— 0.7%: The Mathematical Line Between Salvation and Abandonment
July 2, 2031 – Year 10 of the Metaverse.
In the western district of Sunzen, the metro line had fallen into disrepair, nearly abandoned due to a lack of maintenance funds. The old tunnels of Longmen Mountain overgrown with moss and rusting machinery, resembled a surreal post-apocalyptic artwork.
Nestled approximately two kilometers west of the tunnel's end, deep within the forest, lay the Yiyuan Villa. Its entrance was concealed by a holographic billboard displaying "Out of Order," masking the true gateway—a hidden biometallic door responsive to neural currents.
Shawn arrived at the entrance, escorted by two Wyrm Guardians. The lighting shifted abruptly from a dim yellow to a cold blue light.
His mind flashed back to months earlier when he had witnessed Ranzi's inauguration as Meta Hierophant here—a ceremony that had devolved into internal conflict, attacks, and explosions.
He hadn't anticipated the facility's swift restoration, now repurposed as the Meta Origin Society's secret council chamber.
"Cognitive match confirmed."
"Access granted— "
The biometallic door dissolved into mercury-like fluid, sealing shut behind him with a faint neural hum—the system's only acknowledgement of his passage.
He didn't look back.
The main hall unfolded like a domed amphitheater. Suspended above was a rotating spiral spectrum—the dynamic simulation of the "Vision Ark," representing both the mathematical foundation of consciousness uploading and the symbol of humanity's soul selection mechanism.
Delegates from seventeen global branches had mostly arrived, their seats arranged in a fan-shaped pattern.
The core area housed four seats: Ranzi and Kent were already seated, while Wyrm Guardian leader Kelly Farnham stood behind the chair labeled "Elder Lee"—the former CP-Hub elder, as usual, absent.
The remaining seat belonged to Shawn.
As he took his place, whispers and varied glances surrounded him, some questioning, others respectful.
Ranzi noticed his arrival and smiled, saying, "Our young hero has arrived, today's esteemed guest."
A rare warmth cut through Shawn's lingering gloom, dispelling the gloom that had settled over him due to recent uncertainties and setbacks.
Kent stood up, speaking with calm authority: "Today's central topic—the full activation of the 'Vision Ark.' We must confront it, comprehend it, and respond accordingly."
A murmur spread through the hall, like wind rustling through tiles, as everyone cautiously skirted the impending explosive subject.
"The Vision Ark... does it truly exist? Isn't it just a myth?
"It's said that the initial selection system was secretly trialed a decade ago.
"But who is the real 'Ark' intended for? Us, the forsaken ordinary people?
Grace Whitaker from the Eastern Island nation stood up, her tone indignant: "This so-called selection isn't for the future; it's a colonial mechanism serving an elitist ideology!"
A representative from the Northern Snow Country added calmly, "They're not gods, but they've made decisions even gods might hesitate to make."
Dora Callahan, representing local Sunzen, slammed her hand on the table, agitated. Her movement caused the transparent screen beside her seat to flicker with light.
The debate intensified, nearing a verbal confrontation.
At that moment, Ranzi stood up. Without any amplification, his voice permeated the hall like a mental resonance.
Dressed in a dark blue structural trench coat, the Meta Hierophant emblem gleaming on his chest, his expression was stern and restrained, like an ancient ritual figure.
"We gather here today for one core question: Who holds the power to define the future?"
The hall fell into a dead silence.
Ranzi surveyed the attendees, projecting a data packet into the air. Dense images and formulas swirled in the space.
"Your understanding of the Vision Ark isn't merely an ultimate transfer plan reserved for 'select individuals.' It's a fundamental experiment—a process of extracting and reconstructing consciousness prototypes."
Shawn murmured, "In other words, it's not about taking people off Earth, but... detaching them from humanity."
Several delegates frowned, evidently unsettled by this philosophical perspective.
Ranzi continued, unveiling a second layer of data: "Our scans of the global population's neural structures reveal that individuals with a 'red deep self-structure' constitute less than 0.7%. In other words, fewer than seven in a thousand can enter the so-called 'Community of Destiny' paradigm."
"What about the rest of us?" a representative from the Southern Alliance asked quietly. "Are we to be excluded? Forgotten? Or reformatted?"
Lara Penrose from the Stars and Stripes nation added coldly, "They're using algorithms to assess the value of souls—essentially betraying the principle of equality. If you're not among the 0.7%, do you lack the right to personhood?"
Kent interjected, "This is no longer a technical issue; it's an ethical, political, and even civilizational self-awareness problem."
"We must decide," Ranzi said, his tone low but resolute, "whether to allow a new mythology to replace everything humanity once believed in."
Kim Yong-myung interjected, "But what can we use to stop it? The former reliance on the Elemental Core has collapsed, and the Octacore has also fallen into CP-HUB's hands."
The atmosphere grew heavy. Shawn lowered his head, a trace of guilt and shame creeping onto his face.
Amid the spreading silence, a line of characters quietly flashed at the edge of the main hall's communication frequency:
"The Kyng watches. You are not alone.
Shawn's nerves were suddenly activated, his pupils contracting sharply.
Kyng?
The former Grand Hierophant of Kepra's Meta-Origin Sect? Wasn't he confirmed dead during the O.S.S. attack on the Megalith Palace?
Almost simultaneously, a subtle fluctuation occurred in the entire Yiyuan's main system. A slight collapse was felt in a maintenance corridor outside the main hall, and an "unparsable symbolic language" fragment briefly appeared on the wall—seemingly remnants from an ancient intelligence, carrying an unusual cognitive pressure.
Ranzi noticed this, his gaze shifting from calm to alert. He said nothing, merely tapping the table three times with his knuckles.
The entire Yiyuan instantly switched to "isolation computation mode"—defense protocols activated, light walls slowly rising to seal all exits.
As everyone fell into contemplation, the spectrum above the dome suddenly emitted an unfamiliar light flow—a data form not archived, unrelated to any official computation system.
Shawn's pupils contracted.
It was—Kyng's "vision" code.
Unconsciously, he clenched his palm, cold sweat forming in his lines. He realized that something beyond the "Ark" was silently intervening.
Shawn took a deep breath, as if seeing the gates of destiny slowly opening in the distance.
It wasn't an end; perhaps, it was another beginning.