READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 168
The day after the agreement between Eight and the Observer was finalized.
The Moon People, upon descending to the surface, immediately came to a standstill.
People began to panic at the sight of the sudden immobile Moon People. Those who had been secretly hiding them from the Evilus Androids were particularly frazzled.
Yet, no matter how much they cried and pleaded, the Moon People, once halted, would not reactivate. Frustrated by the situation, the crowd looked for someone to vent their anger on. Naturally, that target was the Evilus Corporation.
“Evilus, awaken-! Awaken!”
“Provide us with one Android per person!”
“Give us back the Moon Person! She was my girlfriend-!”
Those who benefitted from the Moon Person’s help but hadn’t been brainwashed, the families of those forced into rehabilitation and restored, and even the minions from companies secretly studying the Moon People all gathered to protest in front of the Evilus Corporation.
Eight, standing in front of the crowd, furrowed his brow slightly as he looked down at the scene.
“Why are you all here protesting?”
“Isn’t it because you destroyed the Moon People with Evilus Androids?”
“We blocked the internet. I couldn’t stop the word-of-mouth, but for all these people to gather at once means there’s a professional protester among them…”
This meant that someone was leveraging this protest for their gain, and they were causing such a ruckus for their own benefit.
As Eight contemplated who that might be, thinking about some bank account terror, he paused at the words of Regalia.
“How about allowing the use of Moon People?”
“Huh?”
“You said it yourself. Machines shouldn’t forcibly manipulate people’s personalities. That means—if it’s not forced, it’s okay, right?”
Hearing Regalia’s words, Eight was struck mute for a moment, staring at her blankly. She had a point. In fact, brainwashing was used in certain areas even on Earth.
It was sometimes employed to reconstruct the personalities of those whose identities had been destroyed for various reasons, or for individuals who had committed crimes and lost their rights, or even used on those with severe trauma receiving treatment from professionals.
Just like how hospitals use drugs that would normally only produce an addiction when misused—how one uses something and where it is used is crucial.
“True, but…”
“This could be an opportunity to conduct psychological therapy using Androids. I’m even considering starting a company. How about Evilus Therapy?”
“That name has a bit of a stinky vibe to it.”
“What? Where’s the stink? I thought it was a good name!”
Ignoring Regalia’s shock, Eight cautiously organized his thoughts. Yes, the reckless use was the problem, and he had pointed that out—he never outright called for a ban on use. In fact, he had himself used brainwashing and hypnosis quite a few times in this world.
Of course, it was always in cases of self-defense or necessary for saving lives, but still.
After all, there were industries in this world that dealt with similar fields too. Hypnosis and brainwashing therapy using superpowers existed. So what was the big deal if psychological therapy through Androids emerged amidst this?
Of course, the other industry would end up with all its professionals unemployed, but hey… then again, therapists were said to be rich and privileged, so it should be fine.
“I… understand.”
That day, Eight communicated these points to the Observer. There was a condition attached that only those with permission could undergo brainwashing—but the Observer accepted this condition as though it were nothing significant.
Thus, from that day forth, mechanical therapists replacing superpower psychological therapy began to appear.
* * *
“Kya-haha-!”
Children laughed and dashed around wildly. They ran like they had bombs attached to them, never stopping for a moment.
Watching this scene, a dad smiled and glanced at the Android standing beside him. The Android resembled a cute rabbit plushie, a Moon Person.
Since the Moon Person had been assigned to the family, the child’s laughter increased. Considering that after losing their mom, the child rarely went out or laughed at all, it was a remarkable improvement.
“Daddy! Daddy!”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to marry Rabbit Sister?”
“…Huh?”
The dad tilted his head, baffled by the question, while the Moon Person, taking the child’s words literally, cautiously opened its mouth.
[My body does not possess a specific mechanism to satisfy male sexual desires, but… if you wish, I can create one anytime.]
“What are you saying in front of the kid…!? N-No, Riley? That’s not what it is, okay?”
“But I like Rabbit Sister! I wish she were my mom!”
“That’s a bit…”
Even though he was quite open-minded, being told to marry a robot resembling a Moon Person was difficult to accept. It seemed children had such an open mindset… perhaps due to their still-limited understanding of things, their openness was beyond what could be considered normal.
Chuckling awkwardly at his daughter’s request, he then subtly glanced at the Moon Person for a response.
“I’ll do my best to find your mom, okay? Just hold on a little longer…”
“No! I like Rabbit Sister! Marry Rabbit Sister!”
“R-Ryla…”
[I’m okay with that. I’m ready whenever.]
Seeing the Moon Person confidently offering its chest, the dad couldn’t contain his awkwardness.
Such events were happening simultaneously all over the city. Parents who usually had poor relationships with their kids, couples on the verge of breaking up after a fight, and even those wishing to talk again with estranged family members.
As access to psychological therapy became outrageously easy, people used Moon People for trivial matters without hesitation. The fact that therapy could be covered by insurance, and that one would receive a multifunctional Android for personal use during this process was a major draw.
Watching people accept brainwashing and hypnosis so casually, Eight took a sip of his coffee.
“Is this really okay…?”
“What do you mean?”
“You fought to stop things like this, didn’t you?”
At Six’s words, Eight nodded. He had fought to stop the Moon People. One of the reasons was to prevent people from being brainwashed like this.
However, given the current situation, most of humanity was already under hypnosis or brainwashing. How could he stand by and watch this? It was a stark contrast to how fiercely they’d fought just a short while ago.
Of course, Eight had his own arguments to make.
“I was trying to stop the forced part. I didn’t intend to completely prevent people from using them, you know.”
“…Isn’t that the same?”
“Not at all. It’s a huge difference.”
Maintaining public order by saving individuals’ genetic information in databases, filming real-time recordings of everyone’s actions, and complying with law enforcement demands—when asked whether that was right, people’s responses would vary widely.
Some would argue that it was only natural to do that for the sake of social order, while others would insist it was a horrific infringement of rights. Who was right? There was no answer. But…
“At the very least, people should be able to decide what happens to them…”
Eight thought of himself as a kind of good. Forcing something onto everyone, claiming it was for their own good and a better outcome, was truly the worst choice.
What if Eight used the science he had brought from Earth to advance the civilization of this world, simply because better technology was preferred, destroying all societal foundations, and turning perfectly normal people into machine-like humans who only knew work and self-development? How would they react then?
At that point, protesting that this wasn’t what they’d wanted wouldn’t really mean anything. Knowing that there was a possibility for him to become that way, having been educated in an environment where such occurrences happened countless times before.
That was why he felt anger for others, protested for others, and resisted for others—even if others could never understand the reasons behind it or his actions…
“Besides, you shouldn’t be saying that.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Someone who was forcibly isolated from the world because of their superpowers shouldn’t be saying…”
Looking at Six with a disdainful gaze, she suddenly recalled that she too had been a victim of something forced upon her, and chuckled in a resigned manner.
In this way, humanity was incredibly flawed. They could casually impose on others what they had experienced themselves.
This is why—some must keep their resolve.
Rules must be upheld, even if they may seem frustrating to others.