Chapter 303: Free Will
“Stop! Everyone, don’t be impulsive!”
Seeing the Cangyuan army break in, the leader of the cybernetic humans was very pragmatic. He raised his hands in surrender, not letting his guards charge forward.
Cao Yuan led a few players forward and took control of him.
“Who exactly are you? What’s your name?”
“Intermediate Engineer, Connor.”
The other party answered, his tone betraying neither panic nor fear.
“You can consider me the civilian representative here. Listen, we—”
“Take us to the cave below.”
Lu Yuan interrupted the other party with the demeanor of a “villain.”
“Then notify the factory to continue producing and repairing warship components, or I’ll flatten this place completely with nuclear warheads. You can say whatever you want while leading the way.”
Connor looked at Lu Yuan, realizing that this was the true leader of these outsiders.
He paused for a second or two.
“Alright, please follow me.”
Connor had his guards put down their weapons and retreat to a distance, then raised his hands and led everyone down the sloping path deeper into the corridor.
“May I ask what exactly you want?”
He was being prodded by several guns, leading the way while looking back halfway, with the cybernetic device rhythmically wriggling at the back of his head, causing a physiological discomfort to those who saw it.
“How did you discover this place?” Lu Yuan asked.
“It was discovered about 30 years ago, during mineral excavation,” Connor replied.
“Since then, the Federation has invested heavily in establishing a secret scientific research institution here. Their rank and treatment are above our mining department.
“Scientists quickly discovered that the equipment here was used for human cybernetic modification. They planned to first master the technology here, and then give it to elite special forces and the upper class to enjoy.
“But the research encountered setbacks from the beginning. The precision of these modification devices exceeded everyone's imagination. Scientists couldn’t even get the equipment to start.”
A thick, heavy door appeared ahead. Connor obediently stepped forward and entered the password.
The door slowly opened, and the team continued to advance.
“And then?”
“Then, six months ago, our Chief Scientist achieved a scientific breakthrough. All the equipment started overnight, and began mass-producing cybernetic components from the golden age!”
At this point, Connor's initially excited tone shifted, becoming melancholic and low.
“As a result, three months ago, these scientists, who had no concept of a homeland, secretly sold their research results and some equipment samples to the Super Democratic Empire!”
The players looked at each other.
This doesn't sound good at all!
Hearing the Empire's name here was not a good sign!
“Notify the fleet to prepare for a short-notice lift-off,” Lu Yuan immediately told Cao Yuan next to him.
“Also, notify the fighter jets patrolling in nearby star systems to expand their alert range.”
“Yes!”
After arranging all this, he asked Connor, “How did you know about the deal with the Empire?”
The other party replied, “At that time, a new, wide enough shaft needed to be excavated to transport the cybernetic modification equipment. It was hard to keep it a secret. The scientific team also planned to kill all the colony residents to silence them after the transaction was completed!
“Fortunately, the Chief Scientist had a sense of justice. He strongly opposed this decision and helped us open the access control to the underground research area.
“To survive, we miners, under his organization, came here for cybernetic modification, armed ourselves, and launched an uprising, striking first!
“Objectively speaking, this is a crime, but I believe you can understand the reasons behind it.”
“No, big brother,” Ye Xing noticed something wrong with this “plot.”
“Didn’t you sense that the whole thing was off? Did you never doubt the Chief Scientist’s true motives?”
As the saying goes, those involved are confused, while bystanders are clear.
“He was the one who achieved the breakthrough, and he was the one who ultimately created the conditions and performed the modifications for you. Is there a possibility that he was also the one who initially contacted the Empire for the transaction and spread rumors about silencing you? His goal was to make a fortune while simultaneously initiating his long-desired human modification experiments and cultivating his own faction?”
Connor stopped, silent for a long time.
It was clear he hadn't thought that far before.
These miners, who had been separated from Star Alliance society for a long time, were, after all, a bit too naive.
This was somewhat similar to Emerald Life Science, except the latter was well-protected by Cangyuan. The indigenous people opened inns and bars in the outpost, living a comfortable life, achieving prosperity through tourism.
“Keep going!”
A player poked Connor's back with the barrel of a gun.
“Perhaps—” the other party sighed, “But that’s not important. What’s important is that we are now willing to accept cybernetic modification. This feeling, you wouldn’t understand.”
“I suggest you try your best to describe it,” Lu Yuan said coldly.
“Our spirits have been elevated. There is no fear, no fatigue, and we no longer have to eat those damned starch blocks and cockroach paste.”
Connor turned his head and smiled at Lu Yuan.
This smile was natural, not forced, a truly human smile.
“Modified colonists no longer quarrel with each other, no longer fight, and there are no more messy affairs of whose wife cheated on whose husband.
“More importantly, we have forever bid farewell to our former inferior selves! We have begun to examine life with a completely new perspective!”
Connor, unable to restrain his emotions, spread his arms.
“The reason why most of us came to this remote and desolate planet to mine is because we didn't get good development opportunities in our youth.
“In a daze, we still couldn’t forget the dream of getting rich overnight!
“Driven by this greed, we made many irrational decisions. We borrowed high-interest loans from the company to buy mining equipment, then signed contracts of indenture, using ten, twenty, or thirty years of high-risk work to first repay the loans and interest, and then slowly accumulate income!
“Everyone thought they were incredibly lucky and could dig up a large ore vein, but in the end, how many people got their wish, left this dusty red planet, and lived a wealthy life, ha ha—”
The players were speechless.
Similar companies should be very common in the Star Alliance.
Compared to such development companies, Executive Officer was practically doing charity.
“But after undergoing cybernetic modification, we were surprised to find that the greed in our hearts had completely disappeared!
“We can now calmly face a poor but peaceful life, no longer thinking about getting rich overnight. Life can have a new beginning, and we can live peacefully!”
“So it’s not just your body that’s been modified, but also your brain’s thought patterns,” Nan Guo de Xue summarized for him. “Didn’t you consider that this kind of modification might be very dangerous?”
“I know what you want to say, beautiful lady.”
Connor didn't feel offended.
“But please listen to me, we all chose to accept the modification voluntarily. We have free will and know what we are doing!”
“You also had ‘free will’ when you took out high-interest loans and signed contracts of indenture.”
“That’s not the same, you’re changing the subject. We were aware of the risks of high-interest loans and contracts of indenture, but cybernetic modification has no risks!”
“The risk is that you will no longer be yourselves, losing a part of your personality.”
“No, we won’t. We remained conscious throughout the modification. If our mental state changed, we would definitely notice.”
“Really?”
Sister Xue looked at Connor with a scrutinizing gaze.
“I happen to know a bit about brain science. How about this, Mr. Connor, you also had a childhood, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then, please tell me, when exactly did you stop liking the toys you loved during your childhood?”
“This—”
“Can’t quite say, right? That’s okay, none of us can. Can you explain why you stopped liking them?”
“Of course, it’s because they were too childish, especially for an adult who needs to take on responsibilities.”
“Hmm, childish. So, when things you liked as a child became things you no longer liked, what you felt wasn't loss or regret, but that you had grown up, matured, and become an independent, reliable adult. What you gained was a sense of accomplishment, similar to now.”
Connor nodded vigorously.
“Yes! That’s it! That’s what I want to express. This isn’t just cybernetic modification, it’s the evolution and ascension of the human species!”
“Then, are you truly happier now than you were in childhood?
“Ah? This—”
“Are you truly more curious, more efficient at learning, and more vibrant than you were in childhood? Is this growth or regression?”
A series of questions directly stunned Connor, leaving him speechless.
The answer was, of course, no.
“So you see, Mr. Connor, you were also conscious during your growth process, but can you truly objectively evaluate the meaning of growth?
“Indeed, growth brings the accumulation of experience and knowledge, but we also lose many ‘abilities.’
“And no one can deny that after growing up, we become different people from our childhood selves, some even becoming criminals or serial killers.”
Sister Xue walked over and gently patted Connor's shoulder.
“The physical and mental modifications you’ve undergone are no different in essence. You mistakenly believe there are only gains, no costs or risks, but that’s not true.”
The greatest risk of this cybernetic modification is that the modified individuals are subtly changed, fail to perceive the changes in their personality, and still consider themselves normal.
Yet, in the eyes of others, they have slowly begun to deviate from the human category, gradually losing their humanity.
Oh, oh, the players couldn't help but whisper praises and discuss among themselves.
“Sister Xue’s analogy, how should I put it, it’s just so insightful!”
“Best debater, ah—”
“I suddenly remembered how much I loved playing Mole’s World as a child! But now I can’t even recall the last time I logged in… I used to follow JUMP manga, but now I can only vaguely remember the last time I read it was sometime after I became a corporate slave.”
The players could only hope in their hearts that their passion for gaming would never fade.
“The technology of the golden age does not equate to a guarantee of a good life; on the contrary, it may be full of madness.”
Lu Yuan said to Connor.
“No! It won’t, the Chief assured us!”
“Cao Yuan, show him the images from Ruins Star.”
“Yes!”
Cao Yuan stepped forward and handed Connor the pad playing the video.
“This is—impossible—”
Connor saw the corpse puppets, seeing that they were ninety percent similar in appearance to his cybernetic human compatriots.
“The technology that modified you also created those monsters,” Lu Yuan continued. “If you continue to increase your level of cybernetization, I believe I don’t need to remind you.”
Connor stopped in front of the last large door.
“Your children haven’t undergone cybernetic modification, why?”
Nan Guo de Xue walked up to him.
“Because children are not fully developed and are not suitable for modification.”
“Did the Chief tell you this?”
“No, the Chief recommended full modification for everyone. This was our own conclusion after discussion.”
“Is that all? Or do you subconsciously also have doubts about the modification, hoping that children can experience a complete childhood, and make their own judgments and choices when they grow up?”
.
“Currently, you still retain care and affection for the next generation, retaining the last bit of human touch, but if the modification continues, how long can this human emotion last?”
“We are here to investigate the ins and outs of this matter. I know that behind this door, your compatriots are ready for battle. Give each other a chance, let them surrender first.”
“After our investigation results are out, what decisions to make will be your own business.”
Lu Yuan indirectly promised that this matter could be resolved peacefully.
After a long pause, Connor softly uttered a single word.
“Okay.”
Then, he entered the password.
The door opened, and the hundreds of modified colonists behind it put down their oddly shaped homemade weapons and retreated to both sides.
They had already received Connor's “ceasefire” command via enhanced brainwaves.
“Half of you, hurry and scan the cybernetic equipment blueprints! The other half, be on alert!”
Cao Yuan ordered loudly.
“Alright!”
The players scattered, each performing their duties.
This was their second best skill, besides looting spoils of war.
“If the pollution from the personality reshaping part of the equipment here can be purified, it should greatly boost our bio-cybernetic development.”
Nan Guo de Xue walked up to Lu Yuan and said.
“Then let’s push for it quickly—”
Ye Xing exclaimed, “If there are any more infiltration missions in the future, we really need to develop the Investigator’s face-changing and gait imitation skills. Otherwise, it’s almost impossible to move under surveillance cameras!”
“Hmm—”
Lu Yuan agreed.
Pure genetic modification has its limits; the progress of bio-cybernetics needs to be accelerated.
He looked at Connor, who was visibly a bit downcast.
“Where is your Chief Scientist?”
This person was clearly problematic; it was necessary to meet him in person.
“He, along with his Scholars and volunteers, is deep within the cave, engaged in even more important research—”
As soon as the words fell, the heavy sound of machinery operating emanated from the mysterious giant door, over 100 meters high.
It was slowly opening.