Chapter 467: The Choice (Part 3)
"......" Everyone was at a loss for words after hearing such news.
All along, the ability to 'gather relevant information' had made them feel restricted, even leading them to formulate a special language protocol to prevent the leakage of confidential plans.
Such a thing, in the eyes of Americans who championed freedom of speech, was simply a disgrace.
Information about that person could neither be heard nor casually spoken; one had to choose words carefully to express what they wanted to say.
It wasn't that no one had tried to challenge this red line; it was just that those who did, without exception, quickly died suddenly from cardiac arrest.
In these past few years, they had grown accustomed to speaking in circles. Suddenly realizing they could return to their original state, they still felt a bit unaccustomed, and somewhat skeptical.
Of course, the excessively strong ability to gather relevant information also led to a teeth-gritting problem: among the suicide army of those years, many people had ingeniously tried to end their lives through this method.
Because this method was not only green and environmentally friendly, but unlike jumping from a building, there was no need to worry about hitting innocent bystanders, and it was also nearly painless—a truly excellent choice for those who sought only death.
Initially, Bai Mo still had the patience to deal with them one by one, but soon the thousands of people attempting suicide each year became an unbearable nuisance.
After some time, no one dared to do such a foolish thing again; the pain, enough to cause a nervous breakdown, was something even those who sought death were unwilling to endure.
......
"Your invention is excellent, but the vote has decided that the American government will terminate this project and instead fully commit all resources to space immigration."
"We only have five years left; we don't have the energy to be distracted by other matters." The President regretfully told Tang Na Sen after the closed-door meeting ended.
"Mr. President......" Tang Na Sen tried to say something more, but was gently interrupted.
"The American government will no longer officially participate in the Worm Project, but if you wish to continue, all responsibility will be borne by you......"
Tang Na Sen finally received a compromise from the other factions: they would no longer support nor prohibit the project; everything would become a personal endeavor, not an official stance.
"This world needs heroes!" Tang Na Sen left a batch of information blocking devices as he departed, muttering such words all the way.
......
Land of White, Tianqing.
"Do we also have a choice?" Countless people looked at the blood-red "Leave System (Irreversible)" option on the data panel, falling into contemplation.
In these past few years, with the implementation of the Land of White's intelligent planned economy and the execution of its distribution measures, poverty was for the first time completely eradicated through an extremely metaphysical egalitarianism—of course, the wealthy were eradicated as well.
After all, wealth in modern society is built on the concept of ownership; the way people possess property is essentially just through a virtual consensus of ownership protected by law.
When a madman with power enough to twist the world destroyed the original laws, no longer recognizing any ownership documents, and treated stocks, land deeds, and property certificates as mere waste paper, the system of ownership came to an end.
People lacking strength found it difficult to prove by any means that "my" property was indeed "mine."
Such a reality was hard for the vast majority of people to accept based on their original worldview, leading to a considerable period of confusion at the beginning.
"If nothing belongs to me, then what is the purpose of my work?" Countless people pondered this question, and asked the System.
"After you die, will anything still belong to you? Everyone is just a temporary custodian." The answer given by the System was exceptionally nihilistic.
"Regard this world as a game; are the gold coins and equipment you acquire in the game truly yours?"
In such an atmosphere, some people gradually found reasons to convince themselves, continuing to complete their tasks and progressing step by step according to the System's arrangements.
A portion, however, fell into a state of "giving up on themselves" like walking corpses, living solely on the desire for survival, perpetually muddled, completing only the most basic tasks to obtain resources barely sufficient to sustain life.
They felt they had completely lost the motivation to strive; no matter how hard they tried, it was impossible to climb to the upper echelons of the pyramid, because even the pyramid itself no longer existed.
The remaining people were too lazy to ponder the meaning of life, not falling into a philosophical mode, so their lives under the System's management were mostly quite pleasant.
And this "amnesty" from the System gave new hope to those who had given up on themselves.
"Finally, I can leave! I was originally prepared to endure another twenty years!" Liu Ru, working on a construction site, couldn't help but burst into tears upon seeing this message.
After years of tempering, he had transformed from a young master who knew nothing upon returning to the country into a skilled technician capable of handling multiple positions with ease.
The motivation that had sustained him was to escape this heavily confined prison!
In his eyes, the Land of White was simply too much like a prison: similarly no private property, similarly forced labor, and restricted freedom of movement.
The only thing better than a prison was probably that there were no bullying wardens or prison tyrants here. The Sky Net's surveillance was omnipresent; from toddlers taking their first steps to elders nearing eighty, everyone lived under the System's watchful eye, and no form of overstepping behavior could occur.
This point, in fact, somewhat moved Liu Ru, who had suffered greatly from campus bullying during middle school, but this mere hint of emotion still couldn't stop his heart from wanting to escape and find freedom.
Upon seeing that blood-red option, he resolutely pressed it. What he desired was a society where his value could truly be realized; as a former rich young master, the glory of being a cut above others was his true pursuit!
"Farewell......"
After pressing the button symbolizing freedom, he received a new notification from the System.
"You have three days to prepare for departure. After that, all those who insist on leaving the Land of White will be sent to Australia. Good luck."
These people, who chose to leave Earth rather than remain under the demonic clutches of the Land of White, would be uniformly sent to the Australian continent. Bai Mo had left enough supplies there for several months of survival, along with technology for large-scale manned space travel and short-distance interstellar migration. As for their final outcome, that would depend on their own destiny.
Comments