When Profit Reigns, Even Heroes' Hearts Grow Cold
The chilling of people's hearts is never a matter of a day or two.
Looking at Tang Ping, who seemed carefree yet had clear eyes, Luo Feng suddenly felt enlightened.
Tang Ping's parents used to work for the Luo Family, doing the most dangerous interstellar transportation business. Gao Feng comes with high reward, and the family was already well-off. In addition, the couple were generous, and their house was always bustling with activity during festivals.
Relatives and friends crowded the door, either coming to visit with gifts or trying to borrow money to tide them over.
But this lively atmosphere shattered completely after his parents' unexpected deaths. At that time, Tang Ping was still a teenager, holding a staggering sum of compensation money, instantly becoming a target for those around him.
Halfway through his parents' funeral, the relatives who were usually on friendly terms with him turned on each other, arguing heatedly in front of the mourning hall, all over his custody.
To put it bluntly, what they're fighting over is that money.
Fortunately, Tang Ping was clever from a young age, and more importantly, he received his parents' last words.
So, in front of everyone, the child decisively rejected all the so-called "relatives," bypassing those eyeing relatives, and went to the Luo Family's relief center on his own.
Later, when faced with threats, inducements, and even harassment from relatives, Tang Ping remained resolute. No matter what they said, he ignored them and called the police if anyone dared to break into his home.
They refused to back down an inch or yield an inch, and that's how they protected themselves and grew up, stumbling and falling along the way.
And what about Luo Feng himself?
During the cataclysmic event, he and Five Great Heroes sacrificed themselves to save Earth from destruction. But before their bodies were even cold, those who had once hailed them as saviors set their sights on the Luo Family's wealth.
If it weren't for his younger brother Luo Hua's quick thinking and decisive action in depositing most of the family assets into Huaxia Bank for safekeeping, the Luo Family's last remaining foundation would probably have been devoured by those wolves.
Of the Five Great Heroes, Mohanderson's family suffered the worst. Someone took advantage of the chaos to rob them, killing one of them. If Luo Feng hadn't woken up early and sent people to protect the families, the fallen heroes might not have even had peace after their deaths.
This time, he was trapped in the Star Tower for thousands of years, with no news of him whatsoever.
How many of those who once worshipped the Luo Family turned their backs on them? How many spread rumors, slandering him as long gone? Even worse, some colluded with foreign enemies, brandishing their butcher's knives and pointing them directly at the descendants of the Luo Family.
The word "hero" is as light as a feather and worthless in the face of naked self-interest.
The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for gain.
Luo Feng didn't even dare to think about it. If he really perished in the Star Tower and never returned, would the Luo Family, which had been passed down for generations, be completely wiped out by the river of time, leaving not even a trace?
There are some things that you can't think about, and you dare not think about.
Having figured all this out, Luo Feng suddenly felt relieved when he looked at Tang Ping's seemingly cynical behavior. Not only did he not object, he even subtly agreed with it.
The Earth needs someone like this: a true family member who considers this place home; a "gatekeeper" who can protect the descendants of heroes and safeguard this homeland.
Luo Feng sighed, raised his hand and patted Tang Ping's shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of indescribable emotion. "Brother Ping, you've had a tough time all these years."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ping immediately puffed out his chest, a "you finally understand me" expression on his face, and nodded happily. "That's right! I genuinely want to be good to so many girls, to understand them deeply, and to take care of them for the rest of their lives."
Someone as simple, sentimental, and full of pure love as me, life is indeed tough. Fengzi, you really understand me!
Luo Feng: "???"
In that instant, a scene flashed through his mind of the "absurd" images of Tang Ping that he had occasionally glimpsed while trapped in the Star Tower, and how his soul underwent a transformation in anger.
Damn it!
Really!
No one can be trusted!
In the end, we all have to rely on ourselves!
Jiangnan Base City, Earth Future Strategy Conference Hall.
As the old saying goes, small matters are discussed in large meetings, and big matters are discussed in small meetings. There are only a handful of people sitting in this conference room, but each of them is a top figure who can determine the rise and fall of the world with a single sentence.
Seated at the head of the table was Luo Feng, the Galaxy Lord. Beside him were his wife, Xu Xin, and his younger brother Luo Hua, who were in charge of the family's internal affairs and logistics, respectively.
The first person on the left is King Anle, Tang Ping, with his legs crossed and a nonchalant expression.
The first person on the right is Hong. This former strongest man on Earth is still dressed in a black outfit, his aura as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless abyss. Standing next to him is his capable assistant, Yao Rao, dressed in red.
Thunder God was muttering to himself at his target's location.
He stared at the empty seat next to the head of the table, muttering to himself, sometimes saying "tears wet the pig's feet rice," and sometimes clenching his fists to encourage himself, vowing that he would definitely sit in the first row at the next meeting.
After all, in terms of cultivation level, he is now at the same level as Luo Feng, both being World Lord Rank.
Luo Feng = Thunder God!
The difference is minimal! Absolutely minimal!
Xu Xin cleared her throat, and the meeting officially began.
"Gentlemen, Earth's overall combat strength has now entered the ranks of Human Race's top powers. Based on this..."
"In the next phase, we will invest enormous resources in a large-scale transformation of the Earth. The goal is to build mega-skyscraper complexes, Floating City, and chains of floating islands, ultimately increasing the Earth's comfortable permanent population carrying capacity to the hundreds of billions."
"Furthermore, to further enhance Earth's strategic position and cosmic value, after the terraforming is completed, except for pregnant women,..."
Aside from teachers and students, Earth will temporarily only allow long-term residence by personnel at the Domain Lord level or above.
"For the remaining residents who do not meet the criteria, we will provide full compensation. If anyone voluntarily waives the compensation, their property can be handed over to the Luo Family for unified leasing and management. Once their own strength breaks through to the Domain Lord level, the right to reside can be revoked at any time."
"In terms of security, Earth will be defended with Immortal Star-Eating Grass of King Level combat power, supplemented by full-band detection instruments."
With top-tier energy shields and interstellar weapon arrays, we strive to make Earth Lineage!
Hong nodded slightly upon hearing this.
He has always been a hands-off manager and has never been particularly concerned with these specific matters. Moreover, once this plan is implemented, the original annual production quota of 100 million Earth production slots will directly surge to the tens of billions.
The profits behind this are also astonishing.
Putting aside everything else, just considering their clansmen, pregnant women in their clans will have more opportunities to return to Earth to give birth, allowing their children to win at the starting line.
Xu Xin changed the subject, looking at Tang Ping and raising a new issue. "The family think tank has submitted a proposal: could we eliminate all alien races and designate Earth as a purely Earthling settlement? This would greatly reduce racial conflict."
Although most of those alien races were pregnant women who came to give birth, they were still outsiders in the eyes of many native Earthlings. Moreover, behind these alien pregnant women were mostly powerful forces in the universe, many of whom were spoiled and pampered, and friction and conflict between them were commonplace.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ping frowned and said seriously, "Sharing happiness is better than enjoying it alone. Our Earth has always been a part of the Human Race, not an isolated island."
"Besides, every step of our rise to power has benefited from the Human Race. We've reached where we are today by relying on Human Race resources and standing on Human Race shoulders. Now that we've grown strong, do we want to monopolize everything? There's no need for that."
"I not only disagree with narrowing the eligibility criteria for extraterrestrial births, but I also propose increasing the number of extraterrestrial mothers. Only in this way can the Earth Lineage truly integrate into the entire Human Race family."
Tang Ping's gaze swept over the crowd, and he declared firmly, "Hereby I declare that I firmly support the principles of Human Race!"
Xu Xin did not immediately express her opinion, but instead turned to look at Luo Feng was in the main seat.
Luo Feng pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Okay." Xu Xin immediately approved the suggestion upon receiving the reply. "I propose increasing the annual quota for extraterrestrial mothers to 1 billion. Furthermore, the future Galaxy Comprehensive University to be established on Earth will allow all extraterrestrial children born on Earth to apply."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Xin was the first to raise her hand.
Tang Ping raised his hand immediately, and Hong nodded slightly, also raising his hand.
"The proposal is approved." Xu Xin finished speaking and turned to the next document. "Let's begin the next vote."
Thunder God: