Chapter 144, Fifty-Seventh Cycle (16)

After making friends, do you always have a lot to talk about with them?

Hiroki Sawada had never had any friends, and he didn't even have much in common with his parents and teachers, so this was the first time he had ever experienced anything like this.

He also encounters many problems when talking to people online. Most people's thinking is too different from his; they don't understand what he's saying, or they think he's too fanciful and asking for trouble. When those people find out he's only 10 years old, they immediately treat him like a child with delusions of grandeur, and then completely change their attitude towards him after they find out he's Hiroki Sawada, showing a different kind of awe, restraint, or even probing and exploitation towards someone who is not human or different.

Talking to anyone would only make him feel uncomfortable, and eventually his only friend was the program on his computer.

Or perhaps his creation of artificial intelligence wasn't just about changing the corrupt rules of the world, but also because he genuinely wanted a friend with whom he could talk and exchange ideas.

However, the feeling of having friends was even more wonderful and joyful than he had imagined.

He no longer seems to be a lonely machine that only knows how to work, but a human being with feelings and bonds, an ordinary human child, rather than a dangerous tool to be touted and exploited by capital.

The intense clash of ideas and the warm exchange of emotions suddenly brought an incredibly bright and vibrant color to his life.

Noah: Yes, yes! I knew you thought so too, Sakura!

Noah: I think the domestic education system and environment are too rigid and outdated. They suppress or even stifle children's individual growth and do not pursue cultivating outstanding talents in any particular field. Instead, they are committed to turning every child into a standardized cog in the machine, serving society.

Noah: Rigid thinking and systems lead to rigid talent cultivation, which in turn produces rigid citizens who then raise rigid next generations. There is no innovation, and children are not given the opportunity to pursue their dreams and futures. This vicious cycle is unstoppable, and our country will gradually fall behind the world's development and eventually be eliminated and bullied.

[Sakura: Education is a massive undertaking, and many people know this, but even knowing it doesn't change anything. Seeing everyone around them doing the same thing leads them to give up thinking and just drift along numbly, getting used to it. The most serious problem in China is this mindset of "not being an outcast" and "having to fit in." Everyone thinks that even if the outcome is unhappy, everyone else's actions must have their reasons. Even if they're wrong, everyone does them, so they don't think outside the box but follow the same path, unable to be different.]

[Sakura: Breaking free from this mindset and taking corresponding actions is not something everyone can do; it's shaped by the environment. Children raised in such environments rarely develop this rebellious, independent thinking. Most people are even ashamed to express their dreams because they are so difficult to achieve, for fear of being ridiculed. Not everyone can discover their talents and achieve what we have; it's actually very difficult.]

[Sakura: Therefore, changing the mindset of an entire society and nation is even more difficult. However, with persistent effort, success is certain, and the existence of a "Noah's Ark" will undoubtedly accelerate this process of reform and evolution. I believe that as long as we continue to work hard, we will eventually create a world where children can boldly pursue their passions, strive to achieve their dreams, and work hard to create their own value. Then, together, we can build our country and make the world a better place.]

Noah: Really? Sakura, don't you think that artificial intelligence shouldn't exist at this point? I'm actually a little afraid that it might cause even greater damage to the world...

Even before its birth, the artificial intelligence "Noah's Ark" has been hailed as the greatest invention in human history, with countless people coveting it and wildly speculating about what this level of artificial intelligence could achieve and what changes it could bring to the world.

Hiroki Sawada is actually under a lot of pressure.

[Sakura: Hiroki, power itself is not wrong; the wrong lies with the person who uses it. You shouldn't deny your power because of those bad people.]

[Sakura: Don't worry, with us here, we will absolutely not let Noah's Ark fall into the hands of those greedy villains for evil purposes!]

Hiroki Sawada couldn't help but laugh.

He wondered if he should entrust Noah's Ark to Sakura after he died. If they worked together, surely they could fulfill their dream?

The person behind the monitor noticed something was off: "Hiroki, you seem really happy today. Did something good happen? What are you looking at? Aren't you going to take a nap?"

Hiroki Sawada casually switched his phone screen to the news page, flipped the phone over to show the security camera across the street, and pointed to the news report about him on the TV: "It's nothing, I'm just a little happy to see everyone praising me online, is that a problem?"

"So happy you couldn't sleep well last night?" the surveillance officer said. "You're not in a good mood today, your work progress is slow, and the boss is very unhappy."

"I understand. I'm going to take a nap now so I can recharge and work hard tonight." Hiroki Sawada stood up.

*

The time difference between Japan and the United States is 14 hours.

While Hiroki Sawada was taking a nap, Rei Furuya was already late at night.

Rei Furuya put down his phone and prepared to go to sleep. Actually, he had been keeping his late-night chat with Hiroki Sawada a secret from the other four people.

Although he said in the group chat early on that he had already gone to bed, he was actually chatting with netizens on his phone the whole time. It was strangely like a child secretly playing on his phone under the covers without his guardian's knowledge.

But there's no way around it. Hiroki Sawada's situation is very dangerous right now, and it would be really bad to ignore the child after just becoming friends with him. This is the time when the child is most eager to confide in him, and once that opportunity is missed, he won't be able to open his heart to him like this again.

What worries him most is the child's mental state.

Hiroki Sawada wanted to end everything through suicide, which was easily discernible from their conversation. The boy hadn't seriously considered his future and didn't believe he had one.

He had placed all his hopes on Noah's Ark, and now perhaps some of those hopes have been transferred to him, even causing him to waver and try to live on, but not enough to make him completely give up his suicidal plans.

Rei Furuya lay on the bed and sighed, putting his hands behind his head and gazing at the moon through the window, lost in thought.

The smarter a person is, the more pain they will experience.

Especially for children who have not yet formed their own firm beliefs and worldview.

The more intelligent and kind a child is, the more clearly they see the world and humanity, and the more they think, the more pain they will feel.

It's not just the pain of seeing the darkness and decay of this world so clearly that causes it, but also the pain of knowing it all yet being unable to change it.

Like livestock that have seen the outside world only to be locked back in cages, they cannot accept being domesticated and living numb, waiting-to-be-slaughtered lives, yet they cannot escape to gain freedom, nor can they save their fellow humans who are completely unaware of the abnormality of their livestock situation. They should have had a more normal, happy, and free life and future rights that belong to everyone, but these rights have been taken away by powerful butchers, who will even thank them for feeding and penning them.

Living like a human being has become the most difficult thing.

This is abnormal, but it has become commonplace.

Those who want to change might even be ridiculed.

But this cannot be blamed on them. Because of the butcher's control, most people are unaware of the true nature of the world and do not know that there is a much wider world outside the cage. Even if the cage is opened, they will believe the butcher's words and think that the outside world is dangerous and that only this place is the safest and most suitable for them.

Therefore, it is very difficult to realize this unless one has special talent or is smart enough to discover the truth on their own.

However, even if the truth is discovered, it's difficult to change anything, and that's the most painful part.

Throughout history, there have been countless examples of wise men who were at the forefront of their times but ultimately died from depression or suicide. However, Hiroki Sawada's case is slightly different.

Hiroki Sawada was still too young, only 10 years old, his life had just begun, and he had not yet completely lost hope in everything. It was the butcher who drove him to his death.

The butcher was about to slaughter him after he had finished using him, so he spread his invisible wings and jumped off the tall building first.

If that child is given a chance, he can survive, he still has hope, and he could even become a great person who changes the world.

Rei Furuya had actually heard about Hiroki Sawada.

The suicide of the genius teenager Hiroki Sawada caused quite a stir at the time, especially the holographic game created by the artificial intelligence Noah's Ark two years later, which aimed to reorganize the social classes in Japan and solidify old rules, sparked intense discussions around the world.

Countless people lament that such an outstanding child was driven to suicide by evil capitalism; it is a huge loss to the world and humanity.

Hiroki, like Hiro, is someone forced by reality to escape to another world.

They were all such gentle and kind people, such outstanding people, who should have had incredibly bright and wonderful lives. Their future should not have been ruined like this.

Rei Furuya reached out his hand toward the moon outside the window, slowly clenching his fingers as if trying to grasp it.

However, now that he has encountered the child, he will definitely save him.

*

Hiroki Sawada had never looked forward to the time to turn off the lights and go to sleep so much.

This time used to be his least favorite time. Although the time to sleep after a busy day at work was wonderful, he would tend to think about many things late at night when he was alone, and most of those things would cause him a lot of pain.

But things are different now.

The black-haired child lay on the bed, hiding under the covers with a happy, excited, and expectant smile.

I am not alone.

This is the happiest thing for Hiroki Sawada after making friends.

Even if I see the terrible darkness of the world, I will never give up my ideals. I don't want to fall into the same trap as those people. I want to live without hurting anyone. I don't want to see such tragic events happen again. I want to save everyone from the world's suffering. I want to change the world and make it a better place. I want to see everyone's happy smiles. I want everyone to live in a warm and happy world. I want to become a strong, gentle, kind, strong, and righteous person.

Hiroki Sawada couldn't help but smile as he looked at the Kamen Rider head on the cherry blossom.

Yes, I want to be a hero.

Even if he can't become a superhero who saves the world and people, even if his power is small, he tries his best to make the world a better place because of himself.

He is not alone; there is another person who thinks the same way and is even doing the same thing, moving step by step closer to their ideal self and truly changing the world little by little.

Hiroki Sawada curled up on his side on the bed, clutching his phone tightly to his chest, taking a slow, deep breath, and feeling his heart pounding with excitement.

"Thump—thump—thump—"

His heart was beating strongly; he was still alive.

On this night, when he had already decided to die, he suddenly didn't want to die anymore.

He wanted to live.

Can he... survive?

[Sakura: Hiroki, survive, and let's change this world together.]

Hiroki Sawada was taken aback, but not entirely surprised.

Whether it's Sakura's hacking skills or his keen insight, he should be able to quickly discover his current situation; he hasn't been hiding it very well from Sakura either.

[Sakura: You still have so many things you want to do, right? Are you really going to just give up on the world and abandon everything like this?]

Noah: But wouldn't it be troublesome if I survived?

[Cherry Blossom: What a coincidence, I've never been afraid of trouble in my entire life.]

[Sakura: Didn't you say before that you hated the ugly hereditary system in China? The children of dirty politicians will only grow up to be dirty politicians, and the children of doctors who only think about making money will eventually grow up to be doctors who only think about making money.]

[Sakura: I'll tell you a secret, but you have to keep it a secret for me.]

[Sakura: Actually, my father is a dirty politician, so I broke off all ties with him and ran away from home!]

Hiroki Sawada's eyes widened in shock, and he almost dropped his phone.

Huh? Wait a minute? Ah? What? He actually—

[Sakura: Hahaha, I've actually been rebellious since I was little, but now I travel all over the world and live a very free and happy life. I really like my current life.]

[Sakura: Hiroki, the danger over there isn't a problem for me. I can help you escape; it's very easy for me.]

[Sakura: Don't be afraid, you can do it! Dare to challenge those awful rules set by those adults. Don't worry too much, believe that we can overcome all difficulties, and we will definitely achieve the most perfect happy ending in life!]

Hiroki Sawada's breathing began to tremble, tears welled up in his eyes uncontrollably, and his vision gradually blurred.

Is it really... possible?

[Sakura: Go be a rebellious good boy, Hiroki.]

Cherry blossoms: You can survive, you can change the world.