Players Invade Cyberpunk-Chapter 843 - 272: Wetware Is the Future_3

The project supervisor actually looks down on these freelancers like Aurora, especially those 'freelancers' who often oppose the company.

"Talking all mystically, but aren't they just a bunch of brains? I'm almost too disgusted to eat, and aren't you afraid these brains might catch cyber psychosis and dismantle your production line?"

Aurora was very disdainful. As a well-known hacker in Europe, she knew many inside stories. The idea of using wetware to replace AI was not something special, and many had already tried it, but without exception, all had failed.

Because the self-awareness of human brains made them unable to accept themselves as a non-stop assembly line worker, and the phantom pain caused by having their entire body dismantled would drive these brains insane. Their consciousness would eventually collapse, and they would go completely mad.

"That was a thing of the past!"

The supervisor boasted proudly.

"We have already overcome this problem, and cyber psychosis with wetware has become a thing of history."

He could even reveal to Aurora the key to overcoming this technological challenge, as it was not a secret anymore, and more people would soon notice it. Zeta Technology could not block this information.

Because the ones who overcame this technological hurdle were not them, but Horizon Corporation.

"Cyber psychosis was indeed a problem in the past. The complex psychological issues and phantom pain caused by bodily defects would endlessly torment the prosthetic users, making them fall into hysterical madness, or even result in personality disorders."

"But now, it won't happen anymore!"

He picked up a prosthetic packaging box from beside him, which was emblazoned with Horizon Corporation's logo.

[Neural Modulator]

Aurora asked in confusion, "Isn't this something for watching Mewtwo?"

She and her brother even installed one for themselves. The feeling was indescribably more enjoyable than before. When ascending, every cell in Aurora's body was moaning, her soul trembling, soaking several sheets.

"That's right!"

The supervisor chuckled.

"Let them watch Mewtwo, so they forget they ever installed prosthetics."

This simple principle left Aurora dumbfounded.

"Will this work?"

"Of course it will."

The supervisor explained.

"Have you heard of the lethal psychological suggestion experiment?"

Of course, Aurora had heard of this urban legend. It involved putting someone in a locked room and using dripping water sounds to trick them into believing their finger was cut and that the dripping sound was blood, ultimately scaring themselves to death.

"Isn't that fake?"

"It's fake, but the principle is real."

"?"

Supervisor: "I'm not lying to you. This is exactly the principle for generating phantom limb pain. The things seen by the human eye can deceive the brain. If I place a silicone fake arm under your real arm, then put the fake hand in front of you and cover your real hand with a blanket, once enough psychological suggestion and disguise is done, even if I smash the fake hand with a hammer, you'd feel intense pain and fear in your real hand."

"In the past, Mewtwo didn't have enough information content; viewers, no matter how engaged, would always realize it's a false world. But now, with Horizon Corporation's brain neural modulator, Mewtwo has reached the point of being indistinguishable from reality."

He looked at the computing center of brain clusters immersed in petri dishes and said quietly,

"Currently, they are sleeping in their beautiful dreams, where they have healthy bodies, happy families, and thriving careers. Blue skies, white clouds, lush green grass, such a beautiful dream, that I'm a bit envious of them too."

But Aurora felt chills spreading all over her, looking at the never-ending assembly line and those continuously working prosthetic limbs, she swallowed hard.

She felt like this supervisor was insane, Zeta Technology was insane, and this world was slipping into the abyss of madness bit by bit.

If such technology proliferated, how many brains would be imprisoned in jars?

And would it be limited only to assembly lines?

It might extend to all aspects of social production. Companies would no longer need those lowly labor positions, just purchase the usage rights of people's brains with a sum of money, and they would work endlessly in dreams, producing inexhaustible goods.

No people in cars, no people in factories, only a brain working at the cash register of the store....

In such a world, what significance would humanity have?

"Can their brainpower be enough? If too much is drawn, they might risk waking up."

"If it's not enough, then add more brains, that's all. These are minor issues, after all, we don't have to pay them salaries, the more the merrier."

The supervisor assured confidently, not worried about it at all.

After all, this world lacks everything except people, and especially fresh brains.

As long as the company casually disburses some funds, the homeless living in the slums of Night City would eagerly sell their brains.

Those guys should be happy that they can still contribute to society somehow.

Afterwards, they wouldn't even have to pay workers' wages, what a bargain, no industrial company could resist such temptation.

Aurora also wanted to ask, without paying workers' wages, who would they sell the produced goods to?

But she felt somewhat foolish; what did this matter have to do with her, and wouldn't those company boards understand this principle better than her?

It's not like a network hacker like herself needs to remind them.

Meanwhile, as both the supervisor and Aurora had their attention focused on the petri dishes, deep inside the Little Beidou Laboratory, in a dark corner, a Hellhound robot not included in Zeta Technology's production number slowly walked out.

Its sensors turned towards the direction of the assembly line, taking steps forward.

In the dimly lit corridor, only its deep footsteps could be heard, like a demon from Hell baring its fangs, slowly climbing out of the abyss, coveting the human world.