Chapter 232: Divine Candidate
Chapter 232: Divine Candidate
“What happened?”
After seeing Mr. Su take the call, Maritime Nation’s first Old Captain asked with a smile.
“It’s nothing, just a minor dispute.”
Mr. Su sat back down and explained with a smile: “Let’s continue.”
The people in the conference room felt a slight unease hearing this.
They knew clearly that for a call to be specifically routed here during Mr. Su’s reception of Maritime Nation’s expert team – and one that still insisted Mr. Su take it personally after his secretary answered – it certainly couldn’t be something trivial.
But Mr. Su didn’t show any signs of anxiety, indicating he still considered hosting the expert team most important.
…
“From Elder Ye’s meaning earlier, it seems you place significant importance on the cooperation between Maritime Nation and The Alliance?”
Mr. Su asked with a smile, picking up the thread of the previous conversation and redirecting everyone’s attention.
Maritime Nation’s first Old Captain gave a slight nod at Mr. Su’s question and continued: “Just as the suicide note left by that genius scholar who jumped from the roof of the Alliance Research Institute stated, the emergence of Mental Aberrants will inevitably bring unimaginable impact to our familiar social structures and civilized order. We must prepare ourselves to welcome the arrival of the deity.”
“Although, like most people, I don’t much like this potential deity.”
He chuckled at this point: “But I am also acutely aware that their standing must be beyond our comprehension.”
Mr. Su listened and nodded gently.
What the Old Captain said was essentially a shared understanding.
Currently, most Highwall Cities and organizations had not widely disclosed matters related to Spiritual Mutation to avoid widespread panic.
But as those in governance, everyone was keenly aware of the nature of the changes they now faced.
From these changes, it wasn’t hard to predict what kind of impact the future held.
…
“Compared to those lunatics who wish to become gods, all we ordinary people can do is unite.”
The Old Captain stated his viewpoint: “And this unity must be intimate, founded on mutual trust; not like the current situation – cities and factions entrenched in their camps, eyeing each other warily, harboring preconceptions. Each desperately conceals its own discoveries while vigorously digging for others’ secrets. Superficially preaching peace, while privately battling each other bloody over different populations, mineral resources, and training solutions.”
“…”
His words mercilessly exposed the harsh reality of relations between the various powers, making many feel distinctly uncomfortable at that moment.
Just then, Professor Bai smiled beside him: “Elder Ye speaks sense.”
“However, regarding cooperation, there’s no need to be so pessimistic. Many now recognize the importance of collaboration. Just three months ago, the third academic exchange conference convened by The Alliance shared a great deal of crucial information, deepening everyone’s understanding of Spiritual Mutations overall.”
“…”
“And because everyone’s understanding deepened simultaneously, they all rushed headlong into Second Stage research?”
The Old Captain gave a dry laugh: “In my view, this Alliance conference was less about fostering understanding and more about fueling competition. In my opinion, this order – basing the Alliance structure on individual city-states – is fundamentally flawed. It’s merely a temporary buffer after the Crimson Moon incident, awaiting the reconstruction of civilization; its disadvantages far outweigh its advantages.”
“What we need now is to become one entity again.”
“Only then can we most effectively pool the strength of us all and unleash our full potential.”
“…”
“Hah…”
The Old Captain’s words caused ripples of surprise among many in the conference room.
They seemed not to have expected the Old Captain to articulate these views so frankly.
Even more surprising was the ambition Maritime Nation seemed to harbor?
Mr. Su turned slightly to gaze out of the conference room window. By now, evening was approaching. As there were almost no buildings around, the entire Eastern Sea Grand Hotel was incredibly quiet, seemingly devoid of even the sound of birds.
He turned his smile back to the Old Captain: “Elder Ye seems to have significant feelings on this matter.”
The Old Captain chuckled hoarsely, produced a small black pouch and an old pipe, and held them up questioningly.
No one else smoked, and they frowned subtly at the sight of his IV tubes.
The Old Captain didn’t stand on ceremony. He stuffed tobacco into the pipe’s bowl, lit it slowly, and exhaled a pungent plume of smoke.
Then he sighed quietly: “Feelings? Of course. More and more people are experiencing mental problems; more and more are gaining those nonsensical abilities. Damn it all, they’re all Monsters now. How terrifying they are – do I really need to spell it out?”
“This old man, I used to have grand ambitions, refused to bow to age. When the moon first turned crimson, Maniacs were everywhere. I wouldn’t accept it, stubbornly led a few hundred people out to sea. We endured the worst hardships – times when we had only a single sip of water over three days – but we survived. And today? Those few hundred have become hundreds of thousands. Isn’t that something worth boasting about?”
“Later, once things stabilized, I returned many times, leading people to hunt down those Maniacs running wild across the land. Frankly, the fact that the Maniacs have grown fewer and fewer, even disappearing on these lands… however you look at it, I have a share of the credit…”
“But now what…”
He suddenly coughed violently several times, then sighed low: “I, I’ve been a hero all my life. Never backed down from a fight.”
“But after seeing those Ability Users? I feel powerless.”
“Take just one thing: my entire later life was spent dealing with guns; held a rifle more often than I held a woman. Fired hundreds of thousands of rounds to cultivate fine marksmanship…”
“Yet those Maniacs? They pick up a gun and instantly shoot better than me.”
“I’ve weathered countless storms, faced untold dangers my whole life. To put it bluntly, those callow youths, just one glare from me could scare them witless.”
“But what about those Ability Users…”
He said, his parched lips trembling slightly: “With just a glance, they could make a person commit suicide…”
…
No one interrupted him; they all felt some emotion in their hearts.
This Old Captain no longer seemed like a mature leader, but rather an old man who refused to accept his age.
Of course, many leaders these days had originally been ordinary people.
“And what I’ve mentioned refers only to the ordinary Ability Users…”
The Old Captain said while sighing deeply: “Moreover, there are those supposedly more formidable S-Class ones…”
“I heard they all have the ability to easily destroy an entire city!”
By the time he said it, the emotion on his face had turned into pronounced fear.
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Professor Bai smiled and said: “I think Elder Ye doesn’t need to be so pessimistic.”
“Ability Users are indeed powerful, but they are also part of our group. We don’t have to see them all as enemies; this is merely a change brought by the Crimson Moon that we need to adapt to and get used to. Including the S-Class Ability Users you mentioned—perhaps they truly are the candidates of God referred to in the will of that Prodigy Researcher, but it doesn’t mean there’s no room for negotiation.”
After a slight pause, his expression turned serious: “I believe we shouldn’t be blindly afraid or pessimistic right now.”
“What we ought to do is understand them, accept them, and guide them.”
…
The words spoken by Professor Bai made everyone in the Conference Room feel it was perfectly normal.
This had always been Qinggang’s approach to Ability Users.
But the Old Captain instantly fixed his gaze on Professor Bai’s face upon hearing his words.
“This is your problem!”
His voice became somewhat harsh, his tone sharp, and he spoke earnestly: “You always have too much confidence, thinking you can control these people, even manipulate them. But you have no idea how dangerous it is to rely on them once they lose control…”
“I know that right now, all the Highwall Cities are recruiting Ability Users, even analyzing their powers through some experiments.”
He lifted his head, a deep expression appearing on his face darkened red by the sea breeze:
“Do you understand how I see this kind of situation?”
Pausing for a moment, he then said bitterly: “The Red Moon appeared in the sky, destroying the old order and civilization.”
“For us, who are busy adapting to this world and figuring out how to survive, the emergence of Ability Users is like a bunch of kids making mud pies by peeing—kids at an age where they should be spitting at each other and pulling hair—but suddenly, someone placed crates of weapons in front of us. So, kids who had no clue how precious Life is or how powerful bullets could be ended up holding guns.”
“Then, when you’re surrounded by such reckless children, how do you protect yourself?”
…
When he asked this, his expression was extremely grave, and he looked intently at Mr. Su and Professor Bai before him.
Many people felt their hearts sink slightly at that moment, giving rise to a bad premonition.
Outside the window, the night seemed to deepen.
“Zizi…”
The incandescent light overhead flickered a few times, then stabilized, casting a pale light.
Professor Bai only furrowed his brow slightly and stayed silent.
Mr. Su returned the Old Captain’s look and said: “In that fax a month ago, Elder Ye mentioned…”
“You’ve come this time to share experiences about S-Class Ability Users with us?”
“Then I wonder you…”
…
“I have already brought him over.”
Facing Mr. Su’s gaze, the Old Captain gave a calm laugh.
Then, his eyes turned toward the young man in the red cloak behind him.
“Shua shua shua…”
As he looked over, the entire Conference Room suddenly erupted in tense rustling.