Chapter 2757: Survival
"Birds are free animals." Mr. Wen looked out the window again. "They are born to fly without needing any external aid. They are objects of human imitation and envy."
"As long as they don't land on the ground, there are few things that can threaten their lives."
"At the same time, they have no ethical or moral constraints. Survival is the most important thing, and everything serves that purpose."
After listening, Xu Huo said, "If merely surviving requires all their energy, isn't that precisely the difference between them and humans?"
Mr. Wen smiled. "The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans have too many thoughts, constantly changing."
"Perhaps that's why humans hold their current position, rather than becoming food for large beasts." Xu Huo said.
"That seems to be the case." Mr. Wen didn't contradict him, but continued, "However, after animals have eaten their fill, they rarely kill prey for amusement. Humans kill prey for countless reasons—maybe for a beautiful feather, a tooth, or simply to vent dark desires they dare not reveal to their own kind."
"Humans possess abilities far exceeding those needed for self-preservation, yet they still find ways to squeeze the living space of other species."
"As far as I know, in some zones after evolution, mutated plants and animals can overrun an entire zone in a very short time. Perhaps they aren't as kind as you think, after all, the will to survive also varies in intensity." Xu Huo said.
"That's fundamentally different. Survival based on instinct is one thing; survival based on other motives is sin." Mr. Wen looked at him. "The Red-Feathered Hummingbird must consume toxic nectar to grow its red feathers, but after eating the poisonous nectar, its lifespan is drastically shortened."
Xu Huo smiled helplessly. "This also concerns whether I can survive. Whether from a factual or emotional standpoint, this cannot be simply covered by right or wrong. Humans cannot give absolutely fair judgments of right and wrong on any matter, because the concept of fairness itself is built on the foundation of human civilization."
"Blurring the lines of right and wrong is a very dangerous thing." Mr. Wen said. "Especially for someone capable of influencing many people."
"So the laws and morals commonly agreed upon by humanity are good guidelines." Xu Huo said. "As long as one follows these guidelines, they won't make major mistakes."
Mr. Wen was slightly surprised. "Don't you think the strong should create their own rules?"
"The concept of the strong corresponds to the weak. If I were the weak, I certainly wouldn't want the strong to make rules entirely according to their own needs." Xu Huo said half-jokingly.
Mr. Wen laughed out loud. "The rules of this world have always been made by the strong. The laws and morals commonly observed by humanity were also established by the earliest strong."
"There are always those who can empathize with others." Xu Huo took a sip of tea. "Standing on the side of humanity, doing things everyone recognizes. For example, murder must be repaid with life."
Mr. Wen's smile grew wider. "That sounds like a joke in the player world."
Xu Huo shook his head slightly. "The inability to fully implement it doesn't make it a joke. For players in other zones, murder being repaid with life is impossible. But if it were an A-Class zone, perhaps every player would have to keep their heads down, and murder being repaid with life would become a reality."
The smile on Mr. Wen's face didn't last, not because of a change in mood, but because he felt exhausted. He said weakly, "Does it have meaning?"
He wasn't really asking, more like talking to himself. "When I was young, cannibal players in Zone 022 could walk openly and were even regarded as heroes by many. Some people actively chose to become cannibal players to quickly gain power."
"They protected their compatriots, fought against external enemies, became the backbone of zone defense, and served as shields for other players."
"When the crisis passed, better and more numerous players emerged, and they were no longer the power the zone needed, so they were gradually eliminated."
"But that wasn't the end. Cannibal players might be buried in history for a time, but if the zone were to suffer a severe blow in the future, they would be needed again."
"Their fate is the same as the fate of all players in the game world—cyclical."
"Because of this, humans shouldn't have longer lifespans." Xu Huo said. "From youth to old age, a person's will is worn down. When they begin to doubt the world, their thinking gradually detaches from the human shell, and they can no longer see the world with their feet on the ground."
"When the old era passes, the new era will be infused with fresh blood."
"What is cyclical is not the world, but people."
"If humans could strictly execute orders like machines, the human world would have few ups and downs."
"But the world that exists now is, after all, the result of human fluctuations."
Mr. Wen twitched the corner of his mouth. "I was full of such vigor when I was young."
"I believe the highest dimension of human life is to observe fate." Xu Huo said. "Life aging cannot be reversed, but it continues in others. A person may have their final judgment, but the world hasn't ended yet. Since right and wrong cannot be sorted out, being an observer is not a bad choice."
"I wonder if Mr. Wen is curious about the future fate of humanity. I am quite curious."
"Comparing this world to a story, the ending of a story is often predictable, but how to reach that ending has thousands of combinations. Deliberation and coincidence intertwine, perhaps creating surprises at every turn."
Mr. Wen was silent for a moment. When he looked up at Xu Huo again, there was a subtle change in his eyes. "Can you calmly watch your own death?"
"No." Xu Huo answered without hesitation. "I don't seek death."
Mr. Wen let out a long sigh. "I too am seeking survival..."
Xu Huo refilled his tea. "I heard there are better doctors at the A-Class Wormhole Point. Has Mr. Wen sought medical treatment there?"
"Great reputation, but hard to live up to." Mr. Wen said with slight helplessness. "Even with human evolution to this point, many problems remain unsolvable."
"I've seen people more powerful than me, who, due to degeneration, lost their final dignity as humans."
"I hope that won't happen on the day I die."
Xu Huo didn't respond to that statement. He sat with him a while longer before getting up to leave.
There was no doubt that Mr. Wen had mental issues. Perhaps it was a side effect of degeneration, perhaps it was due to aging and Zone 022's attitude toward him. In any case, he was unstable. During their conversation, he nearly lost control of his emotions twice. For a host chatting with a guest in his own home, this was already a very dangerous signal.
However, from this, it wasn't surprising that he would go berserk and kill people at night.
Despite the melancholy and sadness in his words, he still couldn't hide his desire to live, even if it meant coiling up in this manor and playing the role of a monster.