Chương 167: Chapter 48: “Elntia, the Planet of Artificial Life”

"What... is this..." Lilna repeated in a trembling voice. Looking utterly exhausted, she staggered toward the glass case.

"It's exactly what it looks like. A biological Natura. That was the true identity of Humite." I answered while looking at the manufacturing number plate attached to the bottom of the case.

"Then... are you saying... we have been playing out a killing game between created beings all this time...!" Lilna groaned in a voice mixed with despair and indignation. I approached her and gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

"That's right. It's painful, but... this is the truth, Lilna. From the beginning, there were no humans in this world." Since I got closer, my eyes met with the Thing inside the case. Eyes that seemed to appeal something. I cannot let him or her, stuck in the middle of creation, out of here. My hand on her shoulder gripped slightly tighter.

"A world where only life created by human hands lives. Elntia, the Planet of Artificial Life." And then, I turned around. Toward the seemingly empty void, I announced.

"Isn't that right? Plato."

"... So you noticed." Appearing silently from a blind spot was the vice-captain of Dielevats. He held his beam rifle in his right arm, aiming it at us without letting his guard down. Startled, Lilna turned around too.

"Plato...!" She must have been too shocked to pay attention to her surroundings. In that respect, I, being an outsider, was somewhat calmer and could see around me better.

"I won't be caught off guard so many times." Lilna stepped forward jiri and took a stance. Just as she tried to draw her blade, I stopped her quickly with my left prosthetic arm and warned him.

"Surely you realize that you have no chance of winning against me and Lilna at the same time alone." What we should do now is not beat this man up. After all, this man is the one who knows the situation best. Plato must understand well that he has no chance of winning either. At the point of being found, he seemed to have no intention of fighting anymore. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly and sighed.

"I never thought you would storm into a place like this. I don't know how you did it... but I'm impressed."

"I don't have proof, but I've formed a hypothesis. You'll accompany me for the answer check, right?"

"... Ah. I don't mind." Plato slowly lowered his beam rifle with a gloomy expression. Even seeing that, Lilna didn't let her guard down at all, but she looked a little relieved. Even though she was betrayed painfully, she probably didn't want to fight her former comrade deep down. I understand her feelings well. I exchanged glances alternately with Lilna and Plato facing each other. Then, I began to tell the plot of this world assembled from the fragments I had obtained so far.

"The origin goes back about two thousand years. I don't know the details... but humanity, having lost almost everything after losing the Interstellar Invasion War, only had a part of the advanced technology that invited ruin and a dead planet where they couldn't possibly live tomorrow." Even after two thousand years, the former capital Estrayl, the hypocenter, is in a state where the snow of death piles up incessantly. If that was the actual time—the answer is obvious.

No matter how they struggled, no matter where they were on this planet. Humans couldn't have survived. Assuming Humites are descendants of humanity who survived those days. Even if technology declined somewhat, it's impossible for them to be frightened by radiation whose threat has declined far more by now. The decline in birth rate and everything else, it's too late for that. If they were on the verge of crisis because of such things, it would be strange if they hadn't all died out long ago.

Therefore, humanity is no longer here.

"The surviving humanity made a bitter decision. They decided to abandon this planet and leave." If they had technology enough to advance into space in earnest. It's not on the level of just going to the moon like on Earth. It's technology enough to interact with alien planets as a matter of course and even start a war. That would be possible. I was talking facing Plato, but I glanced at Lilna once there. She kept her mouth shut tight, seeming to listen intently to my story.

She probably judged it wasn't something she could interrupt. Plato, who had also been listening silently, opened his mouth for the first time there. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Let me add a little. It is said that the old humanity was divided into three major groups." He speaks. One insisted on living on this planet to the end and shared the fate of death. One went on a journey to the distant universe in search of a new world. And the last one——. Yes. That faction is probably the mastermind who created the current state of this planet.

"They hoped to continue reigning as the rulers of this planet to the end. Waiting for the time when this planet recovers and they can live without problems someday. Isn't that right?"

"... That is correct." Plato admitted quietly with a grim face. Why did I feel a somewhat mocking sorrow in that face?" Project D probably refers to the plan for them to return to this land on the promised day."

"... Exactly."

"Multiple types of general-purpose Natura were manufactured. Ordinary Natura, which are mechanical types, and Humite, which are biological Natura. I don't know what others there are, though."" Prelion. They are in charge of the dirty work and cleanup of the tests."

"Well, I thought it would be something like that."

"What is the test?"

"I have a prediction to some extent. Let's talk in order." The worst test. Suppressing the impatient Lilna, and pushing down my own feeling of wanting to spit it out, I build up the logic first.

"For the sake of the plan. Natura, and Humite too, have been treated correctly as tools and slaves of humanity. And they continue to be ruled from the shadows even now." So, Lilna. Your anger when you were being manipulated was correct in a misaligned way. What irony. Humans do not pay respect to what they have created. Who would treat a computer politely? Who would treat a guinea pig equally? Such a sense of "common sense" caused this tragedy. Still, I wanted to get angry.

Both Natura and Humite are already splendid "humans." There is no reason they should be oppressed as they please. There must have been a different, gentler way. They should have thought about it properly. I inadvertently put strength into my fist. I continue.

"It would be trouble if the planet returned completely to nature by the time humanity came back someday. There is reconstruction work, but above all, the maintenance of civilization was ordered to the mechanical Natura. Because mechanical bodies are not affected by radiation at all." But just being resistant to radiation isn't enough. To maintain civilization, it was necessary to give them advanced and independent intelligence not inferior to humans.

"Therefore, a mechanism of accumulation of intelligence through generational change was devised." Plato does not object. Although there is a lot of guesswork, it seemed to be mostly correct.

"But in the beginning, their intelligence must have been somewhat lower." So, by the time Natura acquired almost the current intelligence, various things must have been lost.

"That is why the current civilization has declined somewhat compared to the civilization possessed by humanity in the past."

"I see. So that is why Plato and I had functions that cannot be reproduced with modern technology." I nodded back to Lilna, who showed a gesture of understanding.

"Yeah. But that was convenient. A certain degree of decline must have been within calculation."

"Is that so. Certainly, that is true..." Lilna seems to have realized it too, nodding deeply.

"Humanity must have feared that Natura would possess too advanced a civilization. No one wants to think about the possibility of being replaced by them by any chance." And because of that fear, they must have been thoroughly managed. So as not to do unnecessary things. Suddenly, I ask Plato what I had been wondering. I thought this timing would be good.

"By the way, why are they divided into Chilion and Adura, and why do they have to undergo body renewal?" I couldn't understand this at all. Plato answered simply.

"It's just a technical problem. The Chilion are units with excellent learning functions, but that characteristic is lost a dozen years after manufacture. It seems they decided to divide them into children (Chilion) and adults (Adura) because it was just right. Not everything has a significant reason..."... I see. There are things like that too. Did I overthink it a little? Pulling myself together, I continue further. There are many things to confirm.

"Humite was also a created existence. For what purpose? For a cruel test managed by a computer system. Regarding this too, I have a prediction but no proof. Can I hear the answer?" What returned from the nodding Plato was mostly as expected. A nauseating answer.

"Humite was created to test how much this planet has recovered from radiation contamination. Guinea pigs with properties extremely close to humans..."

"What... did you say...!?" Lilna was trembling, unable to close her open mouth. Worse than slaves. The reality of Humite seems to have touched her taboo quite a bit.

"They live like humans and increase their numbers like humans. And like humans, they are harmed by radiation." Damn it! I curse in my heart. As I thought. In short, they were creatures created on the premise of "being killed" from the beginning! Furthermore, he states the cruel truth.

"To make management easier, Humites have the property of being attracted to the one given the role of King and gathering around him. Luna Turiome. That is the type name given to the King of biological Natura. It's a bit of a play on Natura."

"I didn't notice that far, as expected." In other words, the King Rescue Operation was something that happened naturally from your perspective. From the beginning, there was an element of farce involved... No, I don't want to think so. The feelings of my friends who bet on that operation were genuine. I'll keep this fact secret from Theo. It's too painful. While feeling my stomach starting to ache sharply. Contrary to the passion that seemed to flare up, I said in a somewhat cold tone.

"The test period was 200 Cycles, in other words, 200 years."

"... You should already understand what that means."

"What do you mean...?" Lilna has a face like a mixture of indignation and confusion. It seems she is barely keeping up with the conversation since earlier, but the terribleness of the known information was obvious to her too.

"Humite is a faithful imitation of humans. To investigate the birth rate as well, they were created to increase on purpose." But it would be trouble if they increased too much by some mistake.

"So... at a certain cycle, it is necessary to make them extinct." Saying it, I wondered how they could come up with such a demonic idea. Surpassing anger, I become helplessly sad. There, Lilna also realized. The same strong hatred as when she was being manipulated dwells in her eyes.

"That's why you make us kill each other!?" I nodded feeling like crying. Plato too.

"When a certain period has passed since the start of the test, we induce the killing intent programmed into both sides. For Natura, we implant CPD. I realized just now, but for Humite, the King would probably instigate them originally. The reason it didn't happen this time is..."

"Because the King was an Error Factor... It's the first time in these two thousand years."

"Why did that happen?" I answer Lilna who throws a question.

"It means nothing goes according to plan. Especially if it's a lengthy plan spanning thousands of years." After two thousand years, the manufacturing line must have aged, and errors began to occur frequently.

"So, what was probably set up as an emergency measure was the underground city, Geesnatura. They shoved as many Error Factors as possible in there." Lilna gasped. I return to the topic.

"In the battle between Natura and Humite, Natura, made of machine and superior in ability, always wins. It's a rigged game. And when Humite is annihilated, if Natura's memory is manipulated... everything goes back to the beginning." Son of a bitch. What a cruel truth.

"No way...! That's too terrible a story!"

"That's right. How can something like this exist!" I was almost screaming.

"Two hundred years are repeated over and over again. Until the real humanity returns! For these two thousand years, history was all a lie! Everything was set up from the beginning!" I spit out as much as I want to calm my feelings even a little. The purge has already begun. The test should be progressing at a considerable stage. The fact that Prelions started moving boldly means that it might have already entered the final stage. We have to stop it. Otherwise, what awaits is.

The massacre of Humite and Error Factors. And the history of stagnation repeats itself.

"Plato. You knew everything, didn't you?"

"... That is correct. My role is to monitor the test." Plato dropped his shoulders as if he finally gave up.

"Let me add one ridiculous truth that you absolutely don't know..."

"What."" Humanity has long since died out."

"Ha...?" Are you kidding me? Oi...

"The cause is simple. Truly silly dragging each other down. The finishing blow was that the cold sleep wasn't perfect." Lilna and I were at a loss for words. Then, for what purpose.

"Who on earth is this system for..." As if spinning helpless thoughts, Plato sighed and said.

"Anyway, there is no one left to stop this system. The endless game will be repeated."

"Can't we change fate!? If we join forces...!"

"That's right. How can we accept such a ridiculous story!"

"You can't."

"Why!?" Lilna roars. Plato shook his head quietly with resignation.

"We are, at any time and any moment. Having ruin thrust at our throats..."