Chapter 83: 083 Genomic Project
"There\'s also the fact that you\'ve dissected many of my counterparts..."
"Afraid?"
"Afraid... very afraid."
"Why?"
"To be dissected is to die."
Helen\'s eyebrows lifted slightly, her gaze fixed intently on the instrument display, "Are you afraid of death?"
"I\'m afraid of dying in a place like this."
"Why?"
"The commander said that our lives do not belong to us, and that we have no right to waste them carelessly. They should be used for more meaningful and wider purposes, we are the city\'s sharp sword, cutting down all threats."
Emotions can misconstrue commands; the same order can lead to different actions when carried out by different artificial humans.
The same genetic decree that all can be sacrificed for humanity is interpreted by some artificial humans as being fearless in the face of death, ready to die at any moment; for others, it means to protect oneself at all costs, because they... represent humanity.
What do you think?
Helen became interested, shifting her gaze from the instrument display to Bai E\'s face, "Being the subject of my research also has meaning, and it\'s of significance to many people."
"I don\'t understand research, but I am cooperating. If what you\'re saying is true, and a corpse would be more suitable, I will apply to the commander," Bai E said as calmly as he could, voicing his willingness to die.
It\'s hard for those in the know to imagine the world of the ignorant. Bai E could only try to simulate the state of a newly created artificial human with pure dedication.
Helen\'s eyes flickered.
This rookie was hinting at her...
His willingness to cooperate with the research meant—living people could also cooperate, so why would there need to be dead ones?
Was this deliberate? Or a simple statement of fact?
Her gaze swept over the display once more as Helen\'s right fingertip gently tapped on her palm.
There wasn\'t the slightest flaw detected, but this rookie\'s performance in actual combat was indeed baffling.
So, let\'s start from the beginning and sort it out.
"I have some questions for you."
Lying flat on his back, Bai E faced Helen, who sat behind his head, naturally at a disadvantage in his position; not seeing the other\'s expressions or movements was undoubtedly unsettling, "Go ahead."
"The day the Bug Race invaded the barracks, why did you leave everyone behind and act alone?"
"My weapons and equipment were in the resting area. I needed to fetch them."
"After returning, why did you choose to fight alone instead of sticking with the others?"
"The Bug Race had surrounded them, I couldn\'t get in."
"Your teammates were drawing attention; you could have hidden first. To fight alone carried too great a risk of death."
"I felt I had to do it, someone needed to create a diversion to buy them time."
"You were confident? Otherwise, it would have been a senseless death, an action without meaning."
Was this impulse or judgment?
Helen studied Bai E\'s every facial detail with great interest, for every slight expression had its purpose.
[There\'s a trap...]
Bai E\'s eyelids flickered slightly, having made a decision, "This is a battlefield, everyone\'s lives are equal. It was risky, but I had to try; success would mean saving many lives."
A certain confidence followed by a gambler leaving it all to luck?
This decision seemed faultless.
No wonder he was the rookie all the officers in the military district wanted to protect; his capability truly commanded respect.
So, the decision to fight the mantis Bug Race alone fell into place.
Such tactical improvizations were not her area of expertise; she had no desire to inquire further.
But still...
"Why did you have Rose block that strike for you?"
"At that moment, only I posed a threat to that mantis bug, I needed to maintain my condition, and... she wouldn\'t die."
"..."
Beneath the calmly narrated words was an overwhelming confidence, strength, and complete trust in his teammates.
Helen slightly narrowed her eyes, "One last question, on the frontline against the Bug Race, when the \'Dominant\' behemoth appeared, what did you feel?"
According to the principles of 95B27, the reason for continually saving people with the transport vehicle during the retreat was consistent, no need to ask further.
But how he managed that was a matter of curiosity, what enabled him to move freely in the almost sovereign domain of the giant bug?
"Darkness... It wanted me to kneel."
"Hmm..."
Helen was neither agreeable nor disagreeable.
On this point, the answers from the soldiers were quite similar, purely the fear that was stirred within both body and soul.
Darkness was the only element, the rest was up to the soldiers\' own imagination.
The important thing was...
"How did you break free from that situation? You should have realized later that besides you, no other soldier was able to move freely within the domain of the Dominant behemoth."
"Because I was responsible for air defense..."
"Air defense?" Helen looked stunned.
"The captain gave me a task, to help shield the battlefield from all the spores and thorns shot by the bugs from the air, it was something that had to be done... I couldn\'t fall."
"..."
The room was silent, but a ripple disturbed the calm mindset.
The strong sense of duty that emanated from 95B27\'s seemingly bland words even allowed him to transcend all fear.
The answer to how he intercepted all the spore thorns was obvious—
Registered as 95B27\'s talent was the ability to see every detail in a high-speed state, which was unbeatably advantageous for shooting and interception.
It can only be said that his talent was indeed a bit terrifying.
Thus, all of the anomalies displayed by 95B27 seemed to have their explanations.
The high likelihood of his physical abilities stemmed from his awakening of alien genes, and the negative emotions associated with the awakening of these alien genes were also likely suppressed by his unimaginable passion and sense of duty.
Behind all his actions was a clear line of logic for support.
This heart, this conduct, clear as a mirror.
Looking at the humanoid soldier still lying calmly on the bed, expressionless, Helen\'s eyelashes trembled lightly.
Could he... be the perfect template she had been looking for?
Astonishing talent, enthusiasm emanating from the soul, and even an extremely intelligent brain.
The calm analysis behind everything he displayed in situational assessment and decision-making, and the rigidity shown in the conversation, stemmed from the lack of information intake and obedience to orders.
He was definitely not stupid.
Perhaps as a humanoid soldier, his only flaw was his deliberately suppressed Spiritual Energy talent... However, she had it.
Could the seed of the genetic origin project choose him?
Or rather, should it choose the seed that combines him with her?
Just as in that world recorded in epics, where humans selected the best variant seeds from numerous rice crossbreeding processes to preserve and breed across generations, ultimately obtaining the staple food best suited for humanity.
Could they also select the best template from countless cases of gene programmable mutations to replicate, becoming the standard answer for all humanoid soldiers?
She had planned this proposal for a long time but had always lacked a suitable target.
Could this one be the answer?
She still needed to observe a bit more...
"Get up."
Helen pressed the switch, and the bed automatically moved out.
As Bai E rose to his feet, he saw the gentle smile on the woman\'s face for the first time.
"I need to make one thing clear to you, I don\'t like dissection."
[From the attitude of the other party wanting to ease the relationship, you realized that you had successfully passed the test...]