109: Section 109

"Jing Yuan!" Marc said in a low voice.

In Marc's heart, although Morgan had abdicated, he was still that poor old man who had spent his entire life toiling for The Lighthouse.

He deserved at least a basic level of respect.

Marc said to Morgan, "City Lord, I was the one who asked Jing Yuan to come with me. I trust him!"

Morgan laughed. "You trust him? You don't even know who he really is! And yet you trust him?"

Jing Yuan smiled and asked, "Then who do you say I am?"

Marc stopped Jing Yuan from speaking further. "Jing Yuan was born on The Lighthouse and grew up here. This isn't just in the public records; all the friends around him can testify to it. Jing Yuan's uniqueness is innate. If you must get to the bottom of it, then we should look into who Jing Yuan's parents were."

Morgan's expression froze. On The Lighthouse, aside from him and Charles, no one dared to mention father-son kinship.

Jing Nan spoke up, "After the three great laws were promulgated, all kinship records were deleted."

The words of Marc and Jing Nan could neither be proven nor disproven; they simply wanted Morgan to believe that Jing Yuan was one of their own.

"You don't need to say anything more," Jing Yuan said. "City Lord Morgan doesn't want to know my family lineage; he just doesn't like that I have superpowers."

"Jing Yuan," Marc called out. Before they arrived, the two had agreed that Marc would be the one to persuade Morgan to reveal the secrets.

But looking at Morgan now, it was clear he had no intention of cooperating.

"Marc, let me try to persuade him!" Jing Yuan sighed. "After all these years on The Lighthouse, there are many issues I've wanted to discuss face-to-face with City Lord Morgan. Perhaps through discussion, we'll reach a conclusion on the things we want to know."

Morgan remained silent.

Jing Yuan pulled over a chair from nearby and sat directly across from Morgan. He said with a smile, "Let's start with the three great laws! Genetic Optimization, Collective Education, and the Brave's Far-Away Journey. These three great laws aren't actually wrong in principle. "

Genetic Optimization—excellent genes mean a higher survival rate. But that's a false premise to begin with; 'superior' and 'inferior' are just arbitrary human definitions.

Without weapons, the mortality rate for both Upper Citizens and Dust Citizens when facing a Phage Beast is exactly the same: one hundred percent!

If you ask me, powerful firepower is what ensures a higher survival rate, yet Dust Citizens aren't even allowed to touch weapons!

They die in large numbers—are you sure that's a genetic problem?

Only Upper Citizens can procreate on The Lighthouse. So tell me, where did those Dust Citizens numbered after 8000 come from? Weren't they also born to Upper Citizens? Your Genetic Optimization is a load of crap!"

The Lighthouse is humanity's last sanctuary. If you were truly doing this for the continuation of the human race, maintaining the diversity of genetic samples would be the correct choice.

By only allowing the small number of Upper Citizens to reproduce, human genetics will only get worse and worse!

So stop talking about genes.

All of this is just a means for a few of you to control the majority.

Otherwise, why would the Light and Shadow Society even exist?

The fewer people there are at the top, the more they need a religion like the Light and Shadow Society to control those at the bottom.

City Lord Morgan, as a politician, you are excellent, but as a human being, you are truly pathetic.

You and your son Charles spend all day fantasizing that you are humanity's last guardians.

In secret, Charles treats Dust Citizens like livestock, killing them whenever he pleases.

City Lord Morgan, are you blind to all of this? Are Dust Citizens not human beings?

I've advised him so many times; I told him there are so few people left on this planet, so don't engage in internecine killing, but he just won't listen.

With the coup he launched today, it's either their death or ours!

Either way, half the population has to die!

Is this the future you've given The Lighthouse?"

By the time Jing Yuan finished, his emotions were somewhat stirred.

Morgan still remained silent.

Morgan looked at Jing Yuan. Long-term ideological suppression meant that young people like Marc could never even conceive of problems at this level.

Jing Yuan was also very young, but these words didn't sound like something an eighteen-year-old could know.

Morgan became increasingly convinced that he had undergone a Body Seizure by one of the Ground People.

Seeing that Morgan wouldn't speak, Jing Yuan continued, "So, Genetic Optimization is just an excuse. What you really want is the division between Upper Citizens and Dust Citizens! You want the Dust Citizens to serve the Upper Citizens willingly!

I know a bit of The Lighthouse's history. If I'm not mistaken, the current group of Upper Citizens on The Lighthouse must all have intricate ties to the previous City Lord! They are either the descendants of his old subordinates, prison guards, high-ranking officials of the Coastal Alliance, or merchants who sought refuge with their supplies... The Lighthouse was once a prison; where are the descendants of those prisoners? Where are the descendants of the civilians you took in?

In this apocalypse, you want to maintain your status as rulers. As a shrewd politician, what methods would you use?

Tell me, City Lord Morgan, which lineage do you belong to?"

Morgan was completely enraged. "You know so much, and yet you claim you aren't in league with that woman!"

Jing Yuan smiled and pressed his hand down, signaling Morgan not to be so anxious.

Marc, Jing Nan, and even Snow Peak were in a state of shock after hearing Jing Yuan's words.

"City Lord Morgan, don't get worked up; it's bad for your heart. I haven't finished yet!

Collective Education—this wasn't wrong either. In an apocalypse, concentrating resources to educate the next generation gives them more survival skills.

However, you only educate the Upper Citizens!

Claiming under a fine-sounding name that the Dust Citizens' genes aren't good enough.

But it's very strange; I've met many Dust Citizens who are very smart. If they received the same education, they wouldn't be inferior to Upper Citizens.

The reason Dust Citizens can't receive an education is the same reason they can't carry weapons.

You simply want the descendants of The Lighthouse's original high-ranking officials to continue enjoying the privileges of education and bearing arms to protect their class status."

"Enough!" Morgan cursed angrily. "Do you think what you're saying is the truth?"

Jing Yuan smiled and said, "If this isn't the truth, then what is? Don't tell me the real reason you implemented the three great laws is because human emotions cause life source essence to emit a strong scent, making us impossible to hide from the Phage Beasts?"

This sentence from Jing Yuan broke through Morgan's defenses.

"How do you know that?"

Morgan's reaction was obvious; his expression unmistakably told everyone that Jing Yuan had hit the mark.

"City Lord, is what Jing Yuan saying true?"

Morgan stared at Jing Yuan. "Since you know, then why are you still questioning the three great laws!"

Jing Yuan said, "Emotions make life source essence emit a scent. But for people who don't talk about emotions, does their life source essence have no scent? Will they not be discovered by Phage Beasts?"

"This was our only choice!"

Seeing Morgan's agitation, Jing Yuan became calm instead. He said, "City Lord Morgan, I know it hasn't been easy protecting The Lighthouse as it sailed through the sky all these years. It's just... City Lord, everything is changing. We must seek a new way out today!"

Morgan seemed moved. He was silent for a moment before looking at Marc. "Marc, what do you think the new way out is?"

Chapter 112: They Are Part of the ecology

Marc said, "I will go down to The Surface with Jing Yuan to find those Ground People. If they can survive on The Surface, then so can we! If we return to The Surface, we won't need the three great laws! We will join hands with the Ground People to fight against the mana ecology together!"

"They aren't human at all!"

Morgan repeatedly emphasized that they were not human.

Jing Yuan asked directly, "Why do you say they aren't human?"

Morgan remained tight-lipped regarding this question.

Jing Yuan finally understood; with this old man, if you didn't provoke him a bit, he wouldn't say anything.

"City Lord Morgan, you've known all along that there are people living on The Surface, haven't you? You've been hiding it. What exactly are you afraid of?"

Morgan reined in his emotions, making it impossible for Jing Yuan to read any information from his micro-expressions.

Jing Yuan continued, "Today, when you saw I had superpowers, you were so furious you wanted to arrest me. I thought you were just trying to favor Charles, but now I've thought of another possibility!"

Jing Yuan's words caused the expressions of the onlookers to change.

Including Snow Peak and the others, they all believed Morgan just wanted to favor Charles. Could there be another reason?

"I guess the people on The Surface must be human too. They awakened superpowers through some method, but not everyone can awaken them. This situation is completely random!

On The Lighthouse, you divide people into Upper Citizens and Dust Citizens, but in reality, there is no essential difference between them. Whether someone is an Upper Citizen or a Dust Citizen is decided by your word!

But on The Surface, the difference between those who have awakened superpowers and those who haven't is visible at a glance!

When that time comes, your word won't count for anything! You might not even be able to awaken superpowers yourself!

On The Lighthouse, you control the people by fabricating a lord of light and shadow, but you and I both know that might makes right!

When an esper whose ability far exceeds everyone else appears, all your political schemes and tricks will become utterly fragile.

That's why you forbid contact with the Ground People!

Otherwise, you won't be able to maintain your rule over this kingdom in the sky.

In the end, how are you doing this for humanity's future? It's clearly for yourself and the selfish desires of your ruling class!"

"Bullshit!"

Morgan, the dignified City Lord, was actually so enraged that he spat out such an unrefined word.

For so many years, Morgan had always prided himself on being humanity's last guardian.