Chapter 2144: Implanting Ideas Is a Terrifying Act
The player from the Enforcement Team wasn't just talking. After Xu Huo left through the portal, two players had been tailing him the entire time. They didn't bother hiding their movements, making it perfectly clear that they were watching him, ensuring he had no chance to cause trouble.
He wasn't the only one receiving this treatment. Many advanced players from other zones were under similar surveillance. Most had no choice but to bow their heads under the circumstances, while a rare few wanted to resist but had no opportunity to escalate things.
Whether ordinary people or players, the locals were all cooperative, so this station city maintained a tense order as it gradually transitioned into the late night.
The information about Xu Huo provoking the Tian Clan had been deleted, but plenty of people had already seen it. So neither the city government nor the Tian Clan dared to take it lightly. After midnight, the players roaming the city became even more vigilant.
However, instead of attackers, what arrived was an article published by a well-known scholar discussing the relationship between technological development and human progress.
This article cited data released by various city governments in District 008 regarding instrument usage and manpower investment, the cutting-edge projects publicly funded by top tech companies to attract investment, the frequency of medication use among locals and players, the declining number of first-trial players over the years, and the participation and mortality rates of players in incidents classified as C-level or above over the past decade. From this, it deduced and predicted that District 008 might achieve a fully instrument-driven era within a hundred years. At that point, instruments would be everywhere in daily life, capable of replacing most human labor and even the roles of players.
Under this premise, the scholar first affirmed the benefits of technological development, then offered their own insight: that weakening human presence without restraint was not a good thing. District 008 had already suffered losses due to genetic screening in the past, and in fact, some similar districts had also stumbled. Learning from past mistakes, the scholar believed that district governments should limit instrument usage in certain areas, expand the number of players, and improve player treatment. This expansion did not refer to the overall number of players in District 008, but only those belonging to various city governments.
Because players in District 008 were not the same as players under the district government. Based on existing data, once players under city governments reached their level caps, they would start clearing instances to ensure survival. Meanwhile, in the frequent attacks by players from other zones, the Enforcement Team mostly relied on instruments and armed robots. This wasn't entirely without benefit—reducing casualties was certainly good—but if all players under the district government operated this way, the entire district would soon fall into another imbalance: the strength of player organizations or family clans would surpass that of the district government.
This wasn't to say that player organizations or families that cultivated large numbers of players would necessarily actively disrupt local order. But if the government lost its deterrent power, many would pay lip service while acting otherwise. Beyond the illegal experiments and activities disguised under legal pretexts that surfaced every year, there was also the issue of population plundering from weaker districts.
Such incidents happening in other districts might not give most people a sense of crisis, but at its root, this population plundering stemmed from the devaluation of ordinary people. Players came from the vast pool of ordinary people, but if District 008 no longer needed so many players, the value of ordinary people would further decline. Maintaining the strength and deterrent power of city governments was precisely to avoid this situation. The "theory of ordinary people's worthlessness" was essentially the same as the genetic screening of previous years. No one had publicly advocated for the former, but during the heyday of genetic screening, both the city governments and genetic companies in District 008 had released numerous related votes and surveys. At that time, many believed that "flawed" genes should not be passed on, and those "flawed" genes were equivalent to ordinary people now or in the future.
"In a human-dominated society, everything should prioritize people. But human nature dictates that not everyone can respect life, so external constraints are necessary. The strength of the district government is the foundation of such constraints and the cornerstone for a district's healthy continuation."
The article ended with a brief concluding statement that seemed somewhat alarmist. However, recent news appeared to validate the scholar's insight: some plundered populations from other districts, even going so far as to annihilate an entire district; others privately kidnapped and abducted ordinary people to use as experimental subjects—human experimentation was supposed to be a line that human society should never cross.
"Why? Just because I'm not a player who can use items? I was born here, treated others kindly all my life, and never broke the law. I worked diligently, contributed a small part to the district's prosperity, and looked forward to a better tomorrow. Now I'm being told that because I lack power, I might become an insignificant experimental sample, die without knowing why, have my body frozen in some corner underground, and then become a second experimental sample or feed for xenomorphs?"
"I won't accept this! My children shouldn't and can't live in such a world!"
Once the first reader voiced an opinion, a second and third followed. Some worried about their own situation, others about their children. Some had experienced the disappearance of loved ones whose fates remained unknown. Some wanted to become players and gain power. Not only ordinary people but also players joined in—these people might have different motivations, but at this moment, they all converged on a single ultimate goal: the future of District 008.
For the future of District 008, the district government should cultivate more players and give them more practical experience, rather than letting some people coast on instrument advantages;
For the future of District 008, the government should eliminate those who break the law and bully others, preventing them from harming fellow citizens and stifling the potential of ordinary people;
For the future of District 008, eradicate all potentially disruptive factors, nipping them in the bud;
For the future of District 008, kill everyone who tries to destroy peace!
"Implanting ideas is a very terrifying act." The scholar sitting across from Xu Huo took a sip of tea, commenting on the flood of discussions surging on the message collection terminal.
Xu Huo agreed. "But a sense of crisis is the best way to keep a race vibrant."
The scholar nodded. "Your view aligns with mine. Additionally, I strongly dislike what the Tian Clan has done, especially since they brought trouble to District 008. I agreed to help you publish this article as a small apology to the people of Block Fairy Tale City. At the same time, I hope this matter will wake more people up."
One more chapter later.