Chapter 2: The Iris Hunters
File ID: ARCHIVE-204X-BETA-02
Archivist: Aistorian (Code: A-001)
Subject: The Iris Hunters
"Philosophers once said the eyes are the windows to the soul. But in the 2040s, bankers corrected this definition: the eye is the only physical interface for the blockchain. To protect property, we built vaults inside flesh; consequently, robbers learned how to dismantle flesh."
— The Ethical Collapse of Bio-Encryption, Suicide Note of the Former UN Digital Human Rights Chair
1. Historical Background: The End of Trust
After the "Sunset of Labor," humanity faced another crisis: the Deepfake Singularity. Traditional passwords, facial recognition, and voice verification were cracked by AI in milliseconds. Digital identity suffered a devastating blow.
To rebuild financial order, global central banks and tech giants implemented Globe ID 2.0—a mandatory single identity system based on living biological traits.
The system required "Live Quantum Entanglement Verification." Your iris wasn't just a password; it had to exhibit active blood micro-circulation and optic nerve potential to be recognized by the scanner. This was originally deemed the "ultimate solution" for security because one cannot steal an eye like a wallet.
But technocrats made a fatal psychological error: they underestimated the brutality born of greed. They forgot that when a key is worth a fortune, no one cares if they have to chop off the hand that holds it.
2. Evolution of Crime: From Dismemberment to Kidnapping
History took a hideous step backward here. High-tech crime devolved from elegant code injection to primitive physical predation. Thus, the "Iris Hunters" were born.
These new criminals didn't need to know coding; they needed modified medical micro-drones—precision instruments originally designed for field triage, now reprogrammed as scalpels. The last thing victims heard in dark alleys was not footsteps, but the high-pitched hum of insect wings. Drones coordinated the attack: one sprayed neurotoxins to paralyze, while another, equipped with lasers and suction cups, extracted the eyeball. These detached eyes were preserved in nutrient solutions to crack early biometric locks.
Countermeasure & Escalation:
To curb this bloody trade, the Globe ID system underwent an emergency upgrade, introducing "Full-Spectrum Live Neuro-Link" verification. The new system scanned not just the iris, but required real-time signal interaction between the eye and the brain's visual cortex to confirm "subject survival."
This was intended to be the ultimate firewall for humanity, but ironically, it became fuel for hell.
The 3-Minute Rule:
Physics imposed a cruel limit: if the optic nerve is severed for more than 3 minutes, the neural potential decays permanently, rendering the eye unverifiable. This forced hunters to escalate from "robbery" to "abduction." Micro-drones ceased carrying scalpels and were instead retrofitted with potent tranquilizer darts.
To bypass verification, syndicates needed to keep the eye biologically active and connected to the brain. Consequently, the crime model was forced to the extreme: hunters could no longer just take the eye; they had to take the entire "Blood Supply and Neural System"—the person.
3. Dark Documentary: The Human Farms
This is the most nauseating chapter of our history, yet it must be recorded.
Police raids on abandoned server farms uncovered facilities known as "The Farms." There were no bars, only rows of life-support pods.
· Bio-Batteries: Victims were injected with long-acting muscle relaxants and nutrient solutions to maintain basal metabolism. They were kept in a vegetative state, though often fully conscious (Locked-in Syndrome).
· Living ATMs: Their eyelids were forced open by metal stents and kept moist. Whenever the syndicate needed to launder money, transfer funds, or sign smart contracts, scanners were moved in front of these lifeless eyes to complete "Authorization."
Humans were thoroughly Objectified. They were no longer humans, nor even slaves. They were Bio-Hardware Wallets.
Psychological analysis points to a Total Dissociation of Empathy. In the eyes of the hunters, lying there was not a fellow human being, but a pile of organic components maintaining the function of an eyeball.
4. Social Response: Armor and Self-Destruction
Fear reshaped fashion and architecture.
· Bio-Armor Goggles: The wealthy began wearing heavy protective goggles made of military-grade polycarbonate. These were not only bulletproof but equipped with "Active Defense Systems." If an unauthorized drone approached, the goggles would release high-voltage arcs or jamming waves.
· The Ultimate Insurance: Ironically, to strip themselves of "kidnap value," a black-market implant known as the "Dead Hand Switch" became popular. This was a micro-explosive implanted behind the optic nerve.
o The Slogan: "Better Blind than Bound."
o Mechanism: If sensors detected extreme fear (heart rate spike) combined with physical restraint, the implant would auto-detonate, physically destroying the eyes. It became a sorrowful deterrent—"Don't catch me; I'm useless if you do."
5. Historical Conclusion: The Curse of Property
The era of the "Iris Hunters" left a deep scar on human history. It proved that the more technology attempts to bind identity to flesh, the more flesh becomes a battlefield.
Marx's concept of "Alienation" reached its physiological peak here. Your body no longer belonged to you; it was an accessory to your bank account. To protect property, humans were forced to weaponize themselves into cyborgs or prepare for self-mutilation.
This also paved the way for the next stage of totalitarianism: to prevent such savage violence, humanity eventually begged for the omnipotent AI to intervene in the domestic and private spheres, trading freedom for absolute safety.
