1787 The Definition of Humanity
Lu Zhongqi’s voice was as gentle as his eyes. It was without the slightest hint of aggression, as though he was chatting about insignificant family affairs.
Nevertheless, as Lu Zhongqi spoke, Meng Chao returned to the b.l.o.o.d.y, cruel, and dark era decades ago when order collapsed. He realized that it was just as Lu Zhongqi had said. He could not find a bright path.
In the middle of the broken walls where the strong preyed on the weak, every path to survival was paved with corpses and blood.
“If this situation makes it difficult for you to make a decision, what about the other scenarios?”
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Lu Zhongqi added, “Suppose that, as the ruler of Dragon City at that time, you discovered a mutated zombie virus that might kill more than half of the people in the city—the old, the weak, and the disabled—but there was also a high probability that it could activate strong gene pools that had been dormant for hundreds of millions of years and extract a great weapon called extraordinary power…
“Pardon me, but would you conduct in-depth research, ma.s.s-produce, and secretly release this virus into the entire city to kill some people while you elevate the other group of people, making them faster and stronger?
“Also, if you developed a gene agent that could increase the odds of human beings awakening extraordinary strength by 20% to 30%, at the cost of increasing the risk of mental derangement by 20% to 30%, their veins would snap and their bodies would be heavily wounded once they became crazy. In the worst case, their blood would boil, and they would be burned into a dry corpse. Would you hide the truth and even force people to inject it anyway?
“On top of that, what if you knew that the odds of the gene agent going out of control and causing mental derangement would be greatly reduced if you carried out dozens or even hundreds of biochemical experiments repeatedly? However, it would cost the lives of dozens or hundreds of innocent people who would act as test subjects. Would you have carried out such insane experiments?
“Of course, there’s also the thought experiment that we talked about at the beginning. Would you willingly offer thousands of lives to explore the ancient ruins and offer the blood of thousands if not several hundred thousand of your compatriots so that mankind could enter the ‘extraordinary era’?
“If your answer to all of the above questions is ‘no,’ then think about it. What would Dragon City become if it was denied all of that?
“There wouldn’t be a solid dam to resist the flood.
“There wouldn’t be decisive measures to purify zombies.
“Without many experiments, there would be no mature and stable genetic medicine that stimulates the cells and genes to help the people of Earth evolve quickly and adapt to this cruel world.
“The number of superhumans would be half or even two-thirds less than in the Dragon City created by the Blood Alliance. The superhumans’ average combat power would definitely not be as strong as in reality. Peerless powerhouses like Battle G.o.d Lei Zongchao wouldn’t exist. Even Deity Realm powerhouses would be unknown legends.
“Let me ask you, does such a Dragon City born of ‘justice, kindness, light, and humanity’ have the ability to resist the overwhelming beast horde?
“If we can’t resist the beast tide, no human being will survive. Where will so-called ‘humanity’ attach itself to?
“Yes, I’ve heard countless guys who claim to be the warriors of justice say, ‘Survival isn’t the only purpose of a civilization. We would rather die than turn into hideous, twisted, and inhuman monsters!’
“Perhaps, you think so too?
“Such an argument is rather righteous.
“I believe that not only do you think so from the bottom of your heart, but you’re also ready to sacrifice everything for such a bright idea at a moment’s notice.
“The problem is, you can only represent yourself. What right do you have to make decisions on behalf of others?
“If somebody else would rather live on as a ‘monster beyond recognition’ like a c.o.c.kroach or a mouse, what right do you have to destroy the world and the entire civilization on their behalf?
“Trust me, Meng Chao. In this world, there are far more ordinary people who are afraid of death than heroes who are unafraid of death. As long as they get a chance to live in ignorance, most people won’t mind it. Even if they do mind, they can force themselves to endure it as they turn into unrecognizable and deformed monsters in human skin!
“Moreover, history has always been written by the victors.
“And the premise of victory is to survive at all costs, by hook or by crook.
“History is like a little girl whom anyone can dress. Only those who live to the end are qualified to define what she looks like and what ‘justice, light, morality, law, and humanity’ are.
“The people who live to the end don’t even need to lie. They only need to hide part of the truth to change history beyond recognition.
“For example, the current Dragon City Chronicles written by the Survival Committee and the Supernatural Tower introduced the ‘ten b.l.o.o.d.y years.’
“In the chronicles, you’ll see that the Blood Alliance is unpardonable. They s.n.a.t.c.hed the last of the old, the weak, the women, and the children’s food by force, causing them to starve to death.
“But what you won’t see is that the Blood Alliance took away their food to feed the workers who were building dams and city walls, as well as excavating crystal mines, to lay a solid foundation for Dragon City’s long-term development.
“In the chronicles, you’ll see that the Blood Alliance burned an entire building of several hundred residents, who disobeyed it, with napalm bombs.
“However, you won’t see the reason why the Blood Alliance used napalm bombs. It was because many people in the households there had been infected with the zombie virus. If we hadn’t made a prompt decision, once the zombies were released, they would’ve very likely affected the safety of the few dozen surrounding buildings and tens of thousands of households!
“In the chronicles, you’ll see the unpardonable sins of the Blood Alliance. They forced tens of thousands of innocent people into the ancient ruins, most of whom were tortured to the point where even their bones were no more.
“But what you won’t see is that it was exactly with such brutal, radical, and evil practices that the Blood Alliance excavated tens of thousands of ancient runes and secret treasures. With the help of ancient technology, it established the first training system based on spirit energy and pushed Dragon City into an extraordinary era almost on its own.
“To this day, the large number of weapons, martial arts techniques, secret techniques, and rune machines that support Dragon City’s high-speed operations still benefit greatly from the major discoveries made during the Blood Alliance’s era.
“In the chronicles, you’ll see that the Blood Alliance is the root of all evil and sin, while the nine families, the predecessors of the nine mega corporations, are like nine spotless white lotuses.
“You won’t see the nine families in a bad light. Yet, they’ve been the Blood Alliance’s nine minions from the very beginning. As contractors and suppliers, they grew under the Blood Alliance’s support and protection, slowly devouring the countless smaller families at that time and gradually restoring order in the entire city!”