Here's your fully revised version. I've corrected grammar, replaced all Chinese names (Xu Zhi → Ethan, Chen Xi → Mia), removed all ad content, and polished the flow of the text for better readability and immersion:
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"It's good to finally have modern appliances at home."
Ethan sat in his yard as the washing machine beside him rattled to a stop. He pulled out his clean clothes and hung them on the line to dry. With that done, he sank back into the chair by his front door and started peeling an apple.
"Hive Mind, did you say a player has already entered the sandbox?" he asked, glancing at the small pond ahead. The water shimmered, clear and still.
Not that he could see the player anyway—the poor soul was still just a single-celled spore.
Inside the sandbox, countless spores were evolving and dying by the second. Players were just another group tossed into that chaotic natural selection, fighting for survival.
"What happens if a player quits midway through the game?" Ethan asked.
The Hive Mind responded calmly, "Their spore will continue to evolve without their influence. By the time they return, the changes might be so drastic they won't even recognize themselves."
Ethan nodded. That was fine by him.
It was supposed to be a casual sim game anyway. If someone had to step away because of real life, that was perfectly normal. And if your creature went extinct? You could just start over and see what wild new species you might evolve next. That was part of the fun, wasn't it?
Besides, only the truly skilled players would even survive two or three days in-game. Most would likely face extinction within a few hours. Without a strong grasp of evolutionary theory, players would struggle to create species capable of competing with those that evolved naturally.
"I'll wait for someone to create something impressive," Ethan said with a grin. "Then I'll just steal the results of their hard work."
He chuckled, sounding every bit like a mad scientist hiding in the background. "I still believe my Bugapes will end up more powerful than anything they create. No way some newbie gamer is going to outdo me."
The Hive Mind calmly replied, "Organisms created through artificial genetic engineering don't always match the potential of naturally evolved ones."
Ethan paused.
"Are you saying theirs might be better than mine?" He sighed. "We'll see. Hopefully, they can create some species worth moving into the larger sandbox. Competition will be good for balance."
He leaned forward, watching the pond with rising anticipation.
After monitoring one of the players for a while, he noticed the spore kept dying before making any progress. So, with nothing else to see there, he turned his attention to the larger sandbox.
The Great Flood had decimated nearly all life. The world was in shambles and would take two to three hundred years to recover.
Thanks to the hundred-times speed acceleration, that was only two or three days in real-time.
After the collapse of the Sumerian civilization, Utnapishtim had risen as a benevolent leader. Bearing the burden of a fallen nation, he guided his people to repopulate the land.
He reestablished his tribe in the ruins of Mesopotamia.
Over a hundred years later, his grandson Ishbiel became the new chieftain. Driven by ambition and vision, Ishbiel renamed the tribe: Babylon.
That name would carry weight through the ages.
The Sumerian era had ended. The mythical civilization once ruled by the great Hero King Gilgamesh had burned brilliantly—and briefly. Now came the dawn of a new era: the rise of the Magus Kingdom of Babylon, a legacy that would endure far longer.
...
Meanwhile, Carl Weston was losing his mind.
He had died over and over again—his cells, his progeny, all wiped out before he could even evolve basic traits. After many failed attempts, he finally managed to evolve eyes, then a mouth, and started feeding on plankton. But even that was short-lived.
His weak eyes and mouth weren't enough. He didn't have limbs to hunt. He died. Again.
"This game is brutal!"
Carl yanked off his VR headset, groaning in frustration. No matter how many times he tried, he kept failing halfway.
And yet… the hyper-realistic sensory feedback and the infinite potential of evolution were too compelling to give up. It was addicting.
"Extinct. Again! My eyes must've been too small. Fine, I'll evolve massive, beautiful ones this time!"
Fueled by determination—and rage—he stormed into his college library and began studying biology. He found a dense foreign textbook on Evolutionary Chemistry and dove into it, thanks to his solid English reading skills.
Those who saw him were baffled.
Wasn't Carl just some VR gaming junkie? Why was he suddenly cramming evolutionary biology?
Half a day later, armed with newfound knowledge and sheer stubbornness, Carl finally created a species that could survive.
It was hideous.
He grew writhing, slimy tentacles for better feeding efficiency, and stayed true to his goal: he evolved one enormous eye.
Now, he looked like a giant eyeball with slimy appendages and a toothy mouth underneath.
"HAHAHA! I did it! Just look at that eye! It's beautiful!"
His grotesque creature crawled onto land for the first time.
He gasped. "What a vast, gorgeous world! This is unreal! I've finally become amphibious… Thank God! It was all worth it!"
He stood proudly. "I'm going to lead my species to greatness! This world belongs to me!"
...
Back in reality, Ethan munched his apple in the sun, seated at the entrance of his yard. Then he saw the creature staggering onto the sandbox shore.
"What the hell is that?"
He squinted.
"Is that... an eye with tentacles? A third of its body mass is just a damn eyeball! Were you that desperate to see the world?"
He shook his head in disbelief. According to any sound evolutionary theory, such a creature would be wiped out almost immediately. It was a terrible use of resources.
"A complete disaster," Ethan muttered. He bit into his apple again. "Looks like the Evil Eye from old mythology. Hideous and doomed."
Still, he couldn't deny it—it was hilarious.
Just then, there was a knock at the gate.
"Hey!" a voice called. "Open up. I brought food."
Ethan looked up. "Coming!"
He cast one last glance at the monstrosity, then stood. As he walked out, he casually stomped on the creature and ended its miserable life.
"Hesitation means defeat."
Inside the headset, Carl stared blankly at the Game Over screen.
You have died. Please start over.
"...WHAT!?"
He was stunned.
He had finally evolved a functioning species, climbed ashore, and was just about to begin his world conquest—then suddenly it was all over?
"Hey!!! Damn developer! Show yourself!"
Back in the yard, Ethan opened the door to find Mia holding a warm container of food. She smiled.
"Thank you," he said, grateful as always.