Chapter 266: An Li

Just by looking at the name, one would assume An Li is a human.

However, it's hard to guess that this is a female.

There is an inherent difference in the physical capabilities of males and females across species, whether it's humans or other races. This disparity is quite evident; for instance, the Hundred-Eyed and Kaitian races have stronger males, while in the case of the Battle Beast, Leleran, and Luo'en races, females are the more powerful gender.

As civilizations develop, there tends to be a noticeable dominance of the strong over the weak. For example, in the 21st century, although women's status has seemingly improved, research reveals that at the pinnacle of various fields, women are still a rarity. The gap might be smaller in the entertainment industry, but men still dominate, as seen in the number of superstar celebrities.

These disparities are influenced by both psychological and physiological factors.

As civilizations advance, the psychological differences between males and females tend to overlap. Many females have abandoned traditional romance novels and started reading male-oriented fantasy and martial arts novels. Social topics also increasingly emphasize strong female leads, and females are behaving more like males. Some males, on the other hand, are becoming more feminine in their behavior.

However, this only highlights the physiological differences between the sexes.

The genetic modifications made by the Federation a long time ago have already bridged this gap. In the current Federation, women are almost on par with men at the top of the social pyramid, not only in finance but also in politics and academia. In academic rankings, the number of women is not significantly lower, and in some periods, they even outnumber men.

The Federation of today no longer has any gender discrimination.

In line with Yan Xia's communication idea, An Li, a human female, volunteered for this mission. She boarded a special 4000-meter-class spaceship, which was red and black in color and resembled a 21st-century fighter jet, but with a more exaggerated appearance, adorned with excessive angular armor and a tail section with an intimidatingly large thruster.

The spaceship was named Hong Long, a high-performance vessel capable of reaching a terrifying speed of 41983 km/s, representing the pinnacle of Federation technology.

The Hong Long, in terms of construction cost, was priced at around 600 million energy coins. Spaceships of this class typically cost over 1 billion energy coins. The high premium was due to its origin from a state-owned shipyard, with an annual production limited to fewer than 10 units.

However, An Li did not volunteer solely because of her fondness for this spaceship.

She was a fan of Yan Xia.

In the Federation's history, there is a record of the first contact between the Federation and the Olive Branch civilization. A diplomat named Yan Xia created a legendary, individualistic story on Xingcheng.

Now, as the Olive Branch civilization once again stands against the Federation, An Li believes it is a rare opportunity that comes once in a million years. She feels that even if she lives for another few tens of thousands of years, she might never find such an opportunity again.

Unlike others, she is not afraid of death, especially in an era where eternal life is possible. What she fears is living for so long and yet leaving no mark on the world.

To her, this is the most lamentable thing about life.

Whenever she reads about the Federation's heroes, she feels an overwhelming sense of excitement, even reaching a physiological climax. She knows that what is described in those words is what she has been striving for her entire life.

And so, she is currently on the Hong Long.

"The position has been confirmed, and the journey will take 1930 years. Diplomat An Li, it's time for you to go into hibernation," Scholar Roys reminded An Li as she stood by a floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the stars.

Naturally, An Li was not the only one assigned to this mission. She had a team of advisors, and the Hong Long's main computer was also very powerful. Based on previous experience, an advanced encryption system was set up to prevent intrusion.

"It doesn't matter. Since the day we received the command, our lifespan has been frozen. Spending 1930 years staring at the stars is not a bad decision."

"Roys, when you introduced yourself to me before, you seemed to like the stars too. Don't you think...?"

"My hibernation time is almost up, Diplomat An Li. I have to go now," Roys said in a hurry. He did like the stars, but what's the point of staring at them from a spaceship all the time?

An Li smiled lightly at the fleeing Roys, thinking, "Young people!"

An Li had a very delicate appearance. If her height were proportionally reduced, she might even be associated with the term 'loli'. However, modern humans, even without genetic modifications, have an average female height of over 190 cm, and An Li also had a habit of exercising, with visible abs and a defined waistline. She could be described as a muscular loli, but her clothes usually concealed this fact.

But don't be fooled by her appearance; An Li is 419 years old. According to her maximum lifespan, she has already entered old age.

Without this mission, she would likely pass away in 72 years.

Staring at the stars, she recalled many past events. She had been working hard for this moment, and all her waiting and preparation had finally paid off. She was not reluctant to hibernate because of the stars; she was simply too excited to sleep.

She wished to reach Xingcheng as soon as possible. Hibernation might feel like the blink of an eye, but she also felt she shouldn't waste this time.

She picked up the book "On the Olive Branch Civilization" and began to read it. Although she had read it over 20 times, she felt it was necessary to read and understand it carefully once more.

She also obtained a revised edition, which represented the Federation's current understanding of the Olive Branch Civilization. By comparing and integrating both versions, she could better understand the Olive Branch Civilization, which would be helpful for future communication.

She put on a pair of large-framed glasses, making her loli-like face even cuter.

Technically, near-sightedness should not exist in the Federation's advanced technology. Her glasses were just an accessory or a prop. Some people have habits like touching their hair, biting their nails, or touching their earlobes when they are serious about something, and An Li's habit was to wear glasses.

Sitting on the sofa, she read carefully. This reading session lasted for several days.

This was a very short period compared to the entire journey, but her focus did not wane after reading just a couple of books. In her diplomatic work, she had a nickname among her colleagues.

"The Reading Maniac"

Because whenever they saw her, she was always reading.

To be precise, the time she has spent reading in this lifetime is approximately 2663140 hours, and the number of books she has read is in the tens of thousands.

The reason Yan Xia chose her was simple.

She was dedicated and serious.

Before she set off, Yan Xia sent her an email.

"You will succeed, An Li!"