Thank You

"Did I mess things up?"

The night still carried the scent of ruins and death.

The Flame died down, but the scorching heat still lingered, though the night remained cold, bone-chillingly cold.

Kang De sat on the ruins, his voice low, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Kang Jinzhu was startled and slowly stepped forward. "You've done enough..."

Kang De calmly said, "If I had listened to you instead of rashly pursuing and rescuing those Myanmar, if I hadn't continued the pursuit to rescue those two United Kingdom after rescuing the Myanmar, if I hadn't set foot in this city, if I hadn't meddled in its affairs, if I hadn't rescued the King, if I had left Comora immediately after rescuing you... the people of this city probably wouldn't have suffered what they have today."

He shifted his gaze to the small, charred child lying not far away.

"Did I... mess things up?"

For the past few hours, he has been running around, putting out fires and rescuing people, without stopping for a moment. He dares not stop, because if he stops, he will overthink and keep thinking about these things.

I pondered what caused everything, and even more.

Ignoring his father's advice and insisting on immediately rescuing the Myanmar people stemmed from his inner rage and fury.

Going on to rescue the two United Kingdom was a way of proving his father wrong, to show him that he wasn't a cold-blooded, heartless person who didn't care about others' affairs.

Ultimately, the reason he lingered in Comora was because he had heard intelligence from Chakat II about the airport piled high with military supplies, and he wanted to acquire the weapons and ammunition there.

Driven to madness by the dual events in the other world and on Earth, and by continuous battles, he engaged in rampant killing and looting in the Comora in order to aid Goth. To save his father, he had to resort to ruthless tactics and make sacrifices on his way to the battlefield of Danfeng Lucerne. In the end, all he saw was the chaos, cruelty, and bloodshed on both sides. The war had never changed.

Are there really differences between elves and humans?

Both involve starting wars, both are cruel and brutal, and both involve bullying the weak. It is always the strong who oppress the weak, and always the innocent weak who suffer.

What exactly caused all of this?

The other world and Earth are exactly the same.

The peace, happiness, and joy in life are nothing more than the protection of an increasingly powerful motherland. So-called social progress, so-called technological advancement, greatly increased productivity, abundant resources, a colorful world, and infinite possibilities for the future are nothing more than unattainable dreams for a large part of the world, who gaze at their barren and monotonous lives day after day.

It's as if we're still living in the Dark Ages.

It's as if the advancements in modern technology have brought them no benefit whatsoever.

They still live a life of poverty, barely making ends meet.

They weren't killed simply because their lives weren't as valuable as the weapons that attacked them.

There is no pure land, only ugliness, only killing and harming for one's own purposes and selfish desires.

The Flame of war spread to innocent lives.

All of this...

"--wrong!"

The father's voice was stern and resolute. "That's a slippery slope fallacy! I've told you before! Don't get stuck on this! Can't you understand something this simple!"

Kang Jinzhu stepped forward, his voice sharp and stern, without the slightest hesitation. "You're not the one who caused all this! When they decided to use napalm and white phosphorus bombs to harm civilians, the seeds of evil had already taken root in their hearts! They are war criminals, beasts, bastards, and scoundrels, utterly inhuman and depraved. Even if they don't do it this time, they will do it next time, the time after that, and in the future!"

"From beginning to end, you made absolutely no wrong choices! You had no obligation to save those Myanmar people, and those two United Kingdom had nothing to do with you! Your motives and actions in saving them were entirely benevolent, and benevolent people should not be blamed! You did nothing wrong!"

He came up to Kang De, squatted down, and pressed down hard on his shoulders.

"Listen! You're not a superhero, you're Kang De, you're my son! An ordinary person! An ordinary person! You have no responsibility! The idea that with great power comes great responsibility is utter nonsense! You don't need to impose any moral constraints on yourself! You don't need to imagine any responsibility for yourself! The world will keep turning without you!"

Although the words were stern and forceful, the concern and sincerity in his eyes stemmed solely from familial affection.

He comforted and reassured his son, explaining that fathers should guide and educate their children.

"You've done enough. You've saved more people than most people in this world have in their lifetime. No one has the right to criticize you, and you have no reason to condemn yourself... Do you understand?"

At this point, Kang Jinzhu gave an attempt at a reassuring smile, "Think about it, you see, when we watched movies together before, we used to criticize those superheroes, so why can't we apply that same logic to ourselves?"

The father smiled.

Looking at her son.

I want to see the other person smile.

Even a smile would be appreciated.

This proves that his explanations and persuasion were effective.

But no.

His son merely turned his gaze to him, his expression remaining deep and calm.

"Because movies are fiction, the screenwriter's imagination is just imagination, while reality is reality, and truth is truth."

Kang De said this.

"The reality is, I messed things up. Many people died. I couldn't save their loved ones. They were once in despair, then hopeful, but ultimately they were in despair, or perhaps, they remained in despair forever."

People who collapsed and wept around the fire, people who cried tears of joy as they saw themselves fall from the sky, and after the Flame died down, all that was left were desiccated corpses—despair, hope, expectation, and then annihilation.

Or perhaps there was no hope from beginning to end, as loved ones burned in Flame screamed in agony, struggled, and then their lives were ended by a bullet or a sword.

He could only turn his head and leave, never looking into those people's eyes.

"The reality is, I messed things up, and a lot of people here will hate me."

Kang De's voice was icy and chilling.

Kang Jinzhu shuddered, then shook his head and said, "No way, do you think this is a movie...?"

His words were interrupted by his son's cold voice, "No, this is a human being."

Any father would be angry to see his son behaving so pathetically, especially when the son is obsessing over trivial matters and torturing himself.

Kang Jinzhu raised his eyebrows, suppressing a hint of anger. "People? How many people have you seen? Don't so easily believe in the dark side of human nature. This isn't a superhero story. You won't be watched by the government, you won't be ostracized by the public, you won't be persecuted by public opinion. You don't need to imagine these things all day long..."

"--You're the one I've been imagining all along."

Kang Jinzhu's words were interrupted by Kang De once again.

He stared intently at his father.

He gave a cold laugh, "But I've seen them all."

Kang De stood up.

A mixture of darkness, rage, sorrow, and confusion pressed down upon us.

Kang Jinzhu even involuntarily took a step back.

He stretched out his finger and poked his father's chest.

A lowly beggar, who has suffered bullying, contempt, and scorn, is given hope, material support, and respect by someone. He is moved to tears and vows to repay the favor. But what happens when his benefactor is hunted down?

"--He kicked me when I was down! He wouldn't even stand idly by!"

"A humble, friendly, and hospitable populace can be transformed into a ruthless and brutal mob with just a single order or a rallying cry! They will bully the weak without hesitation!"

"Those who have been protected all along only need a letter of surrender from the enemy, only a promise of dubious authenticity, to unite them! To force the hero to surrender! To compel him to sacrifice himself!"

"Because the enemy will kill them! Heroes won't! They are the smartest people in the world, and they will only direct all their courage and ferocity at those who pose no threat!"

"Have you seen it? I have! Because this is my story! My experience! My life!"

"You're telling me all this! The slippery slope fallacy! That it wasn't my fault! That I did my best! That nobody has the right to criticize me! You're telling me all this!"

"What good is it anyway!"

In the howling night wind, Kang De's voice drifted across the dark, distant sky.

Kang Jinzhu stared blankly at his son.

The other person felt like an unprecedented stranger.

How utterly inadequate were the words of comfort offered earlier.

Chicken soup made out of thin air is utterly powerless to those who witnessed it firsthand.

"This is reality, Dad."

Kang De laughed desolately.

"Reality is not about reason; reality is that there is no reason, no logic. Reality is that no one will reason with you, no one will persuade you with virtue or reason. Reality is that the loudest voice wins, reality is that the strongest wins, reality is that people are afraid but not ashamed, reality is that people have no sense of shame."

"The reality is that they are ungrateful, cowardly, meddlesome, and critical of heroes. The reality is that humanity is a despicable, cowardly, and selfish bunch, and the brave and noble are always in the minority—otherwise, why would society and stories always promote these admirable qualities?"

He shrugged, revealing a mocking smile.

"I used to think that the two sides were different, that they looked similar but were different races. But now I've discovered that the two sides are bastards, capable of anything."

Kang De's tone grew increasingly frantic.

Kang Jinzhu was at a loss.

The ability of parents to teach their children stems from their years of experience and knowledge. Now, he is astonished to find that, without realizing it, his son's experiences have far exceeded his imagination.

He didn't know how to guide and educate them.

Because he lacked relevant experience.

Therefore, none of the statements will be persuasive.

But he had to do something.

"... Then just ignore them!"

He gritted his teeth and said, "How they degenerate, how much of a bastard they are, that's their own business! You just need to do your job well! Do your own thing, do what you're supposed to do, and then..."

"—Do you mean to kill, or to die?" Kang De said quietly.

Kang Jinzhu's breath hitched again.

"Or, are there any other good methods?"

"My fellow travelers on the ship have all been betrayed, killed, died with their intestines spilling out, hacked to death, poisoned, or died from exhaustion. What should I do?"

"Should I kill them all? Or go back and be killed by them? Or run away and live with guilt for the rest of my life?"

"My first friend died saving me. Before he died, he entrusted me with his country and his mission. Should I put this behind me and ignore it, or should I fulfill my promise?"

"To fulfill a promise, you must kill! Otherwise, how can you stop a war?"

"The city we entered has been attacked by the enemy! If the city falls, they'll massacre everyone! What should we do? We still have to kill!"

"That country's capital has been attacked! If we don't go to rescue it, people will die! If we go to rescue it, we'll still have to fight our way out! Is there any other good way?"

"Earth! Earth is the same! You've been kidnapped by France mercenaries! What can I do? Wait at home for the government to intervene and rescue you? You know the outcome! If I don't come, you'll die! They'll silence you! What other choice do I have besides coming to rescue you, besides fighting my way here? What other choice do I have!"

Kang De stared wide-eyed, his body trembling with excitement.

"You taught me to be kind! To be upright! To do the right thing! You taught me to trust! To trust in the goodness of humanity! To trust in hope! But I trusted, and was betrayed. I have always been doing the right thing: avenging my friends, protecting innocent civilians, keeping my promises, and opposing unjust wars!"

"Then all I can do is kill! Kill! Kill!"

"There's no good way but to kill them, no other way but to intimidate them with killing! Are there many ways to solve a problem? No, there's only one! What else can we do but kill? It's like this here! It's like this on the whole earth! It's even like this back home!"

"Dad, what should I do? Should I just leave? Should I just abandon everything?"

"Like that stupid plot point in Man of Steel that I criticized! To avoid revealing your power, you watch your father get crushed by a car lifted by a tornado? Like Superman? Just watch yourself get silenced by terrorists? Or you have no choice but to fight your way in! Whoever tries to harm you, I'll kill them!"

"There's no other way, I have to fight my way in! I can't teleport to your side and take you home, I can't intimidate the nations with my own power, I can't end the war before it even begins, I can only fight violence with violence, otherwise what can I use, love!"

Kang De took two steps back, spun around in place, grabbed his hair, and gasped for breath.

"Damn it, damn it..."

He muttered, "Solving problems with killing, always solving problems with killing, there's no other way. How did things get to this point?"

Kang Jinzhu stepped forward. "Kang De..."

"Stop talking!"

Kang De whirled around, pointed at his father, and snapped, "You know absolutely nothing! I was just thinking! If someone came up to me and accused me of not saving his family sooner, of attracting the France attack—I was thinking, what should I do then? If many people were criticizing me, if many people were cursing me, a thought immediately popped into my head!"

Kill them!

He roared, then breathed heavily, his expression turning indifferent.

"Kill anyone who talks back; kill those who are ungrateful; if your efforts and sacrifices are met with betrayal and recklessness, then show them no respect, only fear..."

"Advanced experience."

"What else can we do?"

"Aren't you at all bothered by their slander and ingratitude?"

"I can't do it."

"I killed their family members, but what would have happened if I hadn't?"

"His entire body was burned to the bone; there was no saving him. Should I watch him burn alive, or give him a quick death? I choose the latter. This isn't justice. Just like you said, just like you taught me, I'm only doing the right thing, the thing I believe is right."

"But I think I'm right, they think I'm wrong, they think I can do better, so they criticize me, they yell at me, they try to hurt me... What should I do?"

"Shouldn't I have been in the wrong? Why do all these problems have to fall on my shoulders? Why do I have to go through all this? This has nothing to do with me!"

His breathing quickened, his eyes widened, he gasped for air, and his body trembled even more violently.

"I also killed an old woman."

"His grandson betrayed me and killed my best friend. I killed the beggar and went to his house. His grandmother, an old woman, was blind. There was no food in her house, and she was waiting for her grandson to come back, but he never did. I have no way to take care of her. She can only call out her grandson's name day after day, waiting, but she will never see the person she is waiting for!"

"First, she would slowly become anxious, irritable, and desperate, then she would become so weak from hunger that she would lose all her strength! Her consciousness would become impaired! Her limbs would begin to swell! She would become emaciated beyond recognition! Her skin would become extremely dry! Her blood would turn into a lava-like substance! Her internal organs would atrophy! Her body would hunch over! She would die in endless pain and despair! This process could last for several days or even more than ten days!"

Kang De's eyes stared into the void. "Or, kill her immediately."

"I told him that her grandson had been chosen to become a big shot and would soon come to take her away to live a good life. She believed me and smiled happily. Then I raised the nail gun."

"To make her die quickly and without her realizing it, I stared into her eyes."

"Shot!"

"She was laughing before the shot! She was still laughing after she died! I still remember that face! The nail went right into her eye socket! The enchanted nail tore a hole in her face! She died instantly! Still laughing! I'll always remember that face! She kept laughing! That face kept fucking laughing!"

He roared and slammed his fist into the nearby wall. His Dou Qi surged wildly as he crashed into it. With a deafening roar, the charred ruins collapsed.

Kang Jinzhu could no longer hold back; he rushed forward and hugged his son tightly.

Before he could even speak, tears streamed down his face.

Kang De's body stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. His father's embrace was a memory from long ago; that man was his family, his teacher, his guide, his father.

He slowly hugged his father back and rested his head on his shoulder.

"I killed many people..."

Tears fell drop by drop.

"Those killed by guns, those killed by cannons, those torn apart, those crushed, those blown up—some were innocent, some were not... Father, why must everything in this world be resolved through killing?"

"People hurt each other, people kill each other, people die. I hear children crying, innocent people being burned Flame, and the perpetrators go unpunished. People are only interested in hurting each other. Why is the world like this? Why is even the Earth like this?"

"Father, I'm very tired, but I can't stop... I really want to rest."

"I regretted it a long time ago..."

The father and son embraced, and in the deep night and ruins, Kang De rambled on, choking back tears, saying a lot of things, all jumbled up and mixed up.

The father simply listened.

After a long while, footsteps approached, and lights shone in the distance.

Kang De suddenly awoke, his eyes sharp as he stared in that direction. There were several staggering figures approaching. He relaxed slightly, but the next moment, his body suddenly stiffened.

Kang Jinzhu turned around and vaguely saw several figures approaching.

At the front were an adult leading a child, a mother and daughter. The others were mostly women and elderly people, their steps unsteady, tears still on their faces, their expressions solemn and grave.

He turned around and saw his son's cold, sharp eyes, which also revealed a hint of retreat.

The father understood instantly.

He looked at the mother and daughter approaching and stepped in front of his son. "Gentlemen, if you..."

The next moment, Kang De pressed down on his shoulder and pushed his father aside.

Kang Jinzhu grabbed his son's arm and said, "Let me do it! Listen to me! You're my son!"

Kang De said softly, "It's alright, I won't... in front of you."

"--Thanks."

A slightly hoarse, childlike voice appeared.

The intonation was slightly awkward.

They were speaking Chinese.

The two turned their heads.

The little girl grasped her mother's hand, looked timidly at Kang De, and spoke haltingly in broken, awkward Chinese; she must have practiced for a long time.

"Th-thank you..."

She said, "Dad, Dad, it hurts so much. Thank you for letting him sleep..."

After she finished speaking, her eyes reddened, and she buried her face in her mother's hands. Her mother looked at Kang De, her voice choked with emotion, and whispered, "Thank you."

"Thanks."

"Thanks."

His pronunciation was very poor, but he kept saying these words of thanks.

From the mouths of every survivor.

The lights in the distance were getting closer and closer. Many people were carrying candles, lamps, flashlights, and even lighters. The scattered lights gathered together and walked towards them.

Every face, every word, is different.

This capital of Comora, a city steeped in history and the past, has never before in its hundreds and thousands of years seen so many stars, nor has it ever heard so many foreign languages spoken...

Thanks.

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PS1: Six thousand words! Two chapters combined! That's equivalent to two separate updates! The update is late! But I can still say with a clear conscience—give me your votes!