Chapter 110: Boiling Frogs in Warm Water
When they first heard the concept of “escape velocity of humanity’s lifespan”, many people still could not understand it as they would instinctively think of the concept of escape velocity in relation to astrophysics.
However, after listening to Chen Chen’s explanation, they had a shocking realization —
Right, extend one’s lifespan with the world’s most cutting-edge medical technology, then achieve another breakthrough within that extended lifespan. Evading the clutches of death again and again by such means — what else was this but a form of escape?
As long as medical technology could reach this point without being interrupted, would this not mean...
At this moment, everyone started to fidget a little. They were all thinking the same thought, a thought that they had only dared to dream of...
Chen Chen did not immediately mention that idea, but simply changed the topic. “In truth, based on modern medical technology, a general policy similar to the ‘mankind anti-aging project’ could begin in thirty to sixty years. After all, that’s the direction we’re heading toward.
“Just like how human beings will have to develop controlled nuclear fusion to acquire an energy source that’s more efficient, medical transformation triggered by the pursuit of longevity is likewise the general trend of human society, with a momentum that no one can stop!
“However...”
Chen Chen suddenly lowered his voice, “At that point, how old will all of you be? Who here can say for certain that they’ll be alive until the era of that policy?”
Everyone was struck dumb.
The average age of the group was above forty years old. Although this was not too old, it was not young either. Few of them could guarantee that they could live for another thirty years while waiting for a policy that might or might not appear.
“Then can I ask...”
Leo finally could not hold back and blurted out, “How can you be sure that this ‘escape plan’ will work? What if after a few rounds of ‘escape’, science hits a bottleneck and we can’t live long enough to see the development of new medical technology? What happens then?”
“Sorry, but I can’t make any guarantees.”
When Chen Chen heard this, he turned up his palms with a serious, sincere expression. “There’s no Einstein in G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone. Or perhaps not even Einstein can make any guarantees. All we can do is try our utmost best to improve the odds of this ‘project’, nothing more.”
Leo fell silent at once.
Although they were not satisfied with this answer, everyone knew that this was an indisputable fact.
If this young man from Mainland China told them that he had a way to ensure that technology would continue developing forever, his credibility would have been greatly reduced.
“G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone is an organization dedicated to the service of the mankind anti-aging project...”
Chen Chen continued. “We can’t guarantee that you’ll live forever, but we can guarantee that all our technologies and funds will be used to extend the lifespan of humanity, sparing no effort!”
With that, Chen Chen stretched out his right hand in invitation. “Therefore, we sincerely invite you to join us. Although our chances look slim, if you’re willing to trust me, let’s launch the era of mankind’s anti-aging!”
...
Although Chen Chen’s promise was truly very tempting, everyone present was cautious and shrewd. It would be nearly impossible to pull the wool over their eyes. Naturally, they would not be persuaded by Chen Chen’s words alone.
They would only make up their minds after witnessing and understanding the experimental evidence.
Thus, following this, Qian Wenhuan brought the group around the laboratories for a detailed look, including inspecting those thirty-three elderly black people.
Some families even brought in biological experts directly, extracting the hair, epidermal cells, and other samples from these elderly people on the spot, to be inspected after they went back.
Of course, Chen Chen did not stop them from doing so. He even sent his own experts to a.s.sist them, providing them with sterilized medical equipment.
After ascertaining that the technologies Chen Chen had described were genuine and not just a pie in the sky, many of the families’ representatives made up their mind. When they returned, they were going to persuade their families to join G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone.
After all, this organization did not have a political stance. Whether they join or not would not affect the family itself.
Besides, G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone was also a communication platform, which essentially linked the eleven families that were present.
With this connection, if they ran into difficulties, these families could also establish further cooperation. They could also directly issue tasks within G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone to seek the a.s.sistance of families that were well versed in that particular field.
G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone’s task was this: After these families had joined, the direct members of the families would unreservedly receive treatment from G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone at any time.
What they had to do, in return, was to provide help in whatever way they could whenever G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone required it.
To put it simply, G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone and these families were more like a loose alliance of mutual a.s.sistance, rather than a binding treaty. Even if G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone collapsed due to some incident, these families would not be affected.
The only thing that was rather prohibitive was the entry fee.
According to the contract proposed by G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone, for the eleven families present to become qualified as a Disciple, they would have to pay an entry fee of a billion USD. Moreover, this was not permanent.
A billion USD was not a small amount.
Although these families easily owned tens of billions worth of a.s.sets or even hundreds of billions, most of these were fixed a.s.sets and shares. Only one-tenth was readily available liquid a.s.sets.
After paying one billion USD, they would obtain the ranking of a Disciple in G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone for ten years. After that period, they could pay the fee again. Of course, they could also choose not to renew it.
If they chose not to renew it, they would be automatically downgraded to Alpha level. This Alpha level was permanent and the medical treatment they had access to was exactly the same as a Disciple. The only thing they would lack was a certain level of authority in G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone.
Of course, any family could choose to withdraw from G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone at any time. They were totally free in that respect.
The Disciple rank, also known simply as being a Disciple, would form the twelve positions in the Disciple Council of G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone. Families with the Disciple Rank would have great authority in G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone, including access to the information on lower-level members (of course, this was only what Chen Chen allowed them to see), issuing mandatory tasks to Delta-level members, executing Delta-level members, and so on.
If they encountered certain major decisions, the Disciples could even convoke the Disciple Council to seek a solution.
In the end, after a bout of hesitation, three families signed the contract on the spot and were promoted to three of the twelve Disciples in G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone. The other families indicated that they would return to discuss with the family.
Of course, the G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone that these people knew was merely the tip of the iceberg. At the very least, they still did not know about the G.o.d chip or the B.S.S. team.
Moreover, the Disciples might appear to have immense power, but in truth, they were mere figureheads.
There was no need to tell these families about the other secrets of G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone for now. When they became deeper and deeper involved, they would naturally come across the true, terrifying nature of G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone.
It was just like boiling frogs in warm water. As their contact increased, G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone could supply these families with many conveniences that ordinary people would not imagine.
For instance, the convenience of purchasing information with information points, having the B.S.S. force which could easily a.s.sa.s.sinate their enemies, and medical technologies that increasingly surpa.s.sed reality...
By that point, they would be completely intertwined with G.o.d’s Forbidden Zone, unable to function independently anymore...