themonasnovels Chapter 227: Rosaline (2)
Chapter 227: Rosaline (2)
Chapter 227: Rosaline (2)
“W... What are you talking about?” Young-Joon asked in confusion. “Rosaline is a virus? Rosaline Syndrome? A disease like that doesn’t exist.”
“I never said it was a disease. In medicine, a syndrome is defined as a set of symptoms that occur together, but genetics defines it as any combination of genetic expression,” Elsie said. “Your intelligence grew to transcend human limits as Rosaline’s intelligence genes were expressed, and you were able to look down on the biological world with her power. I named this phenomenon the Rosaline Syndrome, a name I arbitrarily chose when I first discovered her.”
“...”
There was a moment of silence. Young-Joon glanced at Rosaline, and she looked at Elsie, slightly surprised.
“Elsie, Rosaline is not a virus,” Young-Joon said.
“Well, not compared to the viruses we know. Rosaline is much more complex than that,” Elsie said. “But think about it, Doctor Ryu. An organism that can’t survive outside of its host, uses its host’s nutrition and energy sources for its reproduction, is smaller than a single cell, and is bordering between living and nonliving things: what kind of organisms fit these criteria?”
“...”
“If we were to put Rosaline into the taxonomy of living things on Earth right now, the category she would fit in is viruses.”
“But you know she’s not a virus.”
“Of course, not. What I’m saying is that Rosaine has viral characteristics because she is the first organism of the next generation,” Elsie said.
Humans were 99.9 percent similar to other humans in terms of DNA. They were ninety-eight percent similar to chimpanzees and ninety percent similar to cats. Humans were sixty percent similar to fruit flies and bananas, and they even shared genes with bacteria, which were classified in a completely different kingdom.
This was because all living things on Earth were related. They were common descendants of a primordial cell that first arose on Earth. They were distant relatives, having evolved differently over billions of years, but every living thing on Earth was a blood relative.
But Rosaline was different. She was the next generation of life—a completely new, primordial cell.
“What the first cell—the first form of life—looked like has been a great mystery to many biologists,” Elsie said. “Some people thought it was a peptide with self-replicating properties, others believed it was RNA. it was speculated that the electron transport chain in the cell membrane might have acquired its biological properties as it naturally occurred in hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean.”
“...”
“But Doctor Ryu, some people think that the first life forms may have been viruses. As we all know, viruses are strange creatures that are in between living and nonliving things.”
“But a virus can only survive if it has a host, so the first life form can’t be a virus because it requires a living host,” Young-Joon said.
“Perhaps there was one back when our common ancestor was first born.”
“...”
Elsie took another sip of her Sprite.
“Doctor Ryu, you are infected with a next-generation life form—a next-generation virus— called Rosaline. And Rosaline is superior to humans in every way; she is not just better, but superior. Rosaline can look down on all life on Earth because she is a more complex life form.’ Discover new chapters at novelhall.com
“So, Doctor Ref believes we should give Rosaline to everyone?”
“It’s a little different. It’s not about people sharing Rosaline, it’s about Rosaline monopolizing human science.”
“Rosaline monopolizing human science?”
“I don’t know if Rosaline is only able to survive in your body right now, but that’s not how viruses work. Doctor Ref’s idea is for her to infect every human on the planet and then watch what they do.”
“What...”
“Then what?”
“What they’re doing is a form of extortion against underdeveloped countries and poor people. Look at He Jiankui. He was taking lower-class individuals in China and doing human experiments, right? Not that I’m in a position to say anything, but...”
“...”
“For example, the GSC once wrote a business plan to install water systems in poor cities in countries like Uganda. However, the technology was beyond what the country could afford, so a construction company run by GSC members came in and installed it. The cost was so high that it was beyond what an underdeveloped country could afford, so they did other things instead of taking the money.”
Elsie went on.
“For example, they got access to the biological resources of a certain jungle in Uganda, created an HIV drug from the extracts of bacteria and plants in the environment, did clinical trials in Uganda, and then sold it to them. But Uganda doesn’t have money again, right? So this time, they take oil rights, then underground resources, and then land. That’s how they take everything.”
“...”
“I’m not talking about the usual resource looting. I’m talking about taking away the power of those underdeveloped countries to advance science and be technologically independent,” Elsie said. “They’re not going to spend the money to do research on water systems because they already have one, right? As a result, they are dependent on the GSC and live off the pieces of technology that the GSC gives them. They go find the GSC when they have a problem with the water system.”
Elsie continued.
“Now, let’s think from Doctor Ref’s perspective. How dare the GSC’s third-rate scientists, who are probably less intelligent than her, monopolize science and dictate the science of an underdeveloped country with such arrogance while claiming to be the authority figure?”
“...”
“The appeal to authority fallacy is bound to cause an accident at some point. What He Jiankui did will look like child’s play; it could lead to serious catastrophes, like a poorly designed nuclear power plant exploding, land erosion, or desertification. Doctor Ref is trying to destroy the GSC and remove the person at the top of the hierarchy,” Elsie said. “Because the only person who is fit for that kind of position isn’t an organization of Western scientists like the GSC, but Rosaline, who is truly superior.”
“Phew...”
Young-Joon stood up and walked over to the window. He had a bit of a headache. He pulled up the blinds and stared outside.
“What do you think, Elsie?” Young-Joon asked.
“What do I think?”
“Everything you just told me was from Doctor Ref’s perspective. What do you think? Do you agree with Doctor Ref’s perspective that the GSC should disappear and Rosaline should infect every human to monopolize science?”
“I don’t know.”
Elsie shrugged.
“The reason I let everything go and lived on drugs was because I couldn’t find the answer to that, and I don’t want to,” she said. “But I believe in you, Doctor Ryu.”
Elsie stood up and walked over.
“I’ve been watching you for the past year, and you’ve been destroying every kind of unethical behavior in the scientific community without any hesitation. You’re like a runaway train that never stops. You’ve come this far, destroying all unethical behavior in your path, even against the Chinese president, one of the most powerful men on Earth.”
“...’
“You have a bizarrely perfect obsession with bioethics, and you also have a compassion for humanity,” Elsie said. “Like I said, I think creating life is something that only certain people who were carefully selected by some unknown criteria can do, but maybe that’s the criteria.”
Elsie smiled.
“That’s why I have faith in you. And in the end, you will resolve the conflict between Doctor Ref and the GSC wisely, because you are the only owner of Rosaline.”