Biological optimization–This was the organization’s core mission.
To transform the imperfect human race into the most ideal species!
The organization’s latest technologies had all been developed and gradually combined into a single, holistic project with this goal in mind.
The researchers had expected it to take a long time before the project could begin producing ideal results.
But now, Test Subject C3 appeared!
“There must be no further accidents.
Ensure the test subject’s safety at all times.
If there are any signs that her body cannot withstand the pace of the optimization, we must intervene immediately.”
“Agreed.”
….
….
She found herself floating in the deep blue waters again, the strong current pushing her forward aimlessly in silence.
She felt like she was being swept away in a very long and unending river.
She forgot who she was and why she was here.
Unaware of the flow of time, at one point, she faintly saw a glimmer of light in the distance.
The next moment, she was pulled towards the faint light.
A beautiful blue planet was in front of her, floating in space amidst the starry space.
Earth.
She reached out a hand towards the planet with intense longing.
Again, she was pulled towards it.
She felt herself breaking apart, but she felt no fear or pain.
Instead, she was joyful.
The long period of aimless wandering had been terribly long and boring.
….
….
Inside a cold, isolated metallic room, a small child sleeping on the bed slowly stirred.
On her small body were several sensors connected to various machines stationed around the bed.
An IV drip was hanging on one side with the line connected to the child’s thin wrist.
The operation this time did not require shaving, so little girl’s hair had grown quite fluffy, reaching to her ears.
A pair of vivid, electric-blue eyes slowly opened, blearily blinking a few times to drive away the foggy tears.
Alice felt as though she had just had a very long dream, but she couldn’t remember what it was about.
As her mind gradually cleared, she finally noticed her surroundings.
She was not inside her room.
This kind of cold, metallic feel while being surrounded by all kinds of unknown machines was still familiar, as she had found herself inside this kind of room multiple times whenever she gained consciousness in the middle of a surgery.
I remember.
I’m supposed to be undergoing treatment.
Alice frowned.
Then, after that, she had woken up, had a very bad headache, vomited a lot, and also…
Her focus shifted to one corner of her vision.
The symbols there were gone.
Alice was just wondering what was going on when she heard the sound of the door opening.
A voice sounded in the air along with steady steps.
“You finally woke up.
It sure took a long time.
Hopefully this time, you won’t faint again.
You gave us all a serious headache.
It’s been a total nightmare, geez…”
After receiving a signal from the computer that the test subject had awakened, the researcher on duty walked into the room while muttering to himself.
He first checked the vitals displayed on the machines to confirm that they matched the data on his tablet and the monitor outside before finally approaching the infamous Test Subject C3.
Seeing that the child was looking at him with wide eyes, the researcher smiled reassuringly and raised the bed to a reclining position.
“Dr.
Smith is on his way.
“Oh, right, what am I doing?
I forgot you can’t understand me.”
He fiddled with his tablet and showed the display screen to the child who remained frozen on the bed.
On it was Dr.
Smith’s face.
“Dr.
Smith,” the researcher said, pointing at the screen before pointing toward the door, “will be here soon.”
Wide-eyed Alice: ….
What was that just now?
She almost blurted out, I can understand every word you said.
But as she opened her mouth reflexively in shock, she found out that she was still unable to speak.
What happened?
How come she suddenly understood those words which had previously sounded like gibberish?
Still…
Alice’s eyes lit up, her lips curving slightly.
This was good news!
She could finally understand the people around her!
She would no longer be like an ignorant baby who had to guess every single time!
It took a while for the excited Alice to come to her senses.
The initially cold and isolated room was now filled with researchers in white coats including Dr.
Smith, busily talking to each other while looking at various data.
As she eagerly watched and listened to the group, the excitement in the little girl’s eyes slowly dimmed, and the faint smile on the corner of his lips also disappeared.
Initially, Alice was wondering how to let them know that she could finally understand them, but shortly after hearing them discuss things animatedly among themselves, she no longer wanted to.
Because she finally realized something very crucial.
These people whom she thought were doctors were, in fact, researchers.
This place which she thought was a hospital was, in fact, a laboratory.
The surgical procedures that she thought were treatments were, in fact, experiments.
And she was not a patient.
She was a test subject.
Alice’s back felt cold.
She was not unfamiliar with the meaning of these terms.
She had read about them before in those tattered books.
Not only that, even in the devastated world of ruins, experiments were still conducted to some extent, just in a more barbaric and primitive manner.
Such as capturing slaves to experiment with whether monsters’ blood and flesh would cause mutations.
Such as breeding women with monsters to see if it would result in the conception of a hybrid.
Such as forcing slaves to enter the inner zones closer to the asteroid to see if there were any side effects or danger.
And more.
To Alice, who had lived in such a dark era, the word ‘experiment’ had long carried negative connotations.
Thus, after realizing her situation, she instantly raised her guard, quietly observing her surroundings while acting as usual.
Her tiny body was still very weak.
She could not even walk, and she was also unfamiliar with the place she was in, so escape was not an option.
Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her mind.
When she opened her eyes, she was back to the same cautious self who had always been wary of her surroundings back in the previous life.
To think she was even glad of the VIP treatment she received before, feeling like a queen!
She was actually just a precious test subject all this time!
For now, let’s stop thinking about unrealistic things.
Focus on what’s close at hand.
Alice told herself.
Unaware of the dark undercurrents in the little girl’s mind, the researchers only saw a quiet, sensible mute little girl who obediently allowed herself to be guided through several tests.
“Next, let’s see if the neural interface is accessible to Test Subject C3. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
It’s too bad she can’t speak,” a researcher sighed.
“I was hoping the optimization would fix it, but maybe directly modifying the language faculties of the brain is still too complex for the current neural interface?”
Dr.
Smith said, “Let’s give it some time.
The optimization is currently slowing down to a normal rate.
Her dire physical condition must have prompted the nanofluid to work overtime, and now that her condition is not as bad as before, the neural interface has decided to let her body rest.
But it’s better if we check the neural interface directly now that she’s awake.”
“The neural interface is an amazing thing and all, but I find this particular aspect incredibly annoying.
Why can’t we access the neural interface while the test subject is unconscious?”
“It’s part of the core program, part of the brain’s protective mechanism.
The brain’s unconscious responses can also be dangerous.
Since the neural interface has essentially become part of the brain, its self-learning program automatically aligns the interface’s behavior with the brain’s natural protective mechanism.”
“But Neural-Link hasn’t even rolled out yet for large-scale clinical trials.
It’s not open to consumers yet.
We should have more freedom in finding ways to circumvent that…”
“Then do it and wait for the organization’s disciplinary officers to come knocking on your door.”
Dr.
Smith interrupted, “Stop arguing about pointless things.
Aren’t we checking the neural interface now?”
As he said that, he tapped the ‘enter’ button on the computer.
At the same time–
The child’s expressionless face changed slightly, her electric blue eyes widening.
In front of her, the world suddenly changed.
It’s those symbols!
But this time, they were no longer unintelligible to Alice.
A transparent, floating window with the word ‘initializing’ flashed briefly before changing to ‘complete’.
The window changed instantly, too fast for Alice to capture the entirety of the earlier words.
Then–
[Host consciousness detected.
Neural activity confirmed.
Biometric scan:
• Heart rate: 88 bpm…
95 bpm…
110 bpm…
• Blood oxygen: 99%
• Body temperature: 36.9°C
Host status: Conscious]
While Alice looked dazedly at the floating window in front of her, the researchers on the side gathered behind Dr.
Smith to look at the screen.
Dr.
Smith’s hands flew, busily tapping away.
The window in front of Alice kept changing, as if a god was reaching into her mind, parting the pages inside her brain, looking at what was hidden inside.
It was an unpleasant feeling.
Alice clenched her fists tightly, the fingers pale due to the pressure.
[The Neural Interface detected a temporary external access request.
Permission is requested from the host.]
Dr.
Smith suddenly remembered that the test subject had language issues, communicating with her would be annoying, so he directly used his core researcher access authority to gain limited access.
[Developer mode has been detected.
The temporary access request is granted.]
Alice was just a little relieved that her permission was needed before others could enter her brain, but this message prompt suddenly poured cold water on that little relief.