Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

Chapter 703, "Red Coast," is now available.

"On Earth, since the birth of life, 90% of organisms have gone extinct in the course of history."

Several mass extinctions have already taught us that only by adapting—and better adapting to the environment—can species survive and continue to exist!
This principle also applies to us humans.

I know many people would say that we should change the environment and change the world, but that is far less simple than changing ourselves.

Why can't humans have more possibilities? Why must humans be defined?
In nature, the structure of human beings is not perfect either; humans, like humans, need to evolve!
Especially now, with the threat of extraterrestrial civilizations looming, humanity urgently needs these alternative plans.

We need the ability to live off the land in the ocean, which would make it easier to build covert bases in the sea.

We need to be able to live in deep-sea hydrothermal vents where there is no sunlight and only hydrogen sulfide provides energy, so that we can survive even when hiding underground.

We need to be able to live in an environment with almost no water, and we also need to be able to live in high-temperature conditions exceeding 80°C.

Life thrives in all these harsh environments, which means that there are opportunities for humans to improve their genetic structure.

Even if we take a step back, this technology could enable us to coexist with the Trisolaran civilization, whether it's turning us into Trisolarans or turning the Trisolarans into us.

So, in the current situation, should we cling to the old ways, resist change, and wait for some new civilization to replace humanity, or should we adapt our physical structure to the environment and continue human civilization?

Professor Xie Kezheng's voice was generous and impassioned, and his eloquence won over many listeners, leaving the entire audience in complete silence.

He paused, but continued speaking with his piercing gaze:

"Yes, I know. Because of the strong inertia of thought, it is impossible for mankind to accept such heresy overnight. In fact, I may be burned at the stake in the 21st century by the conservative scientific community, just like the heliocentric theory and the theory of evolution were destroyed in the past."

But in any case, I will not change my beliefs, nor will I abandon my duty as a prophet.

The progress brought about by technology is unstoppable. If it is blocked, if it is necessary to awaken humanity from its ignorance with blood, I will not hesitate to offer my own son, or even myself!

Professor Xie Kezheng's words kept the reporters in the audience busy.

However, what truly caused a sensation was the live streaming platform.

Almost all the viewers watching the trial held their breath, waiting to witness a historic trial.

Clearly, Professor Xie's remarks were indeed very sharp and stung the sensitive human heart, but they also possessed a powerful logical force that made them undeniably convincing.

The key is that the final outcome of this trial will undoubtedly affect whether the "new humans" exist legally.

Many people have noticed this, and some are paying close attention to it, such as Dr. Ita of Zambia, the US military, and Dr. Chen, who is hiding somewhere...

The reason for this is that before this, Zambia's genetically modified humans had already appeared in front of the world on a large scale, and even caused the US military to suffer losses.

Even on the African continent, there are people like Xie Baofei who have emerged due to the crimes committed by the ETO organization.

However, in the Third World, some things are not of concern to the general public.

But this time was different. Xie Baofei's victory at the Shanghai Olympics made him a global superstar.

Now that he is both a murderer and a victim, the case has been thrust into the spotlight.

Of course, whether there are other forces driving this behind the scenes remains to be seen.

However, it is an undeniable fact that the whole world is paying attention to this matter.

Now all we need to do is wait for the judge's final ruling.

The wait lasted quite a while, and the atmosphere in the courtroom gradually changed from solemn to anxious and impatient.

The judges who had left to discuss the matter returned to the room one by one.

"Gentlemen, we are experiencing a very special trial."

The Chief Justice, who was presiding over the case, said with mixed feelings:
"Frankly speaking, there was a heated debate among the judges and jurors about how to rule on this case."

In the past two hours, we have consulted as many of the world's most authoritative anthropologists, sociologists, geneticists, physicists, and legal experts as possible.

Most of them agreed that this was the first trial involving the 'new humankind,' and we couldn't be foolish ostriches burying our heads in the sand; we had to face this issue squarely.

The judge paused, making sure all eyes and cameras were on him, then cleared his throat and began reading the verdict:

"Therefore, by virtue of the power granted to me by the State and in accordance with the existing laws, I hereby declare..."

Before Xie Baofei is legally recognized as a 'human being,' the defendant Tian Yanbao is released on bail.

Wow!
The courtroom erupted in uproar; some were excited, some sneered inwardly, and others curled their lip in disdain.

Shi Qiang, who was also watching this scene on the monitor, sighed helplessly.

In fact, as a high-ranking official of the country, and in a special department, he saw things more clearly than those who were on the scene.

Tian Yanbao's fate was actually sealed before the trial even began; Xie Baofei was destined never to be recognized as a "human being."

Even though they are both biological experiments, the requirements are different depending on whether they are conducted on humans or not.

Xie Kezheng is not the only one conducting related experiments in this world. Not to mention China, Europe and the United States are also secretly conducting related research after obtaining the technology left behind by ETO.

If Tian Yanbao is convicted in the case of Xie Baofei's murder, and Xie Baofei's status as a "human being" is legally recognized, then all those engaged in related research in reality are conducting illegal human experiments, and the difficulty of conducting related experiments in the future will increase several times over.

Considering this point alone, many companies and countries would not allow Tian Yanbao to lose the case.

Not to mention the genetically modified humans in Zambia (see Wolf Warrior 3). The US suffered a great loss in Zambia before and has been trying to impose sanctions on the country. If Tian Yanbao loses the case and Xie Baofei's "human" identity is recognized, what will happen to the genetically modified humans in Zambia? Should they be recognized as human as well?
If the US acknowledges this, how should it sanction Zambia in the current environment of global peace?
Therefore, many things that seem simple and ordinary are actually actually fraught with undercurrents.

As the judge announced the verdict, the film "The Leopard Man" came to an end. After the court session, reporters swarmed around Tian Yanbao and his defense lawyer, holding dozens of microphones in front of them, wanting to interview the two men.

Not far away, Xie Kezheng looked somewhat dejected, but his eyes still burned with a flame of unwillingness.

Clearly, this trial was not a simple matter of "winning" or "losing." It was more like a mirror, reflecting the contradictory mindset of humanity in the face of technological progress—both the desire to use technology to overcome our own limitations and the fear of being devoured by technology and losing control over our humanity.

Xie Baofei's life, from being the center of attention to spiraling out of control and consumed by love, is nothing more than a poignant tragic footnote in this battle between technology and humanity.

But Dr. Xie clearly hadn't learned his lesson. As he left the courthouse, a group of reporters surrounded him, one of whom, a reporter from China, asked him one last question:
"Mr. Xie, will you still defy public opinion and continue your gene embedding research?"

Professor Xie Kezheng turned around, looked at the camera and phone lens, and uttered two words decisively:
"Of course!"

These were his last words in the world.

As he was about to bend down and get into the car, two thin-faced middle-aged men roughly grabbed him, and then "bang," "bang," two shots were fired.

Amidst the frenzied gunfire, Professor Xie Kezheng's chest was stained with red marks. He slowly slid down the car body, but a calm smile remained on his face.

The two assailants did not fire again, nor did they attempt to escape. They looked down and, after confirming that Professor Xie was dead, allowed the police at the courthouse entrance to arrest them.

At this moment, accompanied by a gasp, the cameras of many reporters were focused on Dr. Xie Kezheng, who was lying in a pool of blood, because some animalistic features had suddenly appeared on his body.

For example, fur, beard, sharp claws, fangs, and diffused animal eyes.

It turns out that, like his son, Dr. Xie Kezheng had already tested the gene-embedding technology on himself.

At the end of the film, Greek police announce that the two murderers of Professor Xie Kezheng have been arrested, and the trial will be held in a month.

The story told in "The Leopard Man" is just like that, and at the end of the story, there is only one Easter egg.

In the Easter egg, in a secret base, Dr. Chen Ang sees a report about Dr. Xie Kezheng's death and casually comments that it was "stupid".

As for Dr. Chen's predecessors, there were many more genetically modified super soldiers, far exceeding the number of other sages.

Compared to previous films in the StarCraft Cinematic Universe, The Leopard Man is undoubtedly quite unique. It has a stronger humanistic touch and focuses primarily on ethical discussions arising from science fiction concepts, rather than special effects and grand scenes.

As a commercial blockbuster, this was undoubtedly a very unfavorable approach. However, thanks to the reputation of the Galaxy Cinematic Universe, "Leopard Man" still achieved a considerable box office result after its release.

On its opening day, "The Leopard Man" grossed 3.4 million yuan in China. Although the box office continued to decline in the following week, it still managed to break the 10 billion yuan mark.

Moreover, compared to its domestic counterpart, "The Leopard Man" is much more popular with overseas audiences due to its artistic core.

This could be considered a different kind of "opening up inside the wall but being appreciated outside."

However, what many people didn't expect was that although the Galaxy Cinematic Universe's "Leopard Man" didn't take over the summer blockbuster season, a Galaxy Cinematic Universe TV series did become a hit during the same period.

This drama is "Red Shore," which is based on the highly controversial content of the original novel "The Three-Body Problem." It was previously shelved but was later adapted into a web series by Xinghe Entertainment.

Because it involved a sensitive period, this TV series, which was actually completed and ready to be broadcast at the beginning of last year, was delayed until this year. After several revisions, it finally obtained the approval of the relevant higher authorities.

As soon as "Red Shore" was approved, Galaxy Entertainment launched it online almost without hesitation, fearing that any delay might cause further problems.

When this web series was released, the word most often used by viewers was "bold".

The web series "Red Shore" is basically an excerpt from the content about Ye Wenjie in "The Three-Body Problem 1".

However, the opening scene of the TV series is adapted from the prologue of "The Three-Body Problem 2", which is the scene where Ye Wenjie and Luo Ji reminisce and discuss in front of Yang Dong's tombstone.

Here, Ye Wenjie suggested that Luo Ji study cosmic sociology and told him several axioms about cosmic sociology.

"First, survival is the primary need of civilization."

Second, civilizations continue to grow and expand, but the total amount of matter in the universe remains constant.

These two axioms lead to the basic picture of cosmic sociology, and there are two other important concepts: the chain of suspicion and the technological explosion.

After saying this, Luo Ji and Ye Wenjie parted ways.

At this time, the cosmic flickering phenomenon caused by the Trisolarans had only just ended, and the existence of the Trisolaran civilization was already known to the world. Governments around the world were stepping up their efforts to establish a united Earth government, and the "Wallfacer Project" had not even been proposed yet.

After parting ways with Ye Wenjie, Luo Ji didn't pay much attention to the teacher's situation, and also forgot about her advice.

What he didn't know was that not long after they parted, Ye Wenjie encountered Shi Qiang and was taken to the special affairs department and imprisoned.

After that, Shi Qiang personally interrogated Ye Wenjie, and she did not hide anything, telling him all about her past.

Then the young Ye Wenjie (played by Wang Ziwen) appeared, and everyone saw everything she encountered in that chaotic era, how she lost her heart, and how she was saved by Yang Weining, her father's student, so that she was able to be transferred to the Red Coast Base.

It was at the Red Coast Base that Ye Wenjie heard the voice from the Trisolaran civilization through the equipment in the base and established the first contact with it.

The scale of this scene was so large that it surprised everyone who watched it, but Wang Ziwen, who played the young Ye Wenjie, did indeed deliver a very impressive performance.

In particular, her performance in the series, with tears in her eyes, conveying both grievance and stubbornness, was extremely moving and directly helped the web series "Red Shore" achieve mainstream success.

If Xinghe Entertainment hadn't been hesitant to promote it, and even tried to cool things down, "Red Shore" might have become this year's top drama because of its boldness.

Even without much promotion from Galaxy Entertainment, the number of clicks and comments for "Red Shore" continued to climb.

Especially after the controversial and daring storylines in the early stages ended, the reputation and influence of this web series did not decline; on the contrary, they rose to a new level.

(End of this chapter)