Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1304
"Now, Lord Wuying Lan has a lot of superstar-level streamers under his banner. They are all celebrities whose fame has spread across the entire Imperium and the most awesome role models for countless hominoids. Thousands of hominoid teenagers are trying their best to become the cool streamers. Their whole attention is focused here.
"With the streamers as their heroes, who will even care about the strikes or the armed rebels like in the past? They are long outdated!"
Even the old and cunning Xiahou Wuxin was utterly dumbfounded. With a long sigh, he said, "Your methods… are truly impressive."
"Lord Wuying Lan is certainly a genius. He is a man who can change the entire Imperium!" Wei Xiaotian said. "The Imperium did not administer the hominoids in such a way a long time ago. At that time ago, our methods were still simple, rough, rigid, and clumsy. The hominoids were even treated like slaves.
"But the truth proved that slavery was one of the lousiest systems with the lowest productivity. It could not exploit the maximum value of the hominoids.
"What is more useful than the thorny whips soaked in venom is the weakness of humanity? It is lust and money!"
"Money?" Xiahou Wuxin mumbled.
"Yes. In the Imperium right now, there are not many slaves in the traditional sense. Most of the hominoids are free people, including the miners who struggle to make a living deep inside the mines. The mining groups even offer them a decent salary. Glittering coins are the greatest stimulus to boost their enthusiasm in work.
"However, the thing about money is that it is just useless paper however much there is when it is not used for consumption. Or rather, it is even more useless than paper and nothing more than a few groundless numbers.
"The resources in the sea of stars are too precious. We certainly cannot allow the hominoids to buy enough assets. But if we refuse to sell any items to them, they will immediately discover the lie of the money and realize that the money in their account is absolutely worthless.
"At this moment, it was Lord Wuying Lan who came up with another genius idea, which was to add a 'tipping system' and a 'betting system' into the slaughter streams. The hominoid viewers are attracted to purchase all kinds of virtual gifts to tip the streamers with their real money. In such a way, additional money is consumed.
"With ten bucks, you can send a virtual flower to a certain streamer in the slaughter streams, and your name will appear in the system for 0.01 seconds.
"With five hundred bucks, you can buy a shining virtual saber and give it to the streamer. Then, you will have the loud appreciation from the streamer, which will make you feel good in front of all your workmates in the mining area. It is also the only way for the bottom-level workers to receive other people's attention.
"If you are willing to save your money for a year and a half, with fifty thousand bucks, you will be able to ask a certain streamer to kill in the way that you designate. Your name will be left on the body, and the streamer will sing and declare that this guy has been killed for Brother A from Planet B. Tut, tut, tut. Think about it. A streamer in the Building Foundation Stage or even the Core Formation Stage calls you 'brother', and all that it costs is only fifty thousand bucks. What a great bargain it is!
"A lot of bottom-level workers are in the factories with the harshest environments on the most remote planets. They do not have many channels to spend their money, and they tend to have bad thoughts when too much money is saved in their accounts.
"When they are guided to consume the money by way of tipping, they can only stay in the factory dutifully after all their savings are drained in the virtual world. Some of the workers actually volunteer to work overtime for half a year without any rest in order to save enough money however exhausting it is, all for the single purpose of tipping a streamer so that their name will be displayed on the menu for half a second and the streamer will call them 'brother' and 'sister'.
"Some people even tip the streamers with high-interest loans, selling themselves and turning from free folk into slaves. Naturally, they have themselves to blame for their outcome. It is nobody else's fault.
"As for the betting system, it is the same logic. We often hold many kinds of death matches in the slaughter streams. Sometimes, it is the streamers' massacre of the sinners in the Land of Sins. Sometimes, it is the mutual brutalization among the streamers. Different ways of betting and odds have been set, too.
"It is true that some people grow rich overnight after a wild gamble. Their identity of a bottom-level worker is removed once and for all, and they can live the rest of their life comfortably. Naturally, the Imperium guarantees the legal rights of those people.
"But a hundred times more people lose the gambles and simply keep on gambling after they do. Mired in the swamp, they are unable to free themselves and end up large debts, turning into slaves of a different sense.
"Tipping and betting. Two approaches at the same time. This is how the world is operated right now.
"In the old slavery system, true human beings directly enslaved hominoids, which was too simple, crude, and ineffective. Now, true human beings enslave money, and money enslaves hominoids. Everything is voluntary. How perfect and harmonious!"
"You…" Xiahou Wuxin sighed in mixed feelings. "You truly have a profound understanding of humanity."
"Yes. Men are born evil. As long as you grasp the weakness of humanity, you can transform anyone into a real slave," Wei Xiaotian said genuinely. "In the past hundred years, there were indeed a lot of problems within the Imperium, which caused our external enemies to break in by taking advantage of the weaknesses. The Imperium was caught in a brief low tide.
"However, ever since Lord Wuying Lan promoted slaughter streams, the relationship between true human beings and hominoids has changed significantly. The Imperium is more united with a higher productivity. The contradictions in all areas have gradually calmed down. The comprehensive national power of the Imperium has taken an enormous leap ahead.
"Now, the enemies in all aspects have been crushed by us. Even our greatest nemesis is on their last breath. How could the generals and soldiers in the frontline have achieved everything by themselves? It's all thanks to Lord Wuying Lan's hard work!
"In the meantime, you sinners in the Land of Sins should be particularly proud of yourselves when you are lucky enough to be dedicated to our great cause and contribute to the everlasting prosperity of the Imperium as the fuel!
"How about it? Now that you have understood the great significance of the Land of Sins and the slaughter streams for the Imperium, you can finally die without regret, right?
Chapter 2035: Triple Changes! |
"Thank you, Master Wei, for letting this old dog know what the world I have been living in truly is." Xiahou Wuxin took a long breath in relief and smiled. "In the past, I always thought that the Land of Sins was a laboratory without exits, a transparent but enclosed cage that absolutely cannot be broken.
"But now that I look at it, not just the Land of Sins, even the Imperium of True Human Beings or the entire universe out there is still an enormous jail. Nothing more! Is there any difference between one who can escape and one who cannot?"
He sounded so frustrated that he truly seemed to have lost all his fighting will.
"It is not a jail but an army," Wei Xiaotian said casually. "Concentrating the flesh, soul, and will of all human beings, building them into an invincible and unconquerable army, charging in the infinite sea of stars, and reshaping the greatness and pride of the civilization of mankind—this is the significance of the Imperium's existence, and this is the value of your sacrifices!"
"The civilization of mankind…" Xiahou Wuxin chewed on the few words and smiled bitterly. Then he suddenly said in a low voice, "But in such a case, I am truly confused about something. Cough, cough. Cough, cough, cough!"
He lowered his voice and suddenly began to cough, attracting the attention of all the gray Exos including Wei Xiaotian.
At this moment, inside the sewer below their feet that was not very deep, Li Yao and the Fist King had micro-adjusted every component on their body. Every bearing and every chip had been set to the maximum state to ensure that the highest combat ability could be released.
Han Te and Liu Li found their target, too, which was an enormous warehouse two kilometers away from Xiahou Wuxin and the rest of them.
The elites of the 'Godly Fist Union' were confronting the main force of the defenders of Liberty City who were holding the warehouse.
Both parties were seasoned warriors personally trained by either the Fist King or Xiahou Wuxin. They were completely different from the mobsters that were temporarily drafted. Despite the collapse of order and the mayhem in the city, they still maintained some sort of discipline and combat ability under the control and command of their respective captains.
Both parties were trying to seize the seemingly large warehouse, which probably contained abundant assets, but they had recognized each other's toughness and did not burst into a fight immediately.
That was because countless mobsters and rogue warriors were wandering nearby and craning their heads stealthily, like ravenous hyenas that were waiting for the result of the battle of two lions. They were even sitting on the fence, ready to take advantage of both of them.
Naturally, they would not allow the few bandits to get things their way, but they were reluctant to leave so quickly. For a moment, they were caught in an impasse.
Shocking changes took place at the two places almost at the same time.
When Xiahou Wuxin just raised his last question, and when he was coughing so loudly that he could barely stand steadily and vomited tremendous blood, he staggered and could not help but fall toward Xin Xiaoqi.
At this moment, Wei Xiaotian already had a warning.
But however acute his warning was, it was not as fast as Xiahou Wuxin!
Xiahou Wuxin seemed to have taken off a shell named 'weakness' and turned into the dominating, invincible leader of Liberty City again. He stopped in front of Xin Xiaoqi after only one leap and pressed her chest hard. "Xiaoqi, run now!"
He was going to sacrifice himself to clear a path of survival for Xin Xiaoqi!
The few auras that had locked onto Xin Xiaoqi tightly earlier were all disrupted by his fighting will that felt like a torrent. Five or so gray Exos were so shocked that they dashed to surround the duo, trying to block Xin Xiaoqi's retreat.
Xiahou Wuxin, on the other hand, grinned hideously. Dozens of veins as thick as vipers immediately protruded out of his dry chest and arms. Exerting his strength, he punched back at a gray Exo with his flesh and blood, blowing the opponent to almost five meters away. The armor on the crystal suit's arm was falling apart like petals!
Then, Xiahou Wuxin made a movement that was beyond everyone's expectations.
He had clearly pushed Xin Xiaoqi toward the outside of the battle, and he had even intentionally roared, leaving everyone the impression that he was about to sacrifice himself to protect Xin Xiaoqi.
But out of everyone's expectations, he suddenly sucked heavily. Some sort of swirl-like force came out of nowhere to his palm, and he pulled Xin Xiaoqi back and threw her at where the gray Exos were densest.
Then, he seemed to have grown wings. Waving his hands so crazily that they were cracking, he soared and dashed dozens of meters away from the battlefield. It seemed that he was about to dash into the burning and collapsing alleys inside the ruins in only a few bounds.
He had rambled on about so many things and pretended to be completely frustrated and desperate, but everything was just a disguise for himself to run away, even at the cost of the life of his only true disciple!
"Hehe!" Wei Xiaotian snorted. The look on his face was absolutely the same as before, but dim grayness shone around his crystal suit as dozens of tiny flying swords darted out at Xiahou Wuxin from weird angles in all directions.
The other gray Exos realized what was going on. They also let go of the surveillance on Xin Xiaoqi, who was still staggering in midair, and began to lock onto Xiahou Wuxin, who was as quick as a ghost, lunging at him in roars after being fooled.
The third change took place when the tiny flying swords hit Xiahou Wuxin.
Xin Xiaoqi was supposed to be a 'human shield' that he threw at the gray Exos brutally, but right then, somebody seemed to have kicked her right in the bottom, and the propulsion magical equipment on her hands and feet spurted out tremendous air currents, allowing her to take a sharp turn and move out of the encirclement!
Xiahou Wuxin and Xin Xiaoqi were besieged by the more than ten gray Exos in the beginning. Their enemies were in such a neat position that there was no gap at all.
However, after Xiahou Wuxin's three changes—pretending to sacrifice himself to save his disciple at first, running away himself with his disciple as a decoy later, and sacrificing himself to protect Xin Xiaoqi in the end—he finally tore apart a tiny gap in the enemy's perfect battle formation and sent Xin Xiaoqi out of the siege!
"Hahaha!"
Dozens of flying swords hit Xiahou Wuxin at the same time. Smoke rose from fire and blood. But Xiahou Wuxin's hoarse laughter echoed from the smoke.
One of the gray Exos dashed into the smoke. Then, a series of metal twists and bone fractures were heard, followed by nonstop explosions!
After the smoke slightly dispersed, in the middle of the boiling blood and the burning fire, a magnificent shadow even taller than the Fist King showed up!
It was almost a giant more than two meters tall. Maybe it was not a very shocking height in the Land of Sins that was frequented by monsters everywhere. But the shoulder of the giant was almost as broad as two meters. It was practically a pure square that was stuffed with muscles.
Muscles upon muscles, veins tied in veins, it was like a hybrid of rebar and cement.
The dense bone spurs that were embedded on the arms and the crimson eyes and the enormous nostrils from which anger was spurting out were even more ferocious than the iron-boned Fist King before!
"Hehe. Hehehe!"
He roared like a caged beast.
Everybody in the Land of Sins knew that Xiahou Wuxin, as the leader of Liberty City, was an expert in handling flying swords. He had always been focusing on agility, swiftness, and grace.
Nobody had ever seen Xiahou Wuxin in such an explosive form before, which was even more like a primordial beast than 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie!
Below the ground, Li Yao asked the Fist King in a low voice, "Is metamorphosis very popular in the Land of Sins? Do the big shots never greet other people until they have a second form or an ultimate one?"
"Well…" The Fist King's crystal processor calculated quickly. "In such a case, everything makes sense now. The combat ability Xiahou Wuxin presented during the battle with me was obviously insufficient. It was at least forty percent lower than the data that I collected by analyzing his battle videos.
"Just now, I thought that he was frustrated and not determined to fight because he had long known the truth of the Land of Sins and that he was nothing more than a tool to be studied and played.
"But from what we've seen, it must've been done on purpose. He intentionally kept part of his strength."
"Keeping part of his strength in front of such an unparalleled warrior like you?" Li Yao could not help but shudder hard for Xiahou Wuxin's cunningness and thoughtfulness. He was about to ask why Xiahou Wuxin did that, but he realized the reason himself quickly.
After pondering for a moment, Li Yao said quickly, "Are you suggesting that Xiahou Wuxin was waiting for an opportunity to completely get himself, or at least his disciple Xin Xiaoqi, out of the surveillance of the sky.
"But as long as Liberty City was in peace and he was the leader of Liberty City, there was no way that he could get rid of the surveillance and manipulation of the sky. He could not escape at all.
"Therefore, although he had probably planned everything carefully in secret for decades, since the time when Xin Xiaoqi's mother, his love, was killed by him, he had never dared to make any moves recklessly because there was no chance of escaping at all under peaceful circumstances.
"When you commanded a great army to attack Liberty City, it was a great opportunity for him to take advantage of the chaos.
"He pretended to be no match for you and get heavily wounded by you. Disappearing from everyone's sight, he intended to run out of the city without alarming everyone. It is a shame that he's been blocked by the Immortal Cultivators, who forced him to expose his real strength that he has never revealed in the past decades!"
"Yes," the Fist King said. "My logical thinking circuits have analyzed all the known information comprehensively. There is a 93.3% likelihood that it's true!"
"Great!" Li Yao's crystal cameras' shone, and his smile gradually turned hideous. "In such a case, we can be even more confident in keeping the entire gray squad here forever!"
On the ground, Wei Xiaotian's eyes began to glitter in interest, too. "So, you were not wounded at all, and you even practiced brand-new techniques in secret. Such a perfect shape… What a pleasant surprise, Leader Xiahou!"
Chapter 2036: If We Go, Let's Go Together! |
"He!" Xiahou Wuxin bellowed. All the tiny flying swords that Wei Xiaotian had attacked him with just now were captured by the force field generated from his bone spurs and his muscles. Swinging his arm that was as thick as his waist, they formed iron torrents while he laughed. "Wei Xiaotian, I did not lie to you. I truly hid a lot of state-of-the-art test subjects for myself, and I learned a myriad of complicated arts from them! In front of Manjusaka, although I am just an insignificant old dog, whoever wants to claim my life must prepare to pay a terrible price!"
"Leader Xiahou has truly put a lot of thought into getting your disciple out of here." Wei Xiaotian wiped his nonexistent tears and put on an even more scornful look. "It is a shame that your disciple does not seem to appreciate it very much!"
