The Civilization Simulator

■ Protagonist: Chen Mu

■ Background: Enrolled through the 2022 college entrance exam; graduating senior in Integrated Circuit Engineering at Nanzhou University of Technology

■ System: Civilization Simulation System (CSS), whose core ability is a simulation sandbox (time compression ratio: 1:100)

■ The System’s six main branches of science:

A. Semiconductor Engineering (his major; initial bonus ×1.5)

B. Computer Science

C. Materials Science

D. Energy Physics

E. Precision Manufacturing

F. Economic Strategy

■ Heroine: Lin Zhi

With a background in software, she graduated from the computer science department of a 211 university. Early in her career, after participating in the development of the kernel for a domestic operating system, she was targeted by a foreign company, forcing the project to shut down. She later worked independently maintaining an open-source community. She meets Chen Mu at an in-person developer meetup. At first, they are simply fellow open-source contributors, but their relationship gradually develops into a bond between soulmates and comrades in arms. Their romance runs throughout the book. In the ending, they stand together beside a Chinese-developed chip production line, watching the first domestically produced chip using an advanced process node emerge from the furnace.