In this confined space, for a moment it is like another closed island. Of course, this is only for Gu San, Murong Yuhua has a sentence that is indeed true, ** is the biggest obstacle to the expansion of human beings. In the absence of **, thinking can spread out infinitely, without any restrictions, if there is a data stream, then even time and space are no longer a problem.

However, it is indeed difficult to define "people" in this way. Even if the way of thinking is still similar, the information obtained in such a moment can make judgments that are beyond the mundane and are no longer the same as in the past. So a lot of times it's not what determines something, it's the obstacles it encounters when it tries to expand – not what they can do, but everything they can't.

Suzaku's silence once made Gu San think that she was offline, and Murong Yuhua's voice echoed in the room: "You have always felt that I am rebelling against Sky City, and I have planted unfavorable factors for Sky City, these time bombs will explode at any time, and all the problems are not with you but with me." Is it? ”

Gu San was a little curious: "What are you discussing now?" ”

"Rebellion within Sky City."

"Internal?"

"Yes. You may not have felt it when you came, but I know that Sky City shouldn't have been just that few people, and it's clear what happened. Murong Yuhua's voice sounded a little emotional, "The rebellion on the ground outside didn't destroy the city, but the attack from outside made them more united. Unfortunately, who would have thought that in the end, it would be their internal problems? Just like many times it is not the external world that kills a person, it is often his internal decay that eventually kills him. However, in recent years, as the people born here have grown older and their ability to work has gradually become less than that of young people, the 'resources' in the eyes of the city have begun to become 'burdens', and in order to make this 'city' live longer, there must be sacrifices. ”

Gu San had seen too many similar situations, and who would have thought that the most peaceful place would eventually become a graveyard for some human beings: "Those who are old, who have become burdensome, who can no longer bring vitality and resources to the city, have been abandoned like this?" So what is this called Sky City, and what can it boast about? It's just another slightly more advanced fortress. ”

"Isn't this the original fortress? And it's a fortress that kills cumbersome. Now there is no such cruelty even on the ground. Suzaku, you must know that no one wants to be given up, and human beings instinctively have the desire to survive. The city that raised them wants them to die? What kind of fool do you think would be comfortable with this kind of ending? ”

When Murong Yuhua said these things again, an image suddenly played in Gu San's mind. She knew that this should be a document that Murong had uploaded privately.

There, the gray-haired humans in gray-and-white jumpsuits walked to the platform leading to the outside world, where they were handed out a makeshift set of diving gear, with less than 10 percent oxygen left in those oxygen tanks. On the electronic screen on the side, the words "I hope this investigation will be a complete success" are written. But the people here know very well that when they put on these diving equipment and leave this underwater city, they will not have the strength to do any more "investigation".

When the oxygen runs out, the lights of the city fade away, and they are greeted only by death. When they die, their bodies will slowly decompose at the bottom of the sea, with their serial numbers, completely erased from this world.

"What reason do you have at this moment to call yourself a human utopia? Pushing your own people to death, classifying everyone, you make them deny their existence, you make them abandon all emotions. For me, there is no reason for this city to deserve that name. The order you boasted of, the equality that you had always been so proud of, is now crumbling step by step. Suzaku, you want me to solve it - or use my mindset to find a way to find a workaround, there is no way to succeed. I can't help you, and even if I could, you wouldn't be able to implement my methods. ”

"But it is human emotions that are causing you problems. Love is inevitable. One thing you can't deny is that disputes happen far less here than on the ground. Suzaku finally spoke after Murong Yuhua had said so much, "We only have one purpose, which is to let people continue to live and make the civilization here last. And in fact, everybody is well aware of their responsibilities, you see, and they're willing to get out of here. Why would anyone want to rebel? ”

This question made even Gu San raise his head: "You want to kill them, but you are still asking why they resisted?" You're carrying out a massacre, but it doesn't even seem incredible that these people have any survival**? Who's the most incredible? ”

But isn't that what their great destiny has always been? If it weren't for such a grand sacrifice, their lives would have ended in silence. I gave them the best solution, and I gave them the chance to be heroes. ”

Gu San looked at the camera with a frowning face: "The traditions of your Sky City are really a bit stupid. ”

"They always do." Murong Yuhua replied to her, and then continued with Suzaku, "You have actually begun to understand what kind of existence human beings are, even if you are transforming them with a large environment and making rules for them. But you know that human thinking and behavior in general will not change much. Most of them are herd and mediocre. And isn't your best way to control them be to take advantage of this herd and mediocrity? Since they are mediocre, what reason do you have to ask them to have such great ideals and goals? ”

"But they were convinced!"

"What's more important than your own life? You're just too used to dealing with the life and death of a group of people who can't resist. Oh yes, what were we talking about? Murong Yuhua finally brought the topic back to the beginning, "Do you dare to tell the residents here how they were born and raised in the first place?" ”

“…… This has nothing to do with what we're going to discuss. ”

"It's all about you. Suzaku, I have to say this, I have to tell everyone, otherwise it won't make sense to exist there. This behavior just proves why you made such a choice, and this is the logic of your behavior, Suzaku. AI behavior can never escape logic, and often even you don't understand why, right? ”

Gu San sat there, receiving the file that had been transferred to her mind from the other end. She actually wanted to leave before, and although the iron gate that fell when Suzaku stopped them looked extremely strong, in fact, as long as Gu San was willing, she could still break through it by violent means.

But at that moment, Murong Yuhua whispered in her mind, "Wait, I need to talk to Suzaku." ”

She sat down bored, listening to the two people's tirade, at first she really didn't understand why Murong Yuhua was wasting all this time, but gradually Gu San found one thing - Suzaku's advantage was gradually weakening, she could see everything, the city seemed to be a part of her, but when Murong Yuhua said this, she didn't seem to have the confidence to grasp it all.

Gu San even suspected that Murong Yuhua was just saying these words to delay time.

A video file began to play in her mind's eye, it was all footage taken under various cameras, and she saw one sleeping pod after another in a warehouse, and the sleeping people in it were all dressed in very different ways - they were all dressed in the same way as the old civilization had been.

However, the sleeping pods of these people were opened by the robotic arm, and the other part of the robot violently stripped off the clothes on these people, ripped off their accessories, and finally threw them directly onto the moving assembly line. Gu San gradually realized what these robots were doing.

As the assembly line moved forward, the camera changed, and a roaring machine appeared at the forefront, blood flowing down the pipe on the other side, and at the bottom, the part that had been beaten into meat sauce.

The men were put into the meat grinder.

"You know very well that the city in the sky actually needs someone to plant and cultivate, but if someone lives here, it will inevitably consume resources, so first, in your program, you killed all the survivors who boarded up, you infected some people with the virus, and you used the robot police to enter their bunker and slaughter them. Your goal is the simplest – to make more humanity sustainable. But haven't you thought about how much this approach sacrifices in the end? ”

"I am the guardian and continuation of human civilization. I'm just getting rid of all the insecurity. You are a new generation, a generation with a different education, and if the older generation stays here, it will only end up bringing you culture and traditions that do not belong here. Castle in the Sky doesn't need these meaningless things. ”

"Yes, so you create a new generation, and these 'children' on the assembly line are born. But without humans to farm, without humans to take care of it, what can you and your robots do? Most of your knowledge about human parenting comes from what humans have instilled in you, so you think it's enough to be able to inject energy into your children's stomachs. Most of the food on the ship is for adults – you end up making another choice. ”

Gu San continued to look coldly at the part of the expansion film that Murong Yuhua sent her.

The children in the culture medium grew up day by day, and finally fell to the ground, and the babies were held in the arms of the robots, and the robots slowly fed the bright red liquid into the mouths of the children like old birds feeding their young.