Chapter 1133: Chapter 142: First Assassination
“Outside the Asteroid Belt… To be precise, it’s the Hero’s actual control area beyond Jupiter’s orbit…” Tuoba Xuanyuan Fourteen sighed and looked at the ceiling, “A good place, really a good place, peaceful and prosperous, free life… but there’s one thing: everyone is online.”
“Huh?”
“It’s all virtual.” Tuoba Xuanyuan Fourteen said, “What else can be done? After all, the area is lacking important resources.”
“The truly abundant area of the Solar System lies within the Asteroid Belt. Jupiter and Saturn are rely energy-rich regions awaiting developnt. In fact, the Hero’s actual control area lacks everything.”
“Solar energy is abundant the closer you are to the Sun. Heavy elents, the closer you are to the terrestrial planets near the Sun, the greater the abundance of elents. tals and energy, the two most essential resources for technology, are all more accessible the closer to the Sun. On the Far Sun Planets, people even have to use ice as the main building materials for non-essential parts of space stations. Super large solar panels are completely out of reach. Everyone has to rely on reactors.”
At this point, Tuoba Xuanyuan Fourteen paused, then said, “I rember on the New Continent, the Twelve Masters once said, ‘If you don’t want to support the Protector, live like a plant,’ right.”
Yuki nodded, “Master said that their generation’s efforts were to free humanity from famine, disease…”
“But this only has significance for the residents within the Asteroid Belt. The planets further out are places where even plants can’t survive. Earth’s residents only need a few square ters of solar panels to et survival needs and can even go online. But on the Far Sun Planets, the input-output ratio of solar panels is terrifying. The place inherently lacks silicon and has no sunlight… No single person can live solely off sunlight. The kind of lifestyle the Twelve Masters spoke of can at best appear in the Asteroid Belt.”
“On the Far Sun Planets, everyone has to huddle together for warmth. Even the waste heat generated by machinery is considered a resource and must be concentrated to maintain a temperature where tal-based cells can stay active. Given these conditions, living alone is unrealistic. Everyone must live around reactors, forming communities centered around them.”
Yuki was astonished: “Actually… like that…”
“In fact, most of the ti, the residents of the Far Sun Planets don’t have prosthetic bodies. Their brains are stored together in a three-dinsional matrix. This way, the survival of the most people can be maintained at the lowest cost. Only when work is needed do these brains move out of the warehouse along magnetic tracks, entering ships or prosthetic bodies—of course, many tasks are manageable via wired connections.”
“I thought…” Yuki sighed, “I thought that side would be free and joyful.”
“Freedom? Joy? They’re there, they’re there. No problem, these still exist. Compared to people here, that is.” Xuanyuan Fourteen shook his head, “You know, humanity’s territorial expansion up to the developnt of Jupiter has followed the long-term plan set by the Superman Enterprise’s aerospace departnt—it’s just that the plan itself was never completed. Detailed planning only reached Jupiter; Saturn’s developnt basically followed Jupiter’s plans. And after that, there’s nothing further. ‘How to make more distant planets more habitable’ is a problem no one has ever researched.”
“Although the Conquest Heavenly King… no, David Klein of the 21st century, set the wish ‘to establish a relay station in Uranus’ early on, the process was interrupted. In 2068, he was replaced by the Usurper of the State, but the Usurper did not abandon his work plan and continued it until the early 22nd century, which was the Sublimation War migration period. The developnt inside Jupiter’s orbit and outside Jupiter’s orbit was different. Although after the Sublimation War ended, the Kings who were sealed to the outer Solar System also tried so developnt, once all organizations were destroyed, humanity could no longer burst forth with the efficiency of the old era. There were never enough resources transported to the outer region of the Solar System.”
“Given these premises, how habitable could it be?”
Yuki was disappointed: “I see…”
“You seem to have misunderstood, junior brother. I’m not saying it’s bad there, just that it’s not good enough yet.” Tuoba Xuanyuan Fourteen said, “‘Habitable’ has been an old topic that hasn’t been ntioned for over two hundred years. It’s not even discussed much over there. Because everyone knows there’s no resource.”
“But at least in the virtual world, everyone can still live relatively comfortably. That’s truly no lie.”
Yuki scratched his head: “I always feel… it doesn’t match my imagination. I thought that side belonged to… everyone working together…”
“Huh? Even in the virtual world, you have to work. Helping with martial studies research, troubleshooting, or volunteering for behavioral research.” Xuanyuan Fourteen carefully adjusted the components in his hand, “Living in the virtual world, people still have to work. Not working cannot sustain the existence of the virtual world. You know, according to Master’s idea back then, ‘Virtual is reality after cost reduction.’ Although the public network of the inner Solar System is a cesspool, almost unusable for work, humanity didn’t develop the internet for this.”
Yuki scratched his head: “That’s quite a difference…”
“Actually, all I’ve been emphasizing is one thing. It’s not really habitable for humans. Normal humans, in that kind of environnt, don’t have the desire to reproduce.”
Yuki was stunned: “Ah… huh? The desire to… reproduce?”
Xuanyuan Fourteen scratched his head: “I might confuse you a bit saying it this way. Hmm, how to say it. If the living environnt humans inhabit differs greatly from their natural habitat, there will always be a psychological discomfort. This discomfort leads to an instinctual judgnt, ‘the external environnt is harsh, unsuitable for reproduction,’ thereby reducing the desire to reproduce. An animal’s direct feeling toward the survival environnt includes more than ‘is there food and water.’ Although ‘food and water’ indeed occupy a large portion, it’s not all, you can understand what I an, right?”
Yuki nodded.
“In the territory of the Far Sun Planets, which hasn’t undergone any habitable design, humans almost won’t have reproductive desires. Heroes can’t enforce reproduction tasks like the Protectors. That’s inhumane. And even using assisted reproductive technology might not solve the problem. Humans have a long growth cycle, and controlling variables for capability growth is difficult; a genius clone doesn’t guarantee growing into a genius. On one hand, it leads to a highly singular gene bank, which easily perpetuates genetic backdoors not yet discovered by research institutions. Moreover, there’s an ethical concern—the legitimacy of creating a population for utilitarian purposes.”
“Forty years ago, Heroes were already debating whether we could create clones solely for utilitarian purposes? We have no right to prevent life born of parental union from coming into the world. This is a process that existed before human history. But can humans create clones solely for utilitarian purposes? Clones born this way, are they flesh-and-blood machinery, tools without life rights, or complete individuals? If we give them human status, what about highly intelligent AIs? Using the example of Martial God’s pseudo-personality mask, should AI also be considered as human? These are serious issues concerning Hero ideological direction. To this day, Heroes are still discussing the answer to these questions.”
“Different Space Cities have different inclinations regarding this issue. So Space Cities will use cloning technology to supplent population, so will not. At least within what I’ve heard, Heroes haven’t reached a consensus.”
Yuki mused, “So this is why you’re heading into the Asteroid Belt?”
“Although the outer Solar System is much larger than the inner ring, it has less energy and sparse resources, making it unsuitable for habitation, and there is a small population.” Xuanyuan Fourteen sighed, “This is the aning of why Heroes have been actively operating for two hundred years. Without nurous people from the inner ring of the Solar System standing up for justice, the Heroic Bases beyond Saturn’s orbit would only beco weaker, and the population losses would not be quickly replenished.”
Yuki nodded, “So… that’s how it is…”
“After all, the Earth-Moon system is the most unsuitable area in the human world for Hero activities.” Xuanyuan Fourteen shrugged, “It’s understandable that you didn’t recognize this before. Although it’s like Hell here, it is the closest to the ‘suitable for reproduction’ environnt innate to our biological instincts. Although Earth’s current population is much smaller than in the old tis, it is still greater than the Far Sun Planet. Simply relying on the White Fleet Prosthetics Followers, Black Ship Righteous Followers, and the resources of Saturn and the Far Sun Planet, it is impossible to win. The activities of Heroes in the inner ring of the Solar System, maintaining the general public’s awareness of heroism, is also part of a Hero’s mission—just as the Master often said…”
“‘It’s also a propaganda war’?”
The two spoke this sentence almost in unison.
“That’s right, that’s right, that’s it.” Xuanyuan Fourteen laughed heartily, “It seems you’ve learned a little. Always rember, everyone is a potential hero…”
Yuki asked the last question about the Hero’s actual control area: “Speaking of, what is the scene like in that popular fully sneaking virtual reality over there?”
Xuanyuan Fourteen said, “In the virtual world, no matter how brilliant the effects are, they are just data. Over there, the most precious are the ‘authentic’ things.”
He pointed to the mory disk hanging on Yuki’s body, “Mm, it’s just like that segnt of the Master’s mory I gave you, from the end of the old era, the truer, the better feeling…”
“Wow, really… isn’t making sothing so realistic very resource-intensive?”
“Beyond the basic allocation, more advanced services should be exchanged for labor contribution.” Xuanyuan Fourteen finally placed the last piece of the component into the specialized magnetic storage area of the Maintenance Instrunt, “Alright, I don’t have any work left. I’m planning to deal with those Six Dragons Sect scoundrels next—you can take this ti to look at the mory segnt I gave you. Let tell you, it’s powerful!”
Yuki looked at the mory storage device in his hand and said, “Can I ask, what do the volunteers usually say after watching it?”
“If I told you, it would be a spoiler. Co, take a look.” Tuoba Xuanyuan Fourteen’s tone was like coaxing a child.
………………
In the year 2069, so month.
In the urban area of Sapu City, Xiang Shan stood in front of a changing mirror in the mall, adjusting his collar. He was now a middle-aged man with golden hair, lake green eyes, and a deep-set nose.
This was a fake identity. Superman Enterprise and the user identity were bound together, and it also had so networked auxiliary functions. From this angle, Superman Enterprise had opened up new fields, starting to provide the governnt with managent systems and services for infrastructure construction and maintenance.
anwhile, under the leadership of Zhu Xinyu, the security departnt also established a subsidiary, specifically providing various services including network security testing for the related industries of Superman Enterprise.
Among these, services for invading and attacking those systems were also available upon invitation.
Of course, under normal circumstances, this business should be done by a third party. But Superman Enterprise was indeed leading the world in technology, and Xiang Shan did not want hackers to ss up the cyberization process for humans. Most cybersecurity companies couldn’t understand the technology used by Superman Enterprise.
Zhu Xinyu had very rich counterexperience in this regard. Xiang Shan learned by observing and also knew about so concealed backdoors that hadn’t been repaired.
Creating a complete, fake identity with a life trajectory wasn’t difficult for the current Xiang Shan.
Xiang Shan changed a tie clip and nodded, “Mm, you have to admit, if you want to blend in with those filthy rich circles, you have to wear this kind of clothes.”
[People wearing these clothes definitely aren’t as rich as you.]
[You’re shaless to say that about ? Your big toys, just one of them is enough to give clothes like these to an entire nation,]
David’s words appeared at the corner of his eye: [Confird the paynt process. Very good, no movent at all—no one noticed anything wrong with your identity. Very good, just a little more. Co on, it’s ti to test your hypothesis.]
[Mm.] Xiang Shan gazed at the towering Superman Enterprise, [Although this is my first ti attempting such a high-difficulty operation… this ti, it’ll take your life, ‘Vulcan.’]
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