by <unknown>
Xiahou Wuxin spoke quickly, with both determination and begging on his face. "Now, I do not beg you to spare my life but only beg you to spare my only disciple. Even if her memories must be wiped out and her brains be turned blank, as long as her life is kept, I am willing to confess the location of the most precious warehouse!"
Wei Xiaotian sighed softly and frowned, as if he were startled by Xiahou Wuxin's stupidity. "Leader Xiahou, has it ever occurred to you that everything in the Land of Sins is a gift from the sky? So, all the garbage stored in your secret warehouse is our charity for you. Now, you want to use our charity as a bargaining chip in a game against us? Are you sure that there isn't anything wrong with your head?"
"Of course, most of the items in the secret warehouse were given to me by you, but it is not entirely false that some of them are not under your control." Xiahou Wuxin coughed lightly, his lips and eyes both curling. "For example, do you have any bodies of the trainers whose chest really produces nine weird plants after they practice 'Nine Lotuses Arts'? As far as I know, the test subjects that you have found only had seven man-eating flowers blossoming on their chests, right?
"Right. Strictly speaking, they were the test subjects that I helped you find, which had seven man-eating flowers blossoming on their chests…"
Wei Xiaotian's face suddenly changed. "You hid part of the test subjects?"
"Like I said just now, maybe," Xiahou Wuxin said. "When the hares are caught, the hounds will be cooked; when the birds are shot down, the bows will be useless. How can I not understand such simple logic? I have been the manager of an Elysian World for decades. I've done too many clandestine things for you, and I know too many of your secrets. Could I really count on enjoying the rest of my life in Manjusaka after retirement? Of course, I had to plan a retreat for myself carefully!
"Therefore, I perhaps hid the goods of the best qualities, or kept tremendous precious video files about them, when I helped you collect test subjects, and I only delivered the second-rate goods to the City in the Sky.
"I believe that the twenty-seven corpses and the more than 350 video clips will be of great help for your experiments.
"Also, in its prime, the Martial Meritocrats Civilization left abundant valuable heritages and secrets. Even in the global destruction of Judgment Day, they were not entirely annihilated. Perhaps I found something interesting when I built the secret warehouses. For example, some secrets about the Cultivators, which cannot possibly be under your control.
"Let's make a deal, Master Wei. Let my disciple go, and I will give you the coordinates and the opening method of the most precious secret warehouse. Then, I will kill myself and not leave any trouble to you.
"Otherwise, I will have a hundred ways to detonate the warehouse remotely, and you will have nothing!"
As he approached the end, Xiahou Wuxin's face was brimming with relentlessness and brutality. His pitifulness a moment ago had entirely vanished.
"Master!"
Xin Xiaoqi wanted to jump forward to fight together with Xiahou Wuxin, but she had been locked onto by several gray Exos. With every step she took, she felt that her whole body was being minced by daggers. There was nothing she could do except cry in pain.
Wei Xiaotian was rather gloomy. His face that seemed to be made of marble in the first place was even paler than before. After pondering a moment, he said, "Alright. I promise you. But if you dare play any tricks, your death will not be the end. I assure you that I have ten thousand ways to mince your fleshly body into pieces before I drag out your soul and torture it for decades. You will not die so easily, Leader Xiahou!"
"I know the methods of the angels very well. I am certainly not bold enough to make such a joke with Master Wei." Xiahou Wuxin blinked. "However, how can I be convinced of your promise, Master Wei?"
"You don't have a choice." Wei Xiaotian's smile was approaching absolute zero very quickly. "We are not interested in your insignificant video files and test subjects. You can terminate the so-called 'deal' at any moment."
"It does make sense. I wasn't thinking." Smiling bitterly, Xiahou Wuxin suddenly said, "Master Wei, since we are being honest with each other and I am about to die, I wonder if you will be merciful enough to answer a question that has baffled me for a long time so that I can be spared an ignorant death."
He pointed at Xin Xiaoqi again. "As for my disciple, whether you are going to wipe her memories, or go back on your word and eradicate her for good, letting her know the truth won't matter, will it?"
Chapter 2033: The Great Secret in the Land of Sins |
With a frozen, statue-like smile on his face, Wei Xiaotian's eyes shuddered again and again. He said, somewhat cautiously, "Fine. Considering your years of dutiful service for the sky, whatever questions you have, you may ask them!"
Li Yao, who was hiding below, felt that the Immortal Cultivators should not be so easy to deal with. There must be a scheme behind everything.
After he sensed carefully, he felt that the spiritual ripples between Wei Xiaotian and the sky seemed to have become much more intense. The information transmission was increased more than ten times over, and data was exchanged crazily.
"Stop thinking. The guy is trying to buy himself more time." The mental devil sent a secret message to Li Yao from Neltharion. "He wouldn't make any deal with Xiahou Wuxin at all. He only wants to get more time to confirm what Xiahou Wuxin said just now.
"The City in the Sky must have been monitoring every action of Xiahou Wuxin, Liberty City, and even the entire Land of Sins closely. But real-time surveillance is one thing, and processing all the information that has been received is another.
"The Immortal Cultivators have an astronomical, overwhelming database. I don't think that they have enough manpower and computational ability to analyze the data and figure out every detail.
"This Immortal Cultivator 'Wei Xiaotian' is not sure if Xiahou Wuxin is bluffing. If my guess is correct, the Immortal Cultivators in Manjusaka must be analyzing all the surveillance information of Xiahou Wuxin in the past with all their strength, trying to locate the most secret underground warehouse or disprove its existence.
"That is why Wei Xiaotian needs to get more time. Xiahou Wuxin's questions are exactly what he wants right now.
"Naturally, it is a good thing for us because we will have more time to make arrangements."
The mental devil sent the pictures shot by Neltharion to Li Yao.
All the tough bandits around Xiahou Wuxin, Wei Xiaotian, and the rest of them had been scanned by the mental devil clearly.
Han Te and Liu Li were searching for the most suitable targets.
The Fist King was also micro-adjusting his every metal joint with a multipurpose maintenance tool, making sure that the body and his combat database perfectly matched each other.
A rain of blood was coming!
On the ground, Xiahou Wuxin took a deep breath and glanced at Xin Xiaoqi, as if he were truly full of curiosity. "I know that the entire Land of Sins is your laboratory and all the sinners are but your test subjects. I also know that the assassins and mercenaries from the Valley of Thorns are here for training and screening, which is called 'trial' by you, right?
"Despite the cruelty in everything, it is somewhat understandable.
"However, of the angels who arrived in the Land of Sins, besides the experimenters like you and those trial-takers, there were also some crazy weirdos who were here purely for slaughter and sabotage. They also often talked and laughed to air, making all kinds of dumbfoundingly contemptible postures. In recent years, such slaughtering clowns have become larger and larger in number. What are they about? I am completely confused.
"Before my death, can you answer my question and tell me the truth of those clowns, Master Wei? Otherwise, I truly feel that I will never rest in peace!"
Li Yao focused his attention below the earth, without letting go of any quake of soundwaves from the ground. The things about the slaughtering clowns, or the live streamers, had been mo
st incomprehensible and baffling for him.
"I thought that you were interested in bigger secrets. So, this is what you are eager to find out!" Wei Xiaotian said with a smile. "This is not a top secret. So, it doesn't matter to tell you. I must say that you are truly insightful to ask about the key to the existence of the Land of Sins!"
"The key to the existence?" Xiahou Wuxin asked in confusion.
"Yes. In the past hundreds of years, the Land of Sins had always existed as a place to test magical equipment and techniques. But in the last hundred years, especially the recent few decades, the arrival and activity of those 'live streamers' are the greatest reason for the continuity and the thriving of the paradise of sins!
"Do not underestimate yourselves and think that you are just poor test subjects or 'props' in the trial quests. No. For the great Imperium and the civilization of mankind that is even greater, you are of much greater significance. You do not even know how great a contribution you have made to the harmony and stability of the Imperium!
"Rest assured. The Imperium will not forget you. The civilization of mankind will not forget the anonymous heroes, either. Haha. Hahaha!"
"Live streamers?" Xiahou Wuxin had finally learned the names of the slaughtering clowns. Chewing on the name for a while, he ignored the sarcastic name of 'anonymous heroes' and continued his questioning patiently. "What kind of contribution?"
"You know that the Imperium is made of one percent true human beings and ninety-nine percent hominoids. Unlike the true human beings who know the significance of their life clearly and are actively dedicated to the great evolution of the civilization of mankind, hominoids are an ignorant, self-demeaning, shameless, lazy, and worthless species. It is tremendously difficult to activate the potential of the inferior species and ask them to make even the slightest contributions to mankind!"
Wei Xiaotian sighed. "The thing about hominoids is that the moment you go easy on them, they will immediately have a lot of irrelevant thoughts, simmering in impatience. But if you are too harsh on them, they will be frustrated and lifeless. They will only walk half a step after taking a whip, and their efficiency is even lower than that of spiritual puppets.
"To make matters worse, instigated by a bunch of ill-intended, disobedient criminals and the foreign hostile forces, the mobs will even be united against true human beings in resistance to the government of the great Imperium!
"In the past thousand years, we have adopted a lot of ways to administer the hominoids, but tyranny, harsh suppression, or gentle policies all had their shortcomings. The methods that are too harsh result in decreased work efficiency of the hominoids, and the odds of riots and insurgencies are greatly increased. The methods that are too friendly facilitate all kinds of ideas in the hearts of the hominoids that they shouldn't have, which also affect the hard-earned peace and prosperity in the Imperium.
"Eventually, it was the brilliant Lord Wuying Lan, the ruler of Manjusaka, the City in the Sky, who created the groundbreaking concept of 'slaughter streaming' that solved the problem once and for all and satisfied the needs of most of the hominoids in the Imperium, allowing the Imperium of True Human Beings to step into a new age!"
"Slaughter streaming…" Thinking quickly, Xiahou Wuxin said even more bitterly, "I understand it now. No wonder those 'live streamers' bring so many unnecessary crystal cameras with them. So, all their slaughters are for other people to watch. It's like a show."
"Indeed. All kinds of slaughter streams are the most popular entertainment shows in the Imperium. It is also the only means of entertainment for most of the hominoids," Wei Xiaotian said casually with his hands behind his back. "Also, it is much more complicated than simple entertainment, but also a new way of edification and destressing, an educational entertainment."
"Educational entertainment?" Xiahou Wuxin gnashed his teeth. "That is really brilliantly put!"
Wei Xiaotian suddenly raised his voice and said, "Human beings are the strongest fighting species in the sea of stars. Only the strongest are entitled to the great name of 'human being'. Survival of the fittest is the only law in the universe!
"Every hominoid should be aware of such a supreme principle. The slaughter streams are a more direct way for them to understand the concepts of 'strong' and 'weak' and how cruel survival is. Their fighting will is raised without them knowing it, too, so that the more ambitious and determined ones among them will be able to distinguish themselves more easily!
"On the other hand, do you know that the sense of happiness always comes from comparison? The resources in the universe are too scarce to improve the environment and the material conditions on a large scale. However, it is not so difficult to improve the sense of happiness in your perception.
"However hard my work and however painful my life is, as long as I know that somebody is shouldering more agony, hardship, and inhumane torture, all the pain that I am suffering seems less difficult to deal with. Such is the weirdness of humans' senses!
"So, for the hominoids who work in the boundless fields of the Imperium or the sunless mines, since we cannot improve their working environment and living conditions for the time being, we will show them the lives of the people who are even more miserable than them—the lives of you, the sinners in the Land of Sins."
"I understand it now," Xiahou Wuxin said coldly. "Hominoids are your slaves. It is needless to mention the bitterness of the torture that they suffer in farmlands and mines. But whatever torture they suffer, their life is still much better than biting each other like wild dogs in the Land of Sins or being butchered by the 'experimenters', 'trial-takers', and 'live streamers' blatantly!"
"That is exactly my point," Wei Xiaotian said with a smile. "When an unlucky man meets a man ten times unluckier than him, he will be in a much better mood and even think that he is actually quite lucky. That is exactly how you get a sense of happiness!
"Those hominoids have been working deep inside the mines day and night. They are ignorant, directionless people in the first place. After a long period of work, it is inevitable that they will complain or even slack off, which will result in a decrease in productivity.
"It is useless to suppress the worthless swine who are not scared of beatings or death. But as long as the clips of 'slaughter streams' are shown to them during their precious breaks from work, they will somehow be elated, all their complaints gone, after they see how the sinners in the Land of Sins scream, moan, and cry."
Chapter 2034: Weakness of Humanity |
The Immortal Cultivator from 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' got more and more excited as he talked. Perhaps he purely wanted to buy more time for himself at the beginning, but he was now prouder than ever about the system that originated from the Land of Sins.
"In the first years after Lord Wuying Lan created the notion of 'slaughter streams', we hired the professors in renowned universities to trace and investigate twenty-seven mining groups for ten years.
"The result of the investigation suggested that the happiness index soared every year in the community of miners who watched 'slaughter streams' for a long time and that the ratio of sluggishness, strikes, and even large-scale riots was reduced year by year. After venting their anger and additional energy in the thrilling shows, the miners were able to work dutifully during the day. The disobedient rogues, after seeing the miserable outcomes of the sinners in the Land of Sins, did not say or do anything outrageous."
"I get it. You are killing the chicken to scare the monkeys," Xiahou Wuxin said. "The sinners in the Land of Sins are chicken, and the hominoid miners are monkeys."
"You… You…" Xin Xiaoqi bulged her eyes, utterly dumbfounded. Despite all the crazy, bizarre things she had seen in the Land of Sins, she could not begin to fathom such evilness in the world. She stammered for a long time, only to come up with no comment on the Immortal Cultivators' behavior.
"You can say that." Wei Xiaotian continued smiling. "The test streaming in the mining groups was a major success and significantly hel
ped them to improve the happiness index and the productivity of the miners. Soon, the slaughter streams were introduced nationwide in the Imperium.
"To this day, almost all the miners, especially those who are engaged in dangerous and burdensome labor work, consider the slaughter streams their sole excitant. Some of them even have to watch the streamers kill a couple of people to enjoy themselves before they go to sleep even though they have worked seventy-two hours in a row deep inside the mines without any rest!
"As a result, the society is peaceful, the hominoids feel happy, and the productivity is significantly improved. The civilization of mankind is pushing forward at a higher and higher speed. The most amazing part is that there is barely any cost. Shouldn't you be greatly complimented?
"Also, the whole streaming business is just, open, and transparent, without any threshold. It is the most direct channel of ascension for the community of hominoids. As long as they make up their mind, any hominoid can participate in the audition of streamers. After they pass the harsh tests, they will be delivered to the training center in Manjusaka for modification. We will reform them with state-of-the-art technology, magical equipment, and drugs. Then, they will be sent to the paradise of sins for games to bring pleasure to people all over the Imperium.
"As long as their style is eye-catching enough, their tactics brilliant and provocative, even a nobody who worked at the bottom level of a thirty-thousand-meter mining hole on a frozen planet can become a star that everybody in the Imperium knows!
"The way out is right here. The Imperium never asks where they come from and is willing to give anybody an opportunity. If they want to distinguish themselves, just pass the tests one after another!
"With such an open and bright path lying right in front of them, what do the hominoids possibly have to complain about? They must waste their life deep inside the sunless mining holes only because they are cowardly and weak! If they are capable enough, they can totally distinguish themselves from their peers and become 'streamers'! Whining about the injustice of society when it is only because of their own incapability? That does not make sense at all!