CAT Chapter 40: Endless Cycle (2)
by Abo DammenLin Si didnβt speak again, and the Marshal remained silent for a while before finally saying, βLetβs head back.β
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Lucia received the order, and the spaceship smoothly turned around, gradually moving away from the massive void that had been annihilated by the antimatter weapon in the dust.
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After a while, Mr. Lambert went to find the Colonel to discuss some practical issues with the device and left the control room.
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The Marshal looked out the window and spoke, βI still donβt understand why you insist on disagreeing.β
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βI just think we should have a bottom line,β Lin Si replied.
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βYou said the same thing before,β the Marshal continued. βOver a decade ago, another group of scientists aboard the spaceship already developed a method of integrating human tissue and machineryβ¦ There was no need to create a whole new project like the neural chip project, but it was also rejected during a discussion.β
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Lin Si said, βI didnβt know about that.β
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The Marshal replied, βYou werenβt thawed back then.β
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βHuman tissue?β Lin Si thought for a moment. βAre you talking about live tissue?β
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βThe bodies in Zone 9 sometimes die,β the Marshal said. βIβve seen the experiment plan. If you combine some tissue with machinery, it would have some very miraculous effects. In the end, that group made some results, but unfortunately, it was opposed by too many people, and it was never put into use.β
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βIf it were me, I would oppose it as well,β Lin Si said. βIf this technology developed further, it would eventually face huge ethical issues.β
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The Marshal sneered, βSo you donβt think your genetic modification project faces the same issues?β
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βI donβt think they are the same in nature,β Lin Si said. βYou seem regretful that that project was shelved, but you are still firmly against my genetic modification project.β
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βI donβt think they are the same either,β the Marshal said coldly. βOnce your modified bodies grow in number, theyβll form groups. If someone leads them, it could breed separatism. But we can freely control machines, no matter whether they contain human tissue or not.β
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The atmosphere between the two of them, which had softened for a few minutes, immediately became tense again.
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But it seemed like neither of them cared enough to argue about the nature of βLimitlessβ technology anymoreβsuch arguments never led anywhere and only resulted in sarcasm.
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βYou want your army to progress, but at the same time, you reject their progress out of suspicion,β Lin Si frowned and said faintly. βSometimes, I think youβre being contradictory, and there must be some hidden reason behind this contradiction.β
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βYou should see a psychologist,β the Marshal responded coldly.
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Lin Si narrowed his eyes and looked at the Marshal.
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The Marshal must have been prepared for potential dangers aboard the spaceship, but why was he so wary of his own soldiers? Was it because he believed the threat came from Zone 3? Why?
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But if that were the case, he wouldnβt receive any information from the Marshalβmilitary forces always kept secrets.
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Lin Si shifted the topic and brought up an unexpected question.
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βMarshal, Iβve always had one question,β Lin Si said. βWhy is Ling Yi on the spaceship?β
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The Marshal looked at him deeply for a moment and then replied, βLing Ning volunteered to leave the spaceship to accompany his wife, giving up the spot for their son. Our friendship has lasted over 20 years, so I couldnβt refuse.β
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βMr. Ling and Ye Selin gave up two spots,β Lin Si said flatly, though with a hint of pressure in his tone. βBut Ling Jing didnβt come.β
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βThe launch time was tight! It was already difficult to find Ling Yi and get him onto the ship,β the Marshalβs voice rose slightly. βAnd you think your spot came out of nowhere?β
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βI believe it did,β Lin Si looked directly at the Marshal, refusing to back down. βDid I voluntarily board the spaceship?β
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βWhen will you finally understand what it means to put the greater good first?β The Marshalβs tone became almost severe.
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βIβll never understand,β Lin Siβs chest rose and fell with emotion. βAt that time, there were still 500 million people alive on Earth. What exactly was the βgreater goodβ then?β
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βEven if we survive this disaster, Earth is no longer a place where humanity can live. We must leave!β the Marshal said.
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βOur current planet is also not suitable for human life. Why donβt you advocate for leaving?β Lin Si replied. ββSo youβre contradicting yourself. You take two different attitudes toward two similar situations, and thatβs strange.β
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He paused for a moment before continuing, βI donβt know if your decision is right or wrongβ¦ I just canβt accept that, knowing the vaccine will be completed soon, we couldnβt stay on Earth a little longer. Why not leave some hope for Earth? I know the wormhole activity that day was perfect for a jump, butβ¦β
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His tone wasnβt as aggressive as it was at the start, and it softened somewhat, even becoming momentarily speechless. After a pause, he continued, ββ¦ Is it really that hard to wait a few more years?β
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He stared into the Marshalβs eyes and asked the question again.
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At that moment, in the Marshalβs eyes, he saw his own reflectionβthis reflection overlapping with the young doctor from when the Voyager first launched.
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Even after all these years, he still couldnβt forgive the spaceship, nor could he forgive himself.
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And once again, this question went unanswered.
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The Marshalβs lips moved, but in the end, he only said one sentence:,βThe situation at the time was very complicated, and we didnβt make the most perfect decision.β
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Lin Si shook his head. βYouβve always been hiding something. What else is there that I donβt know?β
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The Marshal didnβt answer, but patted him on the shoulder. βGet some rest.β
**
Ling Yi, Svenya, Adelaide, and a few engineers were playing Texas Holdβem, and surprisingly, Tang Ning, who had just returned from Zone 1, joined them. The game originated hundreds of years ago in the American West, and itβs a game that tests participantsβ psychological fortitude and strategic ability. Itβs hard to win using just probability or mathematical models, but even so, Tang Ning had a better chance of winning. Adelaide was second, after all, his expertise as a psychologist came in handy for this kind of game.
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So, when Zheng Shu entered the room, after witnessing a large-scale brawl last time, he now found himself in the middle of a large-scale offline gambling scene.
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Zheng Shu, ββ¦β
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He joined the table.
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βSet an example! Boss, whereβs your example?β the engineer shouted.
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βI think itβs necessary for you to experience how unpleasant these games can get,β Zheng Shuβs smile sent a shiver down their spines. βThen, youβll focus on your work.β
Zheng Shu was right.
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After a few rounds, more than half of the chips in the pot somehow ended up in Zheng Shuβs hands.
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Adelaide folded three times in a row and sighed, βWhen we were younger, we tried a bit of everything, even this. Zheng-ge has never lost at this kind of thing.β
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Ling Yi, curious, asked, βDoes Lin Si play too?β
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βHe plays,β Adelaide replied, βbut he never actually participates in the game.β
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Ling Yi asked, βSo how does he play?β
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Before Adelaide could answer, the door opened again, and Lin Si had returned.
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He glanced around the room, then looked carefully at the chips in the pot.
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βNo-limit?β He raised an eyebrow. βYou guys are good at this.β
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βCome on,β Adelaide waved excitedly at him.
Lin Si hummed, raised his knuckles, and tapped the light switch three times. Immediately, the roomβs lighting dimmed by three levels, becoming slightly darker.
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He walked over to the engineer, who had lost the last round and was now assigned to deal the cards. Lin Si said indifferently, βIβll deal.β
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The engineer, feeling pardoned, happily sat back down by the table.
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The dim light gave Lin Siβs white shirt an ambiguous sheen, and the silver bracelet on his wrist reflected a glint, further adding to the effect. Despite this, his expression remained as impassive as ever, his demeanor cold, with only the swift movements of his hands dazzling the others.
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Ling Yi couldnβt take his eyes off Lin Siβs elegant fingers as they shuffled the cards with such ease.
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Adelaide, comfortably leaning back in the semi-dark room, sighed in contentment, βThis is the feelingβwhen Lin Si shuffles the cards, itβs like youβre sitting in the highest-class casino in Las Vegas, ready to bet anything at any moment.β
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Lin Si raised an eyebrow. βSo, whatβs your bet?β
βSweetener.β Adelaide, suddenly lacking in confidence, added, βWe donβt actually have money to bet.β
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It was the latest creation from Zone 2βpowders that made nutrient solutions taste better, with flavors like grape, tomato, and so on.
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Because the nutrient solution was so unpleasant, these powders were in high demand.
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βSo, boss, let us have a bit of that,β the young engineer shouted. βWhy do you need so much sweetener?β
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Zheng Shu thought for a moment. βI could give some to Tang Ningβ¦ I remember you like strawberries, right?β
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Tang Ning didnβt respond.
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An artificial intelligence named Vivian, dressed in a red princess gown, appeared out of nowhere and said, βTang Ning likes grapes!β
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Zheng Shu smiled apologetically. βI must have remembered wrong.β
Adelaide cleverly changed the subject and casually asked, βLingLing, what flavor do you like?β
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βI donβt knowβ¦β Ling Yi thought for a moment. βThey all taste good.β
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βYouβre so easy to please, little cutie,β Adelaide praised Ling Yi.
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Svenya chimed in, βBut LingLing lost a lot earlier. Lin, I think you need to teach him how to play a good hand.β
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βMm,β Lin Si replied indifferently, βIt doesnβt matter if he loses. I can make sweetener in my lab, any flavor you want.β
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βIs that so!β Svenya exclaimed jealously.
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Ling Yi just smiled without saying anything.
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βSo, as long as Lin Si was around, there was nothing to fear.
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Lin Si looked at Ling Yiβs bright, smiling eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.
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Adelaideβs gaze moved between Lin Si and Ling Yi, intrigued, and clicked his tongue.
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