Iris

That night, Xin Lan helped Ivy complete the job transfer procedures, faster than the college students who were rushing to complete the DDL.

It's a done deal.

Ivy could no longer continue to receive training as a frontline fighter, but was assigned to Nana's class - like her, she became a collector, with six points of physical training, two points of mental training and two points of cultural subjects in her daily training.

"Cultural classes" taught them to accurately identify which items in the wasteland were radioactive, which items could be brought back for research, and which items needed to be destroyed immediately.

Artificial intelligence with self-awareness still exists on this earth, scattered here and there, hiding in the "wasteland" to avoid pursuit by humans.

On Earth, a total of 35 safe zones are under the full control of humans. In other wastelands, abandoned electronic equipment and surveillance cameras may become "tools" for artificial intelligence.

Frontline Warriors can completely destroy them with weapons at close range, but Collectors can only call on Frontline Warriors.

Ivy didn't even have dinner.

Song Xu was right, her parents both risked their lives to sneak in from the 23rd District.

There are a total of 35 safe zones on Earth, each separated by a large wasteland. Transported supplies are most likely to be intercepted and destroyed by artificial intelligence. Therefore, the area and resources of each safe zone are different.

The 23rd District where Ivy was born is located in the north with a half-year ice period. Whether it is food or other infrastructure, it is difficult to compare with those wealthy safe areas.

In other words, people living in the 23rd arrondissement are lucky to have enough to eat.

Under such circumstances, Ivy's parents took her and secretly hid her in a transport vehicle traveling to and from District 1. They successfully "smuggled" into District 1. Later, they obtained legal status with great difficulty. After more than ten years of hard work, they finally settled down here.

But discrimination cannot be eliminated.

Ivy had the same dream for a long time. She dreamed of vast expanses of wilderness, a low blue sky, green and yellow grass that would cut her fingers if she touched it, large-leaf banyan trees that towered into the sky, kangaroos running along with the car, hot and humid winds, and mist in the air...

Furthermore, above the sky, densely packed surveillance cameras were watching them all the way, like countless eyes in the sky, calm and rational blue dots recording their tracks.

She thought that was what she saw in the deserted area when she was smuggled across the country with her parents.

In order to confirm this dream, Ivy collected a lot of news reports about the wasteland. After being exposed to the duty of "expedition team", she became deeply fascinated by this profession where danger and freedom coexist - referring to the frontline fighters who carry the latest weapons and can fight with artificial intelligence at any time.

If she had to choose a way to die, Ivy would want to die in a battle in the wilderness.

Now, this wish has been shattered.

The weapons equipped by the gatherers are completely incomparable to those of the frontline fighters. They only have portable pistols. This kind of firearm is already available on the market. Ivy does not have a gun license, but she has practiced with it countless times in the shooting experience hall.

In the first class after the job change, Ivy used it to steadily fire ten bullets. She controlled the trajectory of each bullet precisely. After the shooting was over, there was only one bullet hole in the center of the target.

The teacher exclaimed: "Genius, a genius - you have such a talent, why don't you go to the front line?"

Ivy lowered her head, wiped the pistol carefully, and returned it reluctantly: "I want to get familiar with the life in the team first."

No way.

She didn't even know if she could change her job and become a warrior again.

Ivy didn't tell Nana about this. Nana was just a simple little girl. What's the point of telling her this? It would only make her and herself troubled.

Nana sensed her low mood and excitedly shared the latest news with her:

"I heard that Team Iris found a dodo in the wasteland last week!"

"There are also traces of what appear to be dinosaur tracks - dinosaurs! Real dinosaurs!"

"The Agricultural College's ginkgo seed breeding program has made a major breakthrough. They have successfully germinated synthetic ginkgo seeds. If all goes well, we will be able to see the extinct ginkgo trees with our own eyes next year."

"A new round of mate selection surveys will be officially launched next month. All unmarried adults who are not in a relationship will still be required to submit the survey..." Nana read on, surprised. "This time, as long as the match rate is above 75%, you can choose to obtain the other party's contact information. Has it dropped so low? Last year, the requirement was 90%."

Ivy was concentrating on reading the information, forcing herself to remember what was on the screen.

Although they have not given up on becoming frontline fighters, they cannot neglect their current studies. They are still reserve members and can only officially join the expedition team after successfully passing the assessment.

Ivy never dreamed that she would be forced to become a collector, so she had to cheer up and start learning from the beginning.

Nana actively suggested: "Don't carry it anymore, go get a little reconstructive surgery - like me."

She lifted her hair and showed Ivy the small interface on the side of her head. "It's just direct memory transfer. Although the transferred memories cannot be changed or deleted...but what we taught in school can't be wrong."

This is one of the most popular human body modification techniques in the past decade. A small insertion interface is made in the head, and a corresponding storage area is added to the human brain - knowledge can be compressed and transmitted into it at one time.

The advantages are obvious: it allows a person to master a large amount of knowledge painlessly and quickly; the disadvantages are also obvious: the capacity is limited and it cannot be deleted or modified.

The most popular knowledge package on the market is the six language libraries officially released by the government.

Ivy declined: "I am a conservative and reject all human body modification techniques."

Nana didn't care and complained to her that the government was really anxious this time, and actually allowed people with a 75% match rate to meet each other -

"When the program was first launched, they firmly stated that only people who were 100% compatible would be allowed to meet each other," Nana said. "But in the end, there was only one case - the world's population is 3.3 billion! 3.3 billion, and last year the government said that about 32% of people filled out the mate selection survey. Based on this, it can be inferred that at least 1 billion people participated - there were only two people who were 100% compatible. Later, the government lowered the conditions to 90% matching, but only screened out more than 100 cases."

Ivy felt a little uncomfortable: "Now that you mention it, the probability is indeed a bit low."

"So everyone thinks this is fake. Maybe someone tampered with the watch. After all, the man who is a 100% match is Admiral Hector," Nana said. "It's Hector who successfully repelled artificial intelligence four times, supported the 23rd District, and is establishing a new safe zone!"

Ivy: “…Yeah.”

"It's a pity that he chose to get married in secret," Nana sighed. "I heard that only relatives and friends of both parties were invited, and even official news was excluded. I wonder how outstanding the lady who can match him 100% must be. I guess she must have wisdom comparable to that of a god."

Ivy: “…Uh.”

After sighing, Nana turned around and looked at Ivy: "What about you? Are you going to fill out the intention form this year?"

"No," Ivy said vaguely, "I have an engagement arranged by my parents."

Nana looked at her with sympathy: "How pitiful! Are you really conservative? Are you still following the so-called 'parents' orders'? You don't want to be with someone who is also conservative, do you? Doesn't he want you to do housework at home after marriage and give birth to a son who has his last name?"

Ivy: "...the kind you're talking about is not the old-fashioned kind, it's the kind that's full of big-jam."

"Almost. It's hard to believe that people who favor boys over girls can still be seen on the Internet. I thought they were cross-dressing," Nana sighed. "However, the news said that those with a match degree of more than 90% have a strong attraction to each other. This attraction makes them unable to even tolerate separation for more than 24 hours. They are inseparable every day - ah, is this like the ABO type online articles written by ancient people? Do they also release pheromones to each other? Looking at this description, isn't it like being in heat every day..."

Ivy fled with the electronic screen in her arms, claiming she was going out for some fresh air.

She could not listen any further.

In fact, Ivy didn't think there were any pheromones between her and Hector. He smelled like metal and probably didn't arouse her sexual desire.

On their wedding night, the two did nothing - maybe he didn't have any special feelings for her, at least not like what was reported. They were a perfect match, but they didn't have such a strong sexual interest in each other.

Hector holds a high position, has lived in the First District for generations, and has received an elite education. According to his parents, he is a "serious but very reliable and polite" person.

Before the match sheet appeared, the only overlap between his and Ivy's resumes was saving the nearly lost District 23 - her impoverished hometown.

There is no romantic love story between the two people, they are simply tied together by a system that may go wrong.

Can we determine that they are a perfect match just by relying on a table or some data?

Is this the love that humans have always praised for thousands of years?

Ivy didn't understand, but just respected it a little.

She no longer had the energy to devote to this ridiculous marriage and only wanted to regain the qualification to go to the front line.

This is the dream that Ivy has been working towards for more than ten years.

Thanks to Song Xu, Ivy successfully got their class schedule.

Forget about the other courses, the firearms class and combat class are the ones that Ivy must not miss.

Only in this class could she see so many newly developed weapons and have the opportunity to see the professors’ actual combat skills—

Ivy sneaked in for two classes.

The first two classes were fine. The teacher was a strange and gentle military officer. He did not object to the behavior of "taking classes for free" and was even kind enough to give his gun to Ivy so that she could practice and study.

Unfortunately, the third class was taught by Lorraine.

When his eyes swept over, Ivy was already trying to escape.

"My class is not open to any form of auditing," Lorraine did not leave her any room for maneuver, "Students who are not in this class, please leave immediately."

Ivy was lost in thought, pretending not to hear.

"I repeat again," Lorraine said coldly, holding the disciplinary stick in his black gloves, "Leave immediately - unless you want to accept the punishment for disobeying orders."

He tapped the podium with his wire-studded stick. "You have one minute to think about this."

Ivy left in shame along with thirty-nine other men and women who had come to attend the class for free.

…

This difficult life of "avoiding Lorraine" and attending classes continued until the first adventure came.

Team Iris is now the top exploration team in Zone 1, and will be surveying the nearby wasteland in the near future; as usual, reserve members can apply to follow through testing and regular performance lists.

Although they are just followers, those who perform well may join directly after the training is completed.

Almost all the students were scrambling for this precious opportunity, and Ivy was no exception.

She prepared all the information carefully and worked hard to get first place in the test.

When the results came out, her name was not on the public list, but Song Xu, who was ranked after her, topped the list.

Ivy confirmed again and again in shock.

"…Because your genetic rating is D," Song Xu sighed, "Just accept your fate, Ivy. Although it may sound politically incorrect, the Iris team recognizes genetic ratings."

There was something else he kept from Ivy.

Ivy's name was originally on the public list, but it was crossed out by Iris's vice-captain Song Feng himself.

Song Feng is Song Xu's cousin. His superior family background and S-level gene rating give him the capital to be arrogant.

When Song Xu and Ivy broke up, Song Feng made a great contribution to it - his reason was simple, he didn't want Ivy's D-level genes to pollute their family's excellent gene pool.

What's more, Ivy is a refugee from District 23, which is considered a very "despicable" origin in the eyes of many people in District 1.

Song Xu didn't want to tell Ivy these words.

She's had enough hardship these days.

"You can't decide your genes and background," Song Xu said, "But if the hidden discrimination in Iris is so serious, you will be troubled by those guys even if you enter, right? ... Hey, what are you looking at?"

He followed Ivy's line of sight and saw only an armored vehicle transporting supplies.

Ivy asked: "You just said, how many students are going to the Iris team this time?"

Song Xu said, "Including me, there are nineteen people."

"Nineteen people," Ivy thought, "Iris itself has fifty members. They all have to wear helmets and protective clothing when they go out. They may not know each other, right?"

Song Xu was startled, jumped up, and said in a horrified tone: "Ivy! My little ancestor! - What do you want to do?"

"Song Xu," Ivy turned and smiled at him tenderly, "I remember you just said that you were in charge of driving the truck for transporting supplies, right?"

…

"Don't look. Your wife's name is not on the list."

In the office, Xin Lan handed the list to Luo Lin: "After all, you are the first captain of Iris, and you happen to teach here; now Ivy has also been successfully selected, you have no reason to refuse the invitation of the expedition team."

"Remember, this is supposed to be my vacation time," Lorraine asked, "—why didn't she get elected?"

"D-level genes, and a refugee origin from Area 23," Xin Lan shrugged, spread her hands, and said regretfully, "It's fine this way - who made this rule? Teachers and students cannot have sexual relations, and the captain of an expedition team cannot have relations with the team members."

"This is the most basic moral code," Lorraine said, "You should know that next month--"

"I know," Xin Lan said, "I have asked someone to prepare some inhibitory drugs to help you. I just asked someone to put them on the supply storage vehicle. Don't worry."

He looked at Lorraine.

He always wears a black uniform and covers his hands, leaving only the skin of his cheeks and neck exposed.

Lorraine always wears this outfit regardless of whether it is hot or cold.

The continuous wars caused indelible damage and pain to this soldier both physically and mentally.

The most serious sequelae were caused by a risky use of a new drug. The cause is currently unknown and there is no treatment.

Every two months, Lorraine suffers from a week-long allergy.

At this stage, he would experience phantom pain in all the wounds on his body, and his sense of smell, hearing, vision and touch would become extremely acute. Only after meeting Ivy did Lorraine realize that the latter was not a good thing.

During the non-sensitive period, in the classroom, even from such a distance, I could still smell her scent clearly.

He couldn't imagine the scene during the sensitive period.

Lorraine needs to avoid her completely at this stage.

Just right.

She did not join the Iris expedition.

Lorraine nodded: "I will go - what kind of inhibitory drug should I prepare?"

"It's from Sun Umbrella Pharmaceuticals, in tablets for oral administration," Xin Lan said. "If you're worried, you can go and see it yourself. Here, it's in the car outside. It's a good idea to check it out in advance, in case you can't find it when you need to use it."

Lorraine leaned over and looked out.

Outside the glass window, Song Xu was standing next to the supply storage vehicle, counting the supplies inside.

I don’t know if it was because of the hot weather, but his face was red and he kept walking back and forth, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He looked uneasy, as if he had made a mistake.