In the southeastern part of Eka, in the northwest corner of the Elrit Desert, an old, neglected road cuts through the landscape. On both sides of the road, there's nothing but barren earth stretching to the horizon. The area shows no signs of life; the silence is overwhelming.
At the end of the road stands a tall stone wall. What lies beyond is unknown to outsiders, although six or seven watchtowers rising above the wall hint at its unusual nature. This used to be an infamous prison, home to many criminals. Years of ongoing military conflicts left the Eka government exhausted, abandoning this prison decades ago. Residents of Eka avoid this land, equating Elrit to Hell.
Twenty-three years ago, a construction company called Black Mamba acquired the prison and hired 200 local young laborers, offering generous compensation. Under the guidance of American designers, they dismantled the interior walls and renovated the facility.
No one knows why Black Mamba chose this prison, and the Eka government didn't care what they'd do inside. After all, the purchase price far exceeded the value of the prison itself. Black Mamba's only request was to erase it from the map of Eka. Twenty-three years have passed, and this structure in the Elrit Desert is forgotten, even missing from Ica's map.
A Sikorsky S-76D helicopter lands softly on the helipad inside the stone walls. Ulysses and Will disembark, detouring to Eka to inspect the latest progress of their New World project before heading to a special Antamin meeting in Geneva. They stand before the experimental base of the New World Project—New World Paradise.
Ulysses named it after Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World." In his view, the New World Paradise he's building is more realistic than Huxley's fiction. Over 120 scientists from around the world are here, conducting research that could change human destiny. They agree with Ulysses' vision: the speed of technological advancement has outpaced human evolution, and AI is becoming humanity's most dangerous enemy. To save humanity, they must enhance human intelligence through artificial intervention.
Before this, they need to execute a "lightning operation." Overpopulation is burdening Earth, and they must first eliminate those with IQs below 100. In intelligence assessment, an IQ of 70-80 is dull; 60-70 is mildly intellectually disabled; 50-60 is severely intellectually disabled. While 80-100 is considered normal, these people lack creativity and contribute little to societal progress. Improving their intelligence would be a waste of resources.
"Survival of the fittest" is the core idea of Darwinian evolution. Over 100 years have passed, and this biological principle has been pushed to its extreme in human society.
Meyer, the New World Paradise's executive director, walks Ulysses and Will into Lab 1. Scientists are busy analyzing clinical data from the fifth generation of "neural dust." The New World Project is in its final countdown.
"Can we launch in 10 days?" Ulysses casts a glance at the bustling scientists, then looks at Will, the chief researcher of Neural Dust.
"The clinical data is pretty good; the fifth-generation Neural Dust is 80% more stable than the fourth," says Will, his eyes fixed on two screens displaying real-time footage of living spaces and workstations coded "Maya 1728" to "Maya 1734" and "Descartes 92" to "Descartes 99."
These are clinical test subjects, categorized into different groups—Maya or Descartes—based on their IQs. Those with IQs below 100 are labeled "Maya," and those above 100 are given the identity of "Descartes," sequentially numbered upon their arrival.
Will signals a bespectacled staffer to send a "thirst code" to Maya 1728 to 1734. Three seconds later, all seven Mayas synchronously pick up cups and drink. "Consciousness" implanted successfully!
"Upgrade!" commands Will succinctly. The staff understand; he means to escalate the mission.
A minute later, a German Shepherd, about 60 centimeters tall, bursts into the living space. The Mayas react differently. Mayas 1728, 1729, 1731, and 1732 become alert and frightened, retreating to corners. Mayas 1730, 1733, and 1734, however, approach the dog with loving eyes. Maya 1730 even reaches out to pet it.
"Mayas 1728, 1729, 1731, and 1732 had experiences with dogs before entering the Paradise; Mayas 1730, 1733, and 1734 had past encounters of being chased by dogs. Maya 1730 was once bitten badly by a Shepherd. 'Consciousness' modification successful!"
Their Neural Dust overrides past experiences, enabling them to act contrary to their memories. The neural dust transmits artificial brainwaves, dictating their reactions rather than their past memories. It's a complex command, far more advanced than a simple action code.
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"The fifth generation of Neural Dust not only can issue simple action commands but also has the capability to alter a subject's emotional experience. It has passed repeatability tests," Will said, looking at Ulysses with a sense of triumph.
"Emotions are unnecessary. They hinder human progress. A person without emotions is invincible," Ulysses replied. He thought of his parents—had they not felt pity for the weak and participated in the International Red Cross mission in the Middle Eastern country of Eka, they would not have lost their lives in an explosion. If his mother had not lost her hearing and had been able to hear her companion's cries, they might have been able to escape in time.
Some emotions ruin lives, like stubbornly loving a woman you can't have. The image of a woman in a white dress, her hair flowing, crossed his mind as he stood on the green field.
"The future of humanity should be devoid of emotion. Human reproduction is not about love, but about combining the best genes," Ulysses said, crossing his arms and speaking with even more gravity.
"What's hardest to change in humans is instinct, an inherited brain 'program.' It's easier to delete than to change! The fifth generation of neural dust already has this capability," Will responded with a slight smile, supremely confident in his invention.
Ulysses nodded satisfactorily and then proceeded to Lab No. 2, where the most crucial part of the New World Plan was being carried out—the Da Vinci Code, personally overseen by him.
"Have the results for the 1238th trial come in?" Ulysses walked straight to a short man in a white lab coat.
"The results are not promising. The drug toxicity hasn't fallen within a safe range. Five clinical trial subjects began showing signs of poisoning on the 58th day after taking 'Taba'," the short man handed over a file to Ulysses.
"No new breakthroughs in IQ, still stuck at 198?" Ulysses frowned.
"We tried increasing the dosage to push the subject's IQ over 200, but the side effects increased significantly," the short man adjusted his glasses, appearing uneasy.
"Our target is 230!" Ulysses was firm. "No excuses. Whatever it takes, we must reach this goal. Have Emily come by tomorrow."
---
"Emily!" Xia Nan peeked out from a small bush in front of a French-style row house, softly calling out to the tall woman opening the door. She had been squatting there for almost half a day, and her legs were beginning to go numb.
The arrival of the police made her abandon the idea of seeking help from Angela. Although Angela was kind, Xia Nan wasn't sure if she would still genuinely help her without turning her over to the police. Xia Nan slipped out of the room through the window while Angela went to answer the door.
After leaving Professor Albert's lab, Xia Nan drove around San Francisco's main streets for a couple of rounds. She didn't dare to get out of the car, even though she was disguised with a face mask and sunglasses.
"How is Chen Chen doing?" The accusation against him of being the originator of the Super Brainwave worried her more than her own suspicion of murdering Professor Albert. She needed to help him clear his name.
"Who is it?" Emily turned cautiously, spotting a pale and tired face. "Xia Nan! What are you doing here?"
"Dear, can you tell me what exactly happened? I've been worried sick these past days!" Emily broke the silence as she led Xia Nan into the living room.
"Let's have a drink first," she poured a glass of bourbon for Xia Nan. Emily was a very attractive woman with tan skin, deep brown hair, and a few freckles near her eyes, which added a touch of sexiness.
"Emily, I need your help," Xia Nan's eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling. "Give me a computer that can access the internet! Right now!"
"Computer? Internet?" Emily looked astonished at Xia Nan's sudden request, although for her it was an easy task to fulfill.
"Chen Chen has been framed, and I want to see if I can help him." Facing Emily, Xia Nan did not hide her intentions.
"Are you two now 'desperate lovers'?" Emily stared into Xia Nan's eyes seriously. "You should first help yourself. What's going on with Professor Albert? Is there anything he can do to help you?"
"I don't know. Maybe once the police find the real killer, I can be exonerated. I need a computer now, Emily!" Xia Nan reiterated her request.
"It's really inconvenient, my computer got water damaged a few days ago and is being repaired. I haven't had time to pick it up," Emily fibbed, showing a helpless expression.
"A phone will do, lend me your phone," Xia Nan urged.
"I worry that Professor Chen's phone is being monitored by the police. Tell me what you need, and I'll find a way to convey it," Emily looked at Xia Nan with an extremely sincere gaze, indicating her willingness to help.
Xia Nan looked troubled. She knew that with Chen Chen's temperament, even if he was charged with manufacturing a Super Brainwave virus, he would never hand over MTX. She needed to tell Chen Chen that MTX, when processed at 1000°C, could alter its chemical formula while retaining some of its functions. Once this is done, even if it were found by the investigators, they couldn't determine the real structure of the MTX product.
Could she trust Emily? They had been best friends, and Emily still seemed as enthusiastic as before. She should trust Emily; she was sitting on Emily's sofa right now because of that trust. Besides Emily, no one else in San Francisco could help her.
"Tell him, 1000° high heat, it's safe, he will understand."
"MTX? Xia Nan, are you the real developer of MTX?" Emily pressed.
The question snapped Xia Nan out of her frenzy—Emily was also extremely interested in MTX! Xia Nan remembered she had once mentioned MTX to Emily, but she was sure she had never told her that she was involved in its development.
She hadn't seen Emily for two years. Although they had maintained sporadic contact online, distance sometimes created emotional distance as well. Perhaps like those who framed Chen Chen, Emily also wanted to get her hands on the MTX formula. Her words had undoubtedly put herself in another dangerous situation.
"Of course not, Emily. I just thought of where I can find a computer. I have to go."
As Xia Nan got up to leave, Emily swiftly raised her right hand and struck the back of Xia Nan's neck. Xia Nan fainted.