In a teahouse in the Imperial Capital of the Central Federation, a group of well-dressed middle-aged people sat in this ancient teahouse. In a secluded private room, which was full of antique charm, anyone who was there would be astonished, because everyone in the room was someone you could only see in the news.
Normally, it's hard to even see one of them, but this time, the number of people gathered is enough to hold a Federation assembly.
"That member of the Long Household hasn't returned yet?"
"Yes, it's been quite a long time. In the past, to maintain secrecy, we'd only stay for a month at most before returning. We certainly wouldn't take Elder Liu away for such a long time."
"Could it be that he's really going to make that happen?"
"A pipe dream." The middle-aged man at the head scoffed, "A bunch of old fogies who can't bear to relinquish power, trying to deny even the natural laws of birth, aging, sickness, and death—they're insane."
"Is there any chance they'll succeed?" one of the women asked. "The latest news says they've secretly taken a group of game designers away."
"Game designers?" The middle-aged men found the question even more absurd, "These people are possessed!"
The middle-aged woman fell silent for a moment. She was in charge of the information department and was a top student in the Yao Class at the Imperial Capital University. She didn't think that data life was entirely a pipe dream. Although the Central Federation advocated the development of the country through industry, most of the upper-level figures didn't understand technology. It was common for laymen to manage experts, and they always had preconceived notions about certain technologies based on their own ignorance.
This is what she dislikes most, and this time, their contempt is probably not a good thing.
Thinking of this, she still tried her best to remind him, "Although Elder Long has kept a low profile in recent years, he has never been a muddle-headed person. If he didn't have any certainty, he wouldn't have taken such a big risk. I think it's best not to underestimate him."
Several people at the conference table frowned upon hearing this. One of the middle-aged men said, " Minister Leng, are you saying that this seemingly impossible technology is actually achievable?"
"Technically speaking, there are many inexplicable contradictions, but this proposal is not entirely unfeasible; otherwise, so many people wouldn't have been so enthusiastic about researching it in the first place. As far as I know, several overseas consortia have never given up their support for this research."
"That's the delusion of a group of terminally ill, corrupt capitalists!" a man sneered. "Greedy for power, with endless desires, just like ancient emperors who wanted to stay at the top forever. These people are obsessed, actually believing they can achieve immortality through computers. It's just a pie in the sky painted by some unscrupulous tech teams; only people like them would believe that."
"But..." The woman couldn't stand the other party's completely dismissive attitude. They had just been consulting her, but the moment she offered a different opinion, they rejected it entirely. They clearly knew nothing about the technology involved, yet they denied it so decisively.
Being an amateur is what makes things difficult.
"What if it works?" the woman asked coldly, her anger rising.
"Is Minister Leng serious?" the man who had spoken earlier asked, frowning.
"Would I joke in a situation like this?" the woman said coldly. "I already said that although there are many contradictions, it doesn't mean it's completely impossible. Do you really think those conglomerates are stupid? Without any results to show, even if they don't care about money, they still have to care about their reputation. If hostile politicians find evidence of their involvement in such Human Dao experiments, the damage to their reputation will be devastating. Elder Long has been cautious his whole life. Is it really because he's about to die and is desperately grasping at straws and has lost his mind?"
Seeing the woman's aggressive tone, the man who had spoken earlier frowned slightly. Another middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his fifties and was rather overweight, quickly stood up and said with a smile, " Minister Leng, Minister Tang didn't mean that. Please don't get agitated. We're all gathered here today to discuss this; there's no need to get so worked up."
The man surnamed Tang snorted coldly, but said nothing more.
Although the woman surnamed Leng was in charge of a department with little real power, such as the Information Department, her background was undoubtedly impressive, given that she was a woman who had managed to climb to such a high position. The fact that she often didn't even give orders to those above her was also because the old man in the Leng Household was a very powerful figure.
"Does Minister Leng mean that it's really possible to succeed?" a bespectacled man asked, frowning.
"In recent years, experiments in this area have been completely banned in China. I don't have data from outside laboratories, so I dare not draw any conclusions. However, based on past technical data, there were already some promising developments, but we lack data from human trials."
"How is that possible?" The man surnamed Tang still couldn't believe it. "Transferring a person's memories to the internet and they can reappear on a computer? Isn't that bullshit?"
" Minister Tang," the woman said coldly, "If you think this is complete nonsense, why did you even come to this meeting? Wouldn't it be better to busy yourself with other things?"
"You"
"Alright, alright." Another man nearby, seeing the two about to start arguing again, quickly said, " Minister Leng is right. Elder Long a cautious man. He wouldn't take such a big risk if there wasn't even a hint of trouble. Some things still need to be guarded against. Let's mobilize everyone in the Western Federation and investigate."
"I think we need to act quickly," the woman said coldly. "If the experiment succeeds, the consequences will erupt in an instant!"
"Is that what Minister Leng is saying?" Several people nearby asked, frowning in confusion.
"Let's discuss the scenario if it succeeds first," the woman whispered. "If this experiment succeeds, then data lifeforms, combined with supercomputers, could theoretically form the kind of intelligent bosses that dominate the network, like those in science fiction movies. Once they come into contact with the network, they might even be able to control all of it in an instant!"
"Once he can prove it, the older generation will be tempted, including you all!" The woman looked at the crowd with a chilling gaze. "If Elder Long's experiment succeeds, will you oppose it or support it?"
Everyone: "."
--
"It's done so quickly?" Faced with the result presented by the person in charge, the group of investors who had gathered again were all taken aback. "Wasn't it supposed to be Monday?"
"Monday is a conservative estimate," the person in charge said with a smile. "With Pu Yunchuan's help, the project is progressing exceptionally smoothly. The simulated environment is almost functioning normally; now only the final experiment remains."
"Great!" one of the elderly white men clapped his hands and asked, "When will the experiment begin?"
"In the new simulation environment, after testing the death data again, those people said they wanted more money," the person in charge said, rubbing his hands sheepishly.
"Hmph, greedy ants." The white man sneered. "Give them to them first, and another two hundred million dollars to anyone willing to participate in the experiment!"
"Okay, okay, I'll go arrange it right away. All the equipment is ready. As long as they sign off, we can start the experiment this afternoon!"
"Then let's do it as soon as possible," Elder Long, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly said.
Even the usually composed man had a hint of anxiety in his eyes. According to intelligence from back home, those restless bastards were already planning to investigate him.
This laboratory isn't actually that secretive; if those guys really wanted to find out about it, it wouldn't be difficult.
He didn't want things to go wrong at the last minute, so it seemed he needed to prepare some things in advance!
"Yes, yes, I'll arrange it right away!" The person in charge excitedly took his leave.
"Everyone," Elder Long stood up after the person in charge left, "My intelligence tells me that quite a few forces are eyeing this place. Are you ready?"
A cold glint flashed in everyone's eyes upon hearing this.
The new forces are eyeing these old guard members with hostility. Some arrangements can indeed be brought forward. If the experiment here succeeds, it will be the time when the enemy's counterattack is most severe!
"As long as the experiment is successful, I can start at any time," an elderly white man with a hooked nose nodded.
"What about you Smith?"
"Long, don't worry. Seventy percent of the military personnel are my people. As long as the experiment succeeds, they can't possibly refuse to join us. After all, who doesn't want immortality?"
"Good," Elder Long stood up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the history of this new era will begin a brand new chapter in this conference room!"