Mecha Star Wars.

Chapter 1599 The Hidden Radicals
The development of any civilization is inseparable from the presence of radicals.

The only difference lies in how much real-world impact the radicals can have, influenced by factors such as identity, status, and financial resources.

Take the planet Annemo as an example; the upper-class orcs of the entire Crystal City can be considered radicals.

They had long since reached a consensus on the matter of "experimenting with human genes to fuse with orc genes" and had become accustomed to it.

If it weren't for the illegitimate source of the individuals from which the genes were extracted, and the fact that live experiments on intelligent beings are widely criticized in interstellar space, they probably wouldn't have kept it a secret.

It was precisely because of this prolonged decline in their moral standards that, after the death of the Burning Beast, they resolutely turned against the divine beast they had once revered.

While the stability of Annie's demonic soul was certainly a factor, it was also a manifestation of indifference amplified to the extreme by selfish desires.

The radical faction in the city holds the power of discourse and has strong execution capabilities, which is the most typical manifestation of the radical faction controlling the situation.

Even so, Crystal City's private research was not leaked to the orcs of Silvermoon City in the slightest.

The Silvermoon people, who also belong to an advanced civilization, are very concerned about the purity of orc bloodlines, which makes them staunch conservatives in Anemor.

The antagonism between the two factions is natural.

Despite Crystal City's high status, the Silvermoon people, who control the mainstream productive forces, should not be underestimated in terms of population size and influence.

Before achieving truly groundbreaking and gratifying results, even powerful high-level orcs like those of Crystal City still had to act discreetly.

If even on Orcish planets, moral ethics must be respected, then human civilization is even more so.

Had the Serthorns not accidentally completed their human gene modification experiment in the mid-stage of a Type II civilization, and had not subsequently developed a stable sentinel system with no further inclination to delve into related human research, the wave of criticism they faced from interstellar public opinion at the beginning of their integration into a Type III interstellar civilization would have been even greater.

Being verbally abused from afar is nothing more than a bad reputation.

What's truly terrifying are those self-important villains who wait for any pretext to use "punishment" as a pretext to carry out acts of aggression.

Fortunately, the more advanced civilizations that are developing rapidly disdain these petty schemes and only come to them because they smell the scent of these things.

Back then, the Sersorn star system wasn't as large as it is now. After a fierce battle, they repelled the enemy, but they themselves were also severely injured and their strength was greatly depleted.

The negative comments on StarNet also dissipated considerably because of the severe "punishment" that Therthorn suffered, and the focus of public opinion shifted to attacking the invaders—after all, Therthorn's actions were a legacy of historical development, while aggression was a real and present-day evil.

From that moment on, Sersorn fully understood that there were certain things that were absolutely off-limits.

Furthermore, with the senator-sentinel relationship becoming more stable, society has grown accustomed to this model. Genetic optimization, whether limited by technological bottlenecks or psychological constraints, has not made significant progress, thus rendering further human trials unnecessary.

Having become accustomed to their current way of life, the Sersorn people have focused their energy on developing and strengthening the mental abilities of their sentinels and guides, and have achieved good results.

Compared to gene experiments that have been consistently invested in but have made no progress, the public is more willing to strengthen their own capabilities, since they can directly see the results. Over time, the possibility of gene optimization has been gradually forgotten by the public.

However, the increasingly stable social environment could not restrain the radicals' hearts.

The fact that it is not accepted by the vast majority of people has only fueled the rebellious mentality.

Those without the means can only indulge in fantasies in their minds or engage in lofty discussions on the StarNet; those with the means, however, take action in private.

Shen Chong'an has both the qualifications and the ability.

As the highest-ranking executive officer of the Sentinel Headquarters of Sersorn, in charge of the security and defense of Prem, his position and status provided him with excellent cover for his clandestine experiments. With ample funds, powerful connections, safety, and secrecy, Shen Chong'an's underground experiments proceeded without hindrance.

Despite years of clandestine efforts, there has been no progress.

He insisted that the data in gene culture dishes was not intuitive enough, and that the final fusion result could only be observed by implanting the gene into a human body.

But once he's in that position, Shen Chong'an's personality is destined to be anything but gentle. His will is even more radical than his thoughts, and his approach to genetic optimization is exceptionally aggressive.

From C-level to SS-level, not a single Sentinel's physique could withstand the implanted new gene sequence without collapsing.

Shen Chong'an didn't believe it was a technological barrier—genetic modification that could be done hundreds of years ago shouldn't have made no progress after so many years.

He firmly believed that the quality of the receptor was the decisive factor. After repeated observations and confirming that higher-level sentinels were more likely to develop tolerance than lower-level ones, he turned his attention to the highest-level 3S sentinels.

As everyone knows, 3S-class Sentinels represent immense power. They have distinguished themselves in battle, and even when they retire from the front lines in their old age, they still enjoy an extremely high status and the support of their families.

In addition, the number of 3S Sentinels was already small, and almost everyone's movements were open to the eyes of the people of Sersorn who worshipped them. Even if Shen Chong'an had the intention, he could not find an opportunity to take advantage of them.

Until the Helian family's affair came to light.

Helian Rongjin crossed his arms and stared intently at the live stream, both surprised and unsurprised by the result.

What he was even more curious about was what Shen Chong'an had done to him.

After all, what his uncle said was that someone would take advantage of his serious injuries to tamper with the treatment equipment, so that he would not receive treatment and would die from infection.

But now, apart from having an extra memory, or rather, a new personality, he hasn't noticed any obvious damage to his body.

Could that extra personality be a byproduct of genetic optimization? But his own strength hasn't increased...

Helian Rongjin remained calm, but Shen Chong'an's narration on the StarNet stirred up a huge wave of controversy.

The condemnation from netizens outside the domain was overwhelming, and the Sentinels of Thersorn were all in a state of fear—even the 3S Sentinels could not escape it, and they were even more at the mercy of others, with no room for resistance.

Some netizens have even found a list of missing persons in Sersorn's experiment, looking for the poor sentinels who match Shen Chong'an's description and may have died in his experiments.

Sersorn officials immediately assembled their best soldiers from the military defense and sentry associations and rushed to Shen Chong'an's residence.

God knows what's gotten into this damn guy! But we absolutely can't let him say any more!
Shen Chong'an remained oblivious to the dramatic changes happening in the outside world, still immersed in his own narrative.

"...What we need is a 3S-level body, but unfortunately, Helian Rongjin is seriously injured and cannot be immediately implanted for observation. So we simply take advantage of his weakness to implant pre-set memory codes into his brain, planning to overwrite his original cognitive system, so that it will be convenient for us to use after his body recovers..."

In advanced civilizations, alterations to brain cognition are often used in medical procedures to help patients erase or rebuild memories.

However, such medical procedures involve highly sophisticated techniques and are prone to causing uncontrollable and irreversible risks. They can usually only be performed in formal, high-end medical facilities, under official review and supervision by multiple medical personnel.

Unexpectedly, Shen Chong'an could even do this!

If human experimentation is an atrocity disguised as science and a violation of morality, then unauthorized alteration of the human brain is the most thorough trampling on the dignity of life and an absolutely unforgivable crime in civilized society.

Shen Chongan is finished!