"But with such a large number of people appearing out of nowhere, I feel they will be exposed one day," Jiang Ye said. "Just like there's no such thing as a perfect crime, the more complex the concealment, the more likely it is to be revealed. Someone's identity as an artificial human will always be discovered. Hasn't your planet encountered this before?"
"Yes, but it's not a big deal," said Yūki Yotsuya.
"Not a big deal? How can it not be a big deal? What disastrous consequences would arise if people suddenly discovered that familiar individuals around them were artificial humans?" Jiang Ye frowned. "How did your planet handle such situations? You can't just let it slide, can you?"
"Precisely because the familiar people are artificial humans, there are no consequences. It's always distance that creates estrangement, while closeness fosters tolerance."
"I cannot agree with that."
"You can, Mr. Jiang, because your wife, Cen Yemeng, is an artificial human." Yūki Yotsuya smiled. "Would you divorce her?"
Jiang Ye's eyes widened first, then he shook his head. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Of course, it's impossible. I'm speaking hypothetically," Yūki Yotsuya said. "If, one day, you found out Cen Yemeng was an artificial human, would you divorce her?"
Jiang Ye fell silent.
He seemed to suddenly grasp the core essence of Yūki Yotsuya's artificial human project.
If Cen Yemeng were indeed an artificial human, he would still love her, without the slightest change.
If your best friend, the friend who would go through fire for you, were an artificial human, would you distance yourself from them?
If your most capable subordinate, your most considerate superior, were an artificial human, would you leave them because of it?
As long as artificial humans are thoroughly integrated into human society, they transform into true humans, or perhaps, they always were.
All distinctions are smoothed over by emotions, interests, and habits.
"Why were artificial human identities leaked on your planet, and how did you handle it afterwards?" Jiang Ye asked.
"The reasons for leaks are diverse. Some have flaws in memory creation and discover it themselves. After all, with so many artificial humans manufactured, it's impossible for everyone's memory to be flawless. Some artificial humans, after various experiences in society, accidentally enter industries related to artificial humans and discover some clues. For example, an artificial human child studied diligently for over ten years and entered a game company as a scene designer. During their internship and training, they coincidentally found identical memories in the scene library, thus understanding their own identity. In short, you were right earlier; the more complex the concealment, the more likely it is to be revealed. Every year, some artificial humans discover their origins or the true identities of those around them for peculiar reasons."
"After discovering their identities, they often undergo a major ideological upheaval, which causes a huge shock to their worldview," Yūki Yotsuya said.
"Nonsense, wouldn't it be a shock?" Jiang Ye chuckled.
"Their reactions afterward vary greatly. Most, after intense ideological struggle, return to normal life. They might take a few days off, disappear from work for a few days, and then reappear after thinking things through, continuing their lives as office workers. Some have strong hearts and figure it out over a drink of wine or tea. A small minority resort to extremes, unknowingly walking onto rooftops. The wind is strong on rooftops; some are blown off and die, while some are blown awake and quickly come down."
"Of course, there are always some awakened artificial humans who try to do something. Some hold signs and shout on the streets, only to be quickly taken away by ambulance from a mental hospital. One television host awakened and, without a sound, waited until the program began, then suddenly declared loudly, 'I am an artificial human, and you might be too. Everyone, check yourselves according to my method. We've all been deceived!' I even watched that live broadcast. I was doing yoga in my living room at home with the TV on as background music and happened to witness it. Then there was a writer who awakened and secretly wrote in his novel that he was an artificial human, but no one took it seriously, and he even won a science fiction novel award. When the writer accepted the award, he said, 'Everything I write is true. I am truly an artificial human.' Everyone below applauded, thinking he was joking and praising his speech for its wit and humor."
"As for handling them, there are many methods. I have a foundation under my purview with an annual operating budget of fifty billion, exclusively responsible for such incidents. Common methods include psychological counseling, detaining people in mental hospitals for re-education, nighttime negotiations, public opinion guidance, and destruction. In short, the goal is to keep the matter of artificial humans a secret, or to make it a laughing matter. If you are willing to introduce artificial humans to Jiang Ye Star, I can dispatch the foundation to teach you all the methods. We have years of experience and have dealt with all sorts of bizarre situations; we are very professional."
Jiang Ye frowned. "Honestly, I am a very traditional person, and I truly cannot accept this for now."
"Through various channels, I have learned some highly credible information," Yūki Yotsuya said. "Although many planets strictly prohibit artificial humans, in reality, the Galactic Empire has secretly manufactured many artificial humans to supplement their population. These artificial humans have long since integrated into all planets. Perhaps if you stand on the street for a while, many of the passersby you see are artificial humans, or their descendants."
"The significance of artificial humans lies in improving the quality of personnel in a region, increasing labor, adding key talents, expanding the consumer market, augmenting reserve troops, adjusting the gender ratio, and improving the age structure. Sometimes they can achieve a multiplier effect, where a small group of artificial humans can drive the prosperity and strength of an entire planet. This is not Pandora's Box; it is a gift from God, the most beautiful jewel among the many gifts of the God of Science," Yūki Yotsuya said. "Don't you really want it?"
Jiang Ye hesitated for a moment, then ultimately shook his head.
He felt that Yūki Yotsuya was like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, tempting him to steal and eat the apple.
"Honestly, you are too stubborn. As the commander of a planet, this is not a good thing," Yūki Yotsuya sighed with a helpless smile.
"Perhaps, sometimes I am indeed a bit stubborn," Jiang Ye sighed deeply. "I often don't know if my persistence is correct, or if my ancient beliefs have any meaning."
"Ancient beliefs?"
"To treat people as people, to act with a clear conscience in everything, to believe that morality is the summation of wisdom, and wisdom is understanding the preceding statement."
Jiang Ye tore off the mini device in his hand, gently placed it on the table, pushed the door open, and strode out.
He returned home at ten o'clock that night.
Jiang Senlin had just fallen asleep, and Cen Yemeng was waiting on the sofa. As soon as Jiang Ye pushed the door open, she jumped up and looked at him with a hint of grievance.
Jiang Ye smiled, reached out, and pulled her into his arms.
"You're back so late on your first day of meetings. Will it get later each day?" Cen Yemeng gently bit his neck.
"I had a long talk with the planetary governor of Yūki Star, discussing some mind-bending things about artificial humans." Jiang Ye paused for a long time. "Mengmeng, if I were an artificial human, would you still love me?"
"Even if you were a lizard person, I would give you lizard eggs," Cen Yemeng hugged him tightly. "Don't come back so late from now on; I miss you terribly."