Chapter 846

What kind of charity was this supposed to be?

Pepper looked around at the people congratulating themselves and felt a familiar chill settle in her stomach. This wasn’t charity. It was the beginning of another round of exploitation.

The days of bleeding a market dry in one brutal stroke were long gone. For modern capitalists, slow cooking was the better strategy.

Why were these people so eager to support genetic modification?

For the advancement of humanity?

To divide the species into different classes and gradually render ordinary people obsolete?

Neither.

A true capitalist didn’t care about distinctions like that. In their eyes, everyone came in the same color.

Green.

The color of money.

They simply wanted to sell their products and make a profit.

And would people actually pay for genetic modification?

Of course they would.

The ethical questions might be enormous during development, but once the technology worked—once it was proven safe and effective—those questions would suddenly become much easier to ignore.

Just walk down any street and ask a random person:

Would you like to become more attractive, stronger, healthier, resistant to most diseases, and live several decades longer?

Then tell them all they had to do was modify a few genes.

You could probably ask them to walk through a dimensional portal afterward and they’d still say yes.

Of course, nothing in this world came free.

If a service could change a person’s entire life, charging the price of a decent mid-range car didn’t sound outrageous.

But for an ordinary person, the price of a car was still a crushing burden.

If they couldn’t afford it, they wouldn’t buy it.

And if they didn’t buy it, how were you supposed to make money?

So why not offer them a loan?

Take the treatment now. Pay later.

They had their whole lives ahead of them, after all. They could work, earn the money, and repay the loan—with interest.

Everybody wins.

Except there was still that little problem.

Why would someone who had no relationship with you lend you enough money to transform your life?

Unless they intended to get every penny back.

And then some.

Once someone took out a so-called genetic enhancement loan, every additional year of life became another year spent working to pay it off.

In principle, it wasn’t all that different from the emancipation of serfs under the Russian Empire.

Just considerably less bloody.

Pepper’s thoughts stalled there.

Every pore of a capitalist’s body reeks of—

She stopped.

She was, after all, a major capitalist herself.

That complicated the metaphor.

And, objectively speaking, the plan was probably the most practical solution available.

As for anyone who disliked it?

They could always figure out how to put her on the ground and take her seat.

Problem solved.

What?

I’m protected by the system and you don’t dare try?

Then you’re unwilling to do anything and unwilling to accept anything, yet you still want to complain?

Deal with it.

The people sitting around the table weren’t ordinary investors. Once they’d finished congratulating themselves over their newfound commitment to "charity," their thoughts quickly moved toward the implications.

If the human enhancement project succeeded, then eventually everyone would become—well, for lack of a better term—new humans.

And if the average human suddenly possessed enhanced physical capabilities, governments would have no choice but to adapt.

Otherwise, imagine a group of superhumans committing a crime and sending ordinary police officers to arrest them.

Nobody could say for certain who would end up doing the arresting and who would end up being arrested.

Law enforcement, the military, the National Guard—all of them would eventually need physical upgrades as well.

Whether those upgrades were voluntary or mandatory, whether individuals paid for them or governments did, or whether the cost was shared between the two, was a question for later.

The more immediate question was weaponry.

Modern weapons would eventually become inadequate against future threats.

So what happened when every police officer, soldier, and National Guardsman needed new equipment?

That was an enormous market.

And when ordinary citizens started replacing their old firearms with newer models?

Another enormous market.

The old industrial families that had made their fortunes in weapons manufacturing would have plenty to gain.

No wonder they would be willing to support the so-called Human Completion Project.

Just as the investors were lost in visions of a prosperous future, Gabriel quietly raised a hand.

"I have a question."

Everyone looked toward her.

"If this project succeeds, the average human lifespan will increase dramatically. That’s obvious. The population will inevitably grow as well."

She paused.

"But can this world actually support that many people?"

"That’s an excellent question."

The Eredar twins stepped forward together.

Moira immediately lowered her head and retreated. Her part in the presentation was finished.

"Humanity’s greatest predators are arguably humanity itself and disease," Olesses said. "Once the first stage of our project succeeds, most diseases will no longer pose a serious threat. Under such comfortable conditions, a population explosion is inevitable."

She looked around the room.

"That reminds me of a story I’m sure most of you have heard."

"Once upon a time, the United States government wanted to protect a certain forest’s deer population. So they eliminated the wolves living there. They also hunted several of the mountain lions that preyed on the deer."

"At first, the deer enjoyed paradise. With no natural predators left, their numbers exploded."

"And then the forest ran out of food."

"Starvation followed. Large numbers of deer died. Their bodies began to rot, disease spread, and the resulting epidemic killed even more. Before long, the deer population was on the verge of collapse."

Elizabeth nodded slowly.

It was a story she’d encountered in school. She had never bothered investigating how historically accurate it was. To her, it had always been more of a cautionary tale than anything else.

"I assume you’re saying the forest is our world," she said, "and the deer are genetically enhanced humans."

"Exactly."

Saloras nodded.

"Except humanity faces problems far greater than those deer ever did."

"A deer without food starves. The secondary disaster is usually disease. Humans are smarter than deer, though. When humans go hungry, they start wars."

"And as the population increases, greenhouse emissions will rise as well. Climate change will accelerate. Natural disasters will become more frequent and more severe."

She smiled thinly.

"Unfortunately, humans are also remarkably stupid. Faced with war and environmental catastrophe, not everyone will unite to solve the problem. Some will decide that destroying everything is preferable."

"Which makes the situation considerably worse."

Olesses took over again, her tone becoming grim.

"And according to our projections, even if we abandon the Human Completion Project entirely—if we simply allow humanity to continue along its current trajectory—the outcome doesn’t improve."

"Within eighty years, global warming could melt the polar ice caps and submerge roughly ninety percent of the world’s currently habitable regions."

"Within approximately fifty years, food production will no longer be sufficient to sustain the naturally growing population."

She looked directly at the investors.

"Humanity is already standing on the edge of extinction."

"This isn’t speculation. It’s the direction we’re heading."

"The only question is whether we’re going to sit back and let it happen."

The room fell silent.

Some of the numbers might have been exaggerated. But none of them were completely fabricated. Versions of these warnings had circulated through scientific and political circles for years, and serious analysis had demonstrated that the underlying problems were very real.

Still, human beings had a peculiar habit.

Unless the blade was already pressed against their throats, they rarely panicked.

Fifty years?

That was plenty of time.

Someone would figure something out.

A miracle might happen.

Gabriel, meanwhile, nodded repeatedly.

As expected. I’m the only one thinking far enough ahead.

Perhaps they should simply end the world themselves.

On their own terms.

A carefully planned apocalypse.

Preserve the humans worth saving by placing them in underground facilities. Eliminate the useless population while leaving the world’s infrastructure and resources intact.

And she already had the beginnings of a solution.

She would unleash a global calamity designed specifically to kill humans.

Nothing more.

No unnecessary destruction.

Just an overwhelming magical curse capable of targeting humanity itself.

She hadn’t finished designing such a massive spell yet. And given the sheer scale of the planet, the three great magical nodes might not be able to supply enough power.

But if she retrieved the Eye of Agamotto from Kamar-Taj and unleashed its full power...

Perhaps she would only need to snap her fingers.

One unprecedented magical catastrophe.

Then she could sit peacefully atop a mountain and watch the sunset while the preserved survivors emerged into a world transformed by evolution and built a brighter future.

Snap.

Snap.

Snap.

"Could everyone please remain quiet during the meeting?"

Olesses stared at Gabriel.

Gabriel was sitting there with a blissful expression, apparently lost in her own thoughts while repeatedly snapping her fingers.

She had already done it at least a hundred times.

Olesses sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"So..."

Saloras turned back toward the investors.

"We’ve discussed the future of humanity. Now we should discuss the future of the world."

The investors exchanged looks.

For some reason, they suddenly felt as though they weren’t sitting in a corporate boardroom anymore.

They’d already gone from pharmaceutical development to the future evolution of the human species.

Now they were apparently planning the future of the entire planet.

At this rate, they’ll have the next thousand years planned before lunch.

"Allow me to introduce another piece of technology developed by our company."

Saloras raised a hand.

The screens around the room changed.

Charts and technical specifications appeared alongside a three-dimensional simulation.

"We call it the Biological Dome."

"The technology creates an energy field capable of covering an enormous area. With sufficient power, it can alter the ecological conditions within that field and shield everything inside from harmful external radiation."

This wasn’t theoretical.

Evenson had purchased the underlying technology from Zahid, a two-world walker who had once sold him advanced ethereal technology.

The Consortium had used this very technology to create a thriving botanical garden in the barren wasteland of Netherstorm.

Now, after Gennos and his team of scientists had modified it extensively, the technology had been partially integrated with Earth’s existing technological infrastructure.

Mordo DuPont studied the information for a while, though most of his attention was focused on the simulation.

"If this Biological Dome performs as described, then enormous sections of Earth’s deserts, tundra, and even parts of the ocean floor could potentially be transformed into habitable environments."

He looked up.

"But energy. What kind of power source does this require?"

"Primarily electricity," Saloras replied. "Our calculations indicate that, under ideal conditions, a small nuclear power plant could sustain a Biological Dome roughly the size of New York City."

Mordo nodded slowly.

"That level of resource conversion is... surprisingly reasonable."

Olesses smiled.

"Since Ms. Potts is here, perhaps Stark Industries would consider contributing technology in exchange for an equity stake."

Pepper’s expression tightened.

"The Arc Reactor."

She knew exactly what they wanted.

Stark Industries was the world’s leading clean-energy company. Under the right circumstances, the Arc Reactor and Biological Dome technology could complement each other almost perfectly.

And unlike the Human Completion Project, this technology had obvious humanitarian benefits.

She had no fundamental objection to it.

But the Arc Reactor was Tony’s life’s work.

She couldn’t make that decision without consulting him.

"I’ll need time to consider the Arc Reactor proposal."

"Of course."

Saloras smiled.

Getting the technology would be excellent.

Not getting it wouldn’t cripple the project.

"There’s one thing I’d like everyone to understand, though."

Olesses’ expression became almost imperious.

"The Biological Dome can absolutely alter local ecosystems and climate conditions. That’s beyond dispute."

"But creating artificial environments in deserts and on the polar ice caps was never our primary purpose."

Elizabeth frowned.

"Then what was?"

"Do you remember the story about the deer and the forest?"

Olesses smiled.

"The traditional solution was to reintroduce the wolves, restore the ecosystem, and control the deer population."

"But I’d suggest another solution."

Her smile sharpened.

"Why not give the deer a larger forest?"

She gestured toward the globe displayed on the screen.

"Earth doesn’t have enough resources."

"Earth’s ecosystems are deteriorating."

"Earth doesn’t have enough living space."

"Fine."

She looked toward the stars.

"Earth is only a speck in the ocean of the universe."

"And even within our own solar system, there are countless untouched environments rich in resources."

"The Biological Dome wasn’t developed so humanity could live comfortably in deserts and on glaciers."

"It was developed to prepare humanity for the beginning of interstellar colonization."