I Would Be Even Crueler!

But he couldn't do it.

It wasn't that it was technically impossible, but rather that his hatred prevented him from being precise.

Precision strikes are too slow, too restrained, and not satisfying enough.

What he wanted was utter destruction, to make the Sun Moon Empire feel the same pain he had experienced.

This mentality has gone beyond the realm of rational calculation; it is purely a result of being driven by hatred.

Ning Tian frowned slightly. Although his eyes were unfocused as he gazed at the sky ahead, his mind was churning with thoughts of the diary.

She read it very carefully, going over each word in her mind.

"This analytical perspective..."

She muttered to herself, tapping her fingers on the windowsill.

Lin Ye's words, seemingly trying to find reasons for He Caitou, were actually peeling away the layers of superficial legitimacy.

He acknowledged that He Caitou's choice had strategic significance, but immediately pointed out that this strategic significance could not mask the moral failings.

This method of argumentation was very persuasive, causing Ning Tian to begin to reflect on some of his choices.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect also stands with Shrek Academy; if war breaks out, she and Wu Feng will not stand idly by.

If one day she faced the same choice He Caitou, what would she do if she had to sacrifice some innocent people for a greater victory?

She couldn't figure it out.

She always considered herself a rational person, but she didn't know how much rationality could hold up in a moment like that.

Wu Feng walked over from the other end at this moment. She saw Ning Tian leaning against the window, lost in thought, and went over to him. "What's wrong? You look terrible."

Ning Tian snapped out of his daze and briefly explained his thought process.

After listening, Wu Feng was silent for two seconds, then scratched his head and said, "You asked me, and I certainly can't accept the idea of sacrificing innocent people, but when we're actually on the battlefield, I can't guarantee that I'll only fight those who deserve it."

"No one could be clean in He Caitou's position."

Ning Tian listened without saying anything, only sighed softly, and turned back to continue reading his diary.

How deep was He Caitou's hatred for the Sun Moon Empire? Just how deep was it?

I think we can see this from another detail: the Soul Tool he developed at Shrek were never of the gentle type.

In the future, Shrek's product line during wartime will include defensive shield generators, auxiliary Soul Power amplifiers, and purely offensive weapons.

The weapons developed under He Caitou's leadership were almost entirely lethal.

Moreover, his R&D efficiency is extremely high; while others might take six months to complete a single product, he can sometimes produce blueprints in just one month.

This state of mind was not like ordinary work enthusiasm, but more like a thirst. He longed to see the weapons he designed play a role on the battlefield, and longed to hear news from the front lines such as "He Caitou's new cannon has blown up another imperial position."

This isn't helping our allies; it's venting.

He poured all his hatred for the Sun Moon Empire into those weapons; every blueprint, every component, every test firing carried a sense of revenge.

Therefore, I don't quite agree with the evaluation and description of Xu He by the Sun Moon Empire after the war.

Some historical records portray He Caitou as a purely "righteous person," saying that he helped Shrek and the Tang Sect because he identified with the cause of justice.

That's a completely false claim.

He Caitou is not a saint; he has selfish motives, and very strong ones at that.

He helped Shrek partly because the place took him in and gave him a new life, and partly because it happened to be the enemy of his enemy.

If it weren't for the Sun Moon Imperial Family hunting him down, he probably wouldn't have appeared at Shrek.

His stance was shaped by his hatred, not by any grand principles.

Of course, this does not preclude the fact that his choice was objectively advantageous to Shrek.

However, subjective motives and objective effects are two different things and should not be confused.

What's even more intriguing is that He Caitou himself never publicly defended himself.

After the war, someone asked him about the topic of "traitor," and his answer was brief, consisting of only one sentence. "I stopped considering myself a member of the Sun Moon Empire a long time ago."

That's all, no further explanation.

This statement can be understood from two perspectives.

The first possibility is that he completely severed ties with the Sun Moon Empire, so there is no question of him "selling out his country."

The second possibility is that he is avoiding the real issue.

Since you're not a member of the Sun Moon Empire, what are those civilians of the Sun Moon Empire who died by your weapons in your eyes? Are they enemies? Are they a price to pay? Or do you simply not want to think about them?

This statement sounds carefree, but it's actually an answer without providing a definitive answer.

The question he most needed to answer was precisely hidden within the gaps in that sentence.

After reading this passage, Ma Xiaotao shook her head violently twice, as if trying to shake off something disgusting.

After reading this diary entry, given her personality, she should have unleashed a torrent of curses, but after reading Lin Ye's entry, she remained silent for a long time.

She doesn't know He Caitou yet; none of the younger generation she's mentored are named He.

But she had heard a lot about He Caitou from Lin Ye's diary, such as how he was always smiling at everyone and had an unusually good temper.

In her eyes, this person was just a chubby little guy, nothing threatening, and nothing to be wary of.

The He Caitou that Lin Ye wrote was completely different from the image she had imagined. How deep and cold must someone's heart be to pour all his hatred for the Imperial Family into weapon design?

"You stopped considering yourselves as members of the Sun Moon Empire a long time ago?"

Ma Xiaotao repeated those words twice, then sneered, "You make it sound so easy, so easy to absolve yourself of responsibility. But what about those who died under your guns? Will their wronged souls seek revenge on Xu Tianran?"

After she finished yelling, she fell silent again.

She suddenly realized that if she were in that situation, if her family were killed by the Imperial Family and she were stranded in a strange place that happened to be at war with the country of her enemy, what would she do?

She couldn't guarantee she wouldn't be even more ruthless than He Caitou.

This thought instantly calmed her anger by more than half, because she realized that she actually had no right to criticize He Caitou.

All she could do was mutter a few curses from the sidelines, then turn around and continue living her own life.

If she were in He Caitou's position, Ma Xiaotao felt she would probably have done something even more ruthless He Caitou excessive.

Because if it were her, she might go straight to the front lines and scatter the ashes of all her enemies from back then.

Furthermore, Ma Xiaotao also felt that the reason why He Caitou did not participate in the battle was simply because he was a member of the Sun Moon Imperial Family and possessed the Sun Martial Soul.

Although the Sun Martial Soul has offensive Soul Skill.

Judging from He Caitou's choices, he clearly wasn't developing in the direction of combat, so he couldn't personally participate in battles and could only develop Soul Tool from the rear.