Ode to Joy (Infant 1)

65 million years ago, Earth, New Tethys Ocean, Tower Island

Little Brahma and little Vinu, the clones, were growing up day by day.

For ten months, Maria and her team had meticulously cared for the cloned infants, from the petri dish to the sterile incubator, and finally to the warm and comfortable cribs in a natural environment. Their vital signs were identical to those of naturally born Venusian children.

Maria and her team's cloning experiment was a success, and the ethical crisis she had worried about the most seemed not to have occurred.

How did the Brahma couple view the infants cloned from their own genetic material? They naturally considered them their own children, the younger siblings of their daughter, Cynthia.

Cynthia adored her new brother and sister. The brother was a bit mischievous, always crawling around the bed with his little fists clenched. The sister seemed to be developing faster, already able to toddle while holding Cynthia's hand.

The Brahma couple's greatest concern was the language acquisition ability of the two children. Would the brother and sister be able to learn the Venusian language like normal people, or would they, like Cynthia, only be able to communicate through singing?

Thus, Vinu tirelessly repeated single-syllable phrases like "daddy" and "mommy" to the two children every day.

Both children seemed to react. When the sister first mumbled "mommy" unclearly, Vinu shed tears of joy. Brahma rushed out to call Maria.

"It's wonderful that the children can learn our language. We don't know how to thank you enough, Dr. Maria," Vinu said to Maria.

"Through the physical examinations, this batch of children's physiological functions do not have the same defects as little Cynthia's. We have always believed they would be able to learn the Venusian language," Maria said, looking at little Cynthia with a complex expression, a mixture of guilt and pride.

Cynthia had grown into a 20-year-old young woman. She was tall and slender with graceful curves. Her large eyes were clear and lively, showing none of the shyness of an ordinary teenage girl.

Cynthia loved to cradle her brother or sister and gently rock them, singing cheerful songs in her beautiful soprano voice. Vinu didn't realize that Cynthia was also trying to teach her younger siblings "how to speak."

Nikola Tesla walked in, involuntarily immersed in the pleasant atmosphere. He looked at the two innocent children and the adults in the room, all filled with joy, and a hint of worry surfaced in his heart.

As volunteers, the Brahma couple, according to the latest laws of the Venus Alliance, each had the right to upload their consciousness and extract their genetic material once, unaffected by this volunteer project.

Tesla knew that the couple had explicitly waived their rights because they wanted to stay by Cynthia's side, who could not have her consciousness uploaded, and take care of their younger children together.

According to Venus Alliance law, even if the brother and sister were physiologically capable, they were not eligible to be cloned again. When Mars exploded, this family before them would be unable to escape their fate of destruction.

Brahma seemed to see through Tesla's thoughts. He walked over proactively and said softly with a smile, "Mr. Tesla, please don't worry about us. I was a soldier and a driver. I don't have as many dilemmas and troubles as you scientists. Being with my family is my greatest happiness."

Tesla thought to himself, humans are such creatures. Sometimes they feel that being with their families is the greatest happiness, and at other times they are insatiably greedy, driven by curiosity to know everything, driven by possessiveness to obtain everything.

After enduring hardships, no matter how cold and stormy it is outside, as long as there is food cooking on the stove and children gathered around their knees, it brings the greatest happiness and satisfaction.

The conversation between the two men was interrupted by the surprised shouts of the women nearby. Tesla followed the sound and saw Maria looking puzzled. She walked quickly to Tesla and said, "Listen, these two children can sing like Cynthia too."

Led by the soprano Cynthia, the brother and sister were humming along with their baby talk. Although they couldn't quite keep up, and the pitch wasn't very harmonious, it was clear that the two children were communicating with Cynthia through song.

Cynthia was so delighted that she danced with joy and started a new tune, singing the anthem of the Venus Alliance.

Responding to Cynthia and the children's pitch and melody, Maria and the Brahma couple also sang in unison.

The Venus Alliance Anthem: "Ode to Joy."

That day will come, We face it with a peaceful heart. Set free the soul, No lonely soul. Extend your hands to him, Let them have all you possess. Through love, forever, Sing joyfully for a thousand years. Mutual understanding, salute love, Come, tell the story and sing of freedom. Joyful songs, Glory of humanity!

The rain had stopped, and the palm trees on the shore of Tower Island stood like youths who had just washed away the dust of travel, lined up neatly, allowing the gentle breeze to inspect them.

A few black dots on the horizon grew closer. The increasingly loud roar of the electric unmanned helicopter shook the remaining raindrops from the leaves.

Tesla and Maria went to the outdoor helipad to welcome the inspection delegation from the Venus Alliance Council. Speaker Kent and Dean Abbott, along with their entourage, were led by Maria to inspect the cloning laboratory, which included the healthy growing cloned children, of course.

"Maria, congratulations on the success of your experiment and that of your team. It's no exaggeration to say that your work has opened the door to the rebirth of Venusians," Speaker Kent said enthusiastically.

Tesla was also happy and proud for Maria. He then turned to Dean Abbott and asked, "Maria's cloning experiment was successful. Is the consciousness uploading work you are overseeing on Venus proceeding smoothly?"

Dean Abbott said that Venus's artificial intelligence technology had developed very maturely. Connecting with the neural networks in the brains of Venusians to upload memories and thought patterns to the cloud was no longer a problem.

Regrettably, although technically feasible to upload the entire consciousness of an individual's brain to the cloud, the consequence was that the uploaded brain would cease to function, and the person would die as a result.

"Nikola, the consciousness uploading work started very poorly. We academics still have too few solutions," Dean Abbott said.

"What do you mean by 'too few'?" Nikola Tesla asked, confused.

Dean Abbott looked at Tesla, his old friend who was devoted to science but less adept at social graces, with a hint of surprise. "Have you ever considered that anyone who completely uploads their consciousness will die immediately? Who would be willing? What if the doomsday scenario that we scientists talk about is false or wrong?"

Reminded by Dean Abbott, Tesla finally realized that he had oversimplified the problem.

He knew that the destruction of the habitable zone of the Solar System, including Venus, was inevitable. However, convincing ordinary people to upload their consciousness, abandon their lives, and await rebirth and resurrection afterward was truly too difficult.

Speaker Kent and Maria also walked over and joined the discussion. Speaker Kent said, "In desperate situations, people are always unwilling to give up hope; even when they are certain there is no hope, they will wait until the last moment."

"Are you saying that with 12 years left until the Mars explosion, everyone will want to upload their consciousness only in the final second before destruction?" Maria asked.

Abbott said with a wry smile, "The temperature difference between day and night on Venus is increasing, and grain production is sharply declining. This will continue to worsen over the next decade or so. Due to insufficient resources, it is objectively necessary to complete consciousness uploads in batches as soon as possible."

Tesla still didn't understand what Abbott meant earlier by the scientists having few solutions, and he asked:

"Are there any ways to persuade everyone to cooperate in an orderly manner to complete this plan that is the only way to save us Venusians?"

Abbott looked at the battle-hardened old Speaker and turned to Tesla, saying:

"Speaker Kent is pushing a bill in the council, also known as the first-come, first-served bill."

After the Mars explosion, Earth will become the new home for Venusians. The bill stipulates that the resurrection and rebirth process will be carried out in batches according to the carrying capacity of Earth's resources. The order of resurrection is linked to the order of consciousness upload, meaning those who "die" first have the right to be resurrected first.

Tesla felt surprised once again. The idea seemed good, both fair and simple, but a sense of indescribable melancholy welled up in his heart.

Speaker Kent's next words made Tesla feel even more uneasy.

Speaker Kent said, "A popular influencer on a short video platform has claimed that he refuses to believe in the doomsday theory and also refuses to upload his consciousness or have his genetic material extracted. This influencer has already gained tens of thousands of supporters."

"If some people oppose the Mars explosion rebirth plan, we will be forced to stop, is that right?" Tesla asked urgently.

"Of course, we won't stop. The Venus Alliance Council has already passed the salvation plan and formed new laws that everyone must obey," Speaker Kent continued. "What I'm worried about is that after the vast majority of people who support the salvation plan 'die' in batches, the remaining tens of thousands of opponents will become saboteurs."

"Then how will we 'deal with' these people who refuse to upload their consciousness?" Tesla muttered to himself, lost and bewildered.

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Poem for Chapter Collection:

Today I change into new makeup and descend to the nine heavens, Ming Dynasty, Xia Yuanji

Able to remain unmoved by flesh and blood. Song Dynasty, Zhang Zhi

My traveler's sorrow has no companion, relying on a young boy, Ming Dynasty, Zhang Yu

Slightly pleased with gold leaf to comfort my knees. Qing Dynasty, Deng Tingzhen