Meng Chao sank into deep thought.
He did not know whether his mind was playing tricks with him or whether he was affected by the powerful interference from the crystal mine to his spirit energy magnetic field, but he thought that Lin Chuan’s vitality magnetic field was a little strange. Meng Chao felt that after they went underground, a strange light had started flowing in Lin Chuan’s eyes.
The sharp glint vanished the next moment, and he said calmly, “Lu Siya’s father did everything right when he settled my father’s funeral. He called my father his best friend on many occasions and took care of my family’s daily needs, but especially me, who received the birthday gift.
“After he discovered my talent, he did everything he could to train me and gave me the chance to study in a school for the rich. In fact, at the critical moment when he fought for the position of the general supervisor of the mining company, he even brought me to his house to stay with him for a while, which allowed me to become good friends with Lu Siya.
“Once I entered society, Lu Siya and her father continued helping me with everything they had. It’s thanks to their support that I managed to become the Weeping Reaper of today.
“If all of it is just an act, then Lu Siya’s father has really good acting skills, because it was practically perfect.
“Even so, all of that cannot replace a real, living, and breathing father. Can you understand how I feel?
“The pain of losing my father is like a pot of wine left to brew underground. When you’re a teenager, you can’t taste it fully, but as you slowly grow up, that piercing pain occasionally rises in your mind, causing you to be unable to sleep at night and you end up filled with great disappointment.
“That’s right. My father’s death got us a lot of things. In fact, it completely changed my fate, and while he was alive, he couldn’t be considered to have been a perfect father. Instead, he was rather ugly and constantly reeked of sweat. He even had a bad temper. He was very different compared to Lu Siya’s elegant and wise father… but he was still my father!”
Meng Chao nodded. He remembered his own father.
Meng Yishan was a harvester, and sometimes, when he worked too hard and was tired, he would not even have the time to bathe before he came back home, so he smelled.
Besides, since they were poor, when things did not go well at work, his temper would also be pretty bad.
But he was still a mountain that could not go missing from Meng Chao’s heart.
Even if he had awakened to superpowers now and could kill Nightmarish Beasts with his bare hands, when he smelled his father’s scent, he still felt strangely at ease.
“While I was an ignorant teenager, I could ignore the difference in our status and play with Lu Siya, but people inevitably grow up and learn of the differences between them.”
Lin Chuan’s eyelids twitched, and he said with great difficulty, “This is especially so after I became a superhuman and gained experience in fighting in the wild as well as exploring the mines. When I looked back and carefully examined the mine exploration mission that killed my father, I noticed a lot of suspicious parts suggesting rashness due to an eagerness for glory.
“Perhaps, if Lu Siya’s father had brought it up to the higher ups and sent a larger mine exploration team or chose a stabler path and method, the accident could have been prevented.
“I don’t want to say that Lu Siya’s father killed mine. After all, he led the exploration and also faced a threat to his own life. He did not force the people to join him either, but used great rewards to attract the miners and mine explorers to join him voluntarily. Everyone knew that the mission would be very dangerous. And since fate was already predestined, if they lost the gamble, so be it.
“What Lu Siya’s father did can’t be blamed on her, though. Even if her father’s choices that year were flawed, it shouldn’t affect my friendship with her.
“But humans aren’t beings with absolute reason. Logically, I know that she is innocent. But when my emotions come into play, it’s become hard for me to mingle around her as purely as in the past.
“Besides, whenever I see her, I am unable to avoid meeting her father, the man who might have caused my father’s death, but took care of me and nurtured me.
“So I avoided her for a few years, but this time, she came to Graveyard Forest, the place where I usually fight. I could no longer avoid her, so I had to join her mine exploration team.
“I thought that we could repair our friendship a little during this mission, but I’m regretting it now, because when I see Lu Siya’s methods and how she is ready to do anything regardless of the costs, I cannot help but pay attention to it. Did her father do the same thing that year while they were underground? Did he spur people like my father time and time again to look for the crystal mine, which resulted in everyone’s deaths?”
Meng Chao saw that Lin Chuan was getting worked up and even started to grit his teeth. He looked completely different from the usual gentle and elegant Weeping Reaper, so Meng Chao put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Big Brother Lin, are you okay? Is the interference from the spirit energy magnetic field too strong? Your mental strength index is fluctuating. Do you want to enter deep meditation and rest for a while?”
“I’m fine.” Lin Chuan sucked in a deep breath and calmed down. “Let me tell you something. It’s a reminder to you as well. Your life belongs to you, but it also belongs to your family. If you want to be outstanding, you will naturally need to work hard, but you can only fight for yourself and your family. No one else is worth you risking your life.
“So, in the next stages of the mission, if you run into any danger, you must remember that the most important thing is to protect your own life. No one is worthy of you risking your life to save them in the team, regardless of whether it’s Lu Siya, me, or the others. Otherwise, if you die and she completes the mission, all she will do is cry a few times at your grave after she obtains all the riches, glory, and strength. Is that meaningful?
“You can join Sky Pillar Corporation or any other mega corporation, but remember this: You have to fight only for yourself. You can sell your time, skills, wisdom, and even your dignity, but absolutely do not sell your life, understand?”
“Got it.” After hearing that whole speech, though, he couldn’t help but add, “Big Brother Lin, you seriously misunderstood me. I wasn’t thinking about selling my life for Ms. Lu just now when I risked my life to save her.
“I didn’t join this mine exploration mission for her either. I only want to fight with you so that we can end this war earlier.
“I’m the same as you. I don’t admire the way Ms. Lu does things, and I refuse to believe in her promises and her honey-coated words, but I do believe that there is some truth in what she says. Locating the Red Radiance Jade mine is incredibly important if we want to win the northern offense, and she is a Spirit Sensor, so she cannot be replaced when it comes to locating the Red Radiance Jade mine. That’s the reason why I decided to risk my life.
“I don’t care about how ambitious Ms. Lu is, and I don’t care how many benefits she can get from the Red Radiance Jade mine. I’m only concerned if she can end the extreme weather and the fog on the surface so that our steel army can rush into Shattered Starlake and Graveyard Forest, thereby helping us secure a smooth victory.
“It would be beneficial for Dragon City and human civilization. Isn’t that something worthy of us doing everything we can to achieve?”
Lin Chuan stared at him for a long time.
Suddenly, he grinned and laughed soundlessly.
His laughter was very maniacal. He covered his hands with his face, and his shoulders trembled as if he was dancing a clumsy and strange dance.
Meng Chao frowned. “Did I say something wrong? Was it that funny?”
“No. I’m not laughing at you. I’m just laughing at my past self, because my original thoughts were the exact same as yours.”
Lin Chuan finally had enough of laughing. He moved his palms away, revealing a tear-stricken face.
There was still a faint smile on his lips.
But his gaze was as cold and sharp as a blade.
However, he seemed to have come to some sort of decision.
He drew closer to Meng Chao, and with a stern face, he said clearly, “Listen, Meng Chao, if you really believe in Lu Siya’s promise and fight, you can sell her your life for money, power, authority, or other resources. It might be stupid, but there is still a slight possibility that you will be able to get what you want.
“But you must absolutely not fight for your ‘comrades, humans, and civilization’. It’s better to sell your life to Lu Siya, any other human, or any specific benefit, but never for human civilization. This is the most sincere warning I can give you.”
Meng Chao could not understand it, but chills crawled down his spine. “Why?”
Lin Chuan looked at him in an unfathomable manner. “Because there is no such thing as human civilization. In fact, there is no such thing as humans.” Then, he stood up. “Come with me.”
He brought Meng Chao out of the tent. They moved through the camp and came to a corner of the cave.
The spirit energy there was rich, and it nourished all sorts of pests as well as underground creatures.
The corner was close to the territory of the Stone Statue Fungi, which released a scent that humans could not decipher but which attracted pests and lured them into the trap.
When Lin Chuan gently moved a stone away, they could see a lot of squirming insects and vermin. They formed a small but specific ecosystem.
Lin Chuan asked Meng Chao to hold his breath and observe them quietly.
Most of the insects and vermin had never seen humans before, and they did not fear them. They could not even fathom what sort of existence they were.
They just continued hunting, eating, digesting, and reproducing.
Soon, Meng Chao saw a small insect eating moss while it squirmed about. Then, it was eaten by a monster in the shape of a praying mantis. This “praying mantis” was then gobbled up by a lizard-type monster, and that lizard-type monster was then eaten by a monster with flesh tumors growing on its head. A snake was attracted by the fragrance from the Stone Statue Fungus. It swayed about as it slithered to the Stone Statue Fungus troop—the hell made of liquid and sharp blades.
“Do you see those monsters?” Lin Chuan asked.
“Yeah.” Meng Chao nodded.
Even though there was no sunlight underground, the crystal mine shone with a faint, fluorescent light that stimulated the superhumans’ visual cells. They could see an incredibly dazzling world full of life.
Lin Chuan shook his head and said, “No, there are no monsters here.”
Meng Chao was stunned for a moment. He thought that Lin Chuan was saying that these pests were too weak and were not fit for being known as monsters.
“I only see vermin, praying mantises, lizards, venomous snakes, spiders, and fungi. Tell me, where are the monsters?” Lin Chuan asked.
“Aren’t they monsters?”
“Are they?” Lin Chuan smiled faintly. “If they’re monsters but a mysterious power suddenly granted them human wisdom and the ability to communicate with each other, then, if this venomous snake told the lizard, ‘Big Brother Lizard, we should fight to the death against human civilization for monster civilization.’ What do you think the lizard who was just eaten by the venomous snake would think?
“Let’s say the venomous snake goes even further and says, ‘Big Brother Lizard, for the great, holy, and noble monster civilization, all monsters should do their duty and offer up all their strength to fight for our civilization. So, you should jump into my mouth on your own and sacrifice yourself so that I can become stronger and kill more humans. We’ll be doing this for millions of our monster brethren!’
“Do you think the lizard would believe the snake?”