Outer Path Wuchang 2

Great Wuchang can single-handedly destroy an entire country--

Forgive my disbelief upon hearing that sentence. Coming from Zhu Shi's mouth, it sounded like utter nonsense from a tabloid, akin to government officials publicly admitting that the "five permanent members of the UN Security Council are actually puppets of the Rothschild family" in my previous worldview.

I then snapped back to reality.

"What scale of country are you referring to when you say 'entire country'? A small African nation? Or an ancient country before the development of industrial civilization?"

"The country we are in right now," Zhu Shi said, pointing to the ground.

"Are you serious?" I questioned.

"I am serious," she replied. After a moment's thought, she added, "I haven't actually witnessed Great Wuchang fighting seriously, but based on the knowledge I've learned, Great Wuchang is capable of such things.

"Historically, Great Wuchang could summon tsunamis and floods, trigger earthquakes and droughts, as well as other natural disasters like typhoons. If they were serious, the scale of their disasters was even large enough to be recorded in history.

"Even concentrated nuclear bombing couldn't kill Great Wuchang, as they either possess defenses beyond worldly comprehension or an immortality that allows them to return even if their physical bodies and souls are completely destroyed.

"In myths and legends passed down to this day, the prototypes of some gods are actually Great Wuchang who once wreaked havoc on the land or brought blessings to a region."

Capable of causing tsunamis and earthquakes, floods and droughts...

I didn't know if Zhu Shi was telling the truth. Although she certainly wouldn't lie to me, was the record itself reliable? I don't know much about natural disasters, but I do know some common sense. For example, major earthquakes that leave their mark on history have an energy scale of at least hundreds or thousands of Hiroshima atomic bombs.

The same goes for tsunamis and typhoons. While nuclear weapons are hailed as the ultimate weapon of modern civilization and the cornerstone of maintaining peace through mutual deterrence between major powers, they are still far from being able to compete with the total energy of super-large-scale natural disasters.

It's normal for Great Wuchang, who can manipulate such large-scale natural disasters, to not fear nuclear weapons.

However, this is very confusing. Why do Great Wuchang, capable of such feats, still nominally obey the guidance of the country?

Or, to put it crudely, since these beings possess such heavenly power, why establish Luoshan? Why don't they establish a Heavenly Court?

Why do they silently face dangers and deal with abnormalities in the world beneath the surface, instead of stepping onto the stage and ruling the world?

Ultimately, since our country has individuals who can literally shake the heavens and the earth, why has history still experienced such regrettable twists and turns?

I threw all my doubts at Zhu Shi.

She, in turn, showed a helpless expression: "I can't answer you."

"Is this also a secret of your Luoshan?" I asked.

"No, it's not... Not only is it not a secret, it's common knowledge here," she said, seemingly choosing her words carefully. "The reason I'm not answering isn't that I don't want to, but because, including myself, none of the Demon Hunters I know have the answer."

I became even more confused: "You mean, even Luoshan doesn't know why they are doing this?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Why we don't reveal the existence of Demon Hunters and abnormalities to secular society, and why we don't become the rulers of this country... we don't know the fundamental reason why we don't do so."

"Then, if not from the organization's standpoint, but from your personal standpoint, why do you think you choose to do things this way?" I pressed.

"Because everyone around me does it, so I do it too," she answered directly. "After all, I have no desire to dominate others, nor do I seek fame. As long as I can protect innocent people, it's enough."

"This..." I felt as if I were shrouded in a fog. "At least the core leadership of Luoshan knows why they are doing this, right? They—the Great Wuchang—concealed their true intentions from all of you and forced you to do it. You all got used to it over time... Is that it?"

This time, her words plunged me into deeper confusion: "It's not like that. The Great Wuchang don't know the truth either."

I retorted, "How can you be sure whether the Great Wuchang know the truth?"

"Because the Great Wuchang have been in conflict over this matter for the past three years," she said. "Do you remember what I told you the night before last? Luoshan is now in chaos and conflict. Everyone is gradually realizing that what they are doing is not so natural, that they could actually reveal their true selves to society, become the rulers of this country, and even try to do more."

"Your statement sounds like all Demon Hunters throughout history have been under some kind of inexplicable hypnosis, and now the hypnosis has finally been broken," I quipped.

She responded noncommittally, "The 'hypnosis hypothesis' is also popular in Luoshan, but it's hard to imagine that all Great Wuchang, both past and present, have been hypnotized."

I had just said it casually, but I didn't expect her to not firmly deny it.

So that's why. No wonder she was evasive when I asked her last time why Luoshan concealed the truth about abnormalities from society. She genuinely didn't know how to explain it.

"Wait, you said this chaos has been happening for the past three years..." I savored her words. "Why hasn't this chaos ended after three years? Can't the Great Wuchang easily conquer this country?"

Let alone this country, if foreign countries don't have equivalent supernatural organizations, Great Wuchang, who can manipulate large-scale natural disasters, could conquer the world with ease if they wanted to.

Perhaps I had hit upon a crucial point, as Zhu Shi's eyes suddenly became very serious.

"Before I answer that, Zhuang Cheng, I want to ask you a question—"

Seeing this, I couldn't help but focus, ready to take her question seriously.

She deliberately waited for me to be mentally prepared before posing her question:

"How do you view the current world?

"How do you view superpowered individuals like yourself, and ordinary people without superpowers?

"Do you think superpowered individuals are a more excellent group than ordinary people? Do you feel you should become the ruler of the world, making those without power submit to you and regard you as a god on high?"

Hearing these words, I instantly understood the nature of the chaos occurring within Luoshan.

And what she was posing now was likely a question of stance.

Currently, within Luoshan, there were at least two irreconcilable voices: one, as mentioned before, believed that Demon Hunters should be superior, become earthly gods, and rule all beings; the other believed that Demon Hunters should rejoin the existing social system in a relatively peaceful manner.

Given Zhu Shi's personality, her ideology was most likely the latter. And since I intended to join Luoshan through her, I should say something that aligned with her preferences. In other words, this was a political alignment, and it had to be taken seriously.

I opened my mouth, about to utter a lie, but for some reason, I felt incredibly weary of this politically charged Q&A. So, I disregarded everything and spoke the truth.

"Yes, I believe superpowered individuals are more excellent than ordinary people," I said, speaking my true thoughts.

This was not an off-the-cuff remark.

Ever since awakening my superpower and gradually growing stronger, I've repeatedly considered how I should face the relationship between myself and society if my superpower never left me. Specifically, could I consider myself more exceptional than ordinary people?

The answer is yes. I am a superpowered individual, and I possess a might far exceeding that of ordinary people. I am indeed more exceptional than ordinary people.

In the past, people around me would criticize me, sometimes saying unpleasant things. The reason I didn't use my superpower to cause trouble for them, aside from not having the inclination, was perhaps also because "I could kill them anytime, anywhere." Precisely because I held the high ground in terms of power, I was able to view them with unusual tolerance.

For a time, I even wanted to emulate the powerful figures in fantasy novels who could bestow life or death at will, adopting an aloof and transcendent demeanor, speaking in a detached tone.

However, I would often forget the persona I had set for myself. If someone nearby told a joke or did something funny, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Over time, I just thought, "Forget it, forget it." Even if I truly possessed the power to lord over others, I didn't particularly yearn for that kind of life.

On the other hand, while reaching the conclusion that "superpowered individuals are more exceptional," I couldn't help but harbor doubts.

Admittedly, if another superpowered individual appeared before me and claimed to be more exceptional than ordinary people solely based on their power, I would acknowledge it. Violence is important. Human history is a history of power struggles; since ancient times, those who wielded the strongest power have held legitimacy. No matter how powerful the critique of weapons, it is no match for the critique by weapons.

But to be honest, I always felt that approach was somewhat lacking in class.

Or, to use a currently popular term, it "lacked style." While violence can force everyone to acknowledge one's superiority and eliminate all who refuse to do so, that only achieves outward compliance. I believe that someone more noble than ordinary people should possess a certain convincing power that wins genuine admiration. Not just excellence on a physical level, but ideally, a refined taste on an intellectual level as well.

I told Zhu Shi about these latter thoughts.

The more she listened, the more silent she became, until finally she offered her thoughts: "...Overall, you still feel that superpowered individuals are more exceptional than ordinary people... Is that right?"

"Largely, yes," I admitted.

"Then why did you become friends with my brother? Isn't he also someone 'beneath you' in your heart?" she asked.