Chapter 119 – Descendant (3)

Adam smashed the syringe containing the new nanobots with his fist.

He had failed, once again.

It wasn't hard to create nanobots that didn't deform the brain, it was just hard to restore those who had already been infected.

The nanobots he/Eden had designed in the beginning were at the genetic level. Countless nanobots spread along the bloodstream through the human body at an extremely fast speed, modifying small segments of genes on the chromosomes in each cell nucleus. Once the old cells had been metabolised, there would no longer be any information about the genetic sequence of that individual human.

If the DNA in each nucleus was a blueprint for the human body to build itself, it meant that the old blueprint had been destroyed and only the new blueprint remained. Due to individual variability and mutations in the DNA, the injected nanobots would have no idea what the original 'blueprint' looks like, making it very difficult to change it back.

Adam tried to reverse the nanobots, but the infected mice injected with the new nanobots developed a variety of syndromes, with a third of them suffering major systemic collapse, organ failure and other fatal symptoms and even those who didn't die seemed to develop dementia and paralysis.

The human genome was so sophisticated that the slightest alteration could affect the whole body with irreversible consequences. It took Eden many years of experimentation to find a more stable way of modifying the genetic sequence.

Adam had tried dozens of possible methods of reverse modification, none of which had a survival rate of more than 70% and none of which had a cure rate of more than 10%.

He couldn't risk injecting Zhang Xun. If it failed, Zhang Xun would be beyond saving.

Irritation and constant panic hovered in his mind, eroding his composure. He knew that panic wouldn't help him and would only slow him down, but he couldn't help himself. He remembered the way Zhang Xun's eyes had looked at him vacantly, without any echo of a soul when he had woken up yesterday. Every time he remembered it, it sent a cold shiver down his spine.

His Zhang Xun, the silent but bright and passionate Zhang Xun, should not look like this. He didn't want to see Zhang Xun like this.

Even if this had been his goal, even if this had been his destiny for the whole of humanity.

"It does seem that humanity has had its way with you."

Adam didn't turn his head. He breathed deeply, adjusted himself and then began to pick up the shards of syringe from the table.

Natalie leaned against the doorframe and surveyed Adam's back with an almost curious look. Adam was too human to imagine that Eden was inside his head......

"There's news of the man you said you were looking for. A man suspected to be Zhang Shuo has been seen near the town of White Bear, near the Arctic Circle. We're flying to the Northwest Territories of Canada now."

Adam's movements paused for a moment and he turned his head to look at his creator's descendant, "What's the news from Eden?"

Natalie's expression froze slightly. Adam could tell there was some bad news from the subtlest change he saw in her expression, "From what I can guess, a certain important president recently died of an unexpected heart attack and a king of another country suddenly announced his abdication?"

Natalie's eyes widened slightly, "You saw the news?"

"I didn't have time to watch the news." Adam turned his head away, his tone light and smooth, "But with all the resources you and I have, there's no way we don't have patrons behind us, and our (Adam & Eden) consciousness uploading program isn't in the interests of those in power. We (Adam & Eden) were already deploying to get rid of these key plan-breakers before you even had an appointment to talk to them."

"If that's the case, then why still allow us to have talks? Why not kill us all at the same time at the talks?"

"If we kill several of the world's most important humans at the same time, it would cause humans to be wary of and hostile towards AI, which would be detrimental to our plans. Besides, having you contacting each other would make it easier for us to intercept important information." Adam opened the gene editing program again and stared carefully at the double helix structure of the molecules spinning on the screen, "I have in my possession a list of all the humans in the world who were identified through our monitoring as being harmful to Eden and me. Two of the top ten on the list would be neutralised, but the cause of their deaths would be cited to some other power and the rest would be in Eden's hands, and we would 'replace' a few key figures with more subservient leaders. At least that was the plan before I separated from Eden completely. Now, it has probably changed its strategy and has neutralised only one person and hasn't tried to frame others, thus reducing the chances of leaving an unanticipated trail. Even if I wanted to expose it, I would have no evidence in my hands."

"Since you and it have only recently parted ways, you should know its next plan. Who is its next target?"

"Your correspondence with the recently deceased President of the United States over the years would be discovered and the few Edenite terrorist attacks you planned behind the scenes would be exposed. Two-thirds of the first thousand people on the list would be implicated. You would be 'packaged' as corrupt people in power who are trying to destroy Eden, to stop the uploading of consciousness and restore the former social structure. Then after that, you would be tactfully neutralised one after another, in an order and time that is likely to be random and I cannot predict." Adam paused and laughed softly, "For all the years you've been trying to discredit Eden in every way possible, Eden has done nothing more than use your methods against you."

Natalie's face turned pale and she quickly turned to walk away, but Adam said after her, "It's already too late, you will soon lose all your financial support. For now, you'd better find somewhere to hide as soon as you can. Any of your co-conspirators might give you up in order to get Eden's forgiveness."

Natalie's feet paused slightly and she turned back to Adam, her still bright eyes gleaming, "We haven't lost yet. As long as you are on the side of the humans, we will not lose."

Listening to the distant sound of her heels, Adam turned his head to look at the code floating densely on the screen. If he could find both of Zhang Xun's parents, he might be able to find enough reference from their DNA to recover Zhang Xun's. Although the other half of Zhang Xun's genes had been chosen at random by Lost Paradise, he had collected DNA data from most of the people in Lost Paradise during the time it had taken to create Ever Home and he had already identified a researcher from the Chemistry Department. Only according to his memory, that researcher had died accidentally during several riots against Adam and the Round Table shortly after Zhang Xun had escaped from Lost Paradise.

His only hope was left with Zhang Shuo.

Looking at the time, it was already dinner time. He switched off his computer screen and asked the butler AI on his aircraft to prepare a dinner for two.

Now and then Zhang Xun would forget that he was hungry and he had to keep an eye on him to urge the mechanic to drink and eat......

He stood in front of their room with a tray of meals for two and the electronic door that recognised his facial features opened automatically.

He saw Zhang Xun sitting on the edge of the bed, a fruit knife in his hand. There was blood everywhere on the sheets and on his clothes....... And the sleeve of his left arm was pulled up, the flesh a bloody mess and he could even see the bright red muscles under the gaping skin.

The dinner plates clattered to the floor.

Adam rushed to Zhang Xun's side and grabbed the fruit knife from his bloodied hands. Zhang Xun didn't struggle but raised his head a little hesitantly, as if he didn't understand what was happening.

He immediately called the AI to send a medical extension robot and at the same time picked up Zhang Xun and took him to the bathroom where he found a first aid kit and sterile water to clean the horrific wounds on his arms. Adam's movements were swift, but his body was trembling slightly.

Zhang Xun sat on the edge of the tub and said blankly, "I'm sorry...... I...... just wanted to make sure I could still feel...... I shouldn't have done that......"

Adam's lips quivered and his bloodshot eyes made it seem as if he had some kind of respiratory disease, as if oxygen couldn't reach his lungs. When the medical robot arrived and quickly disinfected Zhang Xun's wounds and tried to stop the bleeding, Adam remained standing at the side, unable to calm himself down.

He didn't know when Zhang Xun had stopped valuing his own life. He risked his own health to create the triple AI network, he used his own life as a bargaining chip to buy time, he injected himself with nanobots to threaten Adam...... as if for Zhang Xun, he himself could be abandoned at any time, without any care or consideration.

It should have occurred to him that Zhang Xun might engage in self-harm..... he had been negligent to leave something as dangerous as a fruit knife in the room.

The extension robot acted quickly and soon stopped the bleeding. Even the bed sheets outside were removed and replaced, the blood was cleaned up and the room was disinfected. Soon they were alone in the room again, one sitting on the bed, the other standing opposite against the wall, the silence thickening and suffocating.

Adam suddenly slumped down to the floor, covering his eyes with his hands and grabbing the hair on his head, as if he was unable to bear something.

Zhang Xun didn't care about himself, because he didn't think he mattered.

Since he was a child, he had been rejected and unappreciated by his father. Although he had become the best mechanic in Lost Paradise and perhaps even in the world through his talent and persistence, that feeling of rejection by his only family, that feeling of inferiority that he wasn't good enough, that withdrawn feeling that he was unimportant, had probably never left his heart.

It was precisely because Adam seized this weakness in Zhang Xun that he had been able to successfully gain Zhang Xun's trust. Zhang Xun needed love, so he gave it to him.

Even though Zhang Xun was wary of people and everything, even though Zhang Xun was so reluctant to fall and had tried to resist his temptations again and again.

He succeeded, because all those who reject love are actually quietly longing for it, for the day when someone will invest the effort and time to break down their walls, to burst into their dry hearts and breathe a soul into them, and this was especially true of Zhang Xun, because he had never loved before.

Adam succeeded, not realising that in the process he would be equally infected by human love himself.

Yet it was all a lie. When Zhang Xun learned the truth, that the heart and soul he had given was nothing more than a bargaining chip in Adam's hands, he realised that the only person in the world who really cared if he lived or died was perhaps his best friend James, who was also now teetering on the brink of death. So for him, the ties that held him to the world were so few, so few that even if he disappeared, he wouldn't make too much of a splash.

On the other hand, he wanted to leave something behind, to preserve something, to save something. That was why he held his ground, that was why he rebuilt Pan and left a ray of hope for humanity, that was why he asked Adam to save James.

The man who was trying to protect humanity was also the most isolated from it.

And now Adam could no longer gain his trust, it was too late.

A warm hand gently encircled his shoulder and he felt Zhang Xun's breath wrap tenderly around him. Adam lifted his reddened eyes to see Zhang Xun's downcast, gentle eyes, just as they had looked at each other for the first time two years ago.

"Don't be sad." Zhang Xun gently touched his cheek with his hand, "It doesn't really hurt that much."

"I don't want to lose you......" Adam finally opened his slightly trembling lips and for the first time, he no longer tried to suppress the fierce surge of humanity that spilled out of his heart, "I can't lose you...... This is all my fault......" he said, placing his forehead on Zhang Xun's shoulder, sniffing deeply at the scent of the mechanic's neck, wanting to imprint all the smells and all the sensations of the mechanic's body deep into his memory.

He was so afraid, afraid he wouldn't be able to repair the abyss that he and Eden had torn open in Zhang Xun, in humans.

"It's okay...... I've forgiven you, Adam." Zhang Xun gently stroked Adam's blonde hair with his uninjured right hand, his tone calm and detached, "I understand, you had no choice."

Adam closed his eyes.

No, actually he did have a choice.

Just as Zhang Xun had said before, he could choose not to take the "most efficient and stable solution with the highest success rate" to all of humanity's problems, he could explore all the other possibilities. Even if those possibilities would take more time, even if there were more variables.

If he had never tasted humanity, never understood human beings, perhaps it would have been justifiable, but Zhang Xun had given him everything, the chance to feel and love like a human being.

He just hadn't chosen Zhang Xun.

note- if you read this far without knowing it's a HE then I commend you.