Faulty Utopia

"Sun Jack?" X reconnected his communication with Sun Jack, feeling extremely surprised. He hadn't expected the other party to contact him at this time, considering Sun Jack was supposed to be in a lot of trouble.

"I'm in the Himalayas. Are you at home? I want to discuss a deal with you," Sun Jack said.

"A deal? With me?"

"No, with the Mechanical Conservative Faction behind you."

Just when Sun Jack thought he could directly go to X's residence inside Area 232, he was informed that X was in the outer city and was given a set of coordinates.

When Sun Jack arrived at the coordinates, he was shocked to witness a scene he couldn't comprehend.

At that moment, X was in the streets of a slum, distributing food to a group of children with worn-out prosthetic bodies.

"There you go," X said as he bent down to place two large beef ribs into the arms of a child, then, unbothered by the dirt, he wiped the child's runny nose.

Compared to the X of the past, the real X had just changed gender and become a woman.

Under the artificial sunlight, this scene strangely took on a hint of divinity.

"You've arrived?" X saw Sun Jack and waved at him.

Sun Jack walked over and watched as X continually handed out food to the children, giving extra portions to the skinnier ones.

"You don't have this many children in Metropolis, do you? I heard that your Breeding Factory in Metropolis directly raises them in the factory until they are 16. It's completely inhumane. You should know they are humans and not machines."

"Children should grow freely under the Sun's light."

Sun Jack watched the children's joy as they eagerly stuffed the organic food into their mouths and asked, "Are you putting on a show for me?"

"Do I need to do that? Do I need to care about what you think of me?"

X continued passing out food while speaking to Sun Jack, "I've been doing this for twenty years every weekend. I just can't stand seeing the children go hungry."

"It wrenches my heart to see them hungry. Don't think we are the same as you Holy Grail People in Metropolis."

"Whatever." Sun Jack was about to light a cigarette when X stopped him, "Don't smoke near the children."

"You stop pretending, the kids get their food and then go work in the cages! And you're telling me off for smoking?" Sun Jack got angry as he recalled past events.

"You don't really want to help them! You just want to feel superior in front of people who can't even get enough food!"

X didn't argue but stopped handing out the food, and the children who hadn't received their share didn't dare urge X, but instead turned towards Sun Jack.

"Fuck you! How dare you talk to our great X like that!"

"Apologize to the great Lord X immediately! Otherwise, I'll kill you!"

"Where do you get off talking to our benefactor like that? Do you want to die?"

"Believe it or not, I'll post you on the internet, expose you, you idiot!"

Hearing these relentless curses, X suddenly laughed, "See that? They're cursing at you, now it looks like you're the bad guy, and I'm the good guy."

"All of you, fuck off!" As Sun Jack's entire advanced combat prosthesis activated, swarms of nanoworms also burrowed out from his clothes on cue, scattering the people nearby who were collecting food.

"What are you doing! Do you know how many people will starve without this meal! Do you realize how many people you've killed?"

Facing Sun Jack's actions, X looked at him with disdain.

When Sun Jack heard these hypocritical words, he felt sick to his stomach, "Spare me your hypocritical goodwill. If you really had a heart, you'd return all the means of production you're clutching to the lower class."

"Is it useful?" X looked at Sun Jack, puzzled, "Even if you overthrow the Holy Grail of Metropolis, is it really useful?"

"I'm happy because you overthrow the Holy Grail for profit motives, but your thinking is wrong."

"The result of what you're doing will only lead to the birth of new corporations from the lower class? Barely a few hundred years later, there will be another cycle. Since it's all futile, why still do it?"

"I'm happy you overthrew the Holy Grail, but I'm not happy you shared the DNA programming technology for free. If you hadn't done that but had instead taken over Metropolis, that would have been the best choice."

"I never realized before how hypocritical you really are," Sun Jack said.

"Calling me hypocritical? Do you think what you're doing now is for justice, for fairness? Your actions have killed millions worldwide, isn't it also to fulfill your own version of justice? At least my vanity helps people, my hypocrisy lets more people fill their stomachs, while your sense of justice keeps killing people."

"Have you ever thought that they are starving because of your existence?"

"At least they still have the chance to starve, they're at least still alive."

"What about those who rebelled against the corporations with you? They all died, and died horribly."

Hearing this, Sun Jack unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Even if people succeed, don't they just become the new Holy Grail? Even if they triumph, will they fairly distribute the power they won with their lives to their former class? No, right? Then what's the difference from before?"

Sun Jack didn't respond but silently listened to the other's words, realizing there was no need for further argument.

Seeing Sun Jack not arguing back, X felt that he might have heard some of it, and spoke in a softer tone afterward: "I know, I knew you'd come to me after being driven out of Metropolis by the FFP, given that you don't know many people. I just didn't expect it to take so long."

"Sun Jack, we've known each other for quite a while. Although you used my name to deceive people, I've never blamed you. On the contrary, I admire that you managed to survive under those circumstances and turn defeat into victory. It would be a real pity if someone as interesting as you died."

"Because of your interference, we've eased tensions with the FPP. How about this - I act as a mediator between you guys, I could help you secure more benefits."

Sun Jack shook his head, lighting a cigarette in his mouth. "No, I want more."

"What do you want?"

Looking around, Sun Jack asked, "Are we talking here, in this broken place? Can't we be more formal about such a big deal?"

"Certainly." With a wave of X's hand, an arc-shaped hover car appeared on their left, abandoning its mimetic camouflage. "Come on, let's talk at my place."

Sun Jack looked up once more at the sun in the sky.