The Evil Scientist is Too Competent-Chapter 166: The Great Rabbit Incident (2)

The following individuals fell victim to the sudden appearance of the rabbit androids: useless humans who couldn’t do anything right and only produced waste, societal dropouts who had been leeching off their parents for over a decade, and human trash who drank, gambled, and routinely abused their families.

Of course, villains were no exception to these corrections, but far more ‘ordinary people’ were being forcibly corrected. And in some ways, it was only natural. After all, there were far more minor offenders than those who committed crimes severe enough to be labeled as villains.

Those who underwent correction behaved as if they had become entirely different people overnight. The useless human who used to waste away in their room, fondling themselves in their pants, started studying, exercising, and dating. The human trash who resorted to violence daily offered heartfelt apologies and began working.

There was a clear reason why neither the heroes nor the government attempted to intervene. From the government’s perspective, which saw individuals as mere resource collectors like SCVs, it was far better to turn idle scrap metal into the gears of society. Even the heroes praised the situation rather than criticizing it, calling it an improvement in quality of life.

“Insane...”

But from my perspective as someone from Earth?

This was nothing short of grotesque desecration of human dignity.

It was an act of violating inalienable rights that machines had no business tampering with.

What exactly made someone who wrote nonsense online worse than a cog in society’s machine? What justified deeming a life spent chasing quick wins through drinking and gambling inferior to one lived diligently?

Lincoln was born into a poor household and worked menial labor but went on to become the President of the United States. Liu Bei started out weaving mats in a marketplace yet rose to become a king. Tyson was a thug who picked fights as a child but became the world’s most famous boxer. Robert Downey Jr. abused drugs from a young age yet eventually achieved massive success as an actor.

No one could predefine success or failure.

And there was no universe where a mere machine had the right to decide such things or meddle with the human brain.

“These insane mechanical bastards...”

Even members of our villainous organization had fallen victim to the crazed rabbit androids, leaving our base completely empty. I paced the corridor several times, scowling as I analyzed where these insane machines had come from.

Before long, I discovered something shocking—these robots had fallen from the sky.

Was this some punishment sent down by God, enraged by humanity’s actions?

No, that couldn’t be.

I tilted my head back and glanced up at the sky. The clear blue expanse stretched out above me, and far in the distance, the faint outline of the moon appeared. And along with it, an ominous, blurry eye.

‘That thing must be the culprit.’

That was my thought, but I couldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Carefully, I attempted to establish communication with the Watcher’s Eye. The pathway I’d used previously was still open.

「?」

As the connection established, I paused briefly, considering what to say.

[Why did you do this?]

「Inquiry. What do you mean by ‘this’?」

[Don’t you know that brainwashing humans with machines is illegal?]

Of course, no such law existed in this world.

But—if my theory was correct, and this Watcher’s Eye came from Earth or was connected to Earth—then surely...

「Answer. The lifeforms of this planet are not human.」

[...What?]

「Clarification. The sentient beings of Terra have yet to be classified as human.」

I froze at the Watcher’s reply.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

The people of this world weren’t human?

The statement sounded absurd, yet countless pieces of evidence flashed through my mind, supporting the claim.

Artificial guardians, beastkin, people casually wielding supernatural abilities... Genetically and culturally, they were light-years apart from the humans I knew.

Staring at the blinking chat window for a long time, I hesitantly began typing.

[What if I acknowledge them?]

「Recognition requires approval from the Council Chair and 20 representatives.」

In other words, it was impossible for me.

That left me with only one option.

[Then die.]

「?」

Even if it meant dropping the moon itself—

I had to stop this vile act from continuing any further.

*****

“Mother, I’m heading out.”

“Ah, o-okay....”

Michele couldn’t hide her awkwardness as she looked at her polite and well-mannered son. Was this really the same boy who, just a few days ago, had been holed up in his room, reeking of sweat?

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the strange, fur-covered beastkin standing next to him. At first, she thought he might’ve finally gotten a girlfriend, but no—it turned out to be an android shaped like a beastkin. She’d seen them in the news from time to time.

[Today’s course is the nearby park. After running 10 kilometers, we’ll return home, shower, and—]

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Was he brainwashed by the android? The boy who wouldn’t spend more than five minutes outside his house had suddenly taken up exercising. Technically, he wasn’t alone since the android accompanied him, but still...

As Michele watched her son head out for his workout, tears welled in her eyes. After years of worry and frustration, it finally felt like he was acting like a proper person.

‘This doesn’t feel like my son. How could he change so much overnight?’

Could someone really transform so drastically in a single day? She began to wonder if this was even her son at all or just someone who looked like him, pretending to be him.

But those thoughts quickly faded. Michele left the house to gather the ingredients the android had suggested, determined to cook healthy food instead of cheap, instant meals. If her son was committed to becoming a better person, then as his mother, she had to support him.

The familiar sound of gunshots echoed in the background as Michele finished her grocery shopping and returned home. She arrived at the door smiling, but for some reason, a wave of unease swept over her.

Tap, tap, tap—

“...Michael?”

Calling out her son’s name, she ascended the stairs to the second floor. With every step, fear and anxiety crept up her spine. No, it couldn’t be. Surely not.

Reaching the second floor, she found his door shut tight. From inside, the sound of a keyboard clicking furiously filled the air. Carefully, she opened the door.

“—What the hell is wrong with me?! I missed a whole week of login bonuses!”

“Ah, ah—”

“Huh? When did you come in? Get out! I told you not to come into my room without permission!”

“M-Michael? What about your workout—?”

“Workout? Why would I do that? Are you insane?”

Her son was back.

Michele collapsed onto the floor. Was this what it felt like to be a priest promised salvation, only to be cast into despair? Having plummeted from hope into hopelessness, Michele could do nothing but weep.

“Shit! Why the hell did you throw out all the alcohol?!”

“What? I didn’t get any allowance for a week? ...Then just give me all the allowance I missed in one go.”

“Uuuu... baby doesn’t like it... outside is dangerous....”

On the seventh day after the rabbit androids—nicknamed the “Moonlit”—appeared, those who had been “reformed” began returning to their old selves one by one.

Analysts searched for an explanation and soon realized that the rabbit androids—the Moonlit—had suddenly disappeared.

At first, people thought the Moonlit had vanished like a miracle fading away, but that wasn’t the case. Eyewitnesses reported seeing androids hunting the Moonlit.

“The video was deleted right away, but I swear I saw androids fighting each other!”

“Where have I seen that android before...?”

“Oh, right! It’s an Evilusroid!”

Rumors spread that the Evilusroids had hunted down the Moonlit. Yet despite the flood of eyewitness accounts, the internet remained eerily silent. Not a single post, picture, or video surfaced, even on the darkest corners of the web.

It was too quiet to be simple media suppression. Even the most hidden underground sites were silent. People tilted their heads in confusion but ultimately dismissed it as just another rumor.

In a world dominated by smartphones and AI, no one believed anything without evidence.

But, of course, there was one person who understood everything.

「Inquiry. Why are you interfering?」

The Watcher’s Eye directed the question at Eight. After a moment of silence, Eight finally responded.

[Because they’re human.]

「Denial. Under Union Law, they are not human.」

[By this world’s laws, they’re human. Humans with rights.]

「Denial. That law is not recognized by the Union.」

[Then go ahead—call your precious Union.]

The Watcher had no response.

After all, those reinforcements should have arrived already—but they hadn’t.

It was possible that something had gone wrong with the Union. But there was no reason to hand over that information to the enemy.

「Final warning. Cease interference and accept reality. They are not human.」

[And you—give it up unless you want to end up as scrap metal.]

Neither of them backed down.

Both knew there was only one way this could end.

War. Another war.