Safe City Ch.137.2

Chapter 137.2: We are the Longevity Faction

Cheng Qisheng was a practical person.

After successfully “reaping” a white-clad researcher, all she wanted now was to see Colleen delivered safely back to Blue Sea as soon as possible, then conduct a whole series of studies and produce a massive amount of energy.

Of course, in front of Colleen’s family, the disguise still had to be maintained.

Cheng Qisheng wasn’t going to expose Blue Sea’s identity simply because Colleen’s family would be sent into Blue Sea and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would absolutely never leave this world.

It was like how she knew perfectly well how dependent Lu Song was on Blue Sea and how loyal he was to it.

But as long as Lu Song hadn’t physically become her believer and received the mark of absolute loyalty, Cheng Qisheng would never let him participate in a mission like this one, where everyone had to maintain their disguises and exposing their identities meant failure.

What she wanted wasn’t trust between people.

What she wanted was absolute safety brought about by absolute caution.

Although Blue Sea was practically a web of heaven and earth, with layers of security inside and out, once Colleen’s family entered the Safe City, there was a 99.99999% chance they would never be able to leave without Cheng Qisheng’s authorization.

But wasn’t there still that 0.00001% chance they could get out?

‘What if?’

What if Colleen’s family mutated?

What if, one day, these Old Humans who had awakened from the old world happened to be unable to withstand the environment of the new world, happened to undergo mutations, and happened to develop the kind of mutation that allowed them to burrow underground, fly through the sky, or even transform into a little caterpillar and wriggle their way out of the Safe City?

What then?

As the saying went, even the possibility of Dark Star colliding with a black hole wasn’t zero. In this vast universe, anything could happen.

So the version of events Colleen’s family heard was slightly different, but it was still built around the established image of the [Company].

The main message was:

“We are the [Company]. We are cold and ruthless. We exploit everything. We care only about profit.”

Yet judging from the current situation, although Blue Sea had done everything it could to display its “cold-hearted” side, Colleen’s family, who had come from the old world, was still thoroughly shocked.

Colleen: “The [Company] will provide our entire family with free employee housing? Even though we haven’t signed a contract allowing every part of our bodies to be taken and used by the [Company] whenever they want?”

Regg was equally incredulous.

“As the family members of an employee, we can receive free medical treatment if we get sick?”

Colleen’s parents, this pair of “older-generation people,” were also plunged into deep bewilderment.

“The [Company] even has a free amusement park for employees’ children?”

The entire family from the old world was deeply shaken by the employee benefits offered by [Ota Company].

Colleen, who had once worked for another [Company], was especially shaken to the core.

She cautiously asked, “Then what are the terms regarding the brain?”

The person receiving them this time was still Qian Heng, the Regional Integration Officer. When she heard this, she looked at Colleen’s relatives, whose expressions had instantly become solemn, and wondered inwardly:

‘What the heck is a “brain clause”?’

But she was a professional.

Without changing her expression, she maintained a smile composed of three parts indifference, three parts politeness, and three parts arrogance, then tossed the question right back to her.

“That depends on what kind of terms you want. Different terms come with different benefits.”

The brain clause at [Ota Company] could actually be negotiated?!

Colleen swallowed nervously and, as sincerely as possible, explained that she wanted a clause guaranteeing that her brain would not be removed while she was still alive.

“I know that some [Companies] believe that when the brain remains together with the body, it becomes prone to periods of idleness. But I swear, I will devote myself wholeheartedly to serving the [Company]. I only need two hours of sleep a day. I will use all of my intelligence to create even more value…”

Qian Heng’s expression remained unchanged, but her pupils shook violently.

‘What do you mean, removing someone’s brain and putting it in a glass tank?’

‘What do you mean, stimulating the brain with electric currents so that, under the pain, it has no choice but to keep working every moment?’

‘No rest whatsoever, forced to keep working in agony for eight hundred years.’

Qian Heng imagined the scene, and she nearly lost control of the haughty mask she’d spent so long practicing until she had finally managed to weld it permanently onto her face.

‘Oh, my God!’

‘Oh, my God!!’

‘Heresy! Evil God!’

‘Those people should be tied to a stake and roasted!’

For Blue Sea, these were two new terms—the Old Eighths had learned them from other worlds.

Because both words represented blasphemy against the divine, they had instantly become the most vicious curses in the Old Eighths’ vocabulary. The fact that Qian Heng could curse with these two words in her heart was proof of just how furious she was.

Sensing that one of her believers had been badly shaken, Cheng Qisheng spared a sliver of mental power to soothingly pat Qian Heng on the head.

With the blessing of her God, Qian Heng’s turbulent emotions gradually settled down.

Compared with the Old Eighths, who would only turn on each other because of their instinct for battle yet couldn’t tolerate the slightest abuse, b*llying, or desecration of the souls bestowed upon them by their God, Cheng Qisheng was considerably calmer.

In a world where capitalist forces had been taken to their extreme, no matter how horrifying something sounded, it couldn’t really be considered unexpected.

With Moon Silk Star’s current technology, removing someone’s brain required the person in question to cooperate during the implantation of the chip. Without their cooperation, it was impossible to remove the entire brain intact.

The [Companies] probably wouldn’t even bother using contracts to bind people’s brains. They could simply grab someone and start removing it on the spot.

That answered the question of why all the researchers across the Broken River Desert had been avoiding [Ota Company].

According to Colleen, researchers who possessed sufficient abilities but had been using privately owned civilian shelters should all have been people who had refused to sign the brain clause.

Some researchers who had emerged from their shelters without any means of protecting themselves, only to regret their decision and want to sign the brain clause, had probably already died in this extremely harsh desert.

The rest had gradually figured out how to survive. After adapting to the wasteland and finding various ways to acquire some means of self-defense, they no longer needed to sell their brains just to survive. Naturally, they would avoid the [Company] whenever possible.

Only Colleen’s family was different. Although they had little ability to protect themselves, Blue Sea had discovered them immediately after their shelter opened, allowing them to avoid this initial death trap.

Cheng Qisheng’s mind kept turning this over…

‘Damn, now that I think about the fact that I’m using my brain to think, I can’t stop picturing a brain sitting inside a glass tank.’

She touched her still-intact head and sent a divine oracle to Qian Heng.

With her emotions completely calmed by her God’s reassurance, Qian Heng once again put on her expression of three parts indifference, three parts politeness, and three parts arrogance.

“We are the Longevity Faction.”

Colleen froze.

She had never heard of such a faction before.

But considering how mysterious [Ota] had always been, she simply assumed that she hadn’t previously had sufficient access to information. She cautiously asked what the “Longevity Faction” meant.

Qian Heng maintained her haughty expression.

“You can think of the Longevity Faction as a variant of the Inspiration Faction.”

“We believe that the brain can only produce greater inspiration when it works together with the human body. Once the brain is removed, the scientific results it produces are far inferior to what it can produce while inside the human body. And so, the Longevity Faction was born.”

“[Ota] will devote all its efforts to overcoming the lifespan lock and extending the lives of all researchers as much as possible, allowing their brains to continue generating inspiration for as long as possible…”

Colleen was completely stunned.

“So, [Ota] won’t remove our brains. Instead, they’ll find a way to extend our lifespans?”

Qian Heng: “Yes. You can understand it that way.”

Colleen asked cautiously, “…And what if we eventually reach the end of our natural lifespans anyway?”

Qian Heng’s expression remained cold, her arrogance on full display.

“That’s your concern. You’re only a newly promoted P6 asset. The [Company] won’t hold a funeral for you.”

In reality, Colleen had been wondering whether, once her lifespan reached its end, the [Company] would switch her from the Longevity Faction to the Data Faction, remove her brain, and continue exploiting it for another few hundred years.

Colleen: “…”

She swallowed the question.

After all, removing her brain required her consent. She might as well take advantage of the benefits while she could.

No wonder [Ota] had always been so mysterious. She had never heard of them accomplishing anything particularly impressive, yet they had still managed to firmly maintain their position as a major [Company].

Previously, she’d thought that [Ota] had attained such a position because they were simply more ruthless about exploiting their employees. Perhaps, after signing a contract, employees weren’t even allowed to leave [Ota]’s territory. That, she had assumed, was why not even the slightest bit of information about [Ota] ever leaked out.

But now, it was obvious that the employees were strictly adhering to the confidentiality regulations because of how good [Ota]’s benefits were.

After all, putting herself in their shoes, if [Ota]’s employee benefits became public knowledge, how many people would come rushing to compete for positions?

The Longevity Faction alone would be enough to attract a huge number of researchers.

Colleen was even beginning to regret her decision when she had been looking for a job all those years ago. She shouldn’t have assumed that a mysterious [Company] that kept itself hidden from the public couldn’t possibly be a good place to work.

She should have at least tried applying to [Ota].

Once again, Colleen carefully read through the contract written in the language of Moon Silk Star, making absolutely certain there were no hidden traps.

Then, overcome with the excitement of “Our family has finally caught a lucky break,” she stood up and gave Qian Heng a solemn bow.

“Please rest assured. I will definitely work hard for [Ota]!”

When Colleen said she would work hard, she really meant it.

That very day, the rankings on the Blue Sea Research Institute’s “Most Tireless Researcher” leaderboard changed.

Colleen came from behind and, through sheer determination, knocked the previous number-one spot holder off the top within just a few days.

When Ruo Buyan returned to the city to transport equipment, one of her colleagues shared the news with her:

“God above, just how terrible was Moon Silk Star’s research environment? This Colleen has practically turned herself into a Starfruit Vegetable spirit or something. She works day and night without stopping. She sleeps for only an hour a day, and she wakes up naturally after that. When we tell her to sleep a little longer, she acts like we’re trying to hurt her. I’ll bet she thinks we’re plotting some kind of office conspiracy against her.”

“That day, a soldier ordered her to get at least three hours of sleep, saying it was necessary to extend her lifespan. That’s the only reason she agreed to go to sleep. When she woke up, wow~ The look in her eyes, the state she was in… She looked so utterly flattered and overwhelmed. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she’d had the honor of meeting our God in person, and our God had bestowed a pile of mutated beasts upon her to fight.”

As someone who had also come from a civilization with a terrible research environment, Ruo Buyan could actually understand Colleen rather well.

When she had first been accepted into Blue Sea, she had also worked day and night, eager to produce results immediately and prove her worth.

Toward this fellow researcher, Ruo Buyan was exceptionally tolerant and understanding.

“She just hasn’t adapted yet. Once some time passes and she’s lived in Blue Sea for a while, she’ll definitely stop being like this. Just let her be for now.”

Her colleague who had been gossiping with her thought about it and nodded.

“That’s true. Besides, you’ve held the number-one spot on the ‘Most Tireless Researcher’ leaderboard for so long. You can finally step down and take a break.”

Ruo Buyan: !

“What? I’m not number one anymore?”

“Yep. You’re number two now.”

Ruo Buyan: “…”

Although nearly all of the anxiety she had carried from her original civilization had disappeared after joining Blue Sea, the competitive streak that had been instilled in her from childhood by that civilization suddenly surged to the surface the moment she heard this news.

She’d only been away from the Safe City for a few days. How could she possibly have dropped from first place to second?

Even if it was just the “Most Tireless Researcher” leaderboard, that was still unacceptable!

Fired up and raring to go, Ruo Buyan immediately decided to work overtime that day and reclaim her position at the top.

But just as she was preparing to work herself to the bone, she was informed that the “Most Tireless Researcher” leaderboard on the Research Institute’s forum had been shut down.

Ruo Buyan stared at the forum’s ban notice:

—Blue Sea does not encourage behavior that harms one’s health through staying up late. All residents are requested to maintain normal working hours and take care of their health.

If the leaderboard was gone, what was the point of winning first place?

Ruo Buyan dejectedly returned to a normal work schedule.

Meanwhile, Cheng Qisheng quietly watched over the residents’ daily lives, occasionally listening in on some gossip, and issuing an order to shut down the “Most Tireless Researcher” leaderboard.

She opened a bottle of Coke for herself and quietly took all the credit.

—

Colleen had no idea that someone outside was trying to compete with her for the title of “Number One Night Owl.”

In fact, she was rather puzzled by how many colleagues would proactively come over and talk to her.

Weren’t they afraid of being caught by the monitoring systems and then being judged as “distracted from work”?

She had discovered that there was something rather strange about [Ota Company].

They clearly didn’t seem to have suffered any noticeable reduction in their strength, yet the energy projects they had assigned her to research were all attempts to replicate achievements from the past.

But most researchers on Moon Silk Star were basically treated like tools. If the [Company] told her what to do, then she’d simply do it.

Compared with developing new energy sources from scratch, replicating previous achievements was actually much easier.

Colleen had wondered whether [Ota] possessed the patents for these technologies. [Ota] simply told her that she only needed to conduct the research and that there was no need to worry about the patents.

Since the [Company] had said so, Colleen did as she was told.

After all, she was already accustomed to listening to her superiors.

Or perhaps, deep down, she had sensed that something wasn’t quite right.

But when that something “not quite right” was ultimately benefiting her, Colleen was unwilling to think too deeply about it.

As long as they didn’t remove her brain and continued to protect her family, she was willing to work herself to the bone for the [Company].

In less than half a month, relying on the various equipment and energy sources provided by the [Company], Colleen successfully replicated a portable energy module that could be used in all kinds of vehicles.

Cheng Qisheng immediately turned her attention toward it—

The great Creator God of Blue Sea stared at the tiny black box, only about the length of a thumb, held in the hands of one of the Old Eighths.

Even her breathing grew slightly heavier.

Such a small portable energy module—

was enough to keep a fully loaded armored vehicle operating at full power for an entire year.

Blue Sea had finally raised the curtain on its technological ascent.

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