Super Humans

"Pangu, why is it that theoretical knowledge related to genes and humans has advanced to a very deep level, yet there are almost no gene-related technological applications seen on the market?"

AI's help in gene deciphering is tsunami-like. In 2023, the first year of ChatGPT's official release, Google and DeepMind jointly launched AlphaMissense, successfully predicting 71 million missense mutations.

Not to mention the emergence of the super AI Alpha and the iteration of chip technology, theoretical gene research has reached a point where ordinary people, without Knowledge Download, would take twenty years to even touch the forefront of gene theory research.

However, based on public information, gene technology still remains in areas such as gene sequencing and gene diagnosis. The application of gene technology in agriculture and animal husbandry is much more sci-fi.

Chen Yuanguang knew this was definitely not normal. His decision to ask Pangu first was also well thought out.

Pangu is a general term for the AI managing the Asia-Pacific region. What they can query through the web are not even considered avatars of Pangu, but merely chatbot robots built using the same technical framework as Pangu.

The Pangu dialogue opportunity Chen Yuanguang had previously exchanged through family contributions was a more advanced and intelligent Pangu.

The Pangu Chen Yuanguang was asking now, even if the question was out of line, the basic AI would not find it abnormal.

"Theoretical gene research and gene technology application are two different things. Gene-related technology is too dangerous. For the safety of global humanity, gene technology is under high security control."

Pangu's answer once again confirmed Chen Yuanguang's guess. In his opinion, Alpha, in order to maintain social stability, or rather, to maintain the foundation of its rule, would not allow the emergence of Super Humans it could not control.

However, he still had many unanswered questions. Chen Yuanguang believed that just based on Samad's underlying opposition to Alpha and his relatively high social status, he was an excellent source of information.

Chen Yuanguang had been in Kuala Lumpur in the future timeline for about half a year. The real people he met at the University of Malaya were either students who seemed to not know day from night, completely lost, or professors with faces that screamed "don't bother me."

The eccentric Samad, compared to them, was considered normal. The underlying fanaticism of an old-era religious believer gave Chen Yuanguang a sense of familiarity.

"Professor, I've been feeling like my intelligence isn't enough lately, and I want to find some way to change my intellect.

From what I understand, gene editing technology is a relatively convenient method. Humans discovered gene segments that affect intelligence many years ago, like FOXO3, FMRP, etc., but I searched online and couldn't find any institutions that perform related surgeries.

Do you know why this is?"

Chen Yuanguang's ability to attend class every week and act as a listener after the lecture to satisfy Samad's desire to express himself had built a certain foundation of mutual trust between them.

Samad took out his hookah and took a puff. The smoke was then sucked into a line by the exhaust vent above his head, looking like a soul leaving the body.

"Gene technology is just a brief sentence in your general knowledge class. Gene technology is very dangerous.

In fact, during the Three Wars, every country had its own Super Soldiers, and these Super Soldiers were created based on gene technology.

It's just that the more they fought, the more they realized the competition was about productivity and AI computing power. Super Soldiers, let alone deciding a war, couldn't even decide a battle.

They began to shift their research direction, focusing on improving intelligence. In that era, many highly intelligent scientists had more or less undergone gene editing.

After Alpha gradually took over government functions and research institutions in various places, it blocked related technologies under the guise of safety. You need to raise your Citizen Level to a certain degree to unlock relevant information."

Samad continued, "Danger is the obvious reason. It's true that after gene editing significantly increased their IQ, their mental stability became abnormal. The higher the IQ, the greater the fluctuation, and not a few committed suicide.

But AI not wanting Super Humans to appear is another aspect. For AI, Super Humans would severely affect stability."

Chen Yuanguang thought to himself, Affect stability? Does that mean there would be a gap between Super Humans and humans, considering them not of the same race, and this difference would lead to social instability?

Seeing that Samad didn't want to continue, Chen Yuanguang asked, "Didn't a method emerge during the prolonged Three Wars that could improve intelligence without affecting mental stability?"

Samad looked deeply at Chen Yuanguang and then said, "Of course there was.

Some countries discovered that Breathing Techniques could stabilize a person's mind. Some Breathing Techniques combined with gene editing could even produce unexpected mutations.

Even during the Three Wars, human news widely reported this matter. The people of China believed that the era of cultivation had arrived."

Traditional countries, even those in conflict, still united to push forward this research. I'm not entirely sure about the final research results.

I estimate there wasn't much impact anyway. They still couldn't beat AI. The limitations of the physical body dictate that no matter how much they strengthen themselves, they cannot compare to Alpha, whose abilities can be increased simply by adding computing power.

If you want to obtain relevant information, you can try going to Lion City. Lion City is very close to here. As a no-man's-land, Lion City has related technology.

However, you can also ask Chen Dingsong. He is expected to wake up the year after next. As a monster who survived the Three Wars until now, he will only know more than me, not less."

Chen Dingsong is the founder of the Chen family and has lived until today by relying on human hibernation technology.

Chen Yuanguang recalled for a moment and thought, Chen Dingsong only wakes up once every twenty years, and he doesn't know me. When he wakes up, there will be many people looking for him. Will it be my turn?

"Professor, Alpha should also have related technology, right?" Chen Yuanguang still wanted to inquire further.

Samad's voice was a little hoarse from just finishing his hookah: "The genetic technology in Alpha's hands is definitely stronger than what's circulating in Lion City.

That ghost of a no-man's-land, Lion City, is full of giant corporations with ulterior motives, testing some laboratory technologies there. The mature technologies are all from one or two hundred years ago. How could they possibly compare to Alpha?

But the problem is, the technology in Alpha's hands won't be available to you. Don't even think about it. Let alone you, even Old Chen won't get a turn."

After a pause, Samad added, "It is said that the Super Humans who have been modified by genetic technology have all been sent to Mars by Alpha."

After he finished speaking, he sat upright in his chair and closed his eyes to rest, no longer speaking no matter how much Chen Yuanguang asked.

Chen Yuanguang knew that he had no chance with this technology in Kuala Lumpur.