After becoming rich overnight, I handed over the system.

Chapter 398 Decision

Just then, a familiar figure squeezed out of the crowd—Kobayashi, his research assistant, his face a mixture of shock and a strange excitement.

"Dr. Yu!" Xiao Lin rushed over, and the security personnel hesitated for a moment but did not stop him.

"I knew you'd come back! How's Engineer Cheng? Is he alright?"

Yu Yang grasped Xiao Lin's hand: "He's still alive, but he's receiving treatment. The situation is a bit complicated for now."

Xiao Lin's gaze swept over Yu Yang's gill marks and fingers. Far from backing down, her interest only intensified: "Incredible! Is this physiological adaptation or genetic modification? How efficient are the gills? Can they completely replace lung function?"

“Enough, Researcher Lin!” Officer Maxon interrupted. “The Speaker is waiting.”

The atmosphere inside the parliament hall was even more somber than outside.

The twelve councilors of the floating city, along with the heads of various major departments, sat at the round conference table.

Speaker Morrie stood beside the central projection table, his white hair neatly combed, his naval uniform as crisp as ever, but there were obvious dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't had a proper rest for many days.

“Dr. Yu Yang,” Mori’s voice echoed in the hall, “or should I address you as the ‘Representative of the New Humans’?”

The projector lights up, displaying a blurry underwater image.

It features the footage of Yu Yang and Cheng Hai's first discovery of the gene bank, as well as the later conflict with the Eye of the Deep Sea.

"We monitored your submersible," Mori stated bluntly. "We intended to send a formal research team after you brought back the exact coordinates, but unexpectedly..."

The scene shifts to Yu Yang being rescued by Ryan. "You chose a different path."

Yu Yang stepped forward, feeling all eyes on him: "I choose survival, Mr. Speaker. Not only for myself, but for all humankind on land."

He raised his hands, demonstrating the subtle changes. "Do you see that? This is the future. Sea levels are rising, and land is disappearing. Adapt or perish."

An uproar erupted in the hall.

The Minister of Science and Technology, a young woman, suddenly stood up: "This is a revolutionary breakthrough! If this transformation is replicable, we can solve the problem of insufficient living space!"

"What will the price be?" An elderly man in the medical department slammed his fist on the table, "Give up our humanity? Turn into monsters?"

The debate erupted instantly.

Yu Yang stood at the center of the storm, watching his former colleagues split into two factions.

The younger generation is mostly excited, seeing it as a technological advancement; the older generation, on the other hand, is wary, even fearful.

"Quiet!" Mori slammed his gavel on the table. "Dr. Yu, please tell us, how many hybrids like you are there in this 'Abyss' base? What is their purpose?"

Yu Yang took a deep breath: "Haiyuan is the main settlement of the New Humans, with a population of about 20,000. They have no intention of invading or ruling; they only hope for peaceful coexistence."

“In fact,” he looked around at the crowd, “they are willing to share technology—a range of new technologies such as aquatic adaptation, quantum energy, deep-sea agriculture, and more.”

"And the conditions?" Morrie asked astutely. "You know, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

"The only requirement is to stop polluting the ocean and develop resources rationally," Yu Yang replied.

"The new humans still see themselves as part of humanity, just on a different evolutionary path."

As soon as Yu Yang finished speaking, the conference room erupted in discussion, with everyone expressing their opinions.

After all, this was a huge turning point for them.

The meeting lasted for several hours.

Yu Yang explained Hai Yuan's situation in detail, as well as the process of his own physical changes.

When he mentioned that Cheng Hai had been forcibly modified by the Eye of the Deep Sea, the hall fell silent.

"How is Engineer Cheng doing now?" Mori asked, his expression inscrutable.

"It's stable, but the process of change is much more drastic than mine." Yu Yang didn't mention Cheng Hai's mutated arm.

“Dr. Ryan, the leader of the Abyss, believes this is the consequence of forced transformation. Natural change should be gradual, like mine.”

The Minister of Science and Technology's eyes gleamed: "Is this transformation reversible?"

“I’m not sure,” Yu Yang said honestly, “and I haven’t tried it. These abilities aren’t a curse for me, but a gift.”

At the end of the meeting, Mori announced the establishment of a special committee to assess the strategy for contacting the new humans and appointed Kobayashi as Yu Yang's official liaison.

On the surface, this is positive progress.

But after everyone else left, Mori left Yu Yang alone.

"Privately speaking, Dr. Yu," the old speaker's voice suddenly turned weary, "do you really think these new humans are trustworthy?"

Yu Yang became wary: "I've seen their city with my own eyes, Speaker. There are children, elderly people, artists, and scholars there. They just want to survive, just like us."

Morrie walked to the window, gazing at the gradually calming crowd outside: "Do you know why there are constant wars between floating cities? Resources, pure survival resources. If the Abyss truly possesses advanced technology as you claim, why has it remained hidden? Why didn't it help us sooner?"

“Perhaps because they remember how land-dwelling humans treated those who were different,” Yu Yang said softly, “remembering the wars and persecutions before the Great Flood.”

Morrie turned, his eyes sharp: "Or perhaps they're waiting for the right moment, waiting until we're too weak to resist before striking."

He sighed. "I'm not blaming you, Yu Yang. In fact, I'm grateful for the information you brought back. It's just that as a leader, I have to consider all possibilities."

He handed Yu Yang a communicator: "Use the special access channel to contact me directly. If you notice anything amiss, whether in the Abyss or New Atlantis, notify me immediately."

Upon leaving the parliament hall, Yu Yang noticed Xiao Lin waiting outside, holding a portable testing device.

"I've been approved to collect some samples," the young man said excitedly, "your blood, skin tissue, gill mucus, anything that can help understand this transformation!"

Yu Yang smiled wryly: "Were you using me as a guinea pig?"

"No! It's the research subject!" Kobayashi hurriedly explained, "Think about what this means, Dr. Yu! Controlled, directed evolution. Humans can finally actively adapt to the environment, instead of passively waiting for natural selection!"

As they walked toward the research institute, more and more people gathered to watch.

Some people pointed and whispered, some took pictures, and several children even boldly ran over to try to touch Yu Yang's webbed hands.

Security personnel had to maintain order.

"Looks like you've become a celebrity," Kobayashi teased. "The first 'merman' of New Atlantis."

The research institute hasn't changed much, except that the equipment is more outdated, and the resource scarcity following the great flood has become increasingly severe.