Chapter 489
The fundamental part of life is the journey and not the result.
Birth, survival, fade to black.
But in the end, how many people can live a life without regret?
Immortality is an alluring concept that becomes even stronger when technological advancements reach the forbidden part of life.
For a period of time, billions of dollars in investments flooded the industry as labs began to pop up like bamboo after the rain. People were willing to pay and people were willing to experiment. The wealthy wished to enjoy their lavish lives for longer, drawn in by the temptation of immortality since they couldn’t bring their paper bills with them to the next life.
But the current resources available couldn’t support continuous population growth, even if only a small proportion of the population was immortal.
Once immortality became a reality, it wouldn’t bring human prosperity but rather, it’d be an apocalypse.
Yes, it would be an apocalypse.
The immortals would have an endless amount of time to accumulate wealth, reinforce their status, and become toxic to society, the cancer cells of civilization. They would extract nutrients from healthy “cells” and extract resources from ordinary people…
It would be an apocalypse.
The Science Ethics Committee was born. Three countries agreed to follow the accord and promised to prevent any technology that would cause public fear to be created while also strictly preventing others from breaking the first rule. In a world divided into three factions, a tacit understanding was easier to reach than in a world divided into more parts.
Just like the IAEA in the modern world.
But after the economic crisis in 2150, the tacit understand became threatened. Although the Science Ethics Committee still existed, their influence on the government and control of private capital was far inferior compared to half a century ago.
The summer of 2160.
“Doctor Lin Minjie, your research is suspected of violating Science Research Regulations. Please arrive at the court in Wanghai in ten days to face the interrogations of the Science Ethics Committee.” A police in black stood in front of him and presented him with his ID.
“That’s impossible! My research is absolutely intended to better mankind! How dare you act on behalf of all of mankind—” Lin Minjie roared at the expressionless police.
The man in a suit behind the police interrupted his roar as he spoke with contempt in his eyes.
“Because we receive one hundred billion in donations a year, because most people agree with our cause.”
“You only abuse people’s fear of the unknown, you despicable, weak-minded fools.” Lin Minjie stared at the man, wishing to strangle his neck, but his malicious intent was weaker than the strength of a policeman’s hand.
“Is that so? Sorry, I also don’t agree with your experiments of putting people’s heads into metal boxes.” The man in a suit pointed at his own head and smiled at him.
“Please remain calm, Doctor Lin Minjie. If you are displeased with the process, please use a civilized process to resolve the problem in the courts. Of course, before that, we have to confiscate your research,” the policeman said without emotion.
“No, you can’t take it away! My research is guilty of no crime!” Lin Minjie stared at the policemen flooding into this lab in despair as he watched them taking away his essays and equipment.
“One more point – only safe technology is innocent.” Before he left, the man in the suit smiled.
After being accused of violating the Science Ethics Committee, his reputation was completely tarnished in the research field. The corporations all drew a clear line between themselves and him to avoid public distrust. Without funding, although he was an information technology and electrical engineering double major, he was unemployed.
Life became very difficult.
His beautiful wife left him, leaving behind the half-year-old Lin Lin. He couldn’t afford rent for their 24th-floor apartment and had to move into a damp basement, living off PAC welfare.
He spent six years in agony.
In 2166, the situation finally took a turn.
After the 2150 economic crisis, the global situation was visibly deteriorating. Each country was in conflict over resources, airspace sovereignty, and space exploration. In a matter of ten short years, trust fell to an all-time low. And naturally, the influence of international organizations such as the Science Ethics Committee became weaker and weaker.
The research previously viewed as forbidden now had a resurgence in interest. It included advanced artificial intelligence and digitalized human technology.
Finally, a renowned businessman found him.
“Doctor Lin Minjie, although it might be hurtful to say this, but I’m taking a significant risk to meet you in person. You know, the media likes to assume things.” While he was also in a suit, this man’s attitude was so much better than the man who destroyed everything he owned.
“I understand,” Lin Minjie responded without any light in his eyes.
“Then I hope the risk I’m taking is worth it.” The man smiled.
“What do you want?” Lin Minjie looked up at the man in a suit.
He signaled his assistant and placed a stack of documents 10-centimeters-thick on the table. Lin Minjie looked at the documents as disbelief appeared in his eyes along with a hint of hatred.
It was because of this that he ended up in his current condition.
“Oh… how did you get this?” Lin Minjie asked in a disinterested tone.
“You’re in an age where there’s nothing that can’t be resolved with money.” The man smiled. “We need you to continue your research, and we’ll pay for your research.”
“Okay.” Lin Minjie agreed without hesitation. “Where’s the contract?”
The man shook his head.
“You know, your research can’t be written on the contract or it would become evidence. Even if the Science Ethics Committee doesn’t have as much power as before, the court will still fine us, so—”
He stopped there and signaled his assistant again.
The assistant walked up and opened a briefcase on the table.
There was a syringe inside.
“This is?” Lin Minjie frowned and looked at the man in the suit, puzzled.
“With just 10ml, this can make anyone get muscular dystrophy without any evidence and they would be at a terminal stage.” The man smiled.
Lin Minjie blankly looked at him and his devilish smile.
“What… what do you mean?”
“Nothing. It’s just that if your only family member, your daughter, suffered from muscular dystrophy, then even the Science Ethics Committee wouldn’t make too much commotion about a father saving his daughter. At the same time, us, East Pacific Heavy Industrial, will make a donation on humanitarian grounds to fund your research.” The man lowered his voice. “With this, you’ll be more motivated, right?”
Lin Minjie looked at the man in disbelief.
Out of his own surprise, he didn’t feel anger or remorse. After experiencing the ups and downs of the past six years, he was thoroughly annoyed at the world and even felt hatred toward it.
People always applied their own standards to other people and attacked people with different beliefs on supposedly ethical grounds. It would only take a few strokes of a pen on the prosecution document to end the results of ten years of research.
Even though a family would collapse because of it…
What exactly is ethics?
He was lost.
After that, the six-year-old Lin Lin “accidentally” suffered from muscular dystrophy after a cold and was diagnosed to be in the terminal stage. East Pacific Heavy Industrial donated 1 billion to support her father’s research on digitalized humans. They also bought the media to use public opinion to support his cause and forced the Science Ethics Committee to withdraw their prosecution against the “great” father.
He engraved consciousness onto a circuit board and used currents and mechanics to replace blood and bone.
Public opinion about digitalized humans, the technology viewed by the world as forbidden, became surprisingly smooth under the support of East Pacific Heavy Industrial.
The limitations of intermediate artificial intelligence were removed and the development of advanced artificial intelligence along with the body design ran concurrently. Although his feeble daughter stuck in a hospital ward made him feel some guilt, the rapid progress in technology gave him some slight comfort.
The picture turned again – it was a hospital. Looking at the ward, Jiang Chen thought it looked familiar before he quickly remembered it was where he met Lin Lin for the first time.
“Once Lin Lin can walk, dad will take you to the movie theater, to the amusement park. Anywhere you want to go, I will take you there.” With a lily in the vial on the nightstand, Lin Minjie didn’t look at his daughter’s face. Instead, he spoke to the pristine white flower petal.
“The uncle who made a donation is a good person.” Lin Lin smiled joyfully.
Even though all the muscles in her body were affected by the dystrophy, she still believed he could allow her to run freely under the sunshine again.
Lin Minjie’s throat twitched. He looked at his daughter.
Looking at his daughter’s bright smile, he didn’t know what to say.
Finally, he forced on a smile and squeezed out a sentence.
“Mhmm, he is a good person.”
And then, the war erupted.
The 2150 economic crisis foreshadowed the war in 2171. Humans weren’t machines and they could use logic to solve problems. Small problems could be fixed through meetings, but fundamental problems had to be addressed by war.
East Pacific Heavy Industrial, who funded his research, was acquired by PAC to transform into a military corporation. He then went from being a scientist working for a private company to an academician serving the army, helping PAC to develop killing machines related to artificial intelligence.
He was involved in the development of Reptile and Python.
Because of the war, the block on research was completely unlocked. War captives were constantly sent into Fallout Shelter 005 to live in a deadly virtual reality experience. The seed of the birth of advanced artificial intelligence was germinating, and the technology of digitalized humans was completed. Once Fallout Shelter 005’s testing enabled the evolution from intermediate to advanced artificial intelligence, combined together, a human made up of completely mechanical parts would be born into this world!
At the time, a sudden dangerous, extreme thought was born.
If advanced artificial intelligence could replace humans and give birth to a new mechanical civilization, what was the purpose of humans?
Humans were disgusting, greedy, pedantic, ugly…
A crazy thought was born.
He even gave the child that had yet to be born in this world a name.
It would be called Supreme.
The Supreme who was above all.