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Chapter 429: The Value of a Person (Part Two)

"I'm worth that much?!" After seeing this valuation, he suddenly felt a little reluctant to die.

"Two hundred twenty-eight thousand Contribution Points... that's over twenty million Huaxia currency. It must be a trick, a number made up just to deceive me."

At this moment, the young man felt a conflict in his heart. Although his family had once been very wealthy, he also had some self-awareness, knowing that this was not money he could earn himself.

For a young master like him, who couldn't tell rice from wheat and whose limbs were idle, to actually work and earn money... impossible. What kind of job would an upper-class young master do?

"You can also check the historical records to see if your value has been decreasing every day?" The auntie, still holding a broom, explained to the young man like a customer service representative.

"What's going on?" Unbeknownst to him, the young man who wanted to end his life had already been led astray, temporarily forgetting his intention to jump.

He was utterly bewildered by this unconventional approach. The supervisors who had arrived upon hearing the news didn't seem to be there to dissuade him at all; they were more like a group of people aggressively promoting the system.

"Humans have time-based value. Every day that passes, your value actually depreciates because your life is one day shorter, and the things you can create diminish. The only way to increase your value is to continuously increase the value you create per unit of time," the auntie declared in the tone of someone reciting a motivational "chicken soup for the soul" quote, citing the system's words like a preaching pastor.

"But why measure human value this way? Does it mean if I don't create anything, I have no value?!"

There were no police downstairs, no safety cushions, as if he didn't exist at all.

As for the elderly men and women before him, they looked as if they had been completely brainwashed; from their eyes, one could even discern devout faith.

Most of these people were the greatest beneficiaries of the new society. Before this, they had mostly worked tough, low-paying jobs like cleaners or street vendors, and their daily lives were generally difficult.

After the implementation of the rationing system, even if their work remained the same and the intensity was still considerable, at its core, it no longer had much to do with the concept of "earning a living."

Because as long as they completed the tasks assigned by the system, they could enjoy a quite respectable life, and the daily tasks issued by the system were only about seventy to eighty percent of their original workload.

Thanks to the large number of positions being cut, the redundant individuals without other specialized skills were almost all funneled into jobs that machines could not yet temporarily replace...

With their lives greatly improved, they became the most loyal supporters of the Destiny System, naturally transforming into devout "missionaries."

In their free time, they would often organize themselves to repeatedly recite various documents produced by the system. Their proficiency with the system's various functions likely even surpassed many adaptable young people.

"Good-for-nothing freeloaders who don't contribute to society, do they have any right to exist?" an auntie with calloused hands declared righteously.

From her words, the young man detected a strong sense of "hate iron not becoming steel"—a deep disappointment. He couldn't help but wonder if she, too, once had a son who stayed home all day, leeching off his parents.

"Isn't humanity's constant progress precisely to allow more people to leisure?!" Stung by the remark, he completely forgot his intention to jump from the building, focusing intently on refuting the old supervisor's words.

"We work hard every day, not to support parasites!"

...

After a few more exchanges, both sides seemed to get serious. Not only did the young man forget about jumping, but the group of middle-aged people also forgot they were there to dissuade someone from jumping.

The generation gap and ideological differences between the two generations were fully laid bare in the quarrel.

"ID: 0xffff0213aabac567, Name: Liu Ru. Are you sure you wish to initiate the suicide procedure?" Just as they were in the thick of their argument, a holographic screen suddenly popped up, displaying "Yes" and "No" options.

The system's belated "greeting" instantly quelled the commotion.

"What happens if I choose 'Yes'?" Liu Ru finally recalled his purpose for coming to the rooftop and asked the system in return.

"You will be sent to the Tianqing testing ground as a frozen living specimen. After losing experimental value, you will become the thought source for a biochemical reactor," an emotionless voice delivered a cruel answer.

"So why did I come to this place where there's not even the freedom to die, a place utterly devoid of human rights!" Liu Ru recalled his comfortable life abroad. Compared to before, this was simply hell.

Liu Ru's parents were both big businessmen. He hadn't learned a single skill for earning money, but he had maxed out his spending skill tree. To avoid being left alone to fend for himself abroad, he was forced to return to his elderly parents' home, which led to his current predicament.

"Please choose," the system ignored his complaints, merely repeating itself once more.

...

"No," he tremblingly tapped the "No" option.

After a round of torment, Liu Ru no longer had his initial death wish. After all, it had merely been a young man's impulsive act; once his bravado dissipated, he immediately cowered.

It was like a street thug in a gang fight, wielding a knife: fueled by a rush of adrenaline and hot-blooded excitement, they might slash without blinking, but afterward, seeing themselves covered in blood, most would be so terrified they'd collapse to the ground.

The thought that "it's better to live poorly than to die well" ultimately gained the upper hand. Having been pampered since childhood, Liu Ru was, in fact, extremely afraid of death.

Especially upon hearing that applying for suicide meant being subjected to various manipulations, he completely abandoned any thoughts of self-harm.

There are many with the courage to face death, but those who could accept being tormented into a semi-vegetative state as experimental material, and then forever "shine and radiate heat" for humanity, were truly few and far between.

Ultimately, seeking death was merely seeking peace and liberation, but such treatment was tantamount to never being reincarnated again.

"If I apply to leave the system, what conditions do I need to meet?" Although he had decided to temporarily yield, Liu Ru still harbored a sliver of unwillingness.

Having been educated on freedom and human rights since childhood, he still couldn't accept this insane country deep down.

"Method One: Accumulate Contribution Points equivalent to your estimated value and pass three tests to gain the option to leave. Method Two: Possess power equivalent to ten percent of the system's power," text appeared on the holographic screen.

"Thirty years! Within thirty years, I will definitely escape the clutches of this damned system!" After reading the system's reply, Liu Ru thought silently to himself.

"You're not loyal!" An old man, discerning a hint of rebellion in Liu Ru's brows, pointed at him as if to claim credit, loudly reporting him to the system at once.