Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 304 Interlude Forum: A Few Things About... Science and Technology Management Institute?

Federal calendar year 236.

Many things happened today for the new gaming forum.

The most important thing is that during the great upheaval, many players chose the wrong team and were "expelled" by the Holy Spirit in the final battle, which is actually a disguised form of account banning.

This angered many players, who threatened to quit the game and launched a massive protest, while the game's official team, as usual, played dead and offered no response.

Despite the criticism, people still had to play the game, which led to a flood of complaints and rants.

"Who could have imagined that an internal conflict in the small Nosa Empire would escalate like this? It's dragged in gods, otherworldly beings, humans, and players alike..."

"An unprecedented upheaval, in which the human alliance actually managed to defeat the Axis players who used magical weapons, while wielding only cold weapons."

"Because the other side is cheating, okay? The human alliance claims to be mortals, but a large portion of them are possessed by angels/heroes, invulnerable to bullets and blades, and possessing immense strength. Even cannons can't defeat them. It's just a bunch of chosen champions beating up us weak, pitiful, and helpless rat-men..."

Amid numerous complaints, some people have tried to defend the authorities.

"Actually... it's not entirely incomprehensible. The Axis players went too far, treating this like a farming and conquest game. Look how clever the alien NPCs are, putting the Axis in the spotlight to attract attention. As a result, the Axis became the target of the Holy Spirit Church and the gods, getting focused down. A massive holy war ensued, labeling the Axis players as enemies of humanity, and causing a large number of players to have their accounts banned..."

"So, don't be too arrogant. You should learn from others how to make a fortune quietly..."

"..."

Just then, a post suddenly appeared.

"Official announcement: The game 'Newborn' has entered the review process of the Science and Technology Management Institute..."

This post has an official label, proving that it is an official message.

But in an instant, all voices in the entire forum fell silent, and everyone was speechless.

Science and Technology Management Institute.

These three simple words, however, possess a certain magic that makes even these fearless new humans feel a bit apprehensive.

This group of new humans, born 0 years after the Federation, are "young people" in the eyes of the old people. They are fearless, but the Science and Technology Management Institute is probably the only exception.

In the midst of the deathly silence, a voice of discontent suddenly rang out.

"What's wrong with the Science and Technology Management Institute? Does that mean it can do whatever it wants?"

But then, a reply came in.

"Sorry, the Science and Technology Management Institute can do whatever it wants."

Surprisingly, no one refuted this statement. Even the person who initially complained only muttered a few words and then fell silent.

……

Long ago, humanity on Earth expanded outwards, spending thousands of years conquering the Milky Way, but then fell into internal strife.

AI rebellion, cyborg crisis, internal divisions...

Various internal conflicts came one after another, overwhelming the old humanity. In the end, after struggling for a long time, this behemoth collapsed with a crash.

On the eve of the extinction of the old humans, a group of scientists hid in the base and created the first new humans.

From then on, the old humans perished, and the new humans stepped onto the cosmic stage.

In the extremely short span of three hundred years that followed, the development of the new humans was incredibly rapid. Starting from small bases, they first explored the Milky Way, then the entire universe, and finally all the alien universes.

Today, the new humans have created a magnificent civilization and are still exploring other worlds under the leadership of their exploration armies.

But... less than a hundred years after the birth of the new humans, a law changed everything.

The first article of the law states that scientific management possesses absolute power.

It was later stipulated that the year 0 of the Federal Calendar would be the starting point of the law's enactment.

All new humans born before the year 0 of the Federation Calendar are considered old, while those born after are considered young.

Federal Service for Science Management...

Such regulations seem incomprehensible to the new humans born after the year 0 of the Federal Calendar.

What's even stranger is that this inexplicable decree was recognized by all the "old people" born before 0 in the federal calendar.

According to this regulation, even if you are born just one second later, you are still a young person; even if you are born just one second earlier, you are still an elderly person.

All these laws and regulations are implicitly pointing to one institution: the Institute of Scientific Management.

The law clearly established the absolute status of the Scientific Administration, stipulating that the entire federal government must obey its orders without question.

Furthermore, the Science Management Institute is the only organization that can arbitrarily exile, imprison, or execute any number of new humans without any reason.

In theory, the Science Management Institute could even order the execution of all New Humans within the entire Federation without giving anyone a reason.

If an absurd institution is recognized by all the elderly.

Young people don't understand or agree with these ideas, but as the saying goes...

"The Science and Technology Management Institute can do whatever it wants."

……

Institute of Scientific Management.

This is an absolute secret of the entire world. Every federal head must swear an oath upon taking office that he will unconditionally obey all instructions of the Science and Technology Administration.

Rumors about it exist in every world, but very few people have actually seen the Institute of Science and Technology Management. Even if they have, their memories of it are erased.

Therefore, despite its importance, no one outside the institute even knows what it looks like. In reality, the Institute of Science and Technology Management looks very ordinary, just like any old, run-down laboratory. Clean white corridors, rows of doors, and empty corridors without even a guard.

There was no AI, no patrols, no holograms, and even the light source looked like a light bulb from some backward world, emitting a dim light.

But this is the Institute of Scientific Management.

"Pause..."

In the deathly silent corridor, a series of light, hurried footsteps echoed.

The source of the footsteps remained silent; no one spoke.

"Let me go...let me go..."

At that moment, a new human being, who was firmly held captive by the silent guards, shouted loudly, trying to break free.

But the three-meter-tall guard remained silent, his large hands incredibly firm, as solid as chains made of neutron star matter, and were not shaken in the slightest.

"Idiots! Morons! Do you even know what mistakes you've made? You have no idea what you've done... That's a worldline jumper, the ultimate technology that can reshape the fate of the world..."

The furious new humans tried to break free from the giant hand's restraints.

He looked panicked. Although he didn't know what fate awaited him, it certainly wasn't good.

When he saw the dozen or so elderly people walking silently forward, he suddenly roared angrily.

"I know you old fogies must be scared, scared that I'll use this invention to overthrow your rule! A bunch of stubborn and evil old fogies, all you dare to do is hide here and manipulate others in secret?"

“But let me tell you! One day, the Federation will expose your masks and prove that you are just a bunch of old fogies pretending to be gods! A bunch of cunning rats deceiving the public... Even if I die, there will be successors, and the Federation will definitely be liberated from your hands.”

"You'll remember this! You'll remember this..."

The young New Human was cursing loudly in a fit of rage, but no one paid him any attention; they simply walked past him indifferently.

Just as the last person brushed past the young man, he suddenly turned to him and spoke.

“Young man, you are destroying the Federation.”

The voice was cold and hoarse, yet unusually serious.

With that, the man stopped looking at the young man and continued walking forward.

He knew how this arrogant young man would end up.

He will be imprisoned and carefully observed to determine if there are any signs of contamination. He may not necessarily be executed, but he may also be imprisoned.

If he's lucky, there's a theoretical possibility that his memories could be erased, his logic modified, and he could be released after having a thought lock installed. Of course, as someone who once broke through the logic barrier, he will still be under constant surveillance.

But it is more likely that he was imprisoned forever, and may not be released until the day the universe is destroyed.

As for the technology he discovered by chance, it will be labeled as a Class D item, sealed away, and its information will not be accessible to anyone in any form.

As for the timeframe?

It remains permanent.

Although technological restrictions are being gradually eased, there is still no possibility that Class D technology, which "may lead to the apocalypse," will be unbanned.

The Institute of Science Management does not manage the development of science and technology, but rather manages science itself.

When, what aspects of management science are allowed to be discovered, and what aspects are not?

In a sense, they are a barrier, a line of defense, preventing humans from coming into contact with things they shouldn't because of themselves.

Finally, the dozen or so silent "elders" entered a conference room.

It was an ordinary conference room with only a huge round table and chairs, lacking any sense of technology, or rather, everyone in the Science Management Institute had developed a varying degree of aversion to technology.

"Alright, now let's hear G's report."

The leader, A, crossed his arms and said calmly.

Although he was considered an old man, A was not old at all; he looked like a handsome adult in his twenties.

To this day, among the new humans whose lifespan is in the millions, there has not been a single case of natural death.

The man called G then opened the paper report in his hand.

“今年……至现在为止，发生了1355起思维逃狱事件，其中诞生了757起科技被挖掘。F级及以下科技709起；E级科技46起；D级科技1起；C级……C级科技1起。”

When they heard "before," everyone remained expressionless, but upon hearing "C-level technology," they were all visibly surprised and began to discuss among themselves. Even A, who was sitting at the head of the table with his eyes closed, opened them.

In the eyes of the Science and Technology Management Institute, only E-level and above technologies are forbidden technologies. Ordinary time travel, parallel world interference, void creation, and resurrection of the dead are just civilian technologies below E-level.

If E-level technology is "taboo" and D-level technology is "potentially doomsday", then C-level technology is "a disaster with highly uncertain consequences".

This disaster could be even more terrible and terrifying than the end of the world.

"Even C-level technology has been unearthed? Young people these days are truly remarkable."

"What is that Class C technology?"

someone asked.

G quickly flipped through the report and replied just a second later: "A fully-fledged imaginary creation, or rather, creation authority. At the time, that young man was trying to create a new world and become its god."

"That's complete nonsense."

A merely frowned at this behavior and then rebuked it.

(End of this chapter)