106: Chapter 106 Not Perishing in Silence

On the top floor of the United Nations Building, the Gugu Gaga flag on the wall fluttered slightly as the night wind seeped in through the gaps in the ventilation window. The ears of the chibi Gugu Gaga on the flag twitched, its smile still looking naively adorable.

Chen Mu leaned back in the sofa, a ghostly blue mirror surface suspended in front of him.

The image in the Time Mirror was frozen on the Mary sisters at the fountain plaza in front of the United Nations Building.

"Interesting." Chen Mu poured a glass of red wine and watched everything Mary had experienced today.

"No wonder the common people in ancient times always thought the emperor was always good; it was because the officials below took all the blame."

He watched Mary's retreating back and turned off the Time Mirror.

"When the common people suffered injustices, they thought they could solve it by going to the capital to file a royal complaint." He looked out the window at the Manhattan nightscape paved with lights. "Little did they know that the one who caused all this was the so-called Son of Heaven himself."

Chen Mu silently added Mary to his daily must-watch list.

He was indeed a bit curious now, what exactly this seventeen-year-old high school girl could achieve.

——————

The taxi stopped in front of a villa in Queens. Peter Parker poked half his head out of the car window, looking up at the oak front door, which was at least three times wider than his own apartment door, and the neatly trimmed holly hedge in front of the door. His mouth opened into a circle about the same size as his camera lens.

"Team Leader," he crawled out of the taxi, not even bothering to fix the backpack strap that had slipped off his shoulder, "is this your house?"

Mary took out the key and inserted it into the keyhole, saying in a flat tone: "This was originally given to the Ball Chief by someone, but later, too many people gave gifts, and the Ball Chief was too lazy to live in them one by one, so my sister let me live here for the time being."

Peter Parker followed her through the door, like Grandmother Liu entering the Grand View Garden, looking left and right, feeling everything was novel.

"That's for sure." He held his camera against his chest. "If Lord Ball Chief were to live in them one by one, I feel like he wouldn't be able to finish living in them even in ten years."

Gwen changed into slippers and didn't respond.

She noticed that Mary was still unhappy, so she walked to her side: "Alright, Mary, stop thinking about those things."

"Just like your sister said, some things are indeed not for us to manage."

Mary turned around, clenched her fists, and looked at the two of them: "Do you also think humans are an inferior race?"

"Ah?" Peter Parker was knocked backward half an inch by this sentence, his hands waving frantically in front of his chest. "How is that possible! I am human myself, how could I think my own race is an inferior race? That doesn't make sense logically!"

Gwen placed her hand over Mary's clenched fist. "Humans have never been an inferior race."

Mary's fist loosened a little in Gwen's palm, and she said in a dejected tone: "But those people in the store today, they seemed to really agree with A-Zu's remarks."

"When he said humans were an inferior race, no one stood up to speak for me."

"Maybe they were too scared!" Peter Parker scratched his head. "I was like that before. When others called me a nerd, I pretended not to hear, because if I pretended not to hear, I wouldn't have to admit that I didn't dare to refute."

Gwen also nodded and squeezed Mary's hand a little tighter.

"When there are a lot of people, everyone thinks someone else will stand up, and then everyone doesn't stand up, so no one stands up. It's not because they agree with A-Zu's remarks."

Suddenly, Peter Parker took off the camera on his chest and handed it to Mary. "Team Leader, my uncle once told me a sentence. He said that being brave is not about not being afraid, but about being able to stand in place even when your legs are trembling."

"Before today, I always thought I understood this sentence quite well."

He raised his head and stared at Mary with burning eyes: "But today I know, the one who stood in place wasn't me. It was you, Team Leader."

Mary took the camera and looked at Peter Parker with some confusion: "This is?"

Peter Parker took a deep breath. "This is the recording from the Wuhu Shop today. I originally did it to commemorate the first activity of our New Era Youth, but I didn't expect to record this."

Mary opened the camera and saw the scene of A-Zu staring at her with red eyes again.

"I thought a lot when I came back today." Mary said softly. "A-Zu said we are an inferior race. This sentence is indeed very disgusting, but what made me feel the most uncomfortable was not this sentence. It was that after he finished speaking, everyone didn't react."

She pulled her hand out of Gwen's hand. "I've seen a saying, it was written by a person named Lu Xun in the East."

"He said, if you don't erupt in silence, you will perish in silence."

"Before today, I thought these two sentences were two choices, one is to stand up, and the other is to endure."

She looked at the silent crowd in the video again. "Now I understand this sentence. The author was not telling you to choose the left or the right."

"He was telling you that silence itself is a form of perishing. You don't need to take action, don't need to kneel, don't need to sign a surrender document."

"You just need to look away when someone calls you an inferior race, and hide the bottle behind your back, and you are already dead."

She turned her head back, looking at Peter Parker and Gwen. "And what makes me feel the most fearful is actually my sister. My sister is the secretary of the Ball Chief, and one of the highest-ranking humans on this planet."

"She told me personally not to be a standout, that protecting myself is the most important thing. Do you understand what this means? It means that even the most excellent people have defaulted to the idea that silence is correct."

She put her hand on her chest: "Humans have never been an inferior race, but if all humanity forgets how to stand and speak, then what A-Zu said will really become a fact."

She stood up and looked at Peter Parker and Gwen seriously: "So I want to do one thing now. I want to use my own voice to tell the whole world what happened today. I want to let everyone see that video and hear those words."

"I want them to know that when A-Zu said we were an inferior race, there was one person who didn't remain silent; she stood up."

"Then," she took a deep breath. "I hope that the person who stands up will no longer be just one."

"My sister said this is not my business. But if this is not my business, then whose business should it be?"

She shifted her gaze from Peter Parker to Gwen. "If everyone just lowers their head as A-Zu said, and everyone thinks this is not their business."

"Then he will really win. Not by winning with his Special Ability, but by winning with humanity's own silence."

"So, before he wins, we must do something. Even if it's just posting a video, but only one person sees the video, and when humans are insulted by A-Zu, stands up and speaks, that's enough."

She reached out and solemnly invited Gwen and Peter Parker: "This matter might be very dangerous. Are you willing to do it with me?"