Humanity and Rationality

"When was the last time you made a choice?"

"What is the thing you are most unwilling to face?"

"A blood-black void begins to weave a network, cells connecting to each other, and then connecting to the main trunk."

The questions once again turned into poetry, and Sun Hang immediately repeated:

"A blood-black void begins to weave a network, cells connecting to each other, and then connecting to the main trunk."

"What is the most terrifying thing you have ever dreamed of? Connecting to the main trunk."

The poetic verses played by the synthesized voice began to repeat, appearing at the end of those questions. Sun Hang also started to repeat the repeating verses and words.

"Connecting to the main trunk."

"Connecting."

"Connecting."

"Do you think humans are your kind? Cells."

"Cells."

"Under what circumstances did your emotions fluctuate intensely the last time? Connecting."

"Connecting."

"What is survival to you? Connecting."

"Connecting."

"And so, against the backdrop of that darkness,"

"And so, against the backdrop of that darkness," Sun Hang repeated.

"A white water column erupts from a fountain, spraying upwards."

"A white water column erupts from a fountain, spraying upwards."

"Do you feel that you are no longer human?"

"Do you often feel hungry?"

"Have you ever pondered the meaning of your own existence?"

"What does your ideal opposite-sex partner look like in your fantasy?"

"Have you experienced unbearable hunger??"

The synthesized voice threw out five questions in quick succession, followed by a sentence of twenty-one characters in verse.

"Through the smoke, I glimpsed a tall, white fountain and woke up with a start."

"Through the..."

Before Sun Hang could finish repeating the verse, the synthesized voice interrupted him: "Test complete."

"It's over already?" Sun Hang was slightly taken aback. The lights in the room had returned to normal, and the disorienting feeling of floating in space vanished instantly.

It was as if gravity had pulled him back to Earth's surface. Fresh air flooded his lungs, and his blood began to flow again.

The room door opened, but it wasn't the staff in heavy protective suits who entered. Instead, it was the woman who had been standing beside the old man in the wheelchair earlier.

"Let me formally introduce myself, my name is Yang Qi, and I'm a doctoral candidate at the Tianfu City Anomaly Research Institute." As she spoke, she walked closer and began to peel the electrode patches off Sun Hang.

"Then should I call you Dr. Yang?" Sun Hang asked casually.

"I haven't obtained my doctorate yet... although I've been here for a full seven years." Yang Qi sighed. "I've seen many people infected by the Anomalization Virus, but only a very small number of them can become Hunter. Most people, in the end..."

She paused at this point and then looked directly into Sun Hang's eyes: "The assessment isn't over yet, there's one last question... This question is different from all the previous ones. You must give a definitive answer."

"What question?"

"Suppose you become a Hunter, and during a mission, you encounter an Oddity far more powerful than described in the intelligence. You cannot eliminate it with your own strength, and at this moment, your connection with the Investigation Bureau headquarters is severed by some mysterious force. You cannot report this intelligence, nor can you request reinforcements."

Yang Qi continued, "You've tried many things, but all have failed. In despair, you discover a way to eliminate the Oddity..."

"What way?"

"I won't go into specifics, it's not important. In short, an opportunity to eliminate the Oddity presents itself, but the price is that you need to use a nearby village as bait to lure the Oddity there."

"Have the villagers been evacuated?"

"No, the villagers have not received any notification... Normally, the operational plans of Investigators and Hunters are top secret. Except for the military units or Peacekeepers cooperating with you, no one will know about your actions," Yang Qi said.

"Then if the Oddity is lured into the village, how many casualties would there be?"

"Everyone in the village will die, without exception."

"And what is the probability of successfully eliminating the Oddity?"

"One hundred percent," Yang Qi said. "You don't need to consider the probability, nor do you need to think of other methods. This is a very simple choice: the sacrifice of hundreds of villagers in exchange for an opportunity to eliminate a powerful Oddity. You just need to give your choice."

"I don't think I'll encounter such a situation. The conditions you've given are too idealized," Sun Hang shrugged. "In my opinion, it's highly likely that all the villagers will be slaughtered, and only then will you discover that this so-called opportunity is actually useless... How can there be such a cheap thing in the world – sacrificing a few hundred people to deal with a BOSS-level monster."

"So, you also think this exchange is 'worth it', right?" Yang Qi met Sun Hang's gaze. "So, what is your choice?"

"Is this to test my moral bottom line?"

"You can think of it that way. As a Hunter, when acting alone, it's humanity or rationality – which do you choose?"

"Allow me to reconsider," Sun Hang said, waving his hand and looking away.

The woman's gaze was too sharp; meeting her eyes always made Sun Hang feel uncomfortable.

"This is the only chance to eliminate the Oddity. Missing this opportunity won't just get you killed; it will lead to a far more serious disaster... and by then, hundreds more will die." Yang Qi's tone was full of persuasion. "Even if you choose not to sacrifice those few hundred people, they won't survive anyway. After the Oddity kills you, this small village, so close by, will have no chance of escaping... When the Oddity appeared here, the fate of those few hundred people was already sealed."

"So, their only outcome is death?"

"Yes. This isn't a trolley problem, where you can divert the track to save them," Yang Qi emphasized again.

"So, in past hunts, when you encountered similar situations, how did you handle it?" Sun Hang retorted. "To eliminate an Oddity, would you pay any price? Does that price... include civilians?"

"It should be put another way: we choose to 'minimize damage'," Yang Qi said.

"I think I understand what you mean."

"So, what is your choice...?" Yang Qi stood up, took half a step back, her gaze intense.