531: Chapter 531 The War of Information Begins

Many students who were originally just onlookers or neutral now showed expressions of shock and disgust.

The gorgeous cloak of a civilization with faith that Zheng Huairen had worn was torn off by his own hands, revealing the nauseating side within.

The bullet chat of the live stream exploded instantly, causing the platform's servers to lag for several seconds.

"Holy crap! What did I just hear? Not fit to be human???"

"What was this guy just talking about?!"

"Is this old geezer crazy?! He's completely lost it!"

"So after all that talk about Advanced civilizations, the 'Advanced' part is implementing a caste system plus Social Darwinism? That is indeed quite 'Advanced'!"

"Reported, reported! How is he not banned yet?"

"Brothers from Shanhe University, well countered! We can't tolerate these feudal remnants and spiritual aliens!"

On stage, facing the accusations of thousands, Zheng Huairen's face turned from red to white.

But he still held on, trying to explain: "You don't understand... this is... this is a higher moral dimension... it is necessary to maintain the purity of civilization..."

But no one was listening to him anymore.

The lecture ended hastily amidst a mess of chaos and angry boos; Zheng Huairen was escorted out through a side door.

However, the incident did not subside; instead, like a depth charge, it stirred up massive waves in the public opinion of the Eastern Federation.

The majority of the public, especially the younger generation and the pragmatists, felt extreme repulsion and anger toward Zheng Huairen's explosive remarks, viewing them as the mad ravings of someone trying to reverse the course of civilization and history.

On social media, hashtags like "#Zheng Huairen Get Out of University#", "#Oppose Social Darwinism#", and "#Scientific Pragmatism Is the Absolute Truth#" quickly climbed the trending lists, accompanied by an overwhelming amount of critical articles and comments.

But strangely, a small segment of voices, after the initial shock, began to produce a bizarre sort of reflection.

This group was complex in composition.

Some were spiritual wanderers who had long been dissatisfied with reality and felt that Eastern Federation society was cold and utilitarian. Some were people naturally interested in mysticism.

Some were simply rebellious youths who liked to be different and oppose the mainstream. Even more were those who had originally harbored doubts about the speed and path of the Eastern Federation's rise, faintly missing some phantom of an "old era" that was "slower-paced" and "traditional."

Zheng Huairen's extreme theory that "faith is higher than reason" and that "it is natural law for the pure of Soul to enjoy blessings while the filthy suffer," though sounding appalling, happened to provide them with a very logical and profound explanatory framework.

Especially the phrase "not fit to be human," after being stripped of its cruel Social Darwinist core, was actually distorted and interpreted by some as an ultimate critique of the morally corrupt, catering to their dissatisfaction with declining social morals.

"Although Professor Zheng's words were a bit extreme, don't they make some sense? Are we placing too much importance on the material and too little on the spiritual right now?"

"The Void civilization might have extreme methods, but at least they have a kind of principle. Unlike us, where everything is about utility and there's no persistence."

"The justice of high heaven sounds very cool. Does some kind of transcendent judgment really exist?"

These voices were small at first, mixed into the waves of mainstream criticism.

But soon, they found "foreign aid."

The Void civilization was clearly paying close attention to this great debate within the Eastern Federation.

On the day after the peak of the Zheng Huairen lecture controversy, the Dean of the Void civilization's highest academic institution, the "High Heaven Academy," an old Scholar enjoying high prestige in the Void, published an open letter to the Eastern Federation's academic community through official channels.

The letter was written in a formal, flowery style full of diplomatic jargon, but its intended meaning was clear.

"We express our understanding and concern regarding the discussion within the Eastern Federation about faith and civilization. The Void civilization is willing to share, with an open mind, the wisdom of social governance and the path to peace of mind that we have obtained under the guidance of faith with our friends in the Eastern Federation."

"We believe that different civilizations can learn from each other and jointly find the path to settle the Soul in this complicated material world."

This letter was reprinted in full by several Eastern Federation media outlets with an "international perspective," and was immediately hailed by Zheng Huairen and his supporters as an affirmation and an olive branch from an Advanced civilization, which they promoted vigorously.

Following that, the core classic meticulously prepared and translated by the Void side, "The Path of Grace: High Heaven Faith and the Modern Mind," was officially published and released in the Eastern Federation.

The book was beautifully packaged, and its promotional slogans were extremely tempting.

"Finding Inner Peace in an Age of Anxiety," "Life Wisdom Beyond Utilitarianism," "Spiritual Revelations of an Ancient Civilization."

The content repackaged the Void's "Predestination," "Concept of Calling," and "Theory of Suffering and Trials" using more philosophical and psychological language.

It removed the most naked expressions of social stratification, focusing instead on concepts that sounded very self-cultivating, like "inner Order," "accepting fate," and "gratitude for what one has."

Relying on precise marketing and the current heat of the topic, combined with frantic recommendations from some cultural compradors and spiritual believers, "The Path of Grace" actually hit the top of various book charts in the Eastern Federation for a time, with the publisher claiming "sales exceeding one million copies."

One million copies! This number was cheered by Zheng Huairen and others as the dawn of the people's will and the return of faith, and it was repeatedly hyped up on the internet and in certain circles.

But anyone with a bit of a brain, especially the relevant departments of the Eastern Federation responsible for monitoring public opinion, only wanted to laugh when they saw this number.

What is the total population of the Eastern Federation now? It's approaching eight billion.

In an interstellar civilization with a population of eight billion, an alien religious philosophy book that sparked huge controversy only sold a million copies—is that a lot?

On average, only one in eight thousand people bought it.

This sales volume, placed in the national book market, wouldn't even count as a slightly larger ripple; it's just a drop in the bucket.

Moreover, among these million copies, how many were bought by the curious for "critical research"? How many were bought by opponents to "see just how absurd they are"? And how many were truly "bewitched" by Gu?

No one knew.

But the figure of one million copies indeed possessed strong deceptiveness and inflammatory power.

It gave those converts or seekers whose voices were originally weak a delusion that they were not alone and that it was the trend of the times.

Thus, the battlefield of public opinion on the internet became even more complex.

Besides the mainstream critical voices, a group of "rational, objective, and neutral" observers and "cultural reflectors" began to appear.

They no longer directly advocated for the Void system, but instead turned to attacking scientific hegemony, technological superstition, and materialism, while promoting pluralistic values, spiritual openness, and maintaining awe for the unknown.

They appeared objective, but in reality, they were constantly providing cover for the Void's theories and attacking the Foundation of the Eastern Federation's mainstream values.

Several internet influencers and opinion leaders with large fan bases also began to take the field, publishing articles like "Is our definition of 'Advanced' too narrow?" and "Beware of the spiritual desertification brought by technological development."

They appeared to be exploring ideas, but in reality, they were pushing their own agendas and raking in massive traffic.

In the Imperial Capital of the Eastern Federation, inside a simple meeting room.

Several officials in charge of ideology and cultural security were holding a meeting, with real-time scrolling summaries of public opinion and data analysis on the wall.

"Zheng Huairen is essentially finished; that act at Shanhe University basically equated him with extreme reactionaries, so he can't overturn mainstream public opinion," a researcher wearing glasses reported.

"But the issue he ignited has indeed touched a nerve in some people. The Void side is very clever; they didn't directly enter the fray, but instead turned to providing solutions using their repackaged religious philosophy," another added.

"The sales of 'The Path of Grace' reaching a million definitely has some inflation, but the impact shouldn't be underestimated. It provides a set of answers that seem to explain the world and settle the heart, which is indeed attractive to some lost Souls."

"And those influencers hyping it up for traffic—they'll say anything."

"Sigh, we still need stability for development too much, otherwise they'd really see if our iron fist has rusted!"

The one presiding over the meeting was the commissioner in charge of the relevant field.

He listened to the report and pondered for a moment: "The situation is a bit more complex than expected, but the core contradiction hasn't changed. People like Zheng Huairen represent the ideological garbage of the old era that hasn't been cleaned up, trying to return in a new guise."

"The Shankong Civilization has provided a seemingly glamorous corpse. The confusion of some of the masses is the soil that allows this corpse to be resurrected."

"The attitude from above is very clear."

"First, manage according to the law. Zheng Huairen's remarks are being assessed by relevant departments; if he crossed the line, he will be handled according to the law. Those influencers spreading rumors and making illegal profits should be summoned for talks or punished as necessary."

"Second, we must hold our ground and, more importantly, take the initiative in building it. The social sciences, arts, and education sectors must produce clear, powerful, and in-depth voices."

"We can't just simply refute them; we must clearly and thoroughly explain the essence and dangers of the Void's theories, as well as the necessity and superiority of our Eastern Federation path, in a way that the masses, especially young people, enjoy and understand."

"Third, development is the absolute truth. Public opinion issues must ultimately be solved through development."

"Let the masses, especially the young, have a real sense of gain and achievement in the rapid development of the country. With clear and beautiful expectations for the future, those fallacious theories will naturally find no market."

He finally added a sentence with a slightly emotional tone: "Don't forget, our Eastern Federation crawled out from a pile of messes to get to where we are today not by relying on anyone's revelation, but by seeking truth from facts and through self-reliance."

"It's about daring to learn from all the strong and then surpassing them. This spiritual core is something no one can break."

The massive state machine of the Eastern Federation began to respond to this ideological storm on multiple levels.

Meanwhile, among the people, especially in universities and online communities, the waves of spontaneous criticism and deconstruction of the 'Zheng Huairens' and the 'Void myth' grew increasingly turbulent.

This great debate concerning the Eastern Federation's own civilizational path and spiritual identity has just entered its middle stage, while the true reversal is gradually approaching the dark truth waiting to be revealed.