Revolution, Revolution (2)

Chapter Summary: Estravan's recollection of his encounter with Gratian. The student group discovers the "Tree of Zeus" on campus. Caesar still considers Gratian family, but Gratian's love for him has long since changed. Or perhaps, Gratian's love for Caesar was always like this, only Caesar is running away...

Gratian reconnected with the command line. The students who heard his voice seemed to hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Savior; the students were already showing signs of weakness, so Gratian mobilized his forces—these students—and sent them to a new location.

Subsequent events proved that Gratian's tactical deployment in this battle was not only perfect, but also genius.

Later, I heard Estravan recall this "children's antics." He said, "At the start of the battle, I was in command. I was full of confidence. We had tanks, and what about the enemy? Did they even know how to throttle a motorcycle without stalling? I put the tanks at the very front. Then... Gratian did something that made everyone in the Allied command laugh: he put the infantry, those students armed with submachine guns, right in front of the tank units. We all thought he was crazy."

However, when those students squeezed through the gaps between the tanks that had been forced to stop and directly entered the rear base camp, no one laughed.

Legend has it that during the Common Era, a Roman general named Scipio Africanus and his arch-enemy Hannibal made the foolish decision to use infantry to block an elephant corps at the Battle of Zama. However, Scipio ultimately triumphed. This was his first victory against Hannibal, and afterwards, Hannibal never managed to defeat him even once.

Do you know? In that instant, my fear reached its peak. In the barracks, someone comforted me, saying, 'It's just that the tanks are gone. Surely our regular troops in the rear can't beat kids?' But no, it wasn't like that. I think I saw a genius, I saw a monster. He was born right before my eyes. The sky that day was filled with gloom, pale light filtering through, every withered blade of grass growing on the sand looked like a demon's finger reaching out from hell.

That day, Estravan was urgently transferred by a disgruntled Allied officer, so he was not in command of the latter half of the battle. As the battle drew to a close, the motorcycle units on the flanks strangled the Allied soldiers trapped in the central position. Motorcycles were thrown into the inferno, triggering even larger explosions; Gratian's main force, having exhausted its heavily armed arsenal, withdrew from the battlefield in an orderly fashion.

The dawn broke through the sunlight. The two Republican Allied forces stationed on Io and Pluto, totaling over 60,000 men, were annihilated in the battle to attack Heysen. They died in an extremely cramped place, in a sandy park of less than three hectares in front of the Heysen City Hall square. Their blood seeped deep into the ground along the loose sand, and to this day, the soil there remains bright red; the plants there have robust stems and unusually large leaves.

The students, covered in mud and blood from the battle, their hair singed by gunpowder sticking stiffly in the air, the wind whipping through their tattered trousers and sleeves. Gratian spoke loudly to them. Suddenly, he turned to me and asked, "By the way, Caesar, what were you doing running off to such a dangerous place? You're so careless, what if…?"

"Just now? Oh, I was just trying to run to the Alliance's headquarters. I already discussed it with Estravan over there, and he told me to hurry up. Of course I'll be fine..." As soon as I said that, I immediately covered my mouth.

Sure enough, his face darkened considerably. "Did you even consider my feelings? You...you actually colluded with people from the Alliance!"

"This is my own business."

“It’s your own business!” He suddenly grabbed my arm. “Whenever something happens, the first thing you always think of is that Estravian!”

“Evan is my friend. My best friend. Understand?” I tried to shake him off, but couldn’t. I said coldly, “Let go, Gratian.”

“Evan is different from you. At least he doesn’t have dirty thoughts about sleeping with his adoptive father.”

Gratian was as if he had been slapped in the face, his face turning deathly pale. "Caesar, how...how could you say that..."

“Gradien,” I softened my tone, “you’ve just grown up. For us ordinary humans, you’ve grown too fast; you’ve gone from a petri dish-like infant to a teenager in less than five years. You’re smart, beautiful, knowledgeable, and quick to learn; but you haven’t learned how to control your desires. Especially sexually. You don’t really love me; your interest in me stems from a primal, instinctive possessiveness. That’s not love.”

"You mean, I, Gratian, a new human created and programmed by you as 'male,' have developed feelings for someone who is also male, and who raised me?"

"So that's why I confessed to you and said I like you?" His voice was filled with disbelief.

"It's strange, but it's not impossible. After all, I'm the person you're closest to and have the most frequent contact with. It's understandable that you have some... well, strange fantasies about me." As I spoke, my voice lost its confidence. I thought of Phaethon. Wasn't Gratian born from his genes? Phaethon, he... did he like men? How could that be?

“Then tell me, Caesar,” he said, looking at me intently, “according to your human psychology, you raised me; you are both my mother and my mother. You played both roles simultaneously. So, is my impulse towards you more of a mother complex or a desire to kill my father? You're a man, aren't you? Would a boy want to sleep with his father?”

"This..." I was a little embarrassed. "I...I don't know."

"If you know nothing, why did you create me in the first place? Since you couldn't quell my desires, why did you instill so many things in me? Why did you seduce me? Why did you tell me 'I love you' again and again?"

“‘I love you, Gratian.’ — You’ve said that to me every day since the first day I was old enough to understand.”

Gratian subsequently organized several campaigns to crush the Allied offensives; he refused to surrender, hoping the Allied government would make concessions according to his reform proposals. His actions were tantamount to suicide, yet the interstellar media spoke of him and his student soldiers with fervent hope, approval, and expectation.

I don't think I have an obligation to stop someone who is determined to die.

We didn't exchange a single word for the next two days. Once, I was walking in the corridor when he happened to pass by me, brushing past me. I saw his face and opened my mouth to greet him, but he walked straight past, his eyes fixed on what was ahead. Finally, before he completely disappeared from my sight, I secretly glanced at him, but he still didn't react at all.

However, it turned out that during the Cold War, his resolve was less firm than mine.

That day, I returned to my lab. On my workbench, several large boxes of photosynthetic bacteria were being cultured. I observed and recorded their birth and developmental morphology under a microscope in detail; this work began when I entered the lab in the morning and continued until late at night, lasting for nearly a week. Until one evening, while showering, I closed my eyes and watched the long, flagellated shadows of the bacteria dancing in the darkness. Stepping out of the bathroom, I saw Gratian standing blankly on the sofa in the living room. Seeing me, he immediately jumped up.

"Get out. Or I'll call the police."

“Caesar…” His icy eyes, under the night lights, appeared a deep cobalt blue, looking like a pair of witch fruits about to ooze glistening juice.

I'm immune to his tricks. "Get out."

"I'll say it again, or I'll call the police."

He sneered. "Call the police? If you're so capable, go ahead and do it yourself." He slammed the fruit knife off the coffee table onto the floor tiles in front of me. "Have you forgotten? Haiyingsen's city security is now handled by my men."

Despicable. I took a deep breath. He meant that either I had to physically remove him, or he wouldn't leave. Because at this point, no police officer in Heysen would remove Gratian for me. Of course, the police wouldn't listen to me.

I grabbed a towel, quickly dried my hair, threw the towel on the floor, and, naked, held the handle of a fruit knife, the tip pointing at Gratian's throat. "One last time. Get out. I don't want to see you!"

"Go ahead and slash me if you dare. I know you can't bring yourself to do it, Caesar." The coldness of the blade had probably seeped into his skin, and he smiled.

I abruptly turned the blade, pointing it at my own neck. I gestured briefly, then stopped near the carotid artery. "Get out. Is that alright?"

His gaze was like that of someone staring at a mental patient. After a short while, he inhaled a sharp breath, "Calm down."

"I won't force you anymore. Put the knife down, okay?"

He said he was moving closer to me, trying to help me take the knife down.

"go out."

“Okay.” He quickly withdrew his hand, as I pressed the knife closer. He took two steps back and stepped out of the house. “Caesar, I…”

"Close the door."

He closed the door. Then, with a soft creak, the door was pushed open a crack; I knew he was standing outside, cautiously observing me.

I put down the knife, lowered my eyes, and stared blankly at the fruit knife with its gray metallic sheen for a while, feeling a little tired. I wanted freedom, I wanted to leave this school now controlled by Gratian.

I had taken a nap. I was awakened by the sound of thunder and torrential rain. Thinking of the animals sunbathing in the yard, the animals used for experiments, and some potted plants that hadn't been brought inside, I opened my umbrella, the handle tucked between my neck and shoulder. Water droplets splashed onto me. The rain was heavy. I was carrying two tall rows of flowerpots, shooing away the chickens, dogs, and mice running wildly around the yard. I saw a golden, wet-furred creature perched in the corner of the yard. He looked up. It was Gratian. I was surrounded by a group of steaming little animals, still holding the potted plants. Rain was dripping from his eyelashes onto the fine, wet paving stones. His clothes clung to his body, and he was small and thin.

I vaguely realized that this arrogant "Chairman Gratian" was actually just a kid who looked like he was only twenty years old.

Besides, according to human standards, Gratian's real age means he should be in kindergarten right now.

“Gratian. You’ll get a fever if you keep getting soaked like this. Why don’t you… why don’t you come in and sit for a while?”

"Is it only blood that excites you, Caesar?"

"What?"

“A few days ago, on the battlefield, you watched us kill each other, limbs severed, blood splattered everywhere. People were going crazy for their own sense of justice. That was when you felt most relaxed, wasn’t it?”

After a long while, I said, "I just grabbed the fruit knife without thinking. I don't intend to actually commit suicide or harm myself."

“I’m sorry, Gratian, I shouldn’t have scared you like that.”

A series of urgent notification sounds rang out.

It was an urgent notification. Gratian glanced at the electronic screen in front of him and said, "The 'Tree of Zeus' over at the City Hall suddenly awakened for some reason. Although the power was quickly cut off, they seem to have discovered something."

"Explosives? Where did they come from? Is someone going to bomb City Hall?" He frowned. "I need to get to City Hall right now... Are you coming?"

"Hmm," I said.

I want to see what's going on over there.

He walked down the steps, soaked by the rain, pushing open the gate to the courtyard. His body gradually sank and disappeared. I looked up, my eyes wide open, and the fine raindrops stung and irritated my eyes. Then I noticed that the sky above Haiyingsen was an unnaturally blue, a sign that the city's air defense network was at its maximum.

"Glatian—!" I shouted, "The air defenses are intact! Be careful, the explosives might have been planted by someone inside!"

I don't know much about the "Tree of Zeus," so I won't go into details.

He seemed very happy. He stopped, the raindrops on his clothes seemingly sparkling. "Caesar, are you not angry with me anymore?"

With a stern face, I turned around and walked home without saying a word.

"Didn't you say you were going to come with me? Why aren't you coming now?" A voice carrying deep disappointment drifted from behind in the heavy rain.

He caught a fever from being caught in the rain that night.

I saw on the front page of the school newspaper, now the "Haiyingsen Revolutionary Daily," that Gratian and a group of student leaders were speaking around a bombed-out building. The gist of their message was that people should be aware of the crisis, but not overly anxious, and to trust that Gratian's team was capable of ensuring everyone's safety. I saw Yang Luo leaning against him, tiptoeing to hold an umbrella for Gratian.

"Aren't you going to ask me about Yang Luo?" He pushed the door open and came in. I was in the lab, feeding the newly hatched photosynthetic bacteria.

I don't want to know.

"She likes me. Although I feel her liking for me is no different from the kind of liking an aunt might have for any handsome high school boy. The day we took the Alliance Speaker away, she was at Central University, controlling the direct line between Central University and City Hall. She could have told those councilors to run and not fall into Gratian's hands. But instead, she told them: 'Don't be nervous; there's no problem; there's no student riot, and certainly no revolution. Ladies and gentlemen, please wait in City Hall for the Alliance's Haiyingsen government to come to your rescue. You are safe.' — I don't understand, has she always been so hypocritical? Or is this how women become for love?"

"You've gone too far. She did it for you. You can't say that about her."

"You're clearly angry with her, so stop defending her. She's a really interesting person; perhaps you'd call her 'gentle,' 'considerate,' or 'intellectual'? She's been handling the supplies and logistics. It's a lot of work, and the students, spoiled by the living conditions at Central University, aren't used to meals without meat, vegetables, fruit, and cream pastries. She has an incredibly good temper. She often shows maternal warmth to the student soldiers. Oh, by the way, she baked some nut shortbread this afternoon, the kind you like with raspberry jam. I saved you a big piece."

Do you love her?

"I don't like people who pursue me. I prefer those I win over; I don't care about anyone who doesn't require me to put in the effort."

Gratian spoke with conviction.

"And... you want me to develop a relationship with an old lady?" His tone became somewhat malicious. I attributed this to the fact that I had invited him into the house, and the hot towel with lemon oil had made him a little too comfortable. He made a purring sound like a kitten rolling around in bed.

"Yang Luo isn't that old. The lady's age is a secret. But she's definitely no more than thirty."

I don't like her.

Have you made this clear to her?

“She said it. Then she told me, ‘I like you. I hope my love won’t be a burden to you. That’s enough for me.’ She also said that she chose to stay here not only for me, but also for herself. She enjoys the lively atmosphere where everyone works together.”

I stopped wiping the towel off him. He looked at me, his hair a mess, and asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Are you upset again?"

"Now I finally understand why Ye Yuanchun grabbed Yang Luo and started arguing with her that day. She's always disliked Yang Luo, saying she's 'an old nun pretending to be the Virgin Mary, but in reality, the amount of things she can tolerate is about the same as the number of angels that can stand on the head of a pin.'"

Does that mean she's petty?

"Pretty much. But sometimes, I think eating a nut tart with raspberry spread is more important than thinking about whether the Freedom Alliance will perish tomorrow," I laughed. I only took one bite of the nut tart and put it back.

Then I thought of something else and suddenly felt like I couldn't eat anymore.

He grabbed my hand, took a big bite of the nut brittle, and asked, "This is delicious. Don't you like it?"

“Gratian,” I said.

"Stop now. It's not too late. If this continues, you really will die."

"Are you free now? I'll take you to see something."

Now?

“Your lab better not have ‘something to deal with’ again.” He slapped a hot towel across my face.

After saying that, he pulled me out into the pouring rain. "Oh, sorry, I forgot my umbrella." He glanced back at the house with the lights on. "Never mind. You can wear my coat."

"No, no, put this on... Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Anyway, whatever illness I have, I'll be fine soon. Look, my forehead isn't hot anymore."

I pulled my hand away from his forehead. His coat was warm and steaming, making my eyes a little misty.

A deep, opaque lake, like a mirror, very deep and small; its surface a somber black in the night's wind and rain. Scattered around the lake were fragments of the bombed-out annex next to the city hall. The lake was buried beneath its foundation; at first glance, it could be mistaken for a water cellar. I peered out; the exposed surface was only about the size of my two outstretched hands, yet it reflected my entire body, from top to bottom. My reflection was tiny.

“This is part of the Tree of Zeus. Someone is trying to steal it,” Gratian said.

"Was today's explosion to steal this?"

"Yes. To this day, we still haven't figured out where the government troops infiltrated from. From the sky? Through the sewers? Or did they sneak up with the supply delivery people when Hai Yingsen requested resupply from the ground?"

“I thought the ‘Tree of Zeus’ would be, uh, something like a tree. A main trunk with lots and lots of branches.”

"In fact, it's more like a pool of water. All the water is connected and flowing. You can take every drop of water from the ocean, and in every drop of water you can see the reflection of the entire ocean. Every drop of water from the 'Tree of Zeus' is equivalent to the 'Tree of Zeus' itself. As long as they are given enough energy, they share the same information, database, and algorithms as the 'Tree of Zeus's' parent body—which is what you see now—and can produce equally excellent computational results."

I stared at the deep, black water. "No wonder it's the most powerful AI in the Earth Republican Alliance."

"The most powerful? Unfortunately, for those politicians who want to reach into the minds of the people, it is just an unfinished product."

One of the common knowledge among the Allies is that the "Tree of Zeus" was created approximately a century before humanity entered the interstellar age; in terms of age, this artificial intelligence is like an old grandfather in the eyes of our generation. It collects information, allocates resources, and supports the government in making major decisions; for example, the construction of the "Iliad Stargate" and the development of star systems beyond the stargate were initially suggested by the "Tree of Zeus." The learning network that Gratian's brain connected to in its early years belonged to a branch of the "Tree of Zeus," or rather, it was actually connected to the "Tree of Zeus" itself; because for this artificial intelligence, each of its branches is also its main body.

Gratian said, "The route planning from Earth to various star systems, the expenditure and revenue control limits for local governments in a certain star system this year, including how citizens should avoid traffic lights, etc. People have long been accustomed to the management of the 'Tree of Zeus.' So, the Allied Government had a plan. They wanted to input every piece of data about every citizen into the database of the 'Tree of Zeus': height, weight, medical history, your sexual orientation, your likes and dislikes, when you feel sad, when you feel ecstatic. The government would push information to you based on the collected data, some for political propaganda, some not, some to please you, to anger you, or to make you a consumer. The 'Tree of Zeus' grew continuously in the process of collecting information and pushing different information to different citizens, until it knew everything and controlled everything."

Then, based on pre-set axioms, value judgments, and the principle of maximizing benefits, it selects the optimal solution for each person and each situation that conforms to a certain axiom or law. For example, if it judges that a restaurant is overcrowded and there is a risk of a cluster of infectious diseases, it will automatically block the road leading to that restaurant, and newcomers can only eat at another restaurant. People whose roads are blocked will think that this is their own choice or the optimal solution to adapt to reality; they rarely think about why the road is blocked. They will think that every choice they make is voluntary, based on their inner truth, and based on reality. They look at their own reflection, and a future version of themselves is stifled in the cradle of the present because of limited choices, but they do not feel any pain.

"In this example, the axiom upon which the calculation is based is 'individual freedom should give way to public health.' So, what if the axiom of the 'Tree of Zeus' were designed to be 'citizens with a monthly income below three thousand should be forced to die to conserve social resources and promote technological progress'? Oh, you think that's impossible? Why can't the system be designed according to such an 'axiom'? Don't forget, who most wants to upgrade this super algorithm system? It's the top elites of the alliance who desperately want their power and influence to last forever."

“Estravan is not that kind of person,” I whispered.

“He doesn’t want to, maybe just because he can’t. How much do you know about him? Well, to be honest, I don’t know him as well as you do. But Caesar, this plan to upgrade the ‘Tree of Zeus’ is being handled by the Allied National Security Agency; they’ve already conducted a lot of experiments in secret. He’s just a newcomer to parliamentary circles; he’s not high enough to know these things,” Gratian said.

The rain gradually stopped; a night wind suddenly rose, strong and blowing away the thick, dark clouds overhead. A clear ray of light seeped through a crack in the clouds, and the moon revealed half of its round face.

Gratian stepped onto the damp, shattered metal shell and said, “Caesar, I know what you're trying to say. You just want to persuade me to give up; you think everything I've done is pointless and meaningless. To be honest, I wavered a lot after you rejected me the first time. That day in the battle, I led my men in a charge at the city hall, thinking, ‘That's it, I'm definitely going to die this time;’ I even thought, ‘If I died then, maybe you would forgive me.’ With that mindset, I charged towards those rows of cannons spitting heat at my face, and suddenly I wasn't afraid anymore. Until I learned a lot, some of which I knew from the beginning, like genetic modification. Some…” For example, I only just learned about the upgrade plan for the 'Tree of Zeus'. Why are the upper echelons of the alliance in such a hurry to create something like me? Why are they so eager to observe whether an infant with 'perfect genes' is truly perfect? ​​I understand. The 'Tree of Zeus' manages the lower classes like pigs in a sty, and the infant with 'perfect genes' will be the model for them and their children's future. No one will be able to challenge their power and wealth anymore, because the gap between them and ordinary people will be the gap between the Olympian gods and mortals. Will Zeus, the king of the gods, have pity on and care for mortals? Yes. Like a kind passerby feeding a stray dog ​​a piece of spoiled meat.”

"Is this really the right thing to do? I think people are born free. Anyone. At the very least, they should have the right to refuse to eat spoiled meat and not starve to death."

"...No one is absolutely free. Gratian."

“I know, Caesar,” he said softly, “then tell me, will you? Why was I born into this world? I am not free, then what am I? An experimental subject you observe, a tool you manipulate, or one of the thousands of pebbles paving the way for your Republican Alliance’s ‘bright and prosperous future’? Tell me, Caesar, why am I alive?”

I didn't answer. I had nothing to say. His anger was beyond my comprehension. His ambition too. I didn't want to hear it. I truly didn't understand. I only knew that he must have been incredibly sad then, so sad that I felt I had to cry for him.

“Caesar!” He was terrified. He kept apologizing to me. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t say you were like the people of the Allied Government, I didn’t mean you were bad! I…”

My tear ducts seemed to be broken, and tears were gushing out.

——tbc——