Chapter 447: Human or Not |
On the morning of April 10, Eden Island.
A helicopter landed on a clearing in front of the residential ruins.
After the hatch opened, several fully armed guards stepped out first, followed by an elderly man with white hair and beard — Dr. Haisen himself.
Dr. Haisen wore the highest-grade protective suit, equipped with a full-coverage oxygen mask that supplied air completely free of microplastics.
Under the protection of several guards he hurried over to his proud creation, the Red Demon, and stared at the small pile of wreckage on the ground with a heart that felt like it was bleeding.
The Red Demon had taken him nearly a year to build; it was the final guardian stationed on Eden Island. If the Ascendants on the island disobeyed or defied the authorities, the Red Demon was to execute the rebels.
But the result was...
“Dr. Haisen, what’s the situation on site?”
The voice of King Bruce came through Dr. Haisen’s earpiece. Though the king hadn’t come to the island in person, he treated the matter with grave concern.
“And the consequences?” Bruce asked.
Dr. Haisen looked around and hesitated: “From the Red Demon’s remains, the self-destruct did occur. But the surrounding area shows no corresponding devastation. It’s very strange, as if most of the energy from the blast vanished or was transferred away.”
As the designer, Dr. Haisen knew exactly how powerful the Red Demon’s self-destruct was. At minimum, everything within a two-hundred-meter radius centered on the machine would be obliterated; even the toughest materials would melt instantly under extreme heat, and no living person could survive.
Yet now the Red Demon itself was nearly destroyed, only a few specialized ultra-high-temperature-resistant components remained as wreckage, and the nearby ground bore hardly any scorch marks from extreme heat.
“It was Adam,” Bruce said. “He can manipulate various fields. It wouldn’t be surprising if he could nullify or block energy. But he couldn’t have done this alone.”
“I thought the same. He must have had help; otherwise, with how much the Red Demon countered him, how could he have sabotaged its central AI? But the island was hit by an electromagnetic pulse at the time, destroying the surveillance equipment. We don’t know who his accomplice was.”
“Adam has more than one helper. Besides those who went onto the island, there were people assigned to intercept the warships... They’re already being interrogated, and we’ll have answers soon.”
Dr. Haisen knew Bruce referred to interrogations of other Ascendants on the island; they must have seen something and could provide crucial information.
A little over ten minutes later, interrogation staff contacted Dr. Haisen.
“From questioning several witnesses on the island, it appears Adam stopped the Red Demon from self-destructing, but he himself was severely injured. Some people think he died on the spot. There was someone who helped him, but that person was wearing a full protective suit, identity unknown.”
Dr. Haisen asked, “What was that helper’s ability?”
“The witnesses don’t know. After the battle broke out they hid until the explosion ended.”
“What a bunch of trash!”
“However,” the interrogator said, “the witnesses generally resisted questioning. That resistance seems directed at the authorities, so they may be withholding information.”
“Hmph. Little ability, big attitude. Probably upset about the existence of the Red Demon.”
After ending the call with the interrogator, Dr. Haisen contacted King Bruce again.
Bruce had learned the interrogation results: “In that case, Dr. Haisen, return to the laboratory.”
“Is that it? Your Majesty, my Red Demon... no, Adam might still be alive. If he recovers he’ll cause trouble again, and then there’s his mysterious helper...”
Bruce interrupted: “So long as our plan proceeds smoothly, what does any of that matter?”
Dr. Haisen fell silent, thinking of something; his excitement gradually cooled. “Indeed...”
“Put Adam aside for now. I know you’re distraught your Red Demon was destroyed, but with the blueprints it can be rebuilt. Your current task is to finish the mature experiment for digital memory backup as soon as possible. Don’t forget it’s already April; you told me originally it would take six months.”
Bruce’s tone was calm, but the words sent a chill down Dr. Haisen’s spine.
After obtaining key technology from the nano-intelligence, Dr. Haisen had told Bruce that with Suroma’s advanced technical reserves, they could achieve a breakthrough and realize digital memory backup in half a year.
That was at the end of January; it was now nearly mid-April. Half the six months was almost gone.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll return to the lab immediately.”
Dr. Haisen knew if he didn’t produce mature technology by summer, the consequences would be severe.
He was curious, though: why was the king so eager to realize this technology? With his status, was the king worried he might die soon because of one of the Rules?
Curiosity aside, Dr. Haisen never intended to ask. After living so long, mostly in laboratories, he still understood basic social cues. If the king didn’t bring it up himself, it was better not to pry.
...
After Adam received treatment at Base Two, Guan Tong’s other two channels also replied.
Black Star called him and confirmed there were Ascendants with healing abilities, but their strength wasn’t high — about second-tier, since first-tier healers were mostly “recruited” into the official system and given generous benefits.
From the Xisiya side, Commander Sigaochin called Guan Tong and relayed words from Yelanka: Xisiya had many healer-class Ascendants; if Guan Tong wanted to save someone, he could bring the injured there for treatment anytime.
Guan Tong thanked her and said Adam had already received care; if further help was needed he would ask.
He thought that now that Beixing had preserved Adam’s life, they could continue observing him; if there were no major problems he could stay in Beixing for treatment and there was no need to travel to Xisiya.
Several more days passed.
By April 20, Adam’s condition stabilized and he’d passed the danger period, but he remained unconscious.
When he would wake up, doctors and healers said they could not say. Besides physical injuries, his brain had suffered an energy shock, and neural damage is notoriously complex in medicine. Whether it could recover and how long it would take were unknown.
He could wake in a week, or a month, a year, or perhaps be a vegetative patient for life.
During this time Uenoshi went to Sakura Prayer Country to, as planned, gather some former juniors and build an intelligence network.
Guan Tong had previously thought that, given Sakura Prayer Country’s current “half-dead” state and population of only around a million, creating a dedicated intelligence network wasn’t very necessary.
But since Uenoshi was eager, he figured giving her something to do was fine. Even if the result was small, it was better than letting her be idle and risk falling into nihilism.
During this period, after multiple experiments, the Human Consortium officially released a new discovery about the Microplastic Infestation rule on the 20th, and Beixing updated its white paper.
The new finding officially confirmed a side effect not mentioned in the hidden rule: humans who successfully undergo the plastification reaction, as their physiology changes, will experience a progressive weakening of their digestive system’s ability to process ordinary food, until eventually they can only digest plastic materials.
Once that statement was released it unsurprisingly topped global trending lists and spawned widespread debate; related posts at the Ascendant Home exploded.
One thread titled “Are People Who Can Only Eat Plastic Still Human?” rapidly accumulated replies.
The poster’s handle was “Doomsday Rules Observer,” who always posted discussion threads whenever a new rule dropped and had become a forum celebrity over time.
The Observer wrote in the post:
“Everyone, did you see the Human Consortium’s latest statement? The cost of successful plastification isn’t just permanent infertility — there’s this digestive side effect.
Successful people will slowly only be able to eat plastic: vegetables, rice, noodles, meat — none of it will be digestible. Imagine people rummaging through trash for plastic bags and water bottles, not to sell as scrap but to eat... I don’t even know how to describe it.
Are these people still human?”
Below, replies took various stances.
Reply 1: “Of course they’re human, and they’re great martyrs! Didn’t you read the rule notes? On the Star Sea Court’s pollutant list plastic is rated even higher than radioactive dust! These people are basically using their own bodies as filters to degrade plastic pollution. Isn’t that heroic?”
Reply 2: “Agree. It’s like medical volunteers who test drugs — sacrificing themselves to light the way for others.”
Reply 3: “Stop misusing words like ‘heroic’ and ‘sacrifice,’ will you? As if these folks are saving humanity... In the end they’re just afraid of organ failure, so they took a gamble.”
Reply 4: “I also don’t call it ‘sacrifice,’ at most it’s a transaction. Trade infertility and plastic-only digestion for a 50% chance to survive. Reply 2 is nonsense — many drug trial volunteers aren’t noble; they’re in it for the big pay.”
Reply 5: “I’m one of those who successfully plastified... Honestly, argue all you want. Whether I’m called human or monster, I just want to live. Surviving is the most important thing.”
Reply 6: “Comforting hug to the above.”
Reply 7: “I’m just a monster. Monster — do you know what a monster is? I’m not human! I’m the strongest venom!”
Reply 8: “Everyone’s being so serious, what are you doing, above?”
Reply 9: “I find it scary. Someone who can only digest plastic will gradually drift away from normal people. Think about it: what normal people see as food he sees as trash... what he sees as food is what normal people consider garbage. Over time the two sides will clash.”
Reply 10: “Is it that complicated? Some patients can’t eat and need nutrients pumped directly into their stomachs via tubes. By some people’s logic, that doesn’t count as human either?”
Reply 11: “Am I the only one who admires plastified people? Haven’t you thought that being able to eat plastic might be an advantage in this era?”
Reply 12: “Agree with the above! Since the Doomsday Rules era began, extreme disasters have spread pollution everywhere: water, land, air... Maybe clean food will become scarce. Being able to eat plastic could become a survival advantage — after all, plastic is the one thing this world does not lack!!!”
On the second floor of the shelter, Guan Tong sat at a computer and read for a moment.
He had seen the statement and learned that this hidden rule carried digestive side effects beyond infertility.
It wasn’t surprising — not for the first time. Based on past experience, surviving via a hidden rule might be possible, but the costs are often bizarre; some manageable, some unbearable.
As for the forum debate, he found it simple: as long as a mind remained, it was human in his eyes. No need to overthink.
“Aaron?!”
At that moment White Star’s exclamation rang out from downstairs.
“Troupe Leader! Come quick and see!”
Guan Tong rose and went downstairs to the bedroom on the first floor.
There, White Star and Black Star’s younger brother, the boy Aaron, was sitting with his fingers curling and uncurling slightly, his brow furrowed and relaxed, his eyelashes twitching constantly.
“Is he waking up?” Guan Tong asked.
Back in March he and Shi Jingyi had helped; Shi Jingyi said Aaron’s mind power had started flowing and he shouldn’t be far from waking. Now it was late April, so the timing made sense.
“Should be... hopefully! It must be!”
White Star held her brother’s right hand and whispered, “Aaron, can you hear your sister? Please wake up...”
At her calls the boy finally opened his eyes slowly, confusion filling them.
“Aaron!” White Star cried, and tears of relief brimmed her reddened eyes.
“Sis... sister...”
Seeing White Star, the boy’s face lit with excitement and he spoke with effort.
Guan Tong didn’t disturb them and stepped outside, calling Black Star.
“Come back for a bit. Your brother Aaron woke up.”
“What!” Black Star couldn’t contain his joyful shout. “I’m coming back right now!”
A moment after hanging up, Black Star used a teleportation-type item to arrive outside the shelter.
He rushed in without greeting Guan Tong; by then Aaron had sat up and was talking with White Star.
“Aaron!”
“Brother...”
They hugged each other tightly, both crying.
After the excitement, Black Star asked, “Aaron, how did you wake up? How do you feel now?”
“I was just talking with sister,” Aaron said slowly. “Before, my consciousness seemed trapped in a kind of empty darkness. Sometimes there was a faint sensation, but mostly nothing... then I suddenly saw some red dots, and then...”
The boy shuddered all over. “Then those red dots turned into a lot of terrifying images, really frightening... after that I slowly came to...”
White Star smiled: “Those scary images were created by the Troupe Leader to stimulate your consciousness! He’s your savior!”
“Troupe Leader...” Aaron looked curious.
Guan Tong then entered the room and greeted the boy: “Hello, Aaron. I am Guan Tong, Troupe Leader of the Trace Origin Travel Troupe.”