Lin Chuan swiftly turned his head around.
A cold anger burned in his eyes for a brief moment, but Meng Chao noticed it.
He felt that every time he mentioned Lu Siya’s father, Lin Chuan got especially worked up, as if he bore a deep animosity to him.
Why?
Could it be because he had escaped during the mine collapse that year and his father had unfortunately perished?
Meng Chao set aside this question for the time being and continued, “Let’s put ourselves in their shoes. If I fight against monsters and use my blood, sweat, and tears to earn riches so that I can buy a huge house that has 300 square meters in Dragon City No. 1 and stay in a luxurious apartment that is a few floors big, would I be living a corrupt life?
“When I have children in the future, even if they are useless and have no ambition, do they have no right to inherit my legacy and continue staying in the mansion that I got through my blood, sweat, and tears?
“If that’s really the case, it’s fair. But where would we gain our motivation to fight? Why should the powerful fight to the death against monsters for normal people?”
Lin Chuan sneered coldly. “Based on what you said, the children of the powerful are born with the right to inherit resources and power and become the new generation of elites, while the poor don’t have any hope in standing out. Is that it?”
“Of course not. The promotion in Dragon City is still very smooth, and everything can be decided by the tests, competitions, achievements, and various other marking systems. The rules are transparent and fair, and all of us receive the same treatment. As long as we have the ability and are willing to fight, everyone has the chance to become outstanding!
“Both of us are examples of that. We were poor, but we relied on ourselves to change our fate!”
Lin Chuan could no longer hold back. He returned to Meng Chao’s side and gave him the ghost of a smile while staring at him.
“As to your first point, I won’t argue with you. In time, you’ll slowly discover just what the mega corporations and superhuman families who control Dragon City today have done during the chaotic era before the Survival Committee was built.
“But let’s talk about the second matter. The rules are transparent and fair, and the promotion channel is smooth, you say? Hah. If that was really the case, why is it that only a handful of children from Blessed Heavenly Garden and Joyous Heavenly Garden can become superhumans, and they’re all friggin’ broken-star superhumans?
“Is it because the children in Blessed Heavenly Garden and Joyous Heavenly Garden are born with no talent and aren’t smart when compared to the rich children who are destined to become superhumans?”
“Well…”
Meng Chao found himself speechless for a moment.
“As for us, do you think that we really relied on our talent and efforts to stand above the others?” Lin Chuan gritted his teeth. “I was discovered by Lu Siya’s father because my father died, and he gave me a lot of resources. If my father didn’t use his life to get this chance, no matter how great my talent was and how hard I worked, I would have become a broken-star superhuman at best and would have never been able to reach Heaven Realm.
“As for you, Meng Chao, you fell from the seat of power when you were in the second year of high school. You only rose to power miraculously when you met the Old Fire Relayer.
“I believe that you know just what sort of person this Old Fire Relayer is better than I do. He’s a mega corporation with a lot of power and wealth. They discovered a brand new cultivation method that violates all sorts of morals, and since they did not dare to publicly bring it out to experiment on it, they used the Old Fire Relayer’s name to search for a lab rat in secret.
“You are a lab rat of a mega corporation! But you’re lucky, and the experiment was a success.
“That’s why the mega corporation continues to use the puppet that is the Old Fire Relayer to continue working with you. They pushed you high up on a pedestal and made you like me, a fictitious idol.
“But you and I both know very well just how dangerous these forbidden martial artists from the underground life science forums are. When one lab rat succeeds, how many other lab rats go through spirit energy deviation because their experiments failed?
“The rich rely on technology, and the poor rely on luck. From a certain point of view, both of us were really lucky. It’s like we hacked a game. That’s why we stood out among the poor in Blessed Heavenly Garden and Joyous Heavenly Garden. Do you think our experiences have universal significance?”
Meng Chao could not retort. Even though Lin Chuan’s guess regarding the Old Fire Relayer was wrong, he was right in one regard.
Meng Chao was indeed lucky.
Lin Chuan’s gaze was intense. “Have you ever thought about how your future would be like if you hadn’t been so lucky?”
Meng Chao’s lips twitched.
He did not just imagine it. He had personally experienced it.
The moment he closed his eyes, he could remember the tragic life he had in his previous life.
“Alright,” Meng Chao admitted. “It’s like both of us cheated in a game. If we weren’t lucky, we might have not been able to change our fate.”
Lin Chuan smiled. “Meng Chao, do you know why I treat you like my bosom friend? It’s because you have the courage to face your true self.
“In the past, I’ve run into other people who had fought their way out of the slums. I wanted to treat them like my own kind, but after talking to them, I realized that they don’t believe that their success was based on luck and chance. They think that their good luck is their hard work.
“They won’t admit that they are Demonic Halberd Pigs, or they believe that as long as they persist, they can turn into Crystalline Nine-headed Dragons as well. If you can’t change, then it’s just because you didn’t work hard enough.
“Our thoughts weren’t the same, so I chose to remain silent. I don’t even want to talk to those who think that they can rely on their hard work to turn from a Demonic Halberd Pig to a Crystalline Nine-headed Dragon.
“Honestly, I can hypnotize myself just like they did and believe that I can climb up the ranks. Then, I could think of ways to solve the problems from the position of a Crystalline Nine-headed Dragon.
“After all, as a Heaven Realm elite and with the support from the Lu family, it wouldn’t be difficult for me to build my own tiny superhuman family and get into the upper-class society. I could even kiss goodbye to everything in Joyous Heavenly Garden.
“But I just can’t.
“I can’t forget the things in Joyous Heavenly Garden, and I can’t forget the Demonic Halberd Pigs who are still struggling in the swamp. I can’t forget those who are the same kind as me.
“I know that you and I were lucky enough to find our blessings and climb up the ranks. But there are plenty of the poor who don’t have blessings. What will be the future of our elementary school classmates and the children of those who were our classmates?
“If we fight and kill countless monsters, but the children of Demonic Halberd Pigs will forever remain as Demonic Halberd Pigs and have to struggle for eternity in the swamps, what’s the meaning behind our cultivation and fights?
“I haven’t found the answer yet.
“Perhaps this is why I seldom return to Dragon City and Joyous Heavenly Garden. Every time I do, the neighbors and children in Joyous Heavenly Garden surround me and call me a hero. They cheer me and treat me like an idol.
“I feel guilty about it. I don’t think I can change their fates at all. In fact, I’ve cast them aside and betrayed them, so how can I possibly face their sincere smiles?
“Perhaps this is also why I fight and cry, because I think that I’m fighting an endless but ultimately meaningless battle. No matter how many monsters I kill, it’s useless.”
Lin Chuan’s vitality magnetic field started trembling like a candle in the wind.
Meng Chao could sense the strong conflict and pain in his body.
“Big Brother Lin, please don’t think that way. Our fight is definitely meaningful. Victory is not so far off in the distance that we can’t see it. The current Dragon City might have a lot of problems, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to one problem: we don’t have enough resources.
“As long as we conquer the Other World and obtain enough resources, we can solve all problems easily!”
“Can we?”
“Of course!” Meng Chao said firmly. “Think about half a century earlier. Before Dragon City transmigrated, we had all the resources on Earth. At that time, everyone lived and worked in peace. The difference between the rich and the poor wasn’t as great as it is now. The salary of a corporation’s CEO was not five times more than the salary of a janitor.
“Our positions in society were absolutely fair. Regardless if someone repaired the planet or repaired the toilets, all of them were respected. Their children could study in the same schools and play together without worry. Even when children took over their parents’ jobs, they had bright futures ahead of them.
“At that time, normal people only needed to take up jobs that they could handle and they were able to enjoy living in wide and comfortable living spaces. Even if they had to work overtime occasionally, they could get a lot of overtime wages.
“During that era, the strong didn’t have any special privileges. When someone powerful commited a crime, they were treated as a criminal, just like when a normal person commits a crime.
“While we were on Earth, humans didn’t have to become deformed and ugly for the strenuous work they did.
“During those times, there naturally wasn’t something as ridiculous as the powerful people’s pets eating better food than normal people!
“In other words, at that time, when we had all the resources on Earth and did not have the bloody monsters bothering us, we could let everyone live satisfactory lives. Earth’s civilization could shine at its brightest.
“After Dragon City transmigrated to the Other World, we found ourselves alone. We faced the threat of viruses, zombies, and monsters, and we lost most of our living space and resources. That’s why the normal people live such difficult lives. This is caused by monsters, not the powerful. And it’s not a problem of our civilization, do you understand?
“Besides, we’re at a war. To motivate the powerful to kill, they were given the optimized allocation of resources, so the situation where the powerful get more resources occurred. This is something that cannot be avoided during war. We can’t ask for absolutely fair treatment between a general and a soldier, right? How can we win a war if that were the case?
“I’m the same as you are. I can’t stand some of the chaos in the current Dragon City. That’s why we’re fighting so hard to defeat the monsters and to conquer the Other World. We wish to turn the Other World into a second Earth.
“I believe that when the flames of Earth’s civilization light up in every corner of the Other World, all the problems will be solved, and the lives of the normal people will become better. Dragon City will become more prosperous, powerful, and fair. In the end, we will rebuild our past glory and bring back the beauty of our civilization. We won’t be divided into Demonic Halberd Pigs and Crystalline NIne-headed Dragons again. All of us will just be Earthlings!”
Meng Chao’s fervent words left Lin Chuan silent for a long time.
“Alright, you might be right. I might have gone off track with my thoughts.” Lin Chuan rubbed his face hard and exhaled heavily before he said, “Perhaps it’s because I have been staying in the depths of the wild for too long that I’ve gotten too tense. That’s why it’s easy for me to overthink things.
“After your lecture, I feel much better. Thank you, Meng Chao.”