A higher-dimensional incarnation, starting by leveraging the stars.

Chapter 124 The Giant Baby Beneath the Atmosphere: What Makes It Define Carbon-Based Life?

In the office of the School of Biological Sciences at Imperial University, Zhou Huanan sat in a chair, his eyes fixed on his phone screen.

On the screen, a character wearing a simple protective suit appears on a desolate alien surface.

The sky was an eerie purplish-black, with a dark red star hanging in the air. The ground was jagged, dark rocks stretching to the horizon. In the distance, strangely shaped rocky mountains cast long shadows.

The character exploration begins.

The water source was found; the water was light blue, and a message popped up: "Unknown ingredients detected. Drink with caution."

A plant was discovered—a completely black "grass" with a metallic sheen. A notification popped up: "Unknown life form detected. It is recommended to keep your distance."

A cave was discovered, and eerie sounds emanated from its depths.

Zhou Huanan played for about three minutes before his character died.

He returned the phone to Hu Biao, his face showing even deeper confusion.

"What does this game have to do with what you just said?"

"Teacher, what do you think of this game?" Hu Biao asked instead of answering directly.

Hu Biao smiled.

"The teacher is right. This game is indeed rough and rudimentary. But have you noticed its environment setting?"

Zhou Huanan recalled the game footage from earlier.

That dark red star.

That purplish-black sky.

The rugged rocky landscape.

The eerie "plants" and "water source".

"That's interesting." Zhou Huanan nodded. "Although it's rough pixel art, that feeling—that alien world vibe—is very well done. It doesn't seem like something you just imagined; it's more like—"

He didn't finish speaking, but Hu Biao picked up where he left off.

"It's like a real alien planet, isn't it?"

"That's right, you looked up astronomical information?"

"Yes, this is just the first one. I based it on the environment of Proxima Centauri B, and added a little of my imagination." Hu Biao said with a smile. Then, he leaned back in his chair and sighed softly. "Humanity, in the end, still has to turn its attention to the universe. This game of mine is just a sample, to popularize the universe and let everyone know what alien planets look like."

"We live in the information age. People who want to know will find out quickly; they don't need you to explain it to them."

"So, there's still action to be taken!" Hu Biao said, pointing to the dead figure on the screen. "If we want to colonize alien planets, we need to be prepared. Right now, capable countries are developing robots, making it seem like only machines can explore the universe. That's pointless."

"Boring?" Zhou Huanan chuckled. "How could it be boring? You don't think that just by putting on a protective suit you can explore other planets, do you? Let me tell you, you can't even explore the moon."

"I know that so-called protective suits are, in the end, just a kind of machine. Obviously, this kind of thing is not suitable for human exploration of outer space."

"so what?"

"Take a look at this." Hu Biao tapped his phone, interacted with it for a bit, and a new interface appeared on the screen: [Bio-Armor Design Workshop].

Below is a line of text: "In *Alien Survival*, you will face challenges from various extreme environments. You can design your own bio-armor based on the environment of different planets. Armor design is open-ended; you can freely combine various modules to create your own survival gear. Your designs will be recorded by the system and shared with other players. One person's wisdom is limited, but two people's wisdom is greater. Let's explore the unknown universe together."

Zhou Huanan stared at the screen in silence for a long time.

Then, he raised his head and looked at Hu Biao with a complicated expression.

"You mean—you want to use this game to gather players' design ideas? To brainstorm and see if we can actually develop bio-armor adapted to alien environments?"

"That's right." Hu Biao nodded. "Even a fool can have a stroke of genius. When thousands of fools think together, design together, and try and fail together, there will always be a moment of inspiration. I can try to reproduce designs that have proven effective in games in real life. And designs that have proven ineffective in games can also help me avoid pitfalls."

He pointed to the roll of biological neurotransmitters inside the constant-temperature box.

"This is the first step. With it, the bio-armor gains a nervous system." It can transmit signals, connect to various modules, and allow the armor to respond to the wearer's movements like a living being.

He then pointed to the game on his phone.

"And this is the second step. The various environmental challenges that the Fools encounter in the game—such as high temperatures, high pressure, vacuum, and radiation—are all real. As long as the armor they design in the game is logically consistent, they will try to realize it in reality."

Zhou Huanan remained silent for a long time. He was not silent because of Hu Biao's thoughts, but because of the word "fool".

"Bio-armor, kid, this isn't a comic book. You know what the environment in the universe is like, right? Carbon-based life forms have their advantages, but they also have disadvantages. The universe is not friendly to carbon-based life forms."

"So, you're saying your perspective, teacher, is limited to Earth. What are we using as a reference point for the carbon-based life forms we're talking about?" Hu Biao said with a faint smile. "We're using carbon-based life forms on Earth as a reference. They need oxygen, water, suitable temperature and pressure, they're afraid of radiation, they're afraid of vacuum, they're afraid of extreme environments—these are all characteristics of carbon-based life forms on Earth. But what makes you think that this is the standard for carbon-based life forms? Maybe we carbon-based life forms on Earth are actually giant babies protected by Earth's atmosphere? How can you guarantee that there aren't carbon-based life forms outside of Earth that can survive in space?"

Zhou Huanan's brows furrowed even deeper.

"You mean—on those extreme alien planets, there might exist carbon-based life forms that don't need water or oxygen, and can survive under high temperature and pressure?"

Why not?

"But—the basic chemical properties of carbon determine one..."

"Determined what?" Hu Biao interrupted him. "Determined that carbon atoms can form stable long-chain molecules with elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen? Determined that carbon-based life needs liquid water as a solvent? Determined that the metabolism of carbon-based life requires oxidation reactions?"

All of that is true. But how do you explain those strange plants our research group is studying? Do you really think it's possible to cultivate such things on Earth?

Zhou Huanan was speechless.

What are plants?

It's a typical carbon-based life form!

But which of the plant seeds and remnants that their research group studied fit the definition of carbon-based life as defined by Earthlings?

This is completely beyond his knowledge!

"I'm getting old, I'm getting old, my mind really isn't as sharp as yours young people's anymore!!"

He sighed softly. Hadn't he thought about what Hu Biao was saying?

Of course I've thought about it, but it's just a thought.

But Hu Biao was different; he actually did it, and even achieved some results.

"So you created this game and got everyone to help you design the bio-armor, but ultimately it's just a fantasy. The important thing is the bio-materials. Although your achievement is amazing, even groundbreaking, it's still within the scope of Earth's carbon-based bio-materials and doesn't have the properties you mentioned!"

Zhou Huanan looked at Hu Biao and asked the last question.