Chapter 386: New Human Plan (Two in One)

The 213th year of the Empire.

Most of the forces in the Stonewall Region had been incorporated into the Ishdal territory, following the surrender of seven quasi-emperors. A single major region, comparable in vastness to three or four ancient worlds, was boundless. The Ishdal people were incapable of controlling such an immense territory; most of it remained pristine primeval forest, home to a wide variety of magical beasts, with treasures scattered everywhere, difficult to unearth.

However, the leaders of the magical beasts in this region had individually pledged allegiance to humanity. This land was quickly dotted with signal satellites, embedded in the sky's stone walls, establishing network base stations that brought the entire primeval magical beast forest into the internet era. High-ranking magical beasts began using mobile phones and computers to connect to the network, assisting humans in exploring this vast goldmine and extracting various resources. As a result, they entered an unprecedented period of prosperity.

The following year, Caroline unveiled her latest technology: Magic Core Loading. This technique, exclusively for magical beasts, allowed magic cores to be integrated into their bodies, which was the fundamental reason for Michael's significant increase in strength. Countless media outlets were stunned, realizing this groundbreaking technology would revolutionize the human era. However, the side effects were extreme, potentially leading to mental derangement.

The *Times Daily* reported: "The boundless potential of beast tamers is now no less than that of mechanical civilization! The two great civilizations are advancing side by side!"

The 217th year of the Empire.

Another astonishing piece of news was announced. On television, Caroline, elegant and beautiful in her youthful appearance, sat on a sofa opposite a famous female host.

Caroline stated, "To everyone watching, I have deciphered the programming code of life, enabling us to unlock the forbidden zones of human life and develop the potential of the pineal gland. This means people will soon possess brains comparable to those of gods!"

Countless eyes worldwide were fixed on her. The host, immensely excited, quickly asked, "Will we humans gain intelligence and minds similar to yours and Mr. Levi's?"

"Yes," Caroline replied, her expression remarkably calm.

In front of their screens, countless people's eyes burned with excitement. They called over parents and children from the kitchen, and some office workers summoned colleagues. Everyone gathered around computers and televisions, discussing animatedly.

"We can also possess such great intelligence?"

"Our brains will be like Mr. Levi's?"

"Impossible! How can an entire race consist solely of geniuses? People with near-divine wisdom?"

"If such a race truly existed, perhaps it should be called... a race of gods?"

"Why impossible? I believe it is! If technology develops to its limit, no one knows what incredible power it will wield! But at the very least, humanity's DNA and the mysteries of life should all be unraveled. We will gain the ability to freely manipulate genes and fully understand the brain's entire structure... At this moment, Ms. Caroline's achievement will be unparalleled in human history, no less significant than Mr. Levi's!"

This was a historic moment. It could even be said to mark the era of the Old Ishdals and the New Ishdals.

On the television, Caroline continued: "This is a revolutionary technology that, after years of my research, has matured to the point where it can enter large-scale clinical trials. If you are interested, please visit your nearest Caroline Hospital for the 'Pineal Gland Potential Development' surgery. Of course, artificially activated potential is far inferior to innate potential, but the speed of thought will still be countless times greater than that of current humans! One could even say it transforms individuals into entirely different species!"

A day later, under live television coverage, one hundred volunteers at Caroline Hospital in the central metropolis underwent pineal gland activation surgery. Each operation lasted a full seven hours but successfully activated the pineal gland. Experiments conducted live on television showed their thinking speed was already comparable to some old human computers, with incredibly fast memory and retrieval speeds. Countless viewers sat in front of their televisions, unable to fathom that the individuals before and after the surgery were like two different beings.

"It really worked!"

"A human brain with computational power comparable to a computer!?"

"Oh, by Mr. Levi, this is unbelievable!"

At that moment, the entire world was in an uproar. Immediately, Caroline Hospitals were rapidly established in every city and quickly became fully booked, with surgical appointments stretching into the next year.

Caroline further declared, "This pineal gland surgery is not suitable for all humans. Due to varying physical constitutions, I have categorized human brains into four levels based on 'error pathways.' The more pathways, the higher the cost of the surgery and the lower the activated intelligence. In order, these are First-Class Citizens, Second-Class Citizens. Beyond Third-Class Citizens, meaning those with three or more error pathways, or Fourth-Class Citizens, cannot undergo the pineal gland surgery!"

Instantly, the entire human society was in an uproar.

Caroline continued: "Of course, this surgery has cost the Caroline Research Institute hundreds of billions in funding, but we maintain our principle of benefiting the populace. Current adult surgery fees must be covered by individuals, while for newborns, the Caroline Foundation, in conjunction with the Human Empire, will implement social welfare benefits. They can receive the brain activation surgery to stimulate the pineal gland for free at birth. Naturally, newborns must meet the specific qualifications for pineal gland activation surgery."

At this point, some people began to lose their composure. Their joy turned to anger as people began to be categorized into different ranks. Many who underwent qualification tests were shocked to discover that approximately 80% of humanity fell outside the Third-Class Citizen category and thus could not have their intelligence activated at all!

"We protest!"

"We refuse unequal treatment!"

Only 20% of humans were Third-Class Citizens, with three or fewer error points in their brains, allowing them to activate their pineal glands. The remaining 80% could not undergo the surgery and immediately began to revolt.

"Protest!"

"Ishdals can become gods... but I refuse!"

Countless people marched in the streets, protesting.

Xu Zhi observed this scene with a calm expression, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Caroline, what will you choose? You once told me your dream was to create a race that combined technology and the transcendent, a powerful race without classes, where everyone possessed divine wisdom and strength, where everyone was a perfect deity. But now, with classes and so-called 'qualifications,' aren't you just like a transcendent civilization, with dictators and rulers?"

What was truly going on in Caroline's mind? Xu Zhi, anticipating, smiled faintly as he waited for his mechanical mecha.

The 217th year of the Empire.

The massive unrest continued to brew wildly, but through a series of measures, Caroline, in cooperation with the human government, quickly suppressed the revolt and began assisting the 20% of the population in undergoing the surgery.

The 218th year of the Empire.

The famous "Peterdal Riot and Demonstration Incident" erupted. In the city of Peterdal, a full 80% of the urban population went on strike. They held flags high, rode black mechanical war chariots, and paraded wildly through the streets in vast numbers. Supermarkets and shops closed, and some radical protest organizations even vandalized street facilities, subway stations, and other public areas.

Caroline once again addressed the public through the news media: "No revolution comes without bloodshed. There are always some pedantic individuals who hold back technological progress! Do you want to turn back time!? Your stubbornness and obstinacy will ruin the future of the Ishdals! Our generation is split into two groups, separating the eras! I admit there is inequality! But this unequal treatment will vanish after our generation passes away! Because I am confident that within thirty years, I will perfect the pineal gland technology, enabling every Ishdal newborn to unlock their pineal gland's potential and become part of a divine race! In the future, every Ishdal will possess near-divine wisdom! And to achieve this perfect future, we truly need the 20% of humanity—the fortunate ones with activated pineal glands—whom you curse and despise... Each of them possesses intelligence comparable to mine and Mr. Levi's, and they will help us Ishdals perfect our technology!"

Immediately, countless people fell silent. They couldn't help but ponder. A single Levi was enough to change the course of successive eras for the entire human society. And if 20% of human society possessed intelligence approaching Mr. Levi's, then this civilization would experience an unprecedented surge. They didn't doubt for a moment that this combined effort of tens of millions of humans, making up 20% of the population, would certainly perfect this technology in the future, allowing every newborn to be born with divine wisdom.

"Are we truly in the wrong?"

"Perhaps we truly are hindering progress."

Some Ishdals fell silent, disheartened. If the inequality were to persist, with each generation experiencing differences in status and aptitude, they would surely resist to the death. But knowing that their future descendants would all enjoy the perfection of becoming gods... Without lasting unequal treatment, they had no reason to resist.

"We also have children, descendants..."

"As long as this inequality doesn't affect our descendants, that's enough..."

Gradually, this human revolt began to subside, partly due to Caroline's seven-hour, heartfelt and tearful speech titled "Tomorrow of the Gods" delivered in Times Square.

The 220th year of the Empire.

All 20% of the Ishdals had undergone the pineal gland activation surgery.

The following year, in January, Caroline announced "Brain Programming Technology." The entire human elite class began to construct system interfaces within their brains. New Ishdals would now carry a "wisdom sub-brain," commonly known as a personal in-brain computer.

In June, Caroline unveiled "Neural Frequency Programming Induction," which allowed communication software to be installed within the brain's system. The principle was to control human brain wavelengths for conscious communication. The Ishdals entered an era of conscious communication. Every Ishdal who had activated their intelligence had a unique brain identification number. When facing each other, they only needed "Bluetooth pairing" to communicate directly on a conscious level, without speaking aloud. Consequently, a startling sight became common in the streets: two people would often sit on chairs, drinking beverages, completely silent, yet actively conversing. Meanwhile, the age of the internet and personal computers was being phased out! They could now access the internet directly within their minds. Computers, much like old black-and-white televisions in an earlier era, were gradually disappearing from human sight.

The 226th year of the Empire.

The "Origin of Life Project" had been officially running for a full decade. The Ishdal DNA comprised a human genome of over 3 billion base pairs. Under the frenzied analysis of tens of millions of humanoid "intelligent computers" within the human elite class, they deciphered the functions of the entire Ishdal genome.

Caroline announced, "For those whose pineal glands have been unlocked, their brains function like computers, distinct from mere flesh-and-blood brains. They can fully control their bodies, programming their reflexes, sleep patterns, and various physiological needs. Furthermore, DNA programming analysis allows us to understand our body's 'source code,' giving us complete control over our physical selves. Through mental commands, we can make minor modifications to our DNA. For example, we can modify our appearance genes, height genes, bloodline genes... All these achievements belong to the eleven million New Humans who collectively participated. We will freely integrate a brain system program called the 'Gene Bank' for all citizens to download unconditionally! Of course, large-scale genetic modification is currently impossible with existing scientific methods, as it would lead to collapse... perhaps it will be possible in the future, but for now, it's akin to micro-cosmetic surgery! This ensures that each of us can possess relatively perfect appearances and physiques!"

The entire world held its breath. From then on, every newborn capable of activating their pineal gland would be born with a personal sub-brain. The sub-brain's system desktop would feature a program called 'Gene Bank,' providing the ability to modify their bodies. However, each citizen generally had only one opportunity. This was because gene modification was extremely dangerous and could only be performed as a minor adjustment before the age of ten to finalize one's appearance. The changes were not permitted to be overly exaggerated. The 'Gene Bank' program would calculate the risks and possibilities of one's decisions and would refuse modifications if the risk was too high, thereby preventing fatalities.

"This is terrifying!"

"This is the power of scientific technology!"

"The development of technological civilization to this point was inevitable. Sooner or later, or perhaps even now, we humans can fully control our genetic DNA sequences and understand the code of life!"

"We have advanced to a higher stage, no longer needing language but communicating through more advanced conscious brainwaves!"

Countless Ishdals held their breath in awe.

The following year, a large number of the 80% of Ishdals began to adopt a non-procreation policy, intending to wait until technology advanced to the point where every newborn would have the ability to activate their pineal gland.

"We cannot have children now; we cannot let our children be like us! We will wait until the technology is fully mature before procreating!"

"Our children should have happiness, perfect bodies and appearances, and near-divine wisdom!"