Players Invade Cyberpunk-Chapter 648 - 208: What Is Aberration? Your Only Value Is Your Hands, Nothing Else

Yes, Lin Miao had to admit the other party was right.

If AI machines are slaves, belonging to the 'slave owner's' private property, then their death due to illness or injury is a loss of property.

Then workers in the 'factory' are an 'independent' and 'free' individual, bearing all living costs on their own, and the boss doesn't need to consider issues like their illness or injury.

"I've already paid for your labor; the rest is your business. If you don't want to do it, there's always someone else who will."

If a machine makes a mistake, money must be spent to find someone to inspect it, but if a person errs, you can simply fire them and impose fines.

Simple, straightforward, direct.

From a short-term cost perspective, choosing cybernetically-enhanced workers is undoubtedly a wiser decision.

"Tsk... I think you guys are still too troublesome doing it this way."

Lin Miao's words caught the attention of the sales manager.

"Oh? Mr. Lin, do you have any suggestions?"

He was actually a bit annoyed by Horizon Corporation's operational model. Without a middle layer, everything gets summarized to Lin Miao himself after program processing, making it hard to find any loopholes for bribery.

"Of course."

Lin Miao interlocked his fingers on the table, looking calmly at the sales manager.

"Since you're going this route, why doesn't your Zeta Corporation be more direct?"

The sales manager was clearly stunned, not quite understanding what Lin Miao meant.

Seeing this, Lin Miao straightforwardly explained,

"Look, in your eyes, the only value of those workers is in being able to equip prosthetics and stand by the assembly line, right."

"Uh..."

The sales manager paused,

"You could say, their value is that pair of hands."

The workers' value lies only in their hands, or being the socket for those hands; everything else is worthless.

"If the pursuit is cost and efficiency, then why not directly remove their brains to use as processors controlling prosthetic work?"

Lin Miao curiously looked at the sales manager, seemingly expecting an answer.

"..."

The sales manager was taken aback by Lin Miao's extreme suggestion, but upon reflection... it seemed to make sense.

"This... maybe..."

The sales manager imagined the scene, with lively brains stacked in petri dishes, connected by external neural lines to prosthetics, completing assembly line work.

Just thinking about it was eerily disturbing.

"Extreme?"

Lin Miao looked at the sales manager with a half-smile and asked,

"If the value of these assembly line workers lies in their ability to equip prosthetics, may I ask what your value is? This mouth? Or this face?"

"You know, Mr. Kairis, essentially all your work content could be achieved with your brain in a petri dish, and your speech and sales replaced by a virtual image on a smartphone or screen. How much is your value worth?"

The sales manager was momentarily speechless, only retorting angrily,

"Are you trying to speak for those workers?"

This was quite an extreme accusation. If confirmed, even a behemoth like military tech couldn't handle it, let alone Lin Miao.

"Don't misunderstand, Mr. Kairis, I just think their work content is valueless and not worth my investment."

Lin Miao smiled, knowing he wouldn't say that his AI was stolen, with no development costs, and no fear of AI rebellion. Network monitoring never bothered him for some reasons.

A bit of server maintenance costs is something he could afford.

"Horizon Corporation's goal is to be a high-tech company. I need human creativity, not meaningless repetitive labor."

"Fully automated assembly lines and AI programs are considerations for showcasing advanced technology externally. The slightly higher cost is well within our operational allowance."

"Perhaps to meet the municipal council's employment rate requirements, I'll recruit some ordinary people to participate in corporate work, but assembly line tasks are out of the question."

"..."

Knowing his sales pitch had failed, Kairis reluctantly stood up and left Lin Miao's office.

Lin Miao looked somewhat speechlessly at the indifferent expression on the other's face.

Are they fools?

Of course not.

No one who has come this far is a true fool.

Everyone knows how money flows.

The people at the bottom must have money to spend on market goods.

Only when the money workers receive approaches their production value, and the surplus from exploitation decreases, can a society's economic operation become more sustainable and healthy.

But the problem is that companies are only responsible for their own interests, not for society or the nation.

If I give employees high wages and they spend it on other companies' products, and the money doesn't return to my pocket, why should I pay them high wages?

This falls into a traditional zero-sum game.

We all know that choosing this path is better, but I can't guarantee that others will choose the same.

The more I pay workers, the less other companies pay theirs, and consequently, their profits will far exceed mine, leading to my eventual defeat in commercial competition.

With no strong central government to regulate, everyone will further push the limits of lowering production costs.

And labor costs are always the first and most significant factor in the equation; when a company's operations hit a snag, the first actions are often layoffs and wage cuts.

As for companies like Huang Ban and military tech that boast high salaries, it's merely to maintain employee loyalty as much as possible.

After all, working there sometimes really requires risking one's life.

Only... 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

After leaving the Horizon Corporation's doors, Kairis looked at the dusty sky, his mind replaying Lin Miao's words.

"..."

Yes.

Why not just use their brains as processors?

Thinking he had discovered an incredible business opportunity, the slight gloom from just being retorted by Lin Miao suddenly cleared up.

Kairis thought he should report this idea, and if he could participate in the project, even just peripherally, his performance appraisal next year would be exceptional.