Small Molecule (1): Humpback Whale

65 million years ago, Venus

Nikola Tesla and Abbott returned to Venus. The two went over the plan to transform Earth and Mars again. Abbott would draft the report and submit it to the Venus Alliance Committee.

The Venus Alliance arranged for Tesla to stay temporarily at the Rivenburg Hotel, giving him two interconnected guest rooms: one for living and the other as his studio.

Eighty years had passed, and everything on Venus felt profoundly unfamiliar to Tesla.

Although the service staff in the guest rooms and restaurant, both male and female, were polite, well-mannered, and smiling, it was easy to tell they were all intelligent robots.

This century-old hotel had clearly undergone numerous renovations and upgrades. What surprised Tesla the most was that he couldn't find the renowned Rivenburg bar on the top floor that he remembered from 80 years ago. He learned from the service system that the bar had been closed for over a decade.

Do Venusians not socialize anymore? With intelligent robots replacing human labor, shouldn't humans have more time to spend in bars and enjoy themselves?

Nikola Tesla connected to the Lightning Ball in his studio and finally got his answer.

After Venus entered the information age, artificial intelligence technology had made leaps and bounds. Due to a significant increase in productivity, intelligent machines replaced human labor, leading to a complete transformation of the entire societal production and lifestyle.

Investors and engineers related to artificial intelligence formed the elite stratum of society. A large number of jobs were replaced by artificial intelligence, and waves of unemployment emerged in manufacturing, service industries, and even agriculture, leading to escalating social conflicts.

Elites are elites. The CEO of Venus's largest artificial intelligence company proposed a "genius" solution: while artificial intelligence large model companies paid enormous taxes to the alliance government, they also funded a social welfare fund.

From then on, Venusians no longer needed to work or labor to receive high welfare and subsidies from the government and the fund. In other words, they were encouraged to consume without producing.

The means and methods to satisfy consumption needs were constantly evolving and upgrading through artificial intelligence and virtual reality technology.

A little over a decade ago, Orange Company, Venus's largest smart device manufacturer, launched a smart eye mask that transported Venusians' real lives into a virtual world that everyone yearned for.

Venusians' food was personalized by intelligent nutrition analysts based on each individual's constitution. The advantage of these foods was their health and safety, but the drawback was their complete lack of color, aroma, and taste, offering no variation or surprise.

The smart eye mask completely changed all of this. People could eat while wearing the eye mask, and by moving their eyeballs, they could trigger brainwaves and enjoy various delicacies from the Venusian human database.

Virtual reality and precise stimulation feedback from the brain's neural pathways allowed Venusians to experience the same visual, olfactory, and gustatory sensations as imagined food.

The same bowl of congee could be lobster, a vegetable salad, or even freshly picked strawberries with an earthy aroma.

The advertising slogan of a well-known virtual food company had brainwashed almost all Venusians: "Technology changes life, consciousness transcends perception!"

Socializing was also virtual. People could set up scenes, invite friends, arrange meals, and even choose their preferred weather.

On a warm, sunny afternoon, on a vast white beach, waves lapped rhythmically against the fine sand at the shore. People lay under beach umbrellas, sipping cool, delicious cocktails.

This wonderful, happy life might have been realized by a scruffy, unshaven strong man lazily lying on a dirty wooden bed, his only task being to put on the smart eye mask.

Nikola Tesla disconnected from the Lightning Ball, a complex mix of emotions churning within him. He remembered the night before he left Earth, a task Maria had entrusted him with.

Maria had said she had a friend on Venus named Brahma, who lived in a small fishing village by the sea a few hundred kilometers from Rivenburg. Maria had asked Tesla to visit him and deliver a package.

Brahma, with his dark, weathered face and sturdy build, politely welcomed Nikola Tesla, who had traveled from afar.

When he learned that Tesla was Maria's boyfriend, who had been in a coma for many years, he became as warm as family. He grinned broadly and shouted, pulling Tesla into his small yard.

"I often heard Dr. Maria mention you, saying you were in a coma for many years due to an accident. She must be so happy you've woken up."

Brahma, with his strong arms, pulled Tesla's arm up and down, examining him. He then asked, "How is Dr. Maria? Are Vinu and Cynthia well too?"

Nikola Tesla was taken aback. His trips to Earth to see Maria had been brief, and Maria had not introduced him to any other companions on Earth. He had never even heard of Vinu and Cynthia.

"Maria is fine. It seems she just used me as a delivery person to give you this package. I haven't met the other two people you mentioned." Tesla handed the package to Brahma and then asked curiously, "Maria studies life sciences, why do you call her 'Doctor'?"

Brahma smiled and began to tell the story of his family and Maria.

Brahma was a retired soldier who became a truck driver after his service, transporting equipment for Maria's research institute.

His wife's name was Vinu, an accountant at an accounting firm, and they had a daughter named Cynthia.

More than a decade ago, the Venus-wide intelligent logistics system became operational, eliminating the need for truck drivers, and Brahma became unemployed.

Vinu had become unemployed even earlier. Before the accounting industry disappeared, she had been persuaded to resign by the company's HR department due to a work error.

This was because Vinu had prepared a balance sheet for a certain listed company that contained errors and was publicly disclosed. The difference between assets and liabilities was not zero, causing a rather embarrassing situation.

After becoming unemployed, Brahma's family lived the life they had always dreamed of under the welfare system of the alliance government and the artificial intelligence welfare fund. They didn't need to work and could indulge in satisfying every sensory and emotional desire.

As time went on, the couple began to grow weary of this life. What worried them more was Cynthia, who was still young. Would her entire long future be confined to this virtual reality?

Vinu was just an ordinary housewife, but she wanted her daughter to experience real life through her own eyes and body, even if everything wasn't so beautiful.

So, Vinu's family gave up their welfare, discarded their smart eye masks, and returned together to the small fishing village where Vinu was born, living a "primitive life" of fishing.

Brahma was surprised to discover that Maria, whom he considered an elite, also lived in a mysterious house not far from the small fishing village.

She didn't seem to be working for the research institute, as she didn't use the alliance's intelligent transportation system when transporting goods. Instead, she hired Brahma to help her transport equipment and instruments with his truck.

One time, while transporting goods into Maria's workyard, Brahma saw a small deer with a strangely deformed leg, as if it were a congenital defect.

Maria treated Brahma as a trustworthy friend and quietly told him that the fawn was created by her using cloning technology. Brahma returned home and mysteriously said to Vinu:

"Maria can clone fawns. Hiding in this remote place, could she be cloning humans?"

The couple liked Maria very much and were not meddlesome people. Later, they dismissed the thought.

A few years ago, under the influence of the Superlight Wave Power Station, Venus's climate became increasingly harsh, ocean levels continued to drop, and the habits of marine life seemed to change.

Brahma's daughter, Cynthia, loved the sea. Going out fishing with her father was her greatest joy. She would always stand at the ship's railing, her small hands gripping the guardrail, gazing out.

When pods of humpback whales leaped out of the sea, little Cynthia would sing along with them, babbling happily.

Brahma's fishing boat was not large. With the receding tides, he had to sail further into the deep sea to catch as many fish as before.

The unfortunate day finally arrived. The weather at sea took a sudden turn, and the fishing boat capsized. Brahma, dragging Cynthia who had been injured in the collision, struggled to swim back to shore.

The small fishing village had no hospital. Brahma, holding Cynthia, whose back was injured, rushed into Maria's small building. Brahma believed that Maria, a life scientist, must also be the best doctor.

Brahma was wrong. "Doctor" Maria could not save Cynthia! Vinu rushed over, took her lifeless daughter from her husband's arms, and wailed.

The despairing father glimpsed the fawn in the yard. He collapsed to his knees, tugging at Maria's collar, and pleaded:

"Doctor Maria, you can clone fawns. Please help us, clone a Cynthia."

Maria's cloning technology was not yet complete. She had discovered through her research that a certain small molecule with targeted regulatory function was missing. After experimentation, the small molecule found in humpback whales could effectively compensate for the deficiencies of artificially synthesized amino acids.

Maria helped Brahma up, looking at the despairing mother Vinu with great sympathy, and said:

"I can't guarantee I can give you back a daughter without any flaws, but I can try."

Maria took Cynthia from Vinu's arms. She gently stroked the girl's cold cheek and looked up, saying:

"Brahma, go out to sea one more time. I need the milk secreted into the seawater by a female humpback whale."

&

Poem composed by collecting lines:

Together we create a fragrant spring, Tang Dynasty, Li Baiyao

Only then did I know the medicine was not real. Ming Dynasty, Li Shengyin

Milk fragrance and aconite, Tang Dynasty, Xu Cheng

Sufficient skills to plan for oneself. Yuan Dynasty, Fan Bin