The video camera was still recording. Marcus wiped his face with a towel. "...I refuse to believe in fate. This is my last attempt before my twentieth birthday. Tomorrow I'll go to the Wugu River and livestream myself going into the water! If I die, I'll admit the Baby Manual is real. But if I survive, then Victor Vane's Future Ultrasound Machine is nothing but a scam!"
Tears welled in Marcus's eyes. "All these years, I've been trapped in this tiny house, just because that manual said I should stay away from crowds. I've never spent a single day in school, never made a single friend... Why? Just because my lifespan is short... do people like us deserve nothing?"
"Tomorrow, please witness it together." Marcus bowed to the camera. "Whether crowds and water will take my life—or not."
After uploading the video, Marcus slumped in his chair. He'd never given up on realizing his self-worth over the years. Ever since learning he might be short-lived, he'd created a forum online, discussing with others like him how to resist this wretched world.
Marcus also periodically uploaded videos of himself defying death. He'd gradually gained some notoriety in the community, but his comrades had died one by one, until he was the only one left fighting alone.
A knock came at his bedroom door. Ruby and Albert stood there holding a birthday cake, beaming at him.
Early the next morning, Marcus packed his things and headed to the river. He'd been born around noon—there were still four hours until the predicted time of death.
A crowd had already gathered at the Wugu River. Most were Marcus's fans; some were simply curious. Marcus set up his phone, ate a hearty meal, then changed into clean, nice-looking clothes.
Everyone held their breath.
Marcus entered the river. He actually knew how to swim—though his only practice ground had been the bathtub. He chose a spot that wasn't too deep; when he stood upright, the water only reached his shoulders.
Everyone began the countdown. Marcus forced himself to stand tall, pretending to be brave. No one noticed that his entire body was trembling.
"10... 9... 8... 3... 2... 1."
A moment of silence—then an eruption of deafening cheers. Marcus touched his own face in disbelief, immediately overwhelmed by the euphoria of survival.
"I did it!" he ran ashore, dripping wet. "I'm not dead!"
Marcus made the front page of countless newspapers. As the first person in history to defy fate, those who opposed Victor Vane rallied together and elevated him to a pedestal, treating him as gospel.
5
Marcus stood on the high podium and tore his Baby Manual to shreds. Sunlight cascaded over him, gilding his entire figure in gold.
"My survival was witnessed by all of you. So what about those who died quietly—were they really dying natural deaths?" Marcus scanned the audience meaningfully. "A certain psychological suggestion, combined with Victor Vane's methods—is it really that simple?"
The crowd's emotions were whipped to a frenzy. Countless short-lived people and their families hoisted banners high: "Abolish the Future Ultrasound Law—all are born equal!"
Marcus raised his arm too. He was like a hero now, leading a legion of faithful followers, signaling the charge against Victor Vane.
A black BMW i8 pulled up by the roadside. A grim-faced bodyguard bowed to Marcus. "Mr. Bai, the boss has been waiting for you."
Marcus got into the car.
In the café sat an elderly couple—clearly from a wealthy family, well-mannered and well-preserved. In the corner hunched a woman showing every sign of age. She kept her head bowed in silence, as if something heavy pressed upon her shoulders.
"What did you want to see me about?" Marcus lifted his chin haughtily. This strange, wealthy couple had contacted him yesterday, claiming they had something important to discuss.
"We know you're the first person to successfully defy fate," the old man began. "But our only son died on the day you were supposed to die."
"What do you mean?"
The old woman pulled a piece of paper from her handbag. "This is our son's Baby Manual. His validity period was supposed to be 84 years."
Marcus received the thin page in a daze.
"We went to the factory to investigate. My wife and your mother, Ruby, did indeed give birth on the same day, and our babies' cribs were adjacent." The old woman's temples were lightly touched with gray. "This is Nurse Zhang, who was responsible for caring for you both. According to her, both manuals had fallen to the floor, and she couldn't be certain they hadn't been swapped. That's why we found you—we need a strand of your hair."
The old man wiped his eyes. "We want to know if you're really our biological son."
Marcus returned home in a daze.
Come to think of it, he really didn't look anything like Albert Bai or Ruby Liu.
Data scrolled rapidly across his computer screen—information he had gathered: death predictions from the Future Ultrasound Machine and the actual corresponding individuals.
While lifespan had restructured social class, that was only the government's narrative. According to the data, those who lived long, full lives overwhelmingly came from wealthy families, while those who died young were almost all from poor families. There even seemed to be a pattern: the poorer you were, the earlier your child died.
That was why Marcus had raised this point at the rally.
But if his Baby Manual had been swapped—could it be... he'd been overthinking things? Had Victor Vane actually benefited the nation?
Marcus waited anxiously for several days before finally receiving a call. The woman on the other end had a hoarse voice. "...Bright, the probability that you and I are biological mother and child is greater than 99.99%..."
6
Dozens of cameras focused on Marcus. He clenched his fists and nodded amid the blinding white flash of press photography.
"That's right. Victor Vane's Future Ultrasound Machine... its accuracy rate remains at100%. I did indeed have my Baby Manual swapped with someone else's." Marcus patted the old woman's hand beside him soothingly. "My biological mother is this woman beside me—He Qinqin."
Ruby stood far behind the reporters and lowered her head in disappointment.
"Anyway, I overestimated myself before... I'm no hero—just a man who found his way home."
Victor Vane also made an appearance.
He was very old now, sitting quietly in a wheelchair, frowning as he listened to Marcus speak.
Desperate boos rose from the audience. Marcus forced a brilliant smile for the cameras.
On the massive LED screen, Marcus's face was flushed red. Barrage comments scrolled rapidly across his image. One caught his eye: "The dragon-slayer has become the dragon himself."
The sadness lasted only two seconds.
Marcus squared his shoulders. "I firmly oppose illegal demonstrations and assemblies! Why can't you see the good Victor Vane has done? He not only created the Future Ultrasound Machine—intelligent robot research has also made significant progress. Isn't all of this ultimately in service of the people?"
A gob of greenish phlegm landed on Marcus's face. He wiped it off without expression, then said icily, "You people truly can't be reasoned with. Lifespan is determined by heaven. Do you think throwing tantrums will get you anywhere?"
Marcus Bai dominated the headlines for a long stretch. This man was undoubtedly the most talked-about figure of the moment. People wanting to interview him queued from one end of the street to the other, with countless eyes fixed upon him.
In the spacious conference room, Victor Vane sat quietly in the chairman's seat. He Qinqin clutched her husband's arm and whispered, "Mr. Wei, we've done everything exactly as you instructed. Marcus Bai now completely believes us."
Victor Vane snorted. He coughed for a while before speaking. "I've told you many times—if you're sick, go to a private hospital. Now look—your precious son dies in a public hospital... and you panic. If Nurse Zhang hadn't come up with that plan, they might have actually discovered something!"
He Qinqin, suppressing her grief over losing her son, forced a smile. "But nothing went wrong in the end, did it? Those people would never suspect that this was all just a purge."
"Hmph. That poor wretch actually got a second chance at life thanks to your son." Victor Vane picked his nose disdainfully. "After your son died, the Population Correction Board immediately provided a solution—swap the manuals and use some random baby from the same ward as a substitute. But who could have predicted that fool would turn out to be some kind of hero. Heh—hero. And now he's become our propaganda weapon, hasn't he?"
"What about my cousin..."
"Don't worry, I'll personally speak to the president. The Poor Eradication Program is nearly complete, and my intelligent robots are almost ready for deployment. Those poor people would never dream that the one-child policy and the Baby Manual were all designed to snuff out their future." Victor Vane gave a cold laugh. "No—poor people have no future."
"Mr. Wei..." A beautiful, well-dressed female secretary stumbled through the door. "Everything you just discussed—it's all been livestreamed by Marcus Bai..."
"How is that possible!"
He Qinqin frantically pulled a crystal brooch from her collar. "...This... this is what he gave me..."
7
When the city was painted red with blood, Marcus stood on the high platform, his hand raised in pride. Below, the crowd surged and roared, fighting for freedom.
That day, not only had He Qinqin and her husband taken a sample of his hair—he had also obtained a sample of their saliva. The moment he saw the paternity test results, every thread and conspiracy became clear. He endured humiliation and went undercover, seeking the crucial evidence.
The moment Victor Vane opened his mouth, he knew that the moment he'd been waiting for had finally arrived.
His voice was hoarse. "That dragon-slayer didn't become the dragon—we must always have the freedom to be ourselves..."
After that, his voice was heard no more. A searing shell, for the first time, easily shattered that tall building.