Yin Zhu likes children very much because they are easy to fool.
This isn't the first time it's been mentioned, and it won't be the last. Because the truth won't change no matter how many times it's mentioned; saying something repeatedly doesn't make it false.
Mary was completely taken aback by Yin Zhu's words, and nodded as if she understood: "Yes, you are an adult."
However, Yin Zhu was still a little bothered by what Mary's parents had just said.
She whispered to the talkative child, "By the way, do you know what your parents meant by 'cyber disease'? A computer virus?"
Mary shook her head innocently: "I don't know, I've never been sick."
"That's true, the technology is so much better now than before. By the way, we've rested enough. If you finish these questions, we'll be done for today." Yin Zhu quickly steered the conversation back to studying.
After all, if you're paid to do something, you have to do it wholeheartedly, otherwise you'll be betraying your conscience.
In order to obtain a source of income as soon as possible, Yin Zhu ultimately chose to have her wages paid daily.
By the time class ended, it was already getting dark outside the window. Mary's parents looked at Yin Zhu, who was bringing their child out, and maintained a polite demeanor: "Thank you for your hard work."
Yin Zhu exchanged a few polite words, and before leaving, he casually mentioned, "Speaking of which, I heard that there's a contagious disease in the city recently. You should be careful too."
If they are unwilling to talk, Yin Zhu can only try her luck at the library.
Upon hearing the words "infectious disease," Mary's mother's expression changed slightly. Her already serious demeanor seemed to emanate a chill, and she directly stopped Yin Zhu, coldly asking, "Aren't you free tomorrow either?"
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Yin Zhuxin said, "They've taken the bait."
“My daughter Mary is taking her promotion exam in a week. If she passes, she’ll be eligible to move into the inner city with us.” Mary’s mother lit a cigarette. “If she doesn’t pass, then her father will have to go in first. So, I hope you can stay at my house for the next few days until Mary passes her exam.”
"Ah, but..."
“People who come into contact with cybernetics are easily infected. Since you’ve encountered someone witnessing this, it’s best to avoid contact with them. It’s safer for Mary’s health to stay at my house,” Mary’s mother said coldly.
This seemed illogical to what she had just heard, and Yin Zhu was puzzled: "So you're still taking Mary into the inner city?"
Hearing this question, Mary's mother took a deep drag and exhaled a smoke ring into the air: "Not many people know about that thing, so it's normal that you don't. It's a mental illness that has spread from the inner city, mainly affecting people who undergo physical modifications. The more modifications a person undergoes, the worse their self-esteem becomes."
This statement reminded Yin Zhu of a phrase: "The Ship of Theseus?"
This is a philosophical question: if all the parts of a ship are replaced, is it still the same ship? Some philosophers believe it is, while others believe it is not, and the debate continues.
This even raises another question: if the parts salvaged from this ship were used to build a completely different ship, then which one would be the original ship?
Because Earth's technology has not yet reached that level, Earth's understanding of this issue is currently limited to philosophy and has not yet extended to the human body.
But without a doubt, the only planet is already capable of thinking about this issue. Their technology is advanced enough that they can even create androids, and simply replacing some parts from a human body is a piece of cake.
Coincidentally, Unique Star also had similar thoughts.
“That’s right.” Mary’s mother nodded. “Many people in the inner city choose to use medicine to renew themselves after their body parts age. After doing it many times, they start to doubt themselves. At first, the higher-ups thought that the rebel organization had hidden a virus in the prosthetics and was controlling them remotely. But later, as the number of people suffering from this disease gradually increased, they discovered that it was a purely psychotropic virus.”
This sounds like something that can't be avoided.
Humans are terrified of death, and given advanced technology, they will try every means to prolong their lives.
This is a flaw in human nature.
It is also the human instinct for survival.
Mary's mother added, "But God will solve this problem. Until then, our inspection bureau can only arrest and detain all those infected to prevent them from harming the outside world."
Yin Zhu nodded thoughtfully, but she hadn't forgotten the phrase "stay away from Vina City" that she had overheard, and the speaker was none other than the woman in front of her.
Perhaps she appeared to have complete faith in the gods in front of Yin Zhu, but secretly she must have long harbored thoughts of leaving, and may not even fully trust the gods' words.
Worship often stems from awe of the unknown, but Mary's mother's job was akin to that of a henchman, so she was likely aware of the sordid affairs of many of the upper-class citizens in the inner city.
"That's good. I was a little worried." Yin Zhu's face showed trust in the authority, but what she was really thinking was another matter.
Mary's father wasn't too concerned. He laughed it off, saying, "There's no need to worry so much. This infectious disease doesn't infect able-bodied people like us. Only rich people or those who have undergone physical modifications due to disability have this problem. Besides, it's been well controlled in the past, and it won't be a problem in the future."
"perhaps?"
"Maybe."
Yin Zhu and Mary's mother didn't quite agree with his optimism, but they were just saying one thing and meaning another.
After receiving the money and leaving the upscale apartment where Mary lived, Yin Zhu had a general idea of what was going on: if there was an unknown report in the poor apartment, then this cyber disease was the countdown in the outer city.
Two days after I came into this world, the cyber disease began to overflow.
The inner city has become increasingly deserted in recent years, and this is probably partly due to the fact that the Chosen Ones arrive on the eve of the world's collapse. At this moment, the inner city of Vena City is nearing its threshold.
From this perspective, it seems that the chosen ones only have one choice:
Enter the inner city, and live life to the fullest.
As for Mary's father's overly optimistic thoughts, even ignoring Yin Zhu's attitude, one can still glean some insight from Mary's mother's ambiguous attitude.
Sometimes, not agreeing is a form of polite opposition.
Indeed, this disease originates from suturing human bodies and has nothing to do with "healthy people," but mental health issues are the most easily transmitted.
Good ideas are like a spark that can start a prairie fire.
Bad ideas are like sparks; once ignited, they can gradually spread to the entire group.
No matter how absurd or outrageous the idea may be, people will be swept along by groupthink and move forward.
Initially, only people who frequently had their body parts replaced were infected. But what about later? Can people who undergo reconstructive surgery get infected? Can people receiving blood transfusions get infected?
Fear is like a plague, causing people to retreat step by step until there is nowhere left to retreat.
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