"Next—Number2417!"
The mechanical voice echoed coldly and mercilessly in the air,as if pressing in from all directions.A young man trembled slightly,his shoulders barely noticeable as they shuddered.His face turned even paler,as if all the blood in his body had ceased flowing in that instant.Slowly,he stepped out from the line,taking a deep breath as his eyes darted around,searching for some form of comfort.But all he saw were indifferent walls and a crowd awaiting judgment.
His fingers trembled slightly,as if an invisible weight was slowly crushing his nerves.He barely managed to lift his feet,trudging towards the inspection chamber with heavy,mechanical movements.No one in the crowd gave him a single glance.Each person stood there,as still and indifferent as statues.The atmosphere was stifling,like a silent funeral,waiting for the"corpses"of fate to be judged one by one.
"Enter,place your hands on the detection platform,"a staff member in a white lab coat instructed in a stiff voice,devoid of emotion,as if he were operating a machine and not directing a human being.
The man hesitated for a moment,then slowly nodded.With pursed lips,he took a deep breath and walked into the narrow inspection chamber.The metal door closed behind him without a sound.In that instant,he felt an overwhelming sense of isolation and coldness,as if he had been swallowed by a giant metal beast.
Inside the chamber,the pipes around him emitted a faint hum,with red lights flickering inside them.From time to time,cold air flowed down from above,carrying the chill of death.Weak fluorescent lights embedded in the floor made the confined space feel even more desolate.Several blinding white lights on the ceiling stared down at him,exposing him to an inescapable judgment.
Meanwhile,outside the chamber,the genetic observer watched the monitoring screen with cold eyes.On the screen were countless streams of complex data and genetic sequences.The fast-moving points of light were like molecules harboring immense destinies,mercilessly revealing the essence of life.The observer's gaze remained calm and unperturbed,having grown accustomed to scenes like this—the rise of geniuses,the obliteration of the ordinary,the downfall of the worthless.Here,it was nothing more than the cold fluctuations of numbers,just another part of his daily routine.
"Begin scan."
At the command of the mechanical voice,the inspection chamber vibrated slightly.Frosty mist slowly seeped from the pipes,winding around the man like a venomous snake.Faint red light flickered within the mist,surging like blood,slowly penetrating the man's skin and bringing with it a biting cold.
The man closed his eyes,trying hard to control his fear.The mist enveloped him like invisible hands,stripping him of the warmth of life.In this moment,all he could do was helplessly await the result.
On the screen,the man's genetic sequence unfolded rapidly,pieces stitching together and leaping around,finally forming a complete genetic map.
"Sequence scan complete.Quality grade...C level,65points."
The observer frowned slightly,but his expression remained calm.A C-level gene meant the man's future would be spent struggling at the bottom of society,with no hope of ever reaching the upper echelons.His fate had been cruelly sealed at that moment.
"Step out,"the observer pressed a button.
The chamber door opened with a clang.The man staggered out,his face deathly pale and his legs trembling slightly.His eyes flickered with a deep sense of loss and helplessness,and the last bit of hope in his heart crumbled completely.As he left the chamber,he felt countless cold stares pierce his back like needles,making him wish he could disappear into the crowd.
"Next—Number2418!"
The mechanical voice sounded again.The brutal testing continued.Each person was like a product waiting for inspection on a conveyor belt,lonely and powerless.
Number2423was a particularly timid boy.His body was thin and frail,his eyes filled with fear and helplessness,his steps hesitant.The inspection chamber seemed to him like a life-devouring abyss,and he stood at its edge,unsure whether to jump in.
The observer glanced at the screen and noticed the boy's hesitation.He frowned slightly,his gaze filled with impatience,clearly unwilling to waste more time.
"Hurry up,don't waste time."The lab worker's voice was cold,his tone sharp,disregarding the boy's fear.
The boy gritted his teeth,clenching his fists tightly,his palms sweating.Fighting a final battle with his fear,he finally closed his eyes,took a deep breath,and stepped forward,slowly walking toward the chamber.
The door closed silently behind him,and in the enclosed space,only the boy's faint breathing could be heard.The red mist once again wrapped around his fragile body like invisible chains,coldly climbing up his skin.
The genetic sequence unfolded slowly on the screen,appearing simple and unremarkable.The observer's gaze remained indifferent,as if he had already predicted the result.
"Quality grade:B-level,unknown score,with unstable factors."
The observer raised an eyebrow slightly.This meant that while the boy's genes were not exceptional,they contained a potential for some hidden power that might be awakened in the future.After noting the result,the observer pressed the release button.
The result was announced,and the boy stood still,his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.He seemed yet to fully comprehend the meaning of the outcome,his instinct to flee frozen by fear.
"Step out."The cold command rang out once again.
The boy exited the chamber,his figure small and weak.The cold stares around him remained unshaken,as though this were just another routine event in their daily lives.His future had already been confined to the edges of society,with no escape.
"Next!"
Number2419was an elderly man.Leaning on a cane,his steps were heavy,yet each one was filled with a certain silent strength.His face was lined with the marks of time,but his eyes shone with determination.For him,this test was perhaps no longer of personal significance,but the future of his family and descendants hinged on this moment.
Step by step,he walked toward the chamber,his pace slow but resolute,as if making a final stand against time.Those around him watched,some with a flicker of pity in their eyes,but most with indifference.Here,no one was willing to pay attention to others'fates;everyone was fighting for their own future.
"Enter."The lab worker's voice remained unchanging.
The old man's body appeared frail,yet he showed no hesitation as he slowly entered the chamber.As the door closed,his world became silent and solitary.
"Begin scan."
The frosty mist,like the fingers of death,wound around the old man's body,as if drawing out the last of his life force.The data on the screen flowed sluggishly,reflecting the aging and decay of his genetic sequence.
The observer remained expressionless,used to such silent decline.Genes were merely the recorders of time—they did not lie,nor did they show mercy.
"Sequence scan complete.Quality grade...D level,35points."
When the old man stepped out of the chamber,there was no change in his expression,but the look in his eyes pierced through everyone watching.It was a look that had seen through life,death,and fate—a despair intertwined with a resolute calm.
He did not look back.His steps were as steady and slow as before,as if fate no longer had any hold over him.
"Step out,"the mechanical voice commanded without emotion.
He left the chamber,his figure heavy with the weight of destiny.Seeing his back,many couldn't help but lower their heads.Though they knew it was inevitable,the old man's fate still filled them with deep helplessness…
This was the first entrance to the Empire's genetic collection,known as the Tower of Divine Order,and it symbolized the intersection of technology and power on Planet U18.Planet U18was a super technological entity,its rapid advancement in technology placing it far above other planets.The entire planet was enmeshed in a web of energy lines,with countless data and technological lifeforms slumbering beneath its surface,constructing a society of cold rationality and emotionless order.
The sky on Planet U18was always gray,with thick clouds seeming to silently press down on everything below.Sunlight had never truly touched this land.The Tower of Divine Order was the planet's heart.It soared from the cold,starry depths,its towering structure piercing the clouds,seemingly connecting the dark sky and the earth.The tower's body was wrapped in layers of shimmering light screens that constantly changed colors,resembling a never-ending machine of life.The tower's surface was covered in complex energy veins,metallic lines intertwining with glowing lights,like a giant mechanical organism ready to awaken.Pulsating energy flowed through its veins like blood,nourishing the entire tower and demonstrating its supreme technological power.
The tower's peak was hidden in the clouds,and occasionally,bolts of lightning would strike through the top,igniting even brighter lights.Every time lightning flashed across the sky,the Tower of Divine Order seemed to resonate with the heavens,trembling ever so slightly as if answering a call from the depths of the stars.It was not only the gateway for genetic testing but also a totem symbolizing control and domination.
Every test inside the tower was a cold selection of human fate.The cold data streams mercilessly stripped away the hopes of the weak.Though the system seemed fair on the surface,dividing individuals'futures based on the quality of their genes,it was,in reality,a ruthless machine
of fate.A single small error could destroy an entire family,dragging countless people into an abyss with no escape.Those who stepped into the tower were destined to face a cold reality.Their futures would no longer be in their hands but dictated by the merciless results of the test...