Chapter 1458 Killing the Donkey
Meng Chao was silent for a long time.
“So, in the end, everything you do is for money?”
He narrowed his eyes and enunciated each word.
“Is ‘money’ not enough of a reason?”
Shen Yulin said, “From Earth to the Other World, from when humans just learned to use flames to bake spear tips to when several-hundred-ton rockets flew into the blue sky, humans have launched thousands of wars. Which war doesn’t have money as the ultimate
goal?
“However, you are partially right. This time, we are not only after money.
“What we want from this war is not just money but also dignity. It is dignity that should belong to us, dignity that belongs to all of us superhumans!”
“The… dignity of all superhumans?” Meng Chao looked at Shen Yulin in confusion.
“Don’t you realize that one year after the end of the Monster War, the atmosphere in Dragon City has become increasingly strange, and the way many ordinary people look at us superhumans has become more and more subtle?” Shen Yulin said coldly.
“When the ferocious monsters were still running rampant in Dragon City and threatening the lives of ordinary people, those ordinary people treated us superhumans as heroes, saviors, and omnipotent guardians.
“With tears in their eyes, they begged us to save their lives.
“They put all kinds of high hats on us, such as ‘the sabers of Dragon City civilization’, ‘the hope of human evolution,’ and ‘superheroes,’ forcing us to rush into the monsters’ bloody mouths and sharp claws and fight to the death.
“Forget it. As the leaders of the Dragon City civilization, we have the responsibility and right to protect our homeland.
“After countless superhumans came one after another, bleeding and sacrificing themselves, and suffering from spirit energy deviation, we finally suppressed and eliminated the monsters. They no longer pose a threat to ordinary people. Yet, go and look at the faces of those ordinary people again.
“Someone has thrown out the Equal Rights Act. They believe that superhumans, with their extraordinary power, have gained too many advantages in all walks of life, resulting in the rights of ordinary people being damaged. This involves unfair competition, hence we should think of ways to compensate ordinary people.
“Someone has proposed that we should levy higher taxes on superhumans. They want to throw all the hard-earned money that we’ve earned with our heads pinned to our belts from fighting against the monsters into the hands of strangers we don’t know.
“Some people suggest that we should further expand the proportion of senior management positions for ordinary people in various companies, organizations, and societies. They even suggest that we allocate our seats on the Survival Committee according to the proportion of superhuman to ordinary citizens. In other words, based on these people’s delusions, the number of superhuman seats in the Survival Committee should not exceed 10%!
“There are also suggestions that the daily training of superhumans individuals should be fully monitored, that a training account should be established, that daily payments should be made, and that it should be made public to all citizens. All details, including, but not limited to our current level, all the skills that we have, how many crystals have been consumed in order for us to cultivate, where the crystals were purchased from, and the cost of purchasing crystals should be shared. What is the ratio?
“According to their arguments, crystals are a strategic resource shared by all the citizens of Dragon City. Since superhuman individuals need crystals to cultivate and become stronger, they have the obligation to expose their entire cultivation process to the public and accept public scrutiny and inquiry. If too many crystals are consumed during their cultivation, or if the source of a particular crystal is own, the superhuman individual will have to pay the legal price.
“Furthermore, the hands and feet of superhumans are all weapons of mass destruction. Since the war has ended, how we firmly restrict such weapons of mass destruction in peacetime is a question that every superhuman must seriously consider. “There are even people who suggest that so-called ‘setting up accounts and settling accounts’ not only needs to be carried out immediately, but it also has to be traced back to the past twenty to thirty years, which includes the period of the Monster War. “I need to find out if anyone is taking advantage of the war and plundering resources wantonly. They are secretly using the strategic resources that should belong to all citizens without going through the Supernatural Tower’s normal application and procurement procedures!
“Heh heh, this is truly ridiculous.
“With the restoration of order in Dragon City, all industries need to be more open and transparent. This is something that everyone can understand.
“But cultivation has its own uniqueness. Who can say for sure how many crystals can be absorbed to advance to a higher realm?
“Moreover, many cultivation methods and combat skills are the greatest wealth and secrets of a superhuman. How can they be easily disclosed to the public?
“As for the usage of cultivation resources during the Monster War, it is even more confusing.
“Yes, in theory, all the crystal ore veins discovered by the superhumans and all the monster materials they hunted have to be submitted to the Supernatural Tower for registration. Then, the Supernatural Tower will exchange points, auction them publicly and distribute them uniformly. Cultivation resources that are not registered can’t be used privately.
“The problem is that the battle situation is constantly changing. Everyone is fighting monsters in the depths of the wilderness. They are covered in wounds and exhausted. At that moment, if they discover a supreme-grade crystal or cut off a piece of ferocious beast’s flesh, can’t they swallow it and save their own lives? Is such behavior called ‘stuffing one’s own pockets? “There are no fish in the clear water. Superhuman individuals are human beings, too. They have their own desires, interests, and standpoints. If they are nitpicking over such a trivial matter, who is willing to step on the edge of the blade and rush to the frontline of the bloody battle?
“Right. There is also the latest news that I have just received. Someone is going to propose a National Training Law in the Survival Committee. It will provide free training resources to all the children of the right age in the city without discrimination. It will be provided for at least nine years in advance to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to cultivate and awaken before they reach adulthood.
“Of course, I can’t say that there’s anything wrong with the bill in theory.
“The problem is that cultivation resources are limited in reality. Where can we get so many cultivation resources to supply the millions of young people in the city, for them to squander? “Needless to say, once the bill is passed successfully, it will definitely take advantage of us, the high-level superhumans, and the nine corporations!
“And our right to speak will be further compressed to the extreme!
“Do you know that there is even a bizarre fallacy that is spreading in Dragon City right now, saying that supernatural powers and modern civilization are incompatible things. Everything in modern civilization is built on the basis of equality for everyone, and the individual differences caused by supernatural powers are getting bigger and bigger. It will only destroy the foundation of modern civilization, and eventually, our civilization will completely collapse. In this sense, there is not much difference between superhumans and monsters. Superhumans are monsters, monsters in human skin!
“Ha, it’s truly marvelous. If I were the king of monsters, I would clap my hands and cheer loudly when I heard this ridiculous theory!”
“So to ordinary people, superhumans are monsters in human skin? “Such a wonderful conclusion. Why did no one dare to bring it up when we superhumans were required to fight the monsters to the death during the Monster War?”
Perhaps it was part of the performance at the beginning
Nevertheless, Shen Yulin did reveal his true feelings in the end, and he was extremely resentful.
Meng Chao’s hair stood on end when he heard about it.
He did not expect the internal problems in Dragon City to be more serious than he had imagined.
Indeed, in a world with extraordinary powers, the differences between individuals were constantly expanding. Where would human civilization go? That was a question that everyone had to seriously think about.
“There’s nothing new under the sun. In fact, our old ancestors already summed up what would happen to us a long time ago. It’s nothing more than getting rid of somebody once he had served his purpose.”
Shen Yulin continued, “In the past, the threat of monsters was like the sword of Damocles, hanging high above everyone’s head at all times. At that time, when ordinary people needed superhumans, they naturally spoke well of us and listened to us. They didn’t care at all about how much resources we consumed.
“Now, since the monsters have been completely suppressed, superhumans have become useless to ordinary people. Naturally, the more they see us, the more they dislike us.
“It’s just like how the ancient emperors massacred their meritorious officials after establishing a brand new dynasty. Perhaps humans are such animals. They can only share hardships and not wealth.
“Fortunately, unlike the ancient meritorious officials, we superhumans have absolute martial strength. It’s impossible for us to be abandoned like a ‘bridge torn down after people have crossed the river or a donkey killed after the grinding is done.’ Those fellows who dislike us the more they see us can only incite public opinion, kidnap morality, hide in a dark corner, and shoot cold arrows at us.”
Meng Chao took a deep breath and said, “I’ve heard about these strange rumors, but I believe that the vast majority of ordinary citizens still trust and support the superhumans. It’s not as serious as you say, is it?”
“Of course. The vast majority of ordinary citizens are still reasonable and grateful, especially those small and medium-sized investors who are willing to fork out real money to support us in the financial market. Obviously, we have to defend their interests to the death.”
Shen Yulin said, “The problem is that many ambitious people are now using ordinary people to attack our nine corporations in order to fight for power and profit. As a member of the Lu family, you should know this better than me, right?” “This…”
Meng Chao was stunned for a moment.
“Isn’t Lu Siya, the traitor of the Lu family, the most typical example?”
Shen Yulin snorted coldly. “She was born in one of the nine corporations, but she betrayed the Lu family and the Sky Pillar Corporation and became the chief executive officer of Superstar Company. With the declaration of ‘inheriting Meng Chao’s will and fighting for the ordinary people forever,’ she fooled a lot of ordinary people and took the opportunity to help Superstar Company advance rapidly and expand continuously. It has become the tenth largest corporation in Dragon City after the nine corporations and is likely to surpass the rest!
“Hmph. What’s ‘fighting for ordinary people’? As a member of the Lu family, you should know this woman’s background better than anyone else. She is just using ordinary people to stir up trouble and fish in troubled waters to realize her ambitions!”