Gao Ye was being quite the alarmist, and it sounded like he was trying to terrify Meng Chao.
The only thing missing was him sticking his face to Meng Chao’s nose and saying, “You didn’t think about that, did you?”
Meng Chao remained calm and indifferent.
Gao Ye felt a little disappointed, but he could only continue talking based on his thoughts. “We believe that after decades of the colonization war, Dragon City will definitely split into two groups that are as different as heaven and earth.
“On the first level, you will have superhumans. They will be much stronger than the current superhumans in terms of power and authority.
“They will be in control of power that can destroy the world and will have mega corporations that are much larger than the current ones. Once they conquer multiple tribes and countries of the Other World’s locals, they might even turn into Gods for those people.
“At that time, those high-and-mighty superhumans will be free to use drones, thinking machines, and biochemical beasts to create an army loyal just to themselves and which could be considered as an extension of their limbs.
“If they want to have slaves or cannon fodder, they will not even need to ask for help from Dragon City. They could just use the locals to carry out their will.
“Such superhumans will no longer be kept in place by Dragon City and will not need to be accountable before the normal citizens. They will be free to do whatever they want and go after their dreams of becoming stronger or getting more benefits for their mega corporations.
“If, at that time, they will still be willing to maintain the existence of the Survival Committee and defending the honor of Dragon City, it’ll be entirely because the Survival Committee and Dragon City will have turned into their tool which can get them more resources. On their path to evolving from humans into superhumans, the Survival Committee and Dragon City will provide them with best fuel.
“On the second level, you will have normal humans.
“I believe that in the future, the normal people in Dragon City will not be as bad as the normal citizens of the empires that rose to power on Earth in terms of material wealth and basic safety.
“Since the superhumans will have all resources and there will no longer be any need for them to squeeze out more resources from their past comrades.
“But the superhumans will also have no drive to pour their resources onto their comrades so that they could cultivate and become stronger than themselves.
“This has nothing to do with morality. It’s just a very simple mathematical problem.
“When the same resources are used on them, it will make them stronger and help them break their limits. They will learn brand new divine arts because of that. But when it’s used on their comrades, they will just cultivate third-class fighters who are slightly stronger than cannon fodder. So why would they do something so unnecessary?
“In the end, even if Dragon City’s civilization really manages to conquer all of the Other World, the normal people’s lives might not be any better than now. In fact, it’s highly likely that they will just live their previous lives. They will sleep in cramped spaces that are like hornets’ nests. Every day, they will eat synthesized food made of earthworm meat and monster haslets to fill their stomachs. They won’t win against superhumans in terms of intellect, and when it comes to the costs of hiring, they won’t win against the drones or the locals turned slaves.
“They won’t be able to climb up nor go down. They won’t have any work and will have to rely on the superhumans to give them alms and care for their well-being. The mental gloom will then be vented on online entertainment that can stimulate their senses, and as time goes by, they will become the entire civilization’s burden, parasites, and trash.
“Meng Chao, this is Dragon City’s future. Don’t you think that this is terrifying?”
“Urk…” Meng Chao blinked and thought, ‘Something as good as that will happen?’
Even though Gao Ye’s deductions were logical and the idea that most normal people will turn into burdens and parasites was very terrifying, Meng Chao had seen an even more terrifying future.
Compared to the future where Dragon City was reduced to dust, the “bad future” Gao Ye described was practically heaven.
Meng Chao scratched his head. He was gradually coming to understand Gao Ye’s worries.
He and his companions were afraid that the superhumans would become too egotistical once they conquered all of the Other World and change.
But those were just unwarranted worries.
Or rather, they were too optimistic.
In truth, Dragon City would not conquer the Other World.
Regardless of whether it was the normal people or the superhumans, when faced with the rampage of the extraordinary beings in the Other World, they could only work together and struggle together. And in the end, die together.
“Now, you should know who ‘we’ are.” Gao Ye did not know the countless thoughts that flashed through Meng Chao’s mind. He thought that Meng Chao was intimidated by his words, so he raised his head and said faintly, “We’re people who don’t want that future to come true. We wish to limit the strength of superhumans so that the superhumans and normal people will reach a balance.”
“Wait,” Meng Chao said, “Director Gao, you’re a superhuman as well.”
“That’s right. I’m a superhuman, and you’re a superhuman too.” Gao Ye sighed long and hard. “But before we became superhumans, we were humans. And even after we became superhumans, we have no intention to betray the interests of human civilization, right?
“If the bad future I described just now comes true and the 1% of superhumans become strong enough that they surpass the limits and the definition of humans, they will break free of Dragon City, Earth, and human civilization to exist on their own. The 99% of the population will then become weaker and will lose the spirit and ability to fight for their civilization.
“In the end, they turn into burdens and parasites. Do you think that this was the original goal for colonizing the Other World? Will these two levels of people be able to defend the interests of human civilization?”
Meng Chao thought about it and said, “Director Gao, even if you and your organization are not burdening yourselves with unnecessary worries, isn’t it too early for you to think about this problem? This is just like a husband and wife buying a lottery ticket that they believe will win the grand prize of five hundred million but getting into an argument about the distribution of money. There’s no need for that, right?”
“No. There’s absolutely a need for it. If we don’t think and act now, it’ll be too late,” Gao Ye said seriously. “The superhumans are getting stronger day by day, and the distance between them and normal humans is getting larger every day as well.
“Now, if the normal people work together, they can still keep the superhumans in check. But when the superhumans reach power equivalent to that of gods and demons, how will the normal people be able to fight for fairness?”
“Don’t you think that you’re thinking of the superhumans in too deplorable a fashion?” Meng Chao frowned. “No matter how strong the superhumans are, they were once normal people. Many of the superhumans still sincerely want to protect the interests of humanity, and that includes the interests of normal people. The Supernatural Tower and the Survival Committee also mention unity more than anything else. The stronger a person is, the greater their responsibility is.
“Over the past few years, the Supernatural Tower has mentioned two slogans. Didn’t you hear them? ‘The blood of the strong flows for the weak! ‘ and ‘Superhumans are the weapons of human civilization!’
“I believe that the superhumans who adhere to this spirit won’t lose control completely.”
“Of course I’ve heard the two slogans before, but don’t you think that they are very terrifying?” Gao Ye asked with a cold sneer. “‘The blood of the strong flows for the weak.’ On the surface, it increases morale, but it also influences our thoughts. We end up categorizing humans into the strong and the weak.
“It also emphasizes the duty of the strong. But you must understand, duty and power are reciprocal. When the strong spill their blood for the weak, they have to enjoy more resources compared to the weak. In fact, it’s only natural for them to be able to ask for payment from the weak.
“At the same time, this slogan encourages laziness among the weak. It makes the weak think that it’s the duty of the strong to spill their blood and sacrifice for them. Meanwhile, all they need to do is hide under the wings of the strong.
“‘Superhumans are the weapons of human civilization’ runs on the same theory. It might sound like a heroic slogan, but in truth, it gives the authority of brute force to superhumans. Whoever has the weapons in hand can control everything. If there comes a day when the weapon changes its direction and points at a different target, what are the weak supposed to do?
“Of course, I believe that the Supernatural Tower had no ill will when they promoted these two slogans. Most of the superhumans in the current era are also sincerely carrying out the spirit of the two slogans and are fighting for human civilization. They are even sacrificing their lives for them.
“But humans change.
“Even if the superhumans of this generation don’t change, their descendants, the superhumans of the next generation, and the superhumans of the generation after that will change.
“You mentioned just now that no matter how strong a superhuman is, they were born of normal people. Right now, this might be the case, but in fifty years or one hundred years, when the father, mother, grandfathers, grandmothers, great-grandfathers, and great-grandmothers will all be superhumans, why should they think that they came from normal people and have the duty to fight for normal people?
“At that time, I’m afraid that ‘the blood of the strong flows for the weak!’ and ‘Superhumans are the weapons of human civilization!’ will be given a brand new meaning. The slogans will turn into poison covered in honey.
“In other words, the 99% of our population cannot place all their hopes on moral code and slogans of the 1%. Otherwise, the future of our civilization will definitely be bleak and full of bloodshed.
“The weak shouldn’t hope that the strong will shed their blood for them without reason and limitations. The weapon of human civilization should be every human. As long as normal people and superhumans reach a balance in strength, our civilization will have a future. It’s only then that we will be able to gain true victory in the colonization war.”
“Director Gao, you convinced me,” Meng Chao scratched his head and said, “But I still don’t understand it. What… does the balance between normal people and superhumans have to do with the matter that happened at Spirit Creation Creatures? Right now, the normal people in Dragon City can also awaken to supernatural powers through cultivation to keep the high-grade superhumans and their mega corporations in check!”
“Sure they can. But how many of them do? And is it a rising trend?” Gao Ye asked. “As the resources become more centralized on the high-grade superhumans and mega corporations and the entire cultivation system is made more complicated and more advanced, there will be more divine arts that must be trained since young for people to have any chance of mastering them.
“The resources required to cultivate will also become higher, and normal people’s hopes of becoming superhumans will become less likely to come to fruition. The promotion channel in Dragon City will also become shorter. The idea of a poor child turning into a powerful fighter will gradually become something akin to a miracle.
“Even if normal people will want to rely on cultivation to turn their lives around, it will become an impossible task. How will then they be able to keep the matchless elites and mega corporations in check?
“Lucky children like you, who have extraordinary talent and receive all sorts of blessings, will also become rare existences. To most normal people, the path to become a superhuman via normal means will be blocked.
“So, I developed a piece of technology…”