Chapter Twenty: Right or Wrong

On her way home, Gwen was also becoming aware of this.
“Damn.”
But it was already late, and her mother had even called. Not wanting to worry her, Gwen could only say she was already home.
She hurriedly climbed in through the skylight and returned to her room.
“Where are you?”
Mrs. Helen was a little worried. Her husband was already back, so why hadn’t Gwen, who had always been obedient and sensible, returned yet?
Surely she wasn’t planning to spend the night at a classmate’s house. That would never do. If two young people were alone together, who knows what might happen—she couldn’t accept that.
“I really am home.”
“How is that possible? I’ve been in the living room the whole time. You definitely haven’t come back.”
As she spoke, Helen walked toward her daughter’s room, ready to expose her little lie.
“I know you’re interested in a classmate who’s smarter and more outstanding than you, but Gwen, let me tell you, that is absolutely not a reason to stay out all night—”
The moment she opened the door, Mrs. Helen was stunned. Gwen was standing there in a bath towel, clearly about to take a shower.
“Mom, what were you just saying?”
Helen was speechless.
“It’s late. Go to bed early.”
“All right, Mom.”
After Helen left, Gwen took off her bath towel, revealing the underwear she hadn’t had time to remove.
She sniffed at her sweat-soaked self, then went to take a shower.
Girls are different from men; at times like this, a shower is essential.
...
“Michael, what have you done?”
Early in the morning, Michael received a call from Martin.
“I haven’t done anything,” Michael replied, a little guilty. Had Martin found out something?
“Nothing? You’re cloning people—humans! Don’t you know cloning is taboo in medicine? And when you were doing it, didn’t you feel any moral qualms?”
“A little, but it passed quickly.”

Michael had thought it was something else, but it turned out to be about the batch of clones he’d made.
“Listen, Martin, first, I used my own cells. Second, once the embryos’ brains are fully developed, I plan to remove their frontal lobes so they won’t have consciousness. Without self-awareness, they can’t be considered people.”
But Martin was even more furious at this explanation.
“So you’ll treat them like lab rats, experimenting on them madly? And if anything goes wrong, you’ll just dispose of them, all to crown yourself with glory?”
Martin continued, “Removing their frontal lobes? Did you ever consider that they might have rights too? That perhaps they wouldn’t want their brains cut out?”
“Why wouldn’t I? They’re embryos I created. What’s wrong with them sacrificing themselves for me? That’s the value and meaning of their existence.”
After hearing Michael’s words, Martin fell silent. For the first time, she felt Michael was a stranger; in his eyes, life was nothing but a tool.
Michael was speechless too. He’d spent a fortune creating these tools, and now Martin was lecturing him on morality and human rights. Would those things restore his health?
Martin was deeply hurt, almost to the point of tears.
“Michael, you’ve changed.”
Michael fell silent, knowing he hadn’t changed. He couldn’t grant tools human rights, nor could he afford to be soft-hearted; that would only cost him everything.
“Martin, I don’t know what you think of me, but I can only tell you that I haven’t changed.”
“Besides, current law doesn’t grant clones human rights, because they’re not legal citizens. Michael, they’re just flesh and blood with your genes. Do you understand?”
“Martin, I want to have a healthy body and live like a normal person. I have the right to desire this, and the obligation to work to make myself better.”
“I promise you—just this once. After this, I’ll never clone myself again.”
Martin remembered the first time she met Michael. She was still a student, at an important conference.
Michael had staggered up to the podium, and the people around had whispered, not understanding why he was there.
But soon, Michael had won them over. Relying on his wealth of knowledge and adaptability, he quickly became the star of the conference.
After that, the young man fought against the current, earning a doctorate in biochemistry and becoming a dazzling star in the medical world.
He was always willing to help, supporting children who couldn’t afford medicine, assisting other patients with the same illness as his, and even founding a charity.
He never hesitated to share his research, becoming an iconic figure in academia. It seemed wherever Michael was, warmth and hope followed.
Yet now, she felt Michael had changed—so much that she no longer recognized him.
She had never imagined Michael would clone humans without the slightest psychological burden, would do things so contrary to morality and decency.
No, something must be wrong.
Michael couldn’t possibly be that cruel.
Michael, too, was lost in thought. Was cloning truly immoral?

Yet cloning was the best solution he could think of. He was not about to experiment on himself, like some movie version of Michael—that would be far too foolish.
“Keisha, am I wrong?”
Keisha replied, “Do you know the difference between angels and devils?”
“Angels wear miniskirts? Devils wear leather and pants?”
Keisha was silent. She could have self-destructed out of exasperation, and by the way, she did wear pants.
“Angels kill for justice; devils kill for desire. What about you?”
Michael pondered and said, “Is regaining health a desire or a wish?”
Keisha replied, “Some say wishes are just desires in disguise, sugarcoating something ugly. But desire has a prerequisite.”
“What prerequisite?”
Keisha answered, “It’s only called desire when it’s built on harming others, seizing their interests, or violating their feelings.”
“Desire leads people to crime; wishes guide them toward truth, goodness, and beauty. The two may seem similar, but their nature and outcomes are vastly different.”
Desires that can’t be fulfilled drive people to crime; wishes that can’t be realized teach people to give up, or to keep hoping.
“So am I committing a crime?”
Keisha responded, “No one has ever said cloning should be put on trial, but no one says it’s legal, either—because no one wants that kind of blame.”
“Right now, you’re walking a gray line. Whether you’re right or wrong depends on your intention and the results.”
Keisha’s words left Michael deep in thought.
It seemed Keisha didn’t think he was wrong—or right. At least for now, Michael hadn’t harmed anyone.
Keisha said nothing more. For someone to truly understand justice and order, and to practice it unwaveringly, takes at least a thousand years. She had time to wait.
Whether angel or devil, neither valued individual life all that much; they cared more about things that threatened the balance of the universe, or the gods.
Much like Thanos’ philosophy—equally shocking. Yet angels would not wipe out half of all life for the sake of the universe. They only wanted to create.
Of course, with angelic technology, creating several more life-bearing planets was hardly a challenge, but they rarely went against the laws of nature.