Itâs not that Bright doesnât trust Hopkin. In fact, he trusts nobody here.
The only creature he trusts right now is LatiaoâDadiao at his home.
Even the Wolves, part of his insurgency alliance, is part of what Bright is wary about. The other partyâs interests and his is currently overlapping, but it is not the exact same. He has to stay alert at all times so as not to be betrayed by them.
He has had some positive interactions with the Alpha under the mediation of Wolfie, but the talk has not proceeded well. Itâs not that the two parties view each other negatively, but it is exactly because they view each other too well, as if they are empathetic of each other, or feeling like great minds thinking alike. Bright can see the respect and caution the Alpha has for a dangerous member of its same kind on his expression when facing him, and he probably has the same expression himself.
Before the private meeting, Bright has tried to probe Wolfie indirectly for information on Alpha. From the trusting and adoring tone of Wolfie he knows that this leader is not only strong physically, but also has the wisdom and charisma befitting his leadership position. He has led his companions on many dangerous missions while tussling with the military to maximise the advantages for his pack.
They have been through wars. They have had victories, had sacrifices, but also had failures. Yet every time, he will live and bring his companions back alive. All werewolves follow the steps of the Alpha indomitably, without fail.
Incidentally, Alpha has also learned about Bright through indirect channels previously. His attention on him even earlier than when Bright has noticed himself and his pack. The military has a good agent-cum-analyst for the Wolves who looks on the surface to belong to the show but has been coaxed to the military faction all along, and has collected and analysed detailed information on potential enemies for them.
That agent who is slightly autistic, whose disposition only improves when talking about numbers, has warned them to be careful of Bright, âdonât look at how thereâs so much information about him all around the place, which are mostly gossips and rumours. The amount of real data on him, especially on his fighting capabilities, is actually the least among all contestants.â
The Alpha understands that very well. He canât decipher the man at all.
Bright can completely dominate Wolfie, but refers to himself as human to him. This is too strange. The Alpha speculates that he is a modified human from a certain faction. Bright is also plain when talking about his objective, that is to escape from the clutches of the City and acquire freedom.
This is too in line with their own objective. Is there really such a serendipitous coincidence in the world? It feels more like a trap. The Alpha has seen too much. He has experienced too much. Too much for him to give his trust lightly.
Therefore, in their first meeting, the two look calm on the surface, but are actually especially alert. They considered each sentence over and over again, scrutinising every bit of the other personâs expression. Probing each other but without much meaningful result. Then they would remark in their minds that the other person is someone they underestimate at their own peril, and raise their alertness in their minds again.
After his direct interaction with Alpha, Bright feels lucky he has managed to hold onto his life, and realises that the other person is deep beyond his imagination.
If he were him, as the Alpha, and needing to eliminate someone when there is such a difference in power between them, there is no chance for the other person to escape. Certainly there is some unexpected circumstances here like Wolfie not completely following his orders and him not having revealed his true power, that caused the operation to fail.
Yet like a lion, who would still use all their abilities when hunting a rabbit, not to mention a pack of wolves! Also, when hunting him that they, they arrived way too late. Bright thus deduces that killing him is just a ruse and the other party has other intentions. They must have done something under this disguise.
Faced with such a strong, wise and dangerous leader, Bright dares not let his guard down at all.
All in all, their talk did not go well. Yet it isnât fruitless.
Bright managed to learn a bit about the world outside the City from Alpha. Though Old Veteran did have information, it is still outdated being from 10 years ago. Also, the werewolves have operated over large swathes of territory. And with the level of missions they receive, they, of course, know more than the normal soldier.
There are enemies outside the City. Thereâs also radiation, beasts, mutated creatures⌠While wilderness survival and base building is difficult, it is still apparently doable.
Whether it can be said to be use, or being used, he has finally made one step towards his goal.
Back to the present, facing this stuff that might affect his brain, Bright is employing extreme caution. He doesnât even dare touch alcohol that only numbs the consciousness, not to mention the drugs, then thereâs no way he will touch something like this that can modify oneâs mind.
âif youâre like that, Iâd think youâre trying to draw a clear boundary with me, and one-sidedly end our current relationship.â
Bright is probing and analysing the objectives of Hopkin. If it were just to repay him then he will be able to reject it one way or another. Though if it is what the show ordered, then it will be troublesome.
The gorgeous man with black hair and black eyes seem unmoved by his speech that can almost be said to be flirty. Unusualness usually means something is up. When he mentioned this topic the last time when they were having the photoshoot, he has noticed Brightâs hidden repulsion to this. Or this situation wouldnât have arisen in the first place.
If he doesnât want the injection, then he will order the injection.
That he does not do it forcefully, is because he wants to ascertain the reason the man is repulsive to this. Seeing him struggle like that is also interesting, like a butterfly caught in a bug net, flapping its wings and struggling incessantly, naĂŻvely thinking it can escape its bounds and fly across the sky.
His eyes are clear and piercing, as if telling him not to insult his intelligence.
âWhat is it that you really mean?â
Bright asks cautiously, âdoes it affect my way of thinking?â
From his behaviour, Hopkin has now managed to ascertain his reason. Itâs just the cautious behaviour an Outsider exhibits towards citizens of the City, something about the silly concept of free will or something.
He says on purpose, âof course. Knowledge will widen oneâs horizons, train their brain power, and expand their ability of thought.â As he says it the repulsion written on Brightâs face gets more and more noticeable, and he becomes more and more delighted.
People always think they are dictating their own lifeâs choices. In reality, the existence of the concept of âfree willâ is mainly for its usefulness as the foundation for morals and laws, etc. That its existence is needed does not necessarily prove its existence. Like love, this is just another delusion of humanity.
Many experiments and studies have already proven that free will does not exist. People only retroactively think that they have made a decision.
There was this simple experiment that asked volunteers to look at letters randomly displayed on a screen. The volunteers can press the button at any time and have to remember the letter on display at the time when they have decided to do so. By analysing the brain waves of the volunteers, the brain activity shows that the decision to execute the action is almost 6 seconds earlier than when the volunteers consciously press the button. This shows that before the volunteer is conscious of the fact that they have made the decision, their brain has already decided it for them, proving that free will does not exist.
This is a scientific fact that has been precisely reasoned and proven in the basic educational materials of the City.
Hopkin becomes curious. What reactions will Bright give when he learns the truth?
Will it destroy his will, make him waver, degrade himself, give up on himself?
What a thing to look forward to.
He is now firm in his decision to give the shot to Bright.
âSo, itâs just knowledge?â Like information, you can choose to use it or not?
Bright is a bit more relaxed. He thinks his valiant sun-facing heart should be able to withstand the dark mudslide of this dark world.
Hopkin is very satisfied with how the man wants to retaliate but cannot do so and has to endure it. He is furrowing his brows on the surface, however, as if impatient from how much Bright is hesitating.
âYouâll have to be injected eventually. When the points race end, and the show enables you to go out to participate in events or other programmes, youâll have to meet with more people like sponsors and fans. Without these common sense knowledge and information youâll be asking for big trouble. The show wonât allow that to happen.â
A hint of struggle flashes across Brightâs face. If it had to be done, rather than having it done when he is ill-prepared in the future, he might as well accept it now when he has time to prepare a way of handling it.
At the same time, he is ecstatic from the information provided by Hopkinââoh oh oh, he can go out? Being on the good side with a third party sure has its benefit. This thing is something even his agent Ococo has not mentioned.
Hopkin wears a pair of gloves, takes a cotton swab and the needle, and injects it on the deltoid muscle on the obedient manâs upper right arm.
The liquid looks transparent, and looks as normal as saline fluid. Yet it is creating tidal waves in Brightâs brain.
The feeling is strange. Like thereâs suddenly a lot more information in your brain. Many things he takes to be truths are severely impacted.
It is like he has seen a red, round fruit before that he has the label âappleâ for. Suddenly a new label of âbananaâ is forcibly applied to it as well. Both labels being there confusing him.
Hopkin did not lie to him. The shot only gave him information. It is just that the knowledge is very systematised and its logic sound, its evidence solid. The whole theory is there with no loopholes. It did severely affect his original ideologies and beliefs.
He has finally understood why the humanity of this world would be so utterly debaucherous and indulgent. Enjoying themselves day and night while challenging the baseline of what it is to be human.
It is because there is no hope. There is nothing that would support them searching or believing in hope.
Science has proven that there is no deity. Faith is a collective self-delusion. People can only believe in themselves.
Science has proven that free will is a pseudo-concept. Your brain and your instincts have already made your decision for you before you. Your instinctive reactions come before your consciousness. Your consciousness only inhibits your actions, affecting your happiness. If that is the case, you might as well give up on consciously limiting yourself and indulge yourself in your instincts.
Science has further proven that humans are inherently evil. Humans are born with the ability and actions that preemptively tend towards satisfying their desires. All human behaviour can be summed up with one wordâââsex.â It is what drives human behaviour, and has its roots in our evolutionary history.
What is scary is that the theory attributes this inherent behavioural tendency to the billions of years of evolution experienced by humans, and has given us an excuse to fall to debauchery without concern, or even regret or shame. It is how our genes have written us, after all.
âHmphâŚâ Bright massages his temples a bit, and absorbs the information only after a long time, thinking that the ruling class has made quite the applaudable choice in what knowledge to disseminate. He mockingly laughs at it in his mind.
What about agency ?
What about natural selection and heredity?
What about principles and how one's speech and conduct would reflect that?
He pauses, before talking to Hopkin who is paying close attention to him, âhave you heard of the â â? â As man begins, his personality good. Their birth similar, their habits dissimilar. ââ
His brown pupils are kind but resolute. It looks clear and clean like the sky right after it is cleansed with pure rainwater. It is also like the thick blanket of snow on a gray, parched land, pure white, untainted.
It is not a kind of recklessness from being ignorance. It is instead the bravery and resilience that remains even after giving something a deep, deep thought. Hopkin can see a terrifying power underneath the surface of the man. It seems to be able to metamorphose out of its cocoon at any time, tearing apart his whole world.
âYou will have to kill him.â A voice speaks, next to his ear.
Authorâs notes:
Bright: Is there even anyone who can recite the whole passage of âThree Character Classicâ? Iâll eat Hopkin live on camera if Iâm wrong!