Evolution - Chapter 31
Chapter 31
The ABO Social Basic Law was a greater cause for concern than the news of collective evolution towards the ABO system.
After all, collective evolution affected everyone equally and was beyond any individual's control. The only thing that might cause someone to panic would be evolving into a gender they found completely unacceptable.
The Basic Law, however, was far more complex. It touched upon many rights previously taken for granted, as well as those that, lacking clear legislation, could be ambiguously and invisibly infringed upon. Now, these rights were clearly demarcated, with a firm warning: do not cross the line.
For instance, it covered reproductive rights, the inheritance of surnames, contributions to child-rearing, shared property, individual autonomy, the division of family assets, and more. These issues were intimately relevant to every gender and every individual.
This time, the internet erupted in a furious debate, yet no one intervened. There were no attempts to guide public opinion; the discussion was allowed to run its course completely unchecked.
People vented their pent-up frustrations online. After the issue had been brewing for nearly a month, some of the more agitated individuals began calling for protests and demonstrations to voice their opposition.
Finally, the authorities issued a direct response, announcing a formal address at 7:00 PM, Huaxia time, to be broadcast live worldwide on the internet and television.
At least a third of the global population, filled with either anticipation or anger, waited for the official announcement.
To everyone's surprise, at five minutes to seven, Huaxia time, something incredible happened. Simultaneously, across the globe—whether it was day or night, in bustling cities or remote mountain villages—countless points of light appeared. They gradually converged into floating screens, allowing anyone, anywhere, to simply look up and see a clear, smooth broadcast of the official press conference.
The majority of people, those who paid no mind to current events or online squabbles, stopped what they were doing in confusion. Countless others, already asleep, woke up, threw on some clothes, and stared in bewilderment.
Everyone stared up in shock at the screens that had materialized from thin air.
It was like witnessing a miracle.
Xie'er stood ramrod straight on the bridge of the starship, her expression more serious than ever. She watched as tens of thousands of control lights activated in sequence. Once she confirmed everything was ready, she spoke in a deep, powerful voice, “Claire, you may begin.”
In the year since confirming the planet's evolutionary path, they had cataloged Blue Star's entire population. Even before announcing the ABO evolutionary direction to the planet's nations, they had already begun work on two fronts.
First, they planted flora that would accelerate evolution in uninhabited regions across the planet. Second, in conjunction with this planting, they began deploying signal receivers for the interstellar network.
Two months after reaching a consensus with the local governments, they began cooperating on urban greening projects and planting the relevant flora around populated rural and mountain villages.
And, of course, the deployment of the network signal receivers continued alongside these efforts.
Today was not just about responding to the controversy over the Basic Law; it was the Galactic Interstellar Alliance's formal debut to the people of Blue Star. By showcasing technology that far surpassed anything on the planet, they intended to awe its inhabitants, inspiring both aspiration and reverence, and making them feel the Alliance's power firsthand.
The power to protect them, and the power to restrain them.
The bullet comments on the livestream scrolled by in a frenzy as viewers' attention quickly went off-topic.
“This is so cool. Can I just say I'm completely won over by this black magic tech?”
“I'm actually feeling a little proud, as if this amazing tech has something to do with me.”
“Of course it does! We'll get to enjoy it too in the future.”
...
“Hello, everyone. Welcome, Blue Star, to the Galactic Interstellar Alliance. I am Claire, the Alliance representative assigned to your world,” Claire began with a smile.
Her words were met with a flood of bullet comments praising her beauty.
In the presence of such a beautiful woman, even the viewers' anger seemed to subside a little.
“Before we address the ABO Social Basic Law, let's first review some of the discussions online.”
A series of screenshots flashed across the large screen behind her, all showing comments from the same person on different topics: “Equal Rights Based on Contribution,” “Inheritance of Surnames,” “Joint Marital Property,” “Responsibility for Supporting a Spouse's Parents,” “Property Ownership for Minors”...
Everyone could clearly see the same person's comments on these different topics.
On the topic of equal rights based on contribution, he logically argued that this principle would effectively protect everyone's interests.
On the topic of surname inheritance, he vehemently objected, arguing that tradition dictated children take their father's surname. He claimed that taking the mother's name would be detrimental to a child's development and, for the child's sake, “those feminists” should “wake up and stop trying to disrupt the social order.”
On the division of joint marital property, he was in favor. He thought it was an excellent idea for half of each spouse's income to become joint property, with the other half remaining personal property for them to manage as they wished.
On supporting a spouse's parents, he argued that a daughter-in-law traditionally had a filial duty to support her parents-in-law. At the same time, he believed that parents were traditionally supported by their sons. A daughter might show filial piety occasionally, but a son-in-law had no such obligation.
On the topic of property ownership for minors, he was opposed, believing that children were incapable of managing money and that it should be controlled by their parents.
A second set of screenshots scrolled across the screen.
It showed another person's comments on the same topics.
This person agreed with “Equal Rights Based on Contribution.” They also agreed with “Inheritance of Surnames,” adding that a child could take either the father's or mother's name. They agreed with “Joint Marital Property” and “Responsibility for Supporting a Spouse's Parents,” clarifying that during a marriage, both partners have an equal obligation to support each other's parents, either separately or jointly. However, they disagreed with “Property Ownership for Minors,” also believing that children were not mature enough and their assets should be managed by their parents...
Set after set of screenshots scrolled by.
The audience watching the broadcast grew increasingly quiet.
Even the bullet comments, which had been flying by with sarcastic remarks just moments before, disappeared.
After seeing one person's contradictory statements on different topics, the viewers could almost instantly form a mental picture of them—their gender, their social standing, and their role within their family.
The authorities hadn't offered any grand-sounding rhetoric. They had simply used this method to bluntly reveal a truth everyone had been subconsciously ignoring:
Where you stand depends on where you sit. Most people only clamor for a powerful system to protect their rights after they themselves have suffered an injustice.
But in society, every person is divided into multiple identities. In this pervasive system of inequality, everyone is likely playing the villain in some capacity. In one role, they might be the victim whose rights are being violated, while in another, they could be the perpetrator, infringing upon the rights of others without even realizing it.
“The Galactic Interstellar Alliance's ABO Social Basic Law is founded on the principle of protecting every individual's innate rights,” Claire stated firmly. “Whether you are aware of the rights you possess or not, the law will not permit anyone to infringe upon them.”
After a brief pause, the bullet comments on the livestream exploded once more.
“I'm all for this Basic Law!”
“I've never seen the pervasive inequality laid out so clearly. I'm on board too!”
“But the concerns about minors' property rights do seem valid.”
“To the person above, I suggest you look up the 'Toxic Parents' forums. It's all about control in the name of love.”
“Has anyone actually read the Basic Law carefully? A minor's property is registered in their own name, but parents have supervisory rights.”
“Haha, the people opposing it are just scared of losing control, aren't they?”
“I support the Basic Law. I'm so sick of crimes being dismissed as 'family matters.'”
“All those people saying these clear-cut rules will destroy family harmony can just shut up! How many problems are caused by so-called family members who have no boundaries?”
“That whole 'they're just a child' excuse has ruined so many lives! Isn't that indirectly caused by those coddling parents who think their kids can't do anything for themselves? Better to teach them independence early than raise a generation of man-children.”
...
While the Alliance believed they had won over the people of Blue Star with a display of absolute power, the planet's inhabitants clearly had a different perspective.
“Wow, will we look like them after we evolve? They're all so tall, with long legs and gorgeous faces!”
“I heard the speed of evolution is tied to your progress with physique techniques. If it means I'll look better, I'm going all in! I'm the kind of person who lies down if I don't have to sit, but starting today, I'm practicing my physique every single day!”
...
The members of the Alliance made their official debut before the people of Blue Star, winning an initial wave of goodwill with their good looks.
Judging by the online response, the press conference was a resounding success. The internet debates gradually died down as more and more people came to accept the Basic Law.
But everyone knew that greater obstacles and undercurrents lay beyond the online world.
After all, at least half of Blue Star's population had no voice online. This silent majority was the greatest challenge.
They lived relatively isolated lives, slow to encounter new things—or rather, extremely resistant to new things and new ideas. They might be simple and honest, but they were also ignorant and stubborn.
The various nations all raised concerns about this.
“Oh, we trust your governmental systems are more than capable of handling that. After all, those people respect one thing above all else: authority.” Claire's smile vanished as she coolly rebuffed the nations' subtle overtures, making it clear she had no intention of taking on their responsibilities. “The assistance we can offer is this: we suggest that those who have already undergone differentiation volunteer to return to their hometowns and help with the publicity campaign for a time. The Alliance will reward them according to their performance.”
“If you can't even manage this, then I will have to question the competence and efficiency of the nations you represent.” Claire's gaze swept over the politicians, who spent their days probing for weaknesses and testing boundaries. “And I'm sure none of you would want us to be forced to take action, would you?”
The unspoken threat was clear: Don't just go through the motions. You won't like the consequences.
These were merely minor verbal skirmishes. The real battles were all being fought behind the scenes.
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment