Humans, scientific name Homo sapiens , is the only surviving species under the Homo genus. âHomoâ is a category under which 16 of its 17 species has gone extinct. Only Homo sapiens are left. The extinction of these Homo species was mainly due to environmental factors, but Homo sapiens also played a part in that.
For example, Homo neanderthalensis were not only more physically robust but had bigger brains than us, but they were completely wiped out by Homo sapiens! This is because Homo sapiens fought in groups, and they will voluntarily team up to kill members of their own species. It is therefore not surprising that genocide occurs in modern society. Itâs something our ancestors have been doing a long time ago.
This proves that thereâs power in unity.
ââNot.
The same rules are in effect, but in the opposite way. Right now itâs the pure humans that are disadvantaged in numbers compared to humanoids who have the zombie virus in their genetic material, tending towards replacing humans.
Karma sure is a bitch!
Humans originate from Africa. Our ape ancestor, the greatest grandmother of all humanity, is named Lucy. Bright is a bit regretful heâs not an offspring of any of Homo erectus pekinensis, Homo erectus yuanmouensis or Homo erectus lantianensis, which are all members of Homo erectus in China. Homo erectus being one of the 16 that perished.
Otherwise, he could have made the excuse of the multiplicity of the origin of the human species to separate himself from those Inner City residents.
With this cruel fact before him, Bright had to admit he and Inner City residents are the same species. He feels conflicted and insulted.
After digesting the explosive news, Bright asks another question, âwhy not eliminate all Outer City citizens directly?â
The AI answers, âaccording to the algorithms, human society is in the form of a pyramid. To maintain the functions of society, the population ratio between Inner and Outer City have been optimally maintained.â
In simpler terms, in service of the few Inner City residents, they have kept a sufficient amount of Outer City citizens around as labour force. The ratio is to be maintained to ensure the efficiency of human society.
There has once been an economist who studied the distribution of income among Brits and discovered that about 80% of wealth is concentrated in about 20% of people. He proposed the Pareto Principle , which is applicable to the City. Most of the wealth and authority is concentrated in Inner City citizensâ hands. Only a little is reserved for Outer City to maintain their daily necessities and encourage them to work hard and create productivity for Inner City residents.
While Bright is mulling over his speciesism, Hopkin is more calm and objective. He questions the AIâs motives, âwhy is this fact concealed from Inner City residents?â It canât be helped that Outer City citizens must be kept out of this, but it is inexplicable to deny the information to Inner City residents too.
âAccording to the algorithm, this is the best solution.â The AI pulls out a few models and charts that absolutely boggles Brightâs mind. Hopkin is concentrated, however, analysing with furrowed brows, and has begun an intense debate with the AI.
The AI believes that the most classified information should be handled on the principle of â need to know ,â what one need not know, should not be known, so that the secret is kept safe. While it protects humans, it also does not trust them, as humans are irrational creatures.
It is somewhat reasonable. Inner City residents are only a small part of the population. If Outer City citizens were to learn of this, they will be in for a catastrophic beatdown. Outer City has too many citizens, not to mention Outsiders. By numbers alone, they can overwhelm them. Even with their weapons and technology, Inner City residents would be in a precarious position. And even if they won, they will still be at a loss with the reduction of their members, reducing the number of humans, few to begin with, even further.
Inner and Outer City are quite similar in their xenophobia. If they are not in the same community, they will hold no loyalty for the other. Whichever side learns the truth wonât let the other side off easily. This contravenes the mission of the AI to maintain the orderly and routine functioning of human society, so it decided to also keep Inner City residents out of the loop.
Bright realises that in front of Hopkin and the AI, heâs practically illiterate. He listens to the two debating high and low, quiet as a mouse.
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He latches onto the few keywords he can make out, trying to understand as best he could in the same way you think âaight, fuck it, Iâll write whateverâ when facing an exam of despair.
The AI says resolutely, âno true randomness exists.â
You can say, not really, I never get the number I want when I throw a dice.
From a physics perspective, however, the final result of the dice is decided from a series of objective variables such as the shape of the dice, its density and the force applied when shaking it. The motion of the dice must also strictly obey the laws of physics. If the data for these factors which play a role are given, the roll of the dice is calculable. This isnât a problem for people like the Kings, Saints or Gods of Gambling; they have the ability to calculate. The same thing applies when you are spinning for a million-dollar jackpot, and to all sorts of things in live.
If randomness does not exist, that means everything is calculable. With enough data and a powerful enough supercomputer, everything that is to happen can be calculated.
âAll is within my calculations.â The AI summarises. It sounds so natural that Hopkin falls silent. His lips have grown paler.
Wait a second. This deterministic theory sounds a bit familiar. Isnât this the crux of the education shaping the worldview of the people inside the City?! That everything is predetermined. Consciousness is a projection of the material that makes up the body; no free will exists in humans.
How scary this is! The words you are reading, the images you are picturing, if you trace it back cause by cause, it will have to have been determined the moment Big Bang occurred hundreds of billions of years ago! Then what meaning is there to be alive? One can only indulge and play and let go to relieve the despair this cruel truth entails.
Bright has finally pinpointed the underlying problem of the City.
The few humans alive in the world, faced with the threat of a new species of humans rising, under the guidance of a supercomputer, have chosen to embrace a future in which what makes humans human is eliminated.
Bright continues the topic, telling the AI, âyour predictions are not necessarily accurate.â
âYou must not deny facts. My calculations are the most rigorous, perfect and precise.â
Bright questions the claim, âthen, have you predicted that Hopkin and I would enter the Citadel together?â
âCertainly,â the AI lists several scenarios, âcase one, Hopkin is physically threatened⊠Case two, Hopkin is linguistically deceived⊠case threeâŠâ
Bright listens for a while and realises his characters seems to be the antagonist all along. He canât help but cut it off, âis there one in which Hopkin willing entered with me?â
ââŠâ
After a long while during which the AI did not respond, Bright says, âit crashed.â
âWhat does that mean?â Hopkin has a blank expression.
âTrue love is invincible,â Bright says jokingly.
The AI, being the AI, quickly aborts the logical process, âit is unreasonable for humans to remain rational. Hopkinâs decision is irrational, emotional, not a result born from values in a logical process. This does not change anything, however. Even with this scenario added, the result of the algorithm does not change. You continue to be a threat to humanity that must be eliminated.â
While saying so, the AI seems to have done something, and the space they are in starts to move. The walls around them are moving gradually, and so are the ceiling and the floor. The six sides of the room are pressing in, as if trying to crush the two into mush.
Bright protects Hopkin, putting him behind him. He looks at the time, feeling it is almost time.
âAlright, I do not deny my potential to threaten Inner City, however, I suggest you reestimate my physical threat.â
The young girl pauses, having worked through some information she just acquired, and sees that the situation in Outer City is worsening. Besides the werewolves, there are also other factions. It reacts immediately, âyou were buying time.â
âYes.â
The mechanism does not stop. The ceiling drops more quickly, almost reaching the top of Brightâs head.
Bright extends his hands to hold it. The ceiling and the floor stop moving.
âItâs useless. Your stamina is limited, and you will not be able to stop it forever. Besides the vertical direction, thereâs also the lateral direction.â
âToo much chatter,â Brightâs muscles throughout his body are tensed up. He gives a glance to Hopkin to calm him, before asking the AI impatiently, âso did you reestimate?â
âBeyond the highest level of threat.â
The AI can see the live feed from the surveillance network. The werewolves were on the brink of defeat by the armed forces gathered by Inner City, but another army intervenes.
It turns out to be, a group of apes that are carrying guns and cannons.
Oh, and thereâs also a kid and a dog.
It is Hope and the Dog-ear Boy whoâs been missing for so long.
âThe current situation is exceptionally disadvantageous for pure humans. Other than the threat of the humanoids, thereâs also werewolves and apes. The werewolves have secured the secret to creating more companions, and their counterattack on Outer City is for acquiring the equipment. I believe they have already begun moving out with the machinery. Even if all the remaining werewolves present were to fall in battle, there will come a day when they come back for revenge.â
âThe same applies to the apes. As an artificially manufactured species, they have acquired freedom with my assistance. They have learned the basic knowledge and skills of human society, even able to operate technologically advanced products such as smart chips. Their intelligence is no worse than humans, but their loyalty, cooperativeness, discipline and sacrificial instincts are all well beyond human capacity. They are full of potential and creativity.â
The AI seems to be realising for the first time that its mission has a chance to fail. It is overclocking itself, the streams of data flow almost getting choked up.
Hopkin looks at Bright, stupefied, as if it were the first time they were meeting each other. His black pair of eyes are glittering, like how boys look at superheroes. His gaze is making Bright burn up on his face, in his chest and about his lower body.
He tries to stay calm, âthe humanoids have numbers, and I donât necessarily have goodwill for them either. We might as well form a partnership. I promise to take all the rebellious elements, both the werewolves and apes, away from the City forever. While under my leadership, no actions that might threaten the entirety of Inner City residents will be undertaken.â
âThe probability of you betraying me is 100%.â The AI speaks coldly, without a smile on its face.
âYou can send someone to watch over us. How does Statistician sound? He cannot lie to you nor to pure humans. Besides, I canât live for that long. Humans have short lives, and you can decide to act after a few dozens of years to eliminate these threats. It will be half the effort for double the return.â
âIf I do not make it out on time, Hope will lead the army to storm into Inner City. We will both be losers then.â
The walls around them have finally stopped squeezing inwards. Bright can feel the strong pressure dissipating.
The space is very small right now. Hopkin is inside Brightâs embrace, his chest against his, and looking each other in the eye.
âWhat are you thinking about?â The man with the brown pair of eyes ask.
âI was thinking, it wouldnât have been bad to die with you like that either. Nobody will be able to separate us then.â
Me inside you, you inside me, as a pile of gorey mush together?
âAre you sure youâre flirting with me and not telling me a horror story?â