Chapter 20: The Ant Colony Society

“It's resolved...” Jin sighed as he watched the children playing in the park. “Shinero5 has left no residue; it has all been recovered. This crisis is finally behind us.”

K nodded but sighed deeply. “This incident has had a massive impact—it's a global catastrophe. Considering how popular Shinero5 was, hundreds of millions, perhaps over a billion people, must have taken it.”

“The news these past few days has been dominated by the aftermath. According to incomplete statistics, five to six hundred million people worldwide aged instantly. Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. If Peggy Nera hadn’t been stopped, this could have completely overturned humanity’s place on Earth.”

As they spoke, S suddenly clutched her stomach, wincing in pain as she crouched down.

“Are you still feeling unwell?” K immediately showed concern. “Those who took Shinero5 aged instantly, but you didn’t have that problem. It shouldn’t be anything serious, right?”

S shot him a glare. “Are you hoping I’ll age prematurely?”

“Ahaha... of course not...” K stammered nervously, realizing his attempt to be helpful had backfired.

“Could it be another side effect of Shinero5?” Jin, who had been watching from a distance, stepped closer and smiled. “Your symptoms actually sound more like you ate too much chocolate.”

“Huh?” K looked up at Jin in surprise.

“As for that sample, I swapped it out long ago...” Jin’s confident words eased K’s worries.

S, however, frowned in displeasure, stood up, and strode toward Jin.

K, fully aware of what was about to unfold, smirked and patted Jin on the shoulder. “Well, I’m out of here first...”

Jin looked helplessly at S approaching him. “I only joked about your chocolate side effects—no need to get so rough...”

S snorted coldly and threw a punch at Jin.

Unlike K, Jin wasn’t one to endure abuse. He extended his palm to block S’s fist. But S’s left hand quickly grabbed Jin’s wrist, and with a slight twist and force, she toppled him onto the ground.

“Ah... such a violent woman,” Jin muttered in discontent as he lay there, watching the triumphant S. He had defeated Peggy Nera, yet here he was, easily subdued by S. What was that about? Perhaps men conquer the world, but women conquer men...

Thinking this, a wry smile crossed Jin’s face.

Suddenly, all three—Jin, S, and the retreating K—felt their portable smart devices vibrate on their wrists.

Exchanging a glance, Jin and S flipped open their wrist screens.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t a mission update; instead, the cold voice of Commander Deus echoed: “Jin, S, K, your unauthorized actions have caused serious issues. This is an official warning. If this happens again, you will be immediately dismissed from the Deus organization!”

Before Jin could respond, S raised an eyebrow and protested unhappily: “We were just trying to eliminate the alien invaders on Earth. Agents acting independently has always been permitted. I don’t see what we did wrong!”

Commander Deus’s tone turned even colder. “If it was allowed before, it is forbidden now. This is the last warning. I will not tolerate any agents conducting unauthorized private operations without headquarters’ approval. Any further infractions will result in dismissal.”

“Therefore, this mission will not count towards your final evaluation.”

“Hey! What gives?!” S shouted angrily, but the connection was cut off.

“Bastards!” S stomped her foot in frustration.

Jin calmly closed his wrist device. “Commander Deus, huh…”

“These guys are such jerks!” S fumed. “We exposed the truth, and they punish us for it!”

“Even the Deus organization is tightening its control over us…”

“Hey?” S looked at Jin with curious eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

Jin sighed softly. “Aren’t you worried?”

S blinked, confused. “Worried? About what?”

“Look at the smiles on those children’s faces... the next generation, their descendants—will they still have such smiles?”

“What are you talking about?” S scowled. “What are you thinking about now?”

Jin looked at her earnestly. “Haven’t you felt it? Society—human society as a whole—is undergoing some unsettling changes.”

“Alien invasion?” S guessed tentatively.

Jin shook his head and sat down on the ground, sighing as he gazed at the azure sky. “No, these changes come from within our society. People’s social circles are shrinking; life is confined to mechanical routines—work, then empty solitude at home. Our spirits, our souls, are becoming lonelier.”

“I once met an exceptional agent, but he chased after an illusory dream.”

“R?” S asked softly.

Jin nodded lightly, lying back on the grass, melancholy in his voice. “And there are many like him, chasing after dreams. It shows their despair with this world—they’d rather not stay in it at all. This trend is spreading. Loneliness and emptiness permeate people’s lives. The government uses floating screens in the sky to brainwash the public, encouraging isolation at home. They want everyone to be like worker ants—after work, no independent thought or social life.”

“Isn’t such a society terrifying?”

“The Deus organization operates independently of the government, and as agents, we enjoy more freedom. Yet even Commander Deus is tightening our reins. They want to build a society like an ant colony. But is that truly human society? Under such conditions, people might even lose their thoughts. If we become mechanical beings, will the next generation still wear the pure smiles of these children?”

S was silent. The government’s tightening grip on society was real—countless rules designed to confine people’s minds and strip away their nature.

In this light, a human society like an ant colony—how is it any different from machines?

The more she thought about it, the more chilling it became.

S’s heart jolted. Does such a government even deserve to exist?

Startled by the thought, she quickly shook her head, banishing it from her mind.

While she was lost in thought, Jin stood up. S asked, “Where are you going?”

Jin paused, then smiled softly. “To see my sister. She should be ready to leave the hospital.”