Fallen Ones and New Humans

The door was wide open, and faint traces of the high temperature were dissipating in the air.

"No... I mean, I went through all that trouble to come all this way to save you, and all you did was attack our own troops right away?"

Reaching out, Bai Zhi steadily caught the chair that was being thrown at him. With his eyes half-closed, he took the chair from Xia Wen's hands and, under the other's slightly dumbfounded gaze, placed it back on the ground.

"Next time, please look carefully and don't just smash anyone you see. I'm not a nail..."

"You, how did you get here? Teleportation?"

A clear hint of joy appeared in Xia Wen's eyes, and he unconsciously widened his eyes.

"I thought you..."

"What did you think? Move aside, this isn't the time for catching up, is it?"

Rolling her eyes and waving her hand to interrupt him, Bai Zhi turned around to look at the Man in white gloves in front of her.

His sudden appearance seemed to cause a slight look of surprise on the other person's face, but apart from surprise, there was no other expression.

"You're the leader of your group?"

Bai Zhi's gaze swept over the molten iron on the ground, which had been melted by the high temperature, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"An old acquaintance? This really was our oversight... No, I'm the team's Doctor."

With a soft chuckle, the man placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed slightly to him.

"We are so sorry to have disturbed your friend. Please accept our apologies."

"You seem a bit different from that fat guy. Fallen One, or New Humans?"

Looking at the gentle and refined man in front of him, Bai Zhi could clearly sense that there was a significant difference between him and the cowardly fat man from before.

"It's incredibly disrespectful to call us 'Fallen One,' we are the New Humans."

The man smiled slightly.

"The Fallen One are the Fallen One, New Humans are the New Humans. We are not the same kind of people as those ugly beings who cannot control themselves."

"Hmm? Is there a difference between the two?"

Seeing that the other person seemed to want to stop and chat with him, Bai Zhi asked them some questions with apparent interest.

"The Fallen One are Failed Product, the New Humans are successes. If we had to use some terms to describe them, the Fallen One are probably similar to Zombie infected by the T-Virus, while the New Humans are beings that have completely adapted to the T-Virus and evolved on their own."

The man reached up and pushed up his black-rimmed Glasses, then smiled and began to speak.

"Player gain Strength from the system, while we gain Strength from Anomaly; in essence, there is no difference."

"Gaining Strength from Anomaly, that chaotic and disordered stuff... Aren't you afraid you'll end up turning yourselves into Madman?"

Bai Zhi frowned slightly.

"As long as one's own rate of evolution and strengthening can keep up, what does a little risk of losing control matter?"

The man laughed.

"Humanity cannot defeat those endless, countless Anomaly of the unknown that have destroyed countless worlds; choosing to confront them is simply a dead end. But humanity can learn to adapt, just like the cockroaches that have been active on Earth for billions of years. The Finish Line of the evolution of New Humans is to become Anomaly of the unknown with complete self-awareness; that is humanity's Unique way out."

"If you can't beat them, join them...?"

Bai Zhi reached out and touched his chin, looking thoughtful, while glancing almost imperceptibly at Qingyi beside him.

The current state of this White-haired loli seems to be exactly what these self-proclaimed New Humans are hoping for.

That Anomaly, created by exhausting the last resources of an entire world, is the Unique one possessing human self-awareness...

"That's right, join us!"

The man extended his hand towards Bai Zhi and spoke with a smile.

"Only the New Humans are the future of the world. Fighting against those things is pointless. Survival is the most important thing, isn't it?"

"Your idea is good, but unfortunately, you know too little about the secret."

Looking at the man in front of him, Bai Zhi shook his head with a hint of pity.

If the last Strength in a world disappears, do you really think it will have the chance to accommodate so many Anomaly to coexist? If so, then the existence of the so-called "[Lord of Flesh and Blood]" and "[Doll Princess]" would not exist.

"What? Am I wrong?"

Seeing the undisguised pity in Bai Zhi's eyes, the man couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Becoming New Humans is the Unique way for humanity to survive."

"Forget it, there's no point in telling you all this beforehand. We'll see if you have a chance to get involved later..."

Shaking his head slightly, Bai Zhi directly changed the subject.

"Judging from your tone, it seems you've discovered a way to turn Player into Fallen One... How many people have you converted so far in this hotel?"

"Not Fallen One, but New Humans."

Although he had doubts, the man still corrected his mistake.

"We are saving them. Becoming Player is suicide. Only after transforming into New Humans will they have enough ability to protect themselves when facing those Anomaly."

"Really? Don't be so high and mighty."

Bai Zhi pursed his lips, his expression unconvinced.

"They call them New Humans, but New Humans could turn into Fallen One at any time, right? They're just potential Fallen One. I've seen what Fallen One look like; they're Monster that have completely lost their humanity, knowing only how to kill and destroy."

"Everything has risks. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Do you think it's possible to gain enough Strength to protect yourself without taking any risks? We're just exploring another feasible approach."

The man adjusted his Glasses and spoke calmly.

"Becoming Player inherently puts them in danger; I've merely granted them a small ability to protect themselves. Compared to that, it's just a slight risk of things getting out of control. I don't think many people would refuse, right?"

"Really? So, in that case, you're actually a good person?"

With a sneer, Bai Zhi's words carried a hint of mockery.

"If these New Humans you've transformed get out of control, the consequences will be catastrophic. The world is already on the verge of collapse, so why do you insist on being so clever?"

"Catastrophic... do you mean common humans?"

Seemingly slightly confused by Bai Zhi's words, the man finally came to his senses after a moment's thought. Looking at Bai Zhi in front of him, he shook his head with a slightly strange expression.

"Don't be ridiculous. People die every day in the world—into cars, murdered, killed by Anomaly... the numbers are countless. What impact would it have if a few more were killed by the Fallen One among these countless deaths?"

"So, although you call yourselves the New Humans, your thinking has actually been subtly changed. In your eyes, common are just insignificant NPCs?"

Bai Zhi shook his head slightly and sighed.

"That's why I said long ago, stop with the high-sounding rhetoric. Stop making such a mess of everything without any regard for consequences or respect, acting recklessly and leaving a trail of destruction, showing absolutely no respect for the meaning of Life. To you, those who die because of you are just numbers, just a Game. But to those who die because of you, it's not a Game."

Bai Zhi's face remained expressionless.

"Death is real, cruel, sad, and disgusting; it should not be something that can be erased by a flimsy excuse or reason."

"Is that so? Perhaps so. It seems we can't reach an agreement."

With a slight sigh, the man bowed slightly to him with a hint of regret.

"In that case, see you later, if you're still alive then..."

As the man finished speaking, black flames erupted on his body. Moments later, everything vanished without a trace, leaving only a few gray ashes in front of Bai Zhi.

After exchanging such a long and inexplicable conversation with him, the other party quietly left.