Free Will

The girls kept running forward, passing by a quiet girl and a youth wearing a hoodie.

Xu Xiaoyou looked back, and Jason's maddened figure appeared at the edge of her vision, his rampaging chains tearing apart everything around him.

That pile of limited-grade skill cards could only temporarily slow that guy down; the money spent would take the Little Blue Bird two whole concerts to earn back. Xu Xiaoyou considered whether she should have the girl take on more commercial sponsorships after they returned.

"Are they the awakened ones?" the quiet girl asked as she watched the distant backs of Xu Xiaoyou and the others.

"Yes," the youth in the hoodie replied. He looked up, revealing a pair of steady eyes. A peaked cap was layered under his hoodie, with the brim barely visible.

He also watched the departing figures of the girls, unknown thoughts hidden within his calm gaze.

The youth and the girl maintained the social distance prescribed by the New Gospel Book.

"The next stop is the Apophis Aquarium. I heard many couples go there to visit. Outside of textbooks and the curtain, I've never actually seen marine life."

"Those people aren't couples—let me correct you. To each other, they are spouses assigned by Aphrodite. Going to the aquarium itself doesn't involve any emotional resonance; it is simply Aphrodite's arrangement."

"If the people of Skyline City are like notched mechanical parts, Aphrodite can always precisely match two parts with completely incompatible notches to ensure that their role as spouses is merely a job rather than a life," the youth said with a sigh after taking a sip of canned coffee.

"What do they think about when they procreate as Aphrodite demands?"

Even though the train had become a chaotic mess, the two of them remained indifferent to the external changes. They were like lonely souls meeting on a barren and harsh land; facing an equally cold companion, they felt more curiosity for each other than mutual sympathy.

A disciplinary officer cast a glance toward them. "Qi, have you never seen marine life with your own eyes?" the youth asked casually. He observed the girl's expression, his face partially hidden by the canned coffee as he lifted it.

"I thought your family background was decent enough that your nominal guardian would take you there."

The girl named Qi silently hugged the book in her arms. For androids like them, the concept of family was undeniably alien. After the Firefly War, the word 'parents' became taboo; all androids were required to call them 'guardians,' while the word 'family' was replaced by the social assessment room. Guardians were strictly forbidden from raising offspring privately and were obligated to supervise and teach the children of assigned spouses. If any sign of 'awakening' appeared, they had to promptly contact the Hera Network for disposal.

Only after reaching adulthood were androids considered to have passed the social assessment period. They were then interviewed by a disciplinary officer, given an initial rating, and labeled before being allowed into society. The content of these interviews varied for everyone, but they were collectively known in society as the label exam.

Androids who failed the label exam would die.

Similarly, those under supervision also had the right to report. If a guardian exhibited emotional abnormalities, the ward could request their replacement; the consequence of being replaced was disposal.

To them, guardians were more like cold and heartless supervisors than warm and caring companions. The guardians were exceptionally strict because they could be implicated by the wards' words and deeds, and it was even less likely for any emotional bonds to form.

The education they received from childhood made most androids loathe words like 'emotion,' 'awakening,' and 'individuality.' Their purpose in being manufactured or born was to serve humanity. The label rating system was the best measure of a person's worth—the most advanced civilized system.

"I heard their previous offspring made a very serious mistake and was ultimately disposed of. They were implicated as well, and their status was downgraded from research scholars to first-class citizens. So their supervision of me has always been strict, forbidding me from going to such crowded and noisy places. I have to report my itinerary to them every day."

"Is that so?" The youth nodded. "Then it's quite a coincidence. I haven't been there either."

"The book you gave me about 'nature and animals,' I've finished reading it. Some of the 'descriptions' were quite interesting."

Qi's eyes half-closed.

She had accidentally found those books in her guardian's study. Any philosophy-related books were regarded as absolute taboos; even flipping through them was an intolerable transgression.

Yet she didn't understand why such books appeared in her 'mother's' study, and she didn't dare to ask, for fear of breaking the thin veil of their 'mother-daughter' relationship. She could only comfort herself with the thought that perhaps these were books left behind by her 'parents'' previous 'daughter,' and they were simply too busy with work to remember them.

Out of curiosity, she flipped through the books while her 'parents' were away from home. The many contents within felt like opening the door to a new world, giving her a fresh understanding of this reality.

Inside, the books systematically and scientifically discussed the relationships between individuals, emotions, families, and society. They spoke of what constituted thought, human rights, and...

Freedom.

Initially, she feared these contents because it was no different from having the worldview she had built since childhood shattered by a hammer. But every night before she fell asleep, those shards would be picked up by a pair of hands and slowly pieced back together. She couldn't see the owner's face, yet they felt very familiar to her.

Over time, she began to subconsciously accept the viewpoints in the books. Every reading brought new insights; sometimes she would immerse herself in them for an entire day, only carefully returning them to their place before her 'parents' returned.

Finally, her courage grew. She began to believe that the viewpoints in the books might be correct and that it was their world that was sick. She tried moving the books, and when her 'parents' didn't notice, she mustered the courage to bring the book to the youth. Because they had been friends since childhood, she believed he would understand her thoughts after reading it.

So, she made an agreement with him: if he finished the book and discussed it with her, he had to use words like 'nature and animals' or 'descriptions' to replace 'philosophy' and 'viewpoints.'

Qi slowly widened her eyes and looked at the youth.

Wait, was that the youth's response to her just now?

It was his response regarding freedom.

She felt her heart beating fervently. At this moment, she seemed to become a fledgling standing at the edge of a nest, with a ten-thousand-meter cliff below and a swirling storm of clouds ahead. Behind her, a slight itch began as small, incomplete feathers started to grow.

That burning sensation grew more intense. In her youthful ignorance, Qi felt her throat go dry. She asked:

"Ming, have you finished reading it?"

"Are you getting off at the next stop?" Ming put down his canned coffee and smiled, returning the choice to the girl. "Let's go to the Apophis Aquarium."