Ch.100100. Seed.

The transparent glass tubes lining the walls were filled with the familiar luminous liquid.

It was that blue light which had always welcomed me, from the message windows displayed by the Controller to the times when I enjoyed technology before its decline.

Looking at that blue light, so remarkably similar to a clear sky, I felt my anxiety-ridden heart and mind full of worries become as calm as a peaceful lake.

Was this because I had such a perception about the blue light, or was some special technology making me feel this way?

Living in a world where it’s difficult to accept anything purely, I often wondered if all the emotions and sensations I felt truly originated from within me.

But what does it matter? Even if these emotions are artificial, it doesn’t change the fact that they’re precious sensations freeing me from suffering in this moment.

Inside the glass tubes floated capsules so small they were barely visible to the naked eye.

Judging by the human names and various information written beneath the glass tubes, the capsules clearly contained genetic samples of those people.

“Wow. This person seems to have been a CEO of some company. Tall and good at math, it says. And this person here was an authority in robotics and artificial intelligence. I don’t know much since we didn’t live in the same era, but these were remarkable people.”

Whether by coincidence—or perhaps because they wanted to preserve only superior seeds for rebuilding humanity in the face of extinction—all the people recorded here were influential figures who had dominated their era.

Scientists and mathematicians, athletes and musicians. Would they have ever met each other even if they had lived in the same era? Looking at the traces of these people naturally made me wonder, and suddenly my thoughts became complicated.

Is this right? Is this okay?

“Hmm… I suppose it’s naturally better to preserve descendants of people who were somewhat exceptional rather than ordinary people like me…”

“You seem displeased with something?”

“It’s not that I’m displeased, more like I’m not sure if this is right… Surely all life should be valued equally, but looking at what’s here, it seems like the value of life isn’t determined by life itself but by what one accomplished during their lifetime.”

“It’s certainly calculating, but this isn’t a normal situation. All organisms have evolved that way from the beginning, haven’t they?”

“You mean natural selection?”

“Exactly. Advantageous genes meet and pass on their strengths, generation after generation. Of course, that alone can’t explain all evolution on this planet—but in an environment where continuing the species is difficult, they probably thought this was the best way to increase the chances of preserving humanity on this earth.”

“I suppose so. I know that. I would have done the same thing. It’s purely an emotional issue.”

Needing ability or qualifications to earn the right to continue one’s lineage, and being born through genes chosen by many—that was the most rational answer to the ‘problem’ of what must be done to continue the human species.

But… in doing so, humans lose their identity.

Being born free, dreaming freely, and changing the world through individual will beyond the species’ will—humanity becomes subordinated to the massive will of the species.

Some have described human birth as being thrown into the world, but even so, one wasn’t deprived of freedom simply by being born.

Most humans were the fruit of parental affection and love, finding and nurturing their unique seeds under that love, living the life they wanted.

That was clearly a life that could be called free.

But humans born from the cold calculations of their predecessors’ abilities and achievements cannot fully enjoy such freedom.

Born by the will of the species and having to satisfy expectations stemming from their predecessors’ achievements—could such a life truly be happy?

A being born not to create their own value but to prove it would not have freedom in their personal life either, and that wasn’t the ideal human life I envisioned. It was closer to the life of a robot than a human.

I’ve traveled this world and tasted the cold reality. The world wasn’t as warm as I thought—not just in temperature but in people’s hearts as well.

If everyone is going to abandon freedom and consideration for others—what we called humanity—in the face of extreme environments, then one intelligent person is better than ten thousand ordinary people. That was the efficiency suited to this cold world.

But even if everything in this world is made up of countless calculations and efficiencies, I still hope that the birth and growth of a life remains filled with pure affection. After all, when left alone in the final moment, what one feels is neither achievement nor ability, but loneliness.

Even if born without inheriting any special abilities and facing a life full of hardships, the difference between being able to make choices and not is significant.

Isn’t it beautiful—not a life of growing seeds assigned by others under command, but the long journey of discovering and nurturing the small possibilities within oneself?

Life is painful, yet nevertheless free. That’s why human life is beautiful.

I praise the freedom to build my own world beyond naturally given life, and the reason that makes it possible.

And everything here was taking away the freedom that humans should have from birth.

“…These people must have known too.”

But I don’t think they were unaware of this. They were far wiser and smarter than I could ever be.

Individual freedom is certainly important, but ultimately, humans too are organisms that can only exist by continuing their lineage.

In a crisis where the human species itself faced extinction from the world, what wouldn’t be justified?

The perspective and actions of someone who had to somehow connect the present with the future would naturally differ from mine.

As I am now, having resigned myself to accept things one way or another, I react this way because the present life matters more than the future. Neither of us is wrong.

“So what were they planning to do with this? Create descendants normally? Or clone personalities?”

In an era where changing bodies through brain transfer was possible without significant side effects.

In an even more advanced future, perhaps it would be possible to clone oneself with samples as tiny as these.

“Whatever the case, if this facility was designed to function in the distant future, there should be a machine nearby that can help accomplish all this simply…”

For human samples to rebuild humanity, either someone who knows how to operate this facility and machinery would need to stay alive until Earth stabilizes.

Or an AI with such a person’s personality would need to exist, activating itself when the environment becomes habitable again for humans and other life forms.

There was likely a machine so intuitive that even someone who doesn’t understand this era’s technology could operate it with just a glance.

“Mori, there’s a machine covered with cloth over here. Doesn’t it look suspicious?”

“Bingo. It was nearby after all.”

With this assumption, I started exploring the sample-filled space with the Robot.

Soon, we discovered several machines covered with cloth.

“I’m not sure whether to call this unexpected or obvious. It’s smaller and simpler than I thought.”

“Should we try putting one in?”

“Let’s not touch it. What if something goes wrong? It would be problematic even if it worked properly.”

A bioreactor with a hole just big enough for a test tube.

I wonder if the process involves inserting the test tube into the hole, pressing the red button in front, and then the sample moves inside to create an environment where a fetus can grow.

It was so intuitive that there was no need to look at any documents lying around.

“So what’s this? It looks like a chair…”

What concerned me now was something chair-shaped next to it.

The chair with its backrest reclined, surrounded by various machines and parts, looked quite ridiculous.

“What’s this for, to put legs up here?”

Curious, I sat down and found that some of the parts in the lower section were designed for placing legs.

“Mori. I think this is…”

“…I think I know what it is, so please don’t say it.”

After curiously assuming a rather embarrassing position, I understood what purpose this chair was made for.

“…Well, even if we create a baby through that machine, considering the growth process and subsequent life, someone would need to play the role of parent. If that’s the case, they probably thought it better for humans to give birth and raise children with their own bodies from the start.”

Getting off the chair and examining it closely, I noticed there were many machines attached to the bottom part, including syringes.

I wasn’t particularly curious about its purpose. I didn’t want to know either.

Unwanted memories of artificial insemination in cows that I’d vaguely seen once came to mind, and I shook my head vigorously to dispel the thoughts.

“‘To you who will become humanity’s new hope…'”

The small inscription on the arm of the chair was written as if encouraging whoever would sit here.

The phrase itself sounded quite nice, but considering the situation, it was rather absurd.

“Are they telling me to have and raise children? This is ridiculous.”

While the previous machine could potentially be operated by a monkey or bear playing with the samples out of boredom,

this chair, designed for human anatomy, was impossible for non-humans to operate.

To assume only intelligent humans would come here and then try to provoke them with such phrases.

It felt like I had become someone who kicked away the hope I could have given humanity.

“Let’s say, hypothetically, I raise a child. Whether through the machine or giving birth myself. It’s something I’ve never imagined and truly terrible, but if doing so would allow humanity to reemerge and build civilization again, I could be Eve. Though I’m not thrilled about Adam being a machine.”

Throughout my life, breathing and moving my legs, I’ve been lonely and cold. I wanted to meet any living being, anyone at all.

I was born male and still have a boy’s heart.

But for my wishes and future, just as humans have sacrificed much to continue life, I could abandon such trivial identity.

“The question is whether new life could survive on this earth that way. Even I can’t guarantee my own survival. How could a newborn child endure? Especially when food is running out.”

But this isn’t right.

Creating life in this harsh world due to others’ wishes and my own selfishness wouldn’t save anyone.

That would only be a shortcut to death and despair.

“I think we came here too early.”

“Yeah. We should have come when the skies cleared and a new world arrived. We arrived too late at the Spaceport, and too early here. My life is truly peculiar.”

“But because we came now, we were able to discover this place. Let’s think positively! Who could guarantee this place would remain safe in the distant future? Because we came now, as the last human and their companion, we could witness the legacy humanity left behind!”

“That’s true. Thanks to that, we got some interesting items too. It’s disappointing, but not bad. I’m just a bit regretful. Regretful, regretful, and more regretful… Looking back, my life has been a series of regrets. Really.”

“I don’t have much to say about that. That’s just how life is. Hang in there.”

“Tch, what would a robot know?”

“You’re still young to be discussing life as if you’re old, Mori.”

“…Shut up.”

I put the test tube I had taken back in its original place, shouldered my heavier bag, and slowly walked outside.

Behind my steps climbing back up the stairs, the thick door closed firmly.

With a heavy sound, as if it would never open again.