Chapter 438: Poison and Appearance |
On the afternoon of April 1st, the Human Consortium remote meeting convened.
On the screens, committee members were either in rooms made entirely of pure metal or in rooms constructed purely from wood—the commonality was that none of them had any plastic.
Once the meeting began, Mary was the first to raise the issue of rotating the chairmanship.
"The rotation schedule previously set for the Human Consortium chairman position was one year per term, starting from the first Doomsday Rule. Since the first chairman was appointed after several rules had already passed, the actual term lasted over a year. Now that exactly two years have passed since the first rule appeared, it's time for a rotation."
The other committee members all looked toward Gao Liangwei. The latter replied calmly, "Since that's the rule, I have no objection."
Mary immediately said, "Then let's start voting now."
Torafuto interjected at this point, "Is it really necessary to rush? The issue of the rules is more important, isn't it?"
"Committee Member Torafuto is right," Gao Liangwei said. "Dealing with the rules is more important. Let's postpone the chairman vote until after this meeting."
"Support."
Mary furrowed her brow slightly, but seeing that the other committee members all supported Gao Liangwei, she didn't say anything further.
Gao Liangwei shared a video onto the screen for playback. Its content showed a Beixing researcher explaining the situation of microplastic toxicity.
The researcher stated, "Regarding the enhanced toxicity of microplastics under this [Microplastic Infestation] rule, based on preliminary laboratory data tests, its destructiveness to the human body has increased by over a thousand times."
As soon as the "over a thousand times" figure was revealed, several committee members gasped in shock.
Mary and Torafuto, however, had already anticipated this. It seemed that their respective nations' laboratories had also been racing against time to conduct experimental calculations since the rule was announced.
The researcher in the video continued, "We've found that the increase in microplastic toxicity stems from two factors. First, its adsorption capacity has greatly increased. It's like it's become a super-sponge, rapidly absorbing a large amount of endogenous toxins in the bloodstream and then releasing them concentratedly inside cells, thereby damaging organ systems."
"Second, the additives within the microplastics themselves, which under normal circumstances would release slowly, have become extremely unstable in their polymer structure after the rule was announced. They release all their toxic additives into human tissue within an extremely short time. This is equivalent to the human body absorbing a chemical toxin impact that would normally take decades to accumulate in a single instance!"
"When these two altered characteristics combine, the human body becomes exceptionally fragile in the face of microplastics. Even inhaling a small amount, combined with the portion already accumulated in the body, will lead to rapid organ failure and become life-threatening."
"As for a solution..." The researcher in the video shook their head. "Unfortunately, there's almost no option other than physical blocking and isolating the microplastics. Alternatively, some special Mind Power items or abilities might be effective. But with humanity's current level of medical technology, there is no way to prevent microplastic damage through drugs or chemical means."
After the video finished playing, the committee members fell into silence.
This brief experimental report was already sufficient to demonstrate just how enormous the threat posed by this rule was.
But that wasn't all.
Mary spoke up. "Our Suroma has also conducted research, mainly focusing on food. Everyone, please take a look."
After saying this, Mary also played a video.
In the video, some experimental personnel, clad in isolation suits and wearing high-grade filtration masks, were measuring various types of food: bottled water, soft-packaged canned goods, salt, sugar, seafood, and more.
All the measurement results appeared on the instruments. The concentration of microplastics within them was staggering.
Mary stated, "As the Beixing researcher just said, after the rule was announced, the adsorption capacity of microplastics greatly increased. This causes them to adsorb external viruses and contaminate any food they come into contact with. For the food and bottled water commonly consumed by humans, the data indicates extreme danger. If people maintain their previous consumption frequency, it will take at most two to three days for organ failure to set in."
"Two to three days!" a committee member couldn't help but exclaim. "That's too tight a timeline. Where can we possibly source that much clean food in such a short time?"
Mary shrugged. "Data is data."
"Our country's food reserves are already insufficient to begin with. We absolutely need external support." Another committee member swept their gaze across the others, finally landing on Gao Liangwei. "Committee Member Gao, can Beixing extend a helping hand?"
Gao Liangwei's expression was grave. He didn't speak immediately.
Mary said flatly, "There's no need to put Committee Member Gao in a difficult position right now. With Beixing's population size, it's already impressive enough for them to take care of their own. There's no spare capacity to support other nations."
Gao Liangwei didn't offer any grandiose rhetoric. He admitted frankly, "That's correct. Currently, we haven't even solved our own food problem. It's difficult for us to extend a hand."
"Then what do we do..."
Several committee members from smaller nations wore expressions of despair. If no aid came, this rule would surely be a near-death sentence for the ordinary populations in their countries.
Torafuto mused, "I'm afraid Xisiya is also powerless to help. As you all know, our country has only just stabilized after a period of internal turmoil. It's not easy for us to solve our own citizens' food problem."
"Our Suroma, however, can help others." Mary's words immediately brought looks of joy to the faces of several small-nation committee members.
"It would be more convenient for us to provide aid if we take on the chairmanship of the Human Consortium."
"..."
Everyone was speechless at Mary's brazen vote-buying tactic of attaching conditions. However, many nations were genuinely in desperate need of external food support, so they could only nod in agreement.
This made Torafuto's expression particularly sour.
As the Xisiya representative, he had also intended to compete for the Human Consortium chairman seat. Now that Mary had played this hand, there was no way he would win in the voting.
Mary looked slightly smug. Then she added, "But let's be clear first. It's not a case of you asking for however much and us supplying it. The quantity is limited."
"Then what do we do about the shortfall?" a committee member asked nervously. "Do we just let our citizens die of organ failure?"
"Who said that running out of food means you have to just wait to die?" Mary shook her head. "Have you all forgotten about that hidden intelligence report?"
Everyone was taken aback. Gao Liangwei immediately understood her meaning and frowned, asking, "Committee Member Mary, are you suggesting that groups without enough food should be collectively injected with high-density microplastics?"
"Is that not allowed?" Mary retorted, holding up both hands to display the numbers "0" and "5."
"Without enough clean food, the survival rate after extensive organ failure is nearly 0%. However, through high-density microplastic injection, there is a 50% probability of triggering a plastification reaction, granting immunity to the toxin's harm. In other words, if a hundred people don't have clean food to eat, they would all die anyway. After all of them are injected, based on probability, 50 could live... Am I wrong?"
"...But the 50 who survive will lose their reproductive ability..."
Mary sneered. "Not being able to have children is more important than staying alive? I don't believe that."
Everyone fell silent.
As brutal as this proposal was, it was a trade-off that had to be considered in critical situations.
"Well then, let's begin the vote for the new chairman now." Mary raised her hand. "All committee members in support of the Suroma Empire assuming the chairmanship, please raise your hands."
...
That evening, inside the Wordless Book shelter.
In the living room, White Star looked curiously at the double-triangle pattern on her palm. "So this is like a badge for all our troupe members, right?"
Black Star, standing nearby, rolled his eyes. "What badge? Didn't the Troupe Leader say this is a 'Mental Stability Anchor' used to defend against mental attacks?"
Earlier, during their four-person meeting, after Guan Tong had laid down the three official rules for the troupe, he had given each of Black Star and White Star one of these Mental Stability Anchors.
This provided a double layer of security: first, having this totem on hand meant that if they encountered a mental attack, they could automatically defend themselves and wouldn't be caught off guard. Second, Guan Tong could use "Body Swap" to teleport to their side at any time.
In Guan Tong's view, this was a sort of "troupe benefit." If more members joined in the future, they would all get one too.
"I know it's a Mental Stability Anchor," White Star said. "But since only troupe members have them, we might as well treat it as an organizational emblem."
"...I think anyone the Troupe Leader cares about enough will get one."
Although White Star's reasoning was a bit of a stretch, Black Star felt it was more or less acceptable.
"Once Aaron wakes up, let's have the Troupe Leader give him one too," White Star said.
Black Star smiled slightly. At that moment, Guan Tong came down from upstairs, and the two immediately stood up, saying, "Troupe Leader."
"You don't have to be so formal and stiff," Guan Tong said. "Didn't I say before? We're gathered together because of a common goal. There's no strict hierarchy here."
Black Star scratched his head. "Got it. By the way, Troupe Leader, White Star and I were just discussing something, and we've made a decision."
"What decision?"
"We're not giving up our identity as middlemen."
"Oh?" Guan Tong asked. "Didn't you two say earlier that once your brother was cured, you'd stop?"
White Star interjected, "Troupe Leader, my brother and I think that our extensive network of connections among Ascendants in Xisiya is our greatest value to the troupe. It lets us gather intelligence and can also help you continue to acquire Mind Power."
Guan Tong thought about it for a moment and felt the two had a point.
They had worked hard to establish a gold-standard reputation as middlemen in Xisiya and build a massive intelligence network. It would indeed be a shame to just give it up.
"It's your decision," Guan Tong said. "But if it's purely for the sake of the troupe, don't bother. I don't want my members to sacrifice their own feelings and time doing something they don't enjoy."
"Don't worry, don't worry," Black Star waved his hand. "Without the pressure of saving up for Aaron's treatment, we can do it in a more relaxed way. So we won't mind it anymore."
Guan Tong nodded. Suddenly, his gaze turned razor-sharp!
"What's wrong, Troupe Leader?"
Both of them noticed something was off.
"I have urgent business to attend to!" Guan Tong took a filtration mask out of his Storage Ring and put it on. He then called Uenoshi out of her room.
"Uenoshi, the Shadow might have found the target we're looking for. I'm going to check it out. You two stay put."
Uenoshi's pupils contracted. "Is it her?"
"Possibly. My Shadow placed in a warehouse district found something," Guan Tong said. "If I'm not mistaken, she showed up there to look for clean food... Just as well. We've been stuck in Yunhua for too long looking for her!"