svetikya Chapter 132 "Human or Monster?"
Chapter 132 "Human or Monster?"
Chapter 132 "Human or Monster?"
Just as Alex muttered "Answer complete" in his mind with malice,
A sudden change occurred.
The brown paper folder that had been lying quietly in his palm suddenly became hot.
The glaring words written with dark red viral fluid on the paper seemed to suddenly come to life, and began to boil and twist violently on the yellow paper.
Immediately afterwards, all the color in the scarlet blood faded, and it all transformed into a deep, matte black substance that could even swallow light, which was firmly imprinted into the fibers of the paper.
Pei Qi, who was leisurely munching on a golden apple while standing ten meters away with his back against a concrete rubble, suddenly stopped.
Of course, he couldn't see what was written on that piece of paper, which exhibited the "observer collapse effect."
But in Pei Qi's field of vision, the UI floating box of the "Front-end Information Display Module," which had been locked onto the folder in Alex's hand, suddenly experienced a violent data fluctuation.
The previously calm white data stream was instantly covered by a glaring scarlet warning box.
[Objective: The Alaya Questionnaire (Rubbing)]
[Current NBT Status: Malicious Input Warning During Standby Test]
Seeing the red text flashing wildly on the information display panel, Pei Qi finished the golden apple in his hand in a few bites.
"I urge you to be kind, Alex."
Pei Qi's amused smile vanished, and his eyes grew somewhat deep.
"This paper isn't a draft paper for you to vent your morning grumpiness or scribble."
"It is an extremely precise 'measuring instrument,' connected to paper on one end and directly to your soul on the other."
"It can accurately distinguish every word you write on it, whether it is an emotional disguise to cover up your inner panic, or your most genuine subconscious desire."
"It can strip away all your lies, no matter how many layers of false persona you put on yourself."
Pei Qi pointed to his temples and warned, "So, don't try to be clever with it, or you'll only make your score look terrible."
Alex did not answer.
In fact, he couldn't hear a word Pei Qi was saying.
At this moment, his entire attention was firmly fixed on the second question that had just slowly emerged on the paper like a sharp blade.
Clearly, the seemingly absurd question of "what to eat for breakfast" in the first question was just a test.
Alex's malicious and provocative answer immediately provoked an extremely strong, precise, and cruel backlash from the questionnaire.
The black ink marks on the paper convey a sense of oppressive force that is impossible to look directly at, pointing straight to the core.
[Question 2: When you devoured the Blackwatch Commander, as his memories, emotions, and despair flooded your mind—did you truly feel the guilt of taking a fellow human being, or the sweet sensation of power filling your entire being?]
Alex's hand jerked violently, and the hard bone spur at his fingertip, which served as a fountain pen, almost pierced the thin back of the paper.
This question was like an extremely sharp boning knife, instantly piercing through his cold facade and reaching the deepest corner of his heart that he was most unwilling to face and most afraid of.
Human, or monster?
He couldn't help but recall the lives he had devoured along the way in his search for the so-called "truth".
Blackwatch's secret soldiers, and even those infected mutants—
When the life experiences of others, the smiling faces of wives and children in the minds of soldiers, and the extreme fear of people in the second before being torn apart were forcibly stuffed into his brain like a chaotic revolving lantern—how did he feel?
Do you feel guilty?
Maybe so.
After each time he devours civilians, a remnant of the human morality belonging to "Alex Mercer" weakly protests in his mind, justifying himself that it is a "necessary sacrifice" that must be made to achieve the ultimate goal.
But what about most other times?
As he rips open his target's throat, feeling the fresh DNA strands replenishing his gene pool, and witnessing the biological miracle of the wound healing in seconds.
That's the purest feeding instinct of the "Blacklight Virus"!
It is an extreme sense of satisfaction brought about by a leap in the level of life, and the ultimate sweetness brought about by the expansion of power!
At that moment, he didn't see himself as a human being at all, but as a god standing at the top of the food chain!
Alex's breathing became extremely heavy, and his chest heaved violently.
Faced with this fundamental question, he was completely bewildered.
He found that he was simply unable to give a black-and-white single-choice answer.
A deathly silence lingered in the ruins.
After hesitating for a full five minutes, Alex finally lowered his head in dejection.
His tense shoulders slumped, and with trembling, bony fingers, he wrote three words on the paper with extreme difficulty yet with utmost honesty:
【I have no idea.】
The handwriting has been solidified.
She seemed to have reluctantly accepted Alex's "real answer," which was filled with confusion and inner turmoil.
The questionnaire did not continue to press this fatal existential question.
Automatic page turning.
The following content, strangely, abandoned ethical questioning and became much "normal".
[Question 3: If today is your day off, free from work and tasks, would you usually choose to read a book alone on the sofa in your apartment, or go for a walk in Central Park?]
Alex paused for a moment, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.
Memories of Dr. Mercer's life, often dull and monotonous, flooded my mind. That brooding research fanatic had almost no social life.
He moved his fingers and typed: "Reading a book on genetics in my apartment."
[Question 4: When you see a stray cat shivering in the cold rain on your way home from get off work, what is your first reaction?]
Alex frowned.
As an aggregate of the Blacklight Virus, his biological instincts made him completely uninterested in this weak creature with little biomass, and he wouldn't even give it a second glance.
But just as he was about to write "ignore", his sister Dana's face suddenly flashed through his memory.
Dana loves these furry little animals. If Dana were there, she would definitely run over to them with heartache.
He hesitated for a moment, and the part of him that belonged to human empathy took over.
He wrote: "I avoid it. But if I see a cardboard box nearby that can provide shelter from the rain, I'll kick it over to shield it from the rain."
Immediately afterwards, new writing appeared on the paper.
[Question 5: If you accidentally broke your sister's favorite mug, and you were the only one there, would you quietly throw away the pieces and pretend you didn't know, or would you collect the pieces and confess and apologize to her when she returns?]
Upon seeing this question, Alex's grip on the bone spur tightened slightly.
His younger sister. This is the only bond he still cares about in this world, and it's also the coordinate that anchors him in his subconscious as a human being.
Without the slightest hesitation, even knowing the question was ridiculous, he still wrote with utmost seriousness:
Confess, apologize. Then buy her an identical one as compensation.
One question after another emerged on the paper.
It concerns preferences regarding everyday matters, choices involving minor moral dilemmas, and tests of interpersonal relationships.
Before he knew it, Alex had completely gotten into the zone.
He no longer felt it was absurd, no longer felt it was a humiliation.
Instead, it was as if they had grasped a lifeline floating on a vast ocean, reading and answering each question with utmost seriousness and even reverence.
It was as if as long as he filled out the questionnaire and found a reasonable answer, he could prove to the world and to himself that he was still the human self named "Alex Mercer".
Looking at the prototype, who was completely absorbed in "answering questions" and couldn't extricate himself, even ignoring the sounds of the wind and grass in the surrounding ruins.
Pei Qi patted the dust off his hands with satisfaction and stretched.
"Answer the questions carefully, don't hand in a blank paper. No matter how absurd the questions are, just answer according to your first instinct. Show me the final score later."
Pei Qi called out to Alex's slightly hunched back.
A chillingly dangerous glint flashed in Pei Qi's eyes.
"You can take your exam here. I need to use this time to finish up the final cleanup work on the Manhattan biohazard incident."
"Headquarters is pressing me hard, and the air purification system in this crappy place is terrible. I don't want to work overtime here all night."
"Mmm...okay..."
Alex didn't even look up, just gave a perfunctory nod.
He was now focusing all his energy on analyzing a question about "childhood trauma" that had just surfaced.
Therefore, he was completely unaware of just how terrifyingly important information was contained in the so-called "final cleanup work" from the mouth of this man who could tear apart tanks with his bare hands and ride intercontinental missiles like skateboards!
"Buzz—!"
Behind Alex.
With the hidden effect of the fashion panel being turned off with one click, Pei Qi's MekaSuit outfit once again revealed its true form amidst a flurry of light and shadow.
The power booster module behind it suddenly activated, spewing out an extremely dazzling azure blue ion tail flame.
It was accompanied by a piercing sonic boom.
Pei Qi leaped into the air without hesitation, transforming into a gray meteor and hurtling towards the edge of Manhattan.