Chapter 41 Supermarket 3 (Whom God would destroy, He first makes into motion)
"Can anyone tell me if these videos are real, or if they're digitally composited?!"
Soon after, a professional chimed in, "It's true. It's unbelievable... but I've watched it seven or eight times and I can't see any signs of editing."
"I thought the Takahashi Group had been attacked by terrorists, that the attackers were organized and had heavy weaponry. But... the perpetrator was just one person?! How did he manage that?"
"Has the Takahashi Group gone mad? They're actually conducting illegal experiments in secret. Has the government gone mad too? The evidence is irrefutable, yet they're refusing to take action??"
"What's wrong with this world? I feel like I'm watching a fantasy blockbuster, but you're telling me the video is real? The current world record for the 100-meter dash is 9.58 seconds! Some guy I don't know where he found it, casually running 8.57 seconds, is that reasonable?!"
"The 'delicate' girl lifted a car with her bare hands; I can never look at the word 'delicate' the same way again. As a man, I feel I'm much more delicate than her..."
Shock, confusion, condemnation—there were all sorts of reactions.
Finally, the opinions converged into one voice: the Takahashi Foundation is indeed conducting human experiments, so why isn't the government investigating?!
Because the post was made in the evening, the incident quickly escalated and spread widely.
By the time the government realized what was happening, it was too late to delete posts, control comments, or reduce the buzz.
Angry crowds overwhelmed the government's official Weibo account, demanding that the government step forward and provide an explanation.
The government is also in a dilemma.
Firstly, it's unclear how the game will be classified, and whether those who saw the information can be considered unauthorized informants. If they are defined as "unauthorized informants," every single one of them could potentially cause disaster.
Not only will they themselves be in danger, but those around them will also be at risk.
Secondly, to clarify the matter, the whole story must be told. But once it's made clear, everyone who wasn't originally involved in the illegal information will suddenly become involved.
So this is really a difficult matter to handle.
Just when the authorities were in a real bind, someone "in the know" stepped in to explain things.
"Everyone, calm down and don't blame the government. Think about it first, where did the documents come from? These are all internal documents of the Takahashi Foundation! If the victims' families don't get their hands on the documents first, how can the government verify anything and how can they handle the case?"
“You can’t really find anything by just checking the process. Several years ago, the Takahashi Foundation claimed to be developing a new drug and publicly recruited volunteers from across the Federation. Moreover, before signing the contract, they would clearly state that the experiment carried certain risks and there was a possibility of death.”
“After volunteers voluntarily sign the contract, the Takahashi Foundation will provide generous subsidies. If the experiment ends and the person is unharmed, the contract will terminate. If the experiment ends and the person dies, the Takahashi Foundation will make another payment to the deceased's family.”
"The whole thing is entirely voluntary. The volunteers only sign the contract with their own consent. If something happens to a volunteer, their family will receive huge compensation. So for a long time, homeless people and terminally ill patients would often go to the Takahashi Foundation to sign up and become volunteers."
“If the government interferes in such a consensual matter without reason, it will only be criticized.”
"The crux of the problem is that the Takahashi Foundation was conducting unethical experiments behind everyone's back, turning a certain probability of death into a 100% certainty of death."
To help everyone understand, the "knowledgeable" person gave another example: "For instance, someone voluntarily signed up to donate their organs after death, and then died in a car accident a few months later. Later, her organs were donated to several people."
"To express their gratitude, organ recipients donate money to the families of the deceased after successful surgery."
“Throughout the process, one party received money and the other received organs, which looks very much like a monetary transaction. But because it was a voluntary donation, it cannot be considered a monetary transaction.”
Government: ...Thank you for speaking up for me.
After reading the science popularization, the public did stop seeking to hold the government accountable. Instead, they began to question the government: How could it tolerate such a thing happening? Didn't it ever consider legislating to stop it?
As a result, the government, which had not yet figured out how to explain it, was once again pressured to improve legislation.
Someone suggested, "Why don't we shut down the Takahashi Group's official Weibo account?"
The proposal was rejected as soon as it was put forward. "No way! They can't give a reasonable explanation to begin with. If they forcefully block the accounts, the public will only think that the government is guilty, and then it will be even more difficult to explain."
During the debate, new arguments emerged.
"I said, the colds this winter are unusual, the symptoms are particularly severe, could it also be the work of the Takahashi Group?"
"The government didn't deal with the Takahashi Group before, and now it's playing dead and remaining silent. Could there be insider trading involved?"
"The current government has performed well since taking office, so why has it suddenly faltered? You haven't said a word, which is making me very anxious. Whatever the reason, at least come out and explain!"
The relevant departments immediately convened an emergency meeting to brainstorm and find a reasonable excuse that would not reveal the existence of the evolution game.
In the office, Ning Lu held her phone, looking completely lost.
"Strange things happen every year, but this year there seem to be more than usual..."
"I just took a nap, and when I woke up this morning, I heard that the headquarters of the Takahashi Group had been raided, and some strange videos appeared on the official Weibo account."
"Upon closer inspection, the people in the video are far more powerful than me. It seems there are quite a few mutants like me?"
"No wonder you told me to do fewer part-time jobs at night. If I run into a tough opponent, my small frame might not be able to withstand a punch!"
Yun Xin only said, "I didn't know it was this bad. I was shocked when I saw the official Weibo account this morning."
Ning Lu looked down at the video for a while, then suddenly blurted out, "They say that if God wants someone to perish, He first makes them mad. This looks a bit like a sign of the end of the world, doesn't it?"
Before Yunxin could speak, her phone rang.
She took the opportunity to change the subject, saying, "I'm going to answer a phone call."
As he spoke, he walked to a quiet spot in the corridor to make the call.
"Sister, it's me." A flustered, anxious, and nervous voice came from the other end of the phone.
Yun Xin was stunned for a moment before she remembered, "Wu Peng?"
"Yes, it's me." Wu Peng's voice was filled with panic. "Sis, what do we do? I've gotten into trouble!"
Yun Xin asked in confusion, "What did you do?"
While asking the question, I was also very curious. Even if I had caused trouble, I shouldn't have gone to her. What good would it do? She's not even my biological sister.
"I...I secretly gave the information to Gao Yang, and he got really angry after reading it, so he raided the entire Gaoqiao Group headquarters!" Wu Peng was shocked, frightened, and filled with indescribable frustration. His voice sounded like he was about to cry. "Sister, what should we do? That madman Gao Yang actually published the information directly on the official Weibo account!"
"If others see this and become 'illegally informed' and suffer misfortune, wouldn't it be my fault?!"
Yun Xin, "..."
What business is it of yours?
She calmly said, "Don't panic. What's done is done, panicking won't help. Tell me what happened from the beginning. Your words are all jumbled up, I don't even know what happened."
"That's how it is." Wu Peng took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
"After the nursing home experiment ended, Bai Wei extended an olive branch to me, hoping that I would join the Takahashi Foundation and promising to provide me with generous treatment."
"I wanted to investigate the mysterious deaths of the elderly, and ideally obtain evidence to bring Bai Wei and the Takahashi Group to justice, so I agreed."
"I worked diligently and conscientiously for several months at the Takahashi Group, and I made no mistakes. The company leaders trusted me more and more."
"Just then, I met someone. His name is Gao Yang, and he is 20 years old. He had already been admitted to university, but he had to drop out due to illness. His family was poor, and his grandfather was also ill. The family could not afford to support two patients. By chance, his grandfather learned from a friend that the Takahashi Foundation was recruiting volunteers, and that he could get money for signing a contract. Moreover, his friend had participated a few years ago and came back alive without any aftereffects."
"Grandpa was very tempted when he heard this. Later, in order to raise money to cure his grandson's illness, he actually went."
"On the day the contract was signed, a payment was deposited into Gao Yang's bank account. Not long after, Grandpa was taken to a closed facility to participate in an experiment."
"About half a month later, Grandpa did not return, but his ashes were sent back. Gao Yang was quite shocked and chased after the Takahashi Group to demand an explanation."
"The Takahashi Foundation only said that the experiment failed and the volunteer unfortunately died. Before signing the contract, they had warned that there were certain risks, including the possibility of death. The volunteers had all read the contract and only signed it when they felt there were no problems."
"To express their apology, the Takahashi Foundation was willing to offer more financial compensation, but Takayo refused to accept it."
“On the one hand, I sympathized with the death of his family members and did not know the reason. On the other hand, I felt that he could help me, so I told him about the nursing home and showed him some of the information I could get.”
"As a result, Gao Yang was greatly stimulated, his attributes increased significantly, and he even awakened superpowers."
“Last night, he asked me if the head of the nursing home was at headquarters. At first, I didn’t know what he wanted to do, so I honestly answered ‘yes.’ Later, he asked me a lot of questions, and I belatedly realized that he wanted to take revenge in his own way.”
"I wanted to stop him, but it was too late. He awakened fighting abilities, and he has more than one superpower. I can't beat him!"
"And then... you know what happened next. Gao Yang massacred the headquarters of the Gaoqiao Group, but spared me."
“I could have told myself that blood must be paid for blood. Bai Wei is dead, the company is gone, they deserve it, they deserved to be punished for their illegal experiments.”
"But I never expected that Gao Yang would force the staff to reveal the password to the official Weibo account and then upload all the internal information!"
Wu Peng's voice, which had been relatively calm, began to break down again, trembling slightly as he spoke, "I only wanted to seek justice for the elderly, but I ended up dragging more innocent people into this mess! I...I..."
Wu Peng's voice choked with emotion; he probably didn't know what else to say. At that moment, all he wanted to do was cry.
Yunxin finally understood why Wu Peng had approached her.
She was an insider of the nursing home experiment and had spoken to me on the phone before, making her a suitable person to confide in.
Wu Peng must have gotten himself into serious trouble, so he was in a hurry to talk to someone and find a solution.
But... things have gotten so big, and she found out so late, that even if she wanted to help clean up the mess, it was too late.
"If I had known things would turn out this way, I should have left after the nursing home experiment." Unable to bear the guilt any longer, Wu Peng finally broke down in tears, "I didn't want this to happen, I didn't want this!!"
Yunxin sighed inwardly.
Gao Yang awakened his superpowers after being stimulated, but he didn't get an A, so he didn't know about the evolution game.
Releasing the information may simply be an attempt to expose the misdeeds of the Takahashi Group.
However, due to a series of unforeseen events, a series of coincidences came together, ultimately leading to an irreversible situation.
(End of this chapter)
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