant forest.
Massive ancient trees towered all around, reaching into the sky like pillars, casting vast shadows over colorful vegetation below. Exotic birds soared across the crystal-clear sky.
[Warning: Completely assimilate into this world. Any attempts to reveal that you are from another world will result in immediate termination.]
"Such beautiful scenery!"
Li Shengjiang guided his slime race, hopping curiously through the forest. He was deeply shocked. "Unlike our own primitive Paleozoic sandbox, this world has a fully developed ecosystem."
"Could this really be an entirely new world? Have I actually traveled to another world—still with my race and the streaming system?"
He couldn't help but think of those popular web novels.
...
Meanwhile, Xu Zhi reclined comfortably on a chair in his yard, leisurely eating an apple. "The small pipe I buried underground to connect the two sandboxes has finally come in handy."
Unbeknownst to Li Shengjiang—who was filled with excitement over reaching the new world—he had already fallen right into the scheme of a certain unscrupulous creator god.
Xu Zhi had specifically prepared this hidden third option, the mysterious "Second Life," so that players who evolved unique species could enter the main sandbox world themselves. He just hadn't expected someone to do it so quickly.
"This arrangement makes sense. After all, I can't personally pick up every newly evolved species like I did with the Evil Eye and manually introduce them into the larger sandbox every single time, right?"
It would be too conspicuous for him, a giant, to frequently enter and exit the sandbox.
Previously, the Evil Eye had been introduced shortly after a mass extinction event, when civilization was scarce. No one had noticed his enormous figure. Later, introducing the Poison Chickens and Phoenix had been easy since those species could fly; he'd simply tossed them in from afar.
But what about the Slimes?
They certainly couldn't survive a casual toss into the sandbox, nor could he risk personally placing them. Hence, Xu Zhi devised another solution: players would lead their species into the main sandbox themselves, through this hidden "World Passage."
This also acted as an extra reward.
After all, the lifespan of most evolved player species only lasted around 20 to 30 in-game years, corresponding to a few hours in reality. Granting them several hours of real-life enjoyment within the larger sandbox world was a minor favor.
Their brief existence wouldn't create significant waves in the sandbox. And if by some chance they did, driving civilization forward? All the better.
After death, their species would continue evolving independently within the larger world.
Xu Zhi mused, "The two sandboxes have different time flows—one day outside equals a hundred years inside. However, according to the Insecta Hive Mind, the acceleration only affects the biological lifespan, not the players' consciousness. Players can truly experience decades of life in mere hours."
Suddenly, Xu Zhi frowned. "Still, how do I ensure Li Shengjiang sides with the traditional witches rather than the evil ones?"
Just as he pondered, he glanced at the main sandbox and froze in surprise, a strange expression forming on his face.
"Perhaps, I no longer need to intervene. Li Shengjiang has already formed an irreconcilable grudge with the evil witches!"
...
In the verdant forest.
Li Shengjiang and his slime race cautiously explored their new environment, amazed at its beauty. However, when he attempted to start streaming, another prompt appeared.
[Due to time flow differences between worlds, livestreaming is disabled. A day above equals a hundred years below.]
Time flow difference?
One day equals a hundred years?
Did that mean a single day in the original sandbox corresponded to a century here? Realization dawned upon Li Shengjiang, making him tremble in excitement.
Could this black-tech game truly achieve such accelerated life simulation?
"This is impossible!"
Li Shengjiang shivered, his mind going blank.
Hurriedly, he exited the game, pulling off his VR headset in shock. He discovered that despite having spent several hours within the game world, only ten seconds had passed in reality. Everyone was still eagerly discussing his entry into the World Passage.
Incredible! It was as if he had just entered the game seconds ago!
Overcome with fear of missing out, Li Shengjiang swiftly returned to the game. He couldn't risk wasting any real-world time, as mere minutes outside meant days would pass inside. If he delayed, his body and species might die!
"Incredible! So this is my Second Life! According to projections, this slime species would only last about a decade or so—reasonable for a biological engine—but here, I can fully experience these ten-plus years. Outside, only a few hours would pass. They'll still be happily speculating about my adventure."
He cursed himself internally for evolving such a short-lived species. Why hadn't he evolved one with a longer lifespan?
"But still, over ten years of additional life is thrilling enough. I'll enjoy my existence as a slime in another world!"
"This game is insane! Our original sandbox world was merely the beginner area—a place to evolve species before embarking into countless worlds. I absolutely love it!"
He shivered with excitement, mind racing.
Slowly, he moved his slime group through the lush forest, pondering. "This world must have civilized species. Though slimes are considered weak fantasy monsters, under my guidance, we'll undoubtedly reach the pinnacle of this world. Maybe here, I can even find ways to extend my lifespan."
Though his slimes weren't intelligent, he could directly control them. After all, they were biological engines. With core industrial technology and mechanical knowledge, what couldn't he build?
Fighter planes, cannons... he'd easily crush any primitive civilization here!
Half a day passed. Just as Li Shengjiang led his slimes out of the dense forest, he heard female voices nearby.
"People!"
He grew wary. Unsure whether they were friends or foes, he tried hiding. But the women seemed to have extraordinary senses, quickly detecting his presence.
A group of stunningly beautiful women wearing deep-red rose-patterned witch robes and carrying wooden staves appeared. Upon seeing the adorable slimes, they immediately grew excited, chattering animatedly in an incomprehensible language.
"There's a language barrier. I'll pretend to be a wild animal and observe silently." Li Shengjiang shrunk back, blending in with his bouncing, oblivious slime brethren.
"What are these creatures? I've never seen anything like them," the witches marveled, eyes shining. "They're adorable!"
"Should we take these creatures as our pets?"
"Yes, definitely! Look at that tentacle—it resembles our traditional Evil Eye familiars."
Unlike traditional witches, the Rose Church's evil witches all kept magical pets, typically Evil Eyes, to assist in their meditation and magic practice.
Li Shengjiang listened from his hidden spot, mistakenly reassured. "They seem friendly, enchanted by my cuteness. I should be safe... right?"