"No!" Li Nannan gritted her teeth.
Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief. If he didn't have to pay, everything would be fine.
The robots had taken away nearly half the pool of wine, sealing it in metal cans, waiting to analyze it back at base.
As Li Nannan was about to leave, Jiang Ye suddenly called out to her, pointing to a corner of the wine pool.
"There seem to be some words over there."
Li Nannan looked closely. There did seem to be a small white speck floating in the center of the wine pool, but it was only about the size of a palm, and given the distance, she couldn't see it clearly at all.
"Where does the camera signal connect?" she asked, pointing to the ceiling.
"You can see it on the screen in my study."
"Lead the way!" Li Nannan said fiercely, reaching out and flicking him on the forehead.
Jiang Ye obediently led the way, feeling like a herdboy being coerced by the enemy.
His wife and children were still asleep, so the two tiptoed upstairs to the study.
The screen displayed the real-time surveillance feed. In the center of the blood-red wine pool was a tiny speck of white. Li Nannan impatiently tapped the screen, zooming in repeatedly, finally seeing the small white characters.
"Master, are you there?"
"They're all dead. I have a very strange and bad feeling. Is this sadness?"
There were still living smart bacteria!
Although not many, they should be able to provide some answers.
Jiang Ye quickly typed, "Why did they die?"
The smart bacteria dispersed and then regrouped.
"They decided to modify their genes, removing the genes related to lifespan. We were very scared and didn't follow suit. As a result, after they modified themselves, they died very quickly. Only we, the remaining bacteria, survived."
"Does infinite lifespan simply not exist?"
Jiang Ye was stunned.
He recalled his conversation with these smart bacteria a few hours ago.
He hadn't expected the cause of death to be this – forcibly modifying genes in pursuit of immortality. But how could a group of unthinking bacteria understand genetics? Modifying their genes was probably like a human digging out their own organs; it was no wonder they died.
Jiang Ye typed: "Modifying genes is a very complex process that requires external help. You couldn't have done it yourselves. They are already dead. Learn from this lesson and don't do anything foolish again."
Smart bacteria: "Understood, Master. We won't do anything foolish. We are truly sad."
Li Nannan breathed a sigh of relief. "There's still this small group. You can continue cultivating them. As long as there are survivors, they can develop and grow strong again in a few days."
Jiang Ye frowned. "Has this happened before? Bacteria accidentally killing themselves?"
Li Nannan shook her head. "I'm not sure, but this smart bacteria technology isn't mature yet. This is only the sixth generation, and there might be dozens more generations in the future. I'll write a report about this incident and submit it. Alright, you go back and rest. I'm leaving."
"I'll see you out!" Jiang Ye said quickly.
Going downstairs.
As Li Nannan stepped onto the spacecraft, she suddenly remembered something and turned back.
"The first round of reconnaissance and clearance on the garbage planet has been completed. The number of hidden terrorists was higher than expected, with several thousand discovered. They had built continuous underground fortifications. The military is preparing to use burrowing bombs, a total of four million. The second round will begin once they are ready."
"Do I need to donate more money?" Jiang Ye asked.
"That's not necessary. The money you donated is enough to wipe out all the terrorists on the garbage planet. I'll send you the video of the clearance site later. Perhaps I can even apply for a medal for you."
"No need for a medal," Jiang Ye shook his head.
"After spending so much money, getting a medal isn't excessive. Honor can sometimes be worthless, but sometimes it's very useful. Just wait."
Li Nannan boarded the spacecraft and closed the hatch crisply.
Jiang Ye stepped back, watching the spacecraft with the Air Force logo soar into the sky and disappear into the pale dawn.
...
In just three days, the smart bacteria had returned to their previous numbers.
A vast expanse of white floated on the liquid.
They seemed to have forgotten their previous sadness and began asking for food again.
"Today we want to drink stout and baijiu! Thank you, Master!"
"Today we want to drink one-fifth brandy, one-fifth yellow wine, two-fifths beer, and one-fifth vodka!"
Jiang Ye, afraid that these bacteria would have another existential crisis, pampered them with good food and drink, feeding them whatever they asked for.
New equipment was also air-freighted in. A large cube, with each small cell playing different content, along with sound, scent, and ray emitters, transmitting more complex information. Placed in the center of the breeding pond, it could increase the smart bacteria's ability to receive information tenfold.
Knowledge about the world was continuously provided to the smart bacteria.
Folk customs, local conditions, commercial brands, music, novels, philosophy, science, history, dialects... covering almost all aspects.
Every evening, Jiang Ye would chat with the smart bacteria.
He soon felt as if he were talking to real people, and sometimes he was even retorted.
Jiang Ye: "When you realize your identity and discover that you are the most insignificant microorganisms, how do you feel? Do you feel inferior?"
Smart bacteria: "What is there to feel inferior about? Bacteria have the longest history and have prospered and become strong in the universe. Don't humans feel inferior? You just came down from the trees, you are close relatives of monkeys, and your relationship with apes is even more inseparable. Your intelligence is limited, and your physical strength is even more limited."
Jiang Ye: "I mean no offense."
Smart bacteria: "If you intend to hire us to work in the future, you should at least be polite to us."
Jiang Ye: "I am your Master. I provide you with food and drink every day. If I don't supply you with wine, you will explode and die within a day."
Smart bacteria: "Long live Master!"
After a round of argument, a prompt appeared on Jiang Ye's screen.
[Smart bacteria have evolved to the spiritual intelligence stage, possessing independent thought and a rich knowledge base.]
[Normal evolution ends here. If you wish for the smart bacteria to evolve to the super-intelligent stage, you must obtain permission from the Galactic Empire. Unauthorized evolution of smart bacteria is a serious criminal offense and will be subject to severe sanctions and accountability.]
Jiang Ye took a screenshot and sent it to Li Nannan.
"Commander, we've reached this stage. I await your instructions for the next step."
Li Nannan: "Do you want them to evolve towards super-intelligence? There are risks, but the rewards could also be significant. If you wish, I can help you apply for a permit, which will take some time. If they don't evolve further, you can put these bacteria into production now."
Jiang Ye: "Put them into production? How would that work?"
Li Nannan: "Think of them as top-tier artificial intelligence and top-tier supercomputers. You'll have to figure out the specific uses yourself. Anything that humans and machines can do with their brains, these bacteria can do, and do it very well. They only need some simple information transmission interfaces."
Jiang Ye: "I plan to build several more breeding farms, divide them into different groups responsible for different tasks. At the same time, I'll let some of the smart bacteria continue to evolve and see what level they can reach in the end."