Meng Chao felt as if he was speaking to the wrong audience.
Even so, he did not give up and continued. “Don’t you think that there is a certain unfairness in the current Dragon City? Perhaps Big Brother Lin just wants to change—”
“The human world has been unfair since ancient times,” Qin Hu interrupted him coldly. “The world being unfair is the correct way to go. It’s only when it’s unfair that it can motivate people to continue climbing up. It’s only when you want to be above others that you will flaunt your power and work hard. On the other hand, absolute fairness would just lead to stagnation.”
Meng Chao frowned and said, “Absolute fairness is impossible, but the current Dragon City is steadily heading into another extreme. The distance between the rich and the poor and the divide between the strong and the weak is getting more prominent. Normal people keep getting less and less resources.”
“Duh. We’re at war. Normal citizens are lucky to be able to live. Look through the history books and see what sort of lives normal people led when war broke out on Earth!”
Qin Hu pursed his lips. “What’s the point of normal people getting resources? Let’s say we killed a Hell Beast and got its blood, but it’s highly radioactive. Are we supposed to let normal people bath in it? That’s a huge waste of blood and resources. Everyone would just die!
“High-grade cultivation resources should be given to Heaven Realm fighters or those at the peak of Earth Realm and just a step away from kicking down the wall blocking them from Heaven Realm, like me! Is that a problem?
“If you’re a normal person, you should get the fact that you’re nothing beaten into your head as soon as possible and get rid of those unrealistic dreams. Just wait obediently for the strong to save you. Why are you still wondering about these things?!”
“Mr. Hu, I think that your words are filled with disdain for normal people,” Meng Chao could not help but say. “I remember that you were a normal person once and that your family didn’t have any power. Why aren’t you thinking from the point of a normal person?”
“You just said that I ‘originally’ didn’t have any power!” Qin Hu’s moustache quivered, and he glared at Meng Chao. “When I was a normal person, I naturally thought like a normal person, but now, I’m strong, so I naturally look at the world from the point of view of someone powerful. This is what is meant by status determining your mindset. Is my mindset not supposed to be determined by my status but your status or some other poor bastard’s status?
“In any case, I can’t be bothered talking about all these useless theories with you. You and Lin Chuan can go chase after that friggin”fairness’, but it has nothing to do with me. I only care about my family and whether they can enjoy an eternity of wealth and riches.
“If you want ‘fairness’, go and fight for it. But I have one rule: don’t stretch your grubby hands into my pockets. If anyone wants to take even a single penny from my pocket, don’t blame me for cutting off your grubby hands, cutting you into pieces, and throwing you into the mouths of the monsters in the wild!”
Meng Chao was stunned for a long time. “But you just said that your dream is to become a superhero and save—”
“Stop, you misunderstood me.” Qin Hu said in a righteous fashion. “I only said that I want to become a superhero. I didn’t say I want to save anyone or anything.
“The reason I want to be a superhero is to enjoy the benefits a superhero gets. It’s not to take up the responsibility of a superhero. The only things worthy of me sacrificing everything to save are my wife and son. As for the millions of Dragon Citizens? They can die for all I care!”
Meng Chao was silent for a long time before he suddenly buried his head in a crack and exhaled gloomily. He mumbled, “This shouldn’t be happening. Things shouldn’t progress this way. How can I work together with this sort of person and fight against my idol?”
“What did you say, brat?” Qin Hu narrowed his eyes.
“I said that we’re facing a great enemy, and humans shouldn’t be fighting against each other. Even if we do, we shouldn’t be killing each other like this,” Meng Chao said gloomily.
“Then how should we kill each other?” Qin Hu asked curiously.
“The killing methods and targets I can accept?” Meng Chao thought about it and said, “Let’s put it this way. The idol I respect the most is Big Brother Lin, someone who has noble sentiments and great ambitions. I would work together with him to explore an underground mine with him for the interests of Dragon Citizens.
“We coincidentally ran into an opposing mine exploration team. My enemy is in the enemy camp, and he’s Qin Hu, an antagonist who takes revenge for the pettiest reasons, is selfish, and unreasonable.
“This Qin Hu intentionally instigated both mine exploration teams to fight against each other to the death to kill me and get the right to mine the Red Radiance Jade mine first.
“Then, he’d seize the chance to run into the depths of the Red Radiance Jade mine and use the ultra-powerful radiation from the crystals and increase in strength given to him by Blood Flowers to turn into a major boss who is mutated, deformed, and ugly, but really powerful.
“Of course, since ancient times, evil has never won against good. Even if he planned out everything, I would work together with my idol to crush this antagonist’s wild ambitions, and in the end, he would fall into the bottomless abyss and die without a grave.
“Big Brother Lin and I would get lucky and our cultivation base would increase by leaps and bounds, and our relationship would deepen. Then, we would smile at each other and hold hands as we walk toward a brighter future.
“Damn it, things are supposed to progress this way. Why is it that somehow, for some reason, I ended up working together with you to fight against my idol?”
“…” Qin Hu gave him a look. “Then you should hurry up and work together with your Big Brother Lin and his noble ambitions in case you fall into the endless abyss and die without a grave. This Mr. Hu who takes revenge for the pettiest reasons is going to leave first. Saving my own life is more important, you know?”
“Don’t, I was just joking! Mr. Hu, you can’t leave. This event concerns the success and failure of the northern offense and the safety of Dragon City. If you want your wife and son to have glorious and wealthy lives in Dragon City for decades and the Qin family to exist for centuries, you have to become the hero here!”
While they spoke, they continued climbing up, and soon, they reached a spot near the edge of the cliff.
The air there was really thin and hot.
They felt like two roasted ducks stuck to the wall of an oven.
Stones kept falling down from above them. The surges from spirit energy ripples were really strong, and they could even hear people cackling like malicious ghosts.
Meng Chao and Qin Hu looked at each other and motioned at the same time to keep quiet. They found two rather thick cracks and stretched one arm and leg into them to fix themselves in place so that they could grab the items they needed with their other arm.
They were half a meter away from the top.
They were hidden by a perpendicular wall with a right angle, so they were not worried about being discovered by the people above.
The chain explosions and surges from spirit flames completely burned off the subsurface plasma on the cliff. Aside from smoke covering the area, visibility on the cliff was not too bad.
Meng Chao sucked in a deep breath and twisted the flexible periscope until it was at a suitable angle and extended it inch by inch along the crack.
Li Xin was a solo gunslinger at Heaven Realm. He often served as his own scout, and the equipment he brought was the best that could be bought.
Meng Chao saw the ground littered with skeletons and shattered stones, along with a lot of burning mine exploration as well as survival equipment.
Only a handful of severely injured people were still squirming around with great difficulty.
The oxygen had been almost completely burned through. The spirit energy magnetic field interference was getting stronger as well, so because of the severity of their wounds, they could not be saved.
Meng Chao sighed and quietly handed over the periscope.
Qin Hu took a few glances, and his eyes became a little red-rimmed.
“They’re all dead. All the Frenzied Saber members died, and even my captain is dead.”
He rubbed his face, then rubbed it again. Then, in the softest voice, he said slowly and clearly, “That old bastard lost to me in a contest to kill monsters, and he owes me a meal!”
Suddenly, both of them sensed an incredibly strong spirit flame.
A demonic cackle rose, and it was growing fiercer.
Someone rose into the air and levitated there.
‘A Heaven Realm fighter is still alive!’
Their hearts froze, and they quickly pushed themselves further into the crack. Then, they pulled the flexible periscope back by two inches so that they could adjust the angle.
With the help of the periscope, they saw the person levitating in the air. It was Shen Yulong of Universe Corporation.
He was badly battered and covered in blood. The skin tight armor made of superbeast cartilage and nano fighting suit hung on his body in shreds. With his hideous face and fierce laugh, he looked less like a human and more like a ghost.
The spirit flames that burned around him controlled dozens of flying blades that spun around like drones. They drew flowing rays that were dazzling and dangerous.
He held a person, who was badly injured. His hands hung limp by his side, and he looked like a lamb waiting for slaughter.
‘Big Brother Lin?’
Meng Chao’s heart raced. Could it be that he had thought wrong of his idol and that he did not actually set up any scheme? Did Shen Yulong cause everything because he was blinded by his personal interests?
‘That’s right. If Lin Chuan set this up, he should be the one who benefits from this the most and use the Red Radiance Jade mine to become rich overnight. He could even become a matchless elite.
‘So why don’t I remember anything about Lin Chuan from my previous life? He must have died here underground!’
He was about to jump out to save Lin Chuan, but Qin Hu grabbed him and yanked him back.
“Don’t be hasty.”
Qin Hu narrowed his eyes. He appeared to be calm, but the veins on his forehead were throbbing madly.
While holding back his rage, he whispered, “If someone in Heaven Realm wants to kill someone, you won’t be able to save them in time, and if he doesn’t want to kill, there’s no need for you to take the initiative to expose yourself.”
Meng Chao was slightly stunned, but he realized that his emotions had taken control of his thoughts for a moment.
He quickly used Walking Corpse to control his breathing and heartbeat. At the same time, his mind, which had almost been overcome by rage, calmed down.
Fortunately, Shen Yulong’s attention was fixed on the person, who had lost to him, and he did not notice the two people’s existences.
“Lin Chuan, you stinking dog, you never thought that you would end up like this, right?” Shen Yulong laughed madly in the air. “While we were in school, you were really cool, handsome, and powerful, even though you’re just a dog. You were better than me in everything, and you’re the reason behind why Lu Siya always laughed at me.
“Once we began working in society, you rose to Heaven Realm the fastest among us, so we were unable to lift our heads in our families. We were always scolded by our seniors, and they wondered why we can’t compete with a poor brat like you despite having so many cultivation resources.
“But I’m telling you, cultivation is not a 100 meter dash. It’s a marathon. We depend on the power we accumulated over the years and the accumulation of strength passed down through generations in our families!
“Do you think that you can jump to the top and climb up the social ladder just because you’re talented, lucky, and managed to ride Lu Siya’s coattails while eating that wench’s scraps? Did you think that you could be successful after you became an internet celebrity by relying on the resources of the Lu family?
“Hahahaha, what a joke! A dog will always be a dog. No matter how famous you are, to the people who are destined to control Dragon City, you’re just a slightly prettier dog. You can never become a human!”