Chapter 2757: Seeking Survival

"Birds are free animals." Mr. Wen looked out the window again, "They are born to fly without needing anything external. They are objects of human imitation and envy."

"As long as they do not fall to the ground, there are few things that can threaten their lives."

"At the same time, they are not bound by ethics or morals. Survival is the most important thing, and everything serves that purpose."

After listening, Xu Huo said, "Survival alone requires all of one’s energy. Isn’t this the exact difference between them and humans?"

Mr. Wen smiled, "The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans have too many thoughts that change constantly."

"Perhaps because of this, humans occupy such a status instead of becoming food for large beasts," Xu Huo said.

"That seems to be the case." Mr. Wen did not dispute his words but continued, "But animals, after being fed and watered, seldom hunt for fun. Humans, however, have various reasons for hunting, possibly for a beautiful feather, a tooth, or simply to vent desires they dare not show to their kind."

"Humans possess far more than the ability to protect themselves yet still find ways to squeeze other species’ living space."

"From what I know, in some zones after evolution, mutated plants and animals can overrun the entire zone in a short period of time. Perhaps they are not as kind as you think, for the desire to survive varies in size." Xu Huo said.

"That is a substantial difference. When basing it on survival, it’s instinct; when it is based on something else, then it is a sin." Mr. Wen looked at him, "The Red Feathered Hummingbird needs to consume poisonous nectar to grow red feathers, but after eating the poisonous nectar, its lifespan will be greatly reduced."

Xu Huo laughed helplessly, "This also concerns whether I can survive. From both a factual and emotional perspective, this cannot be covered simply by right or wrong. Humans cannot absolutely justly judge right or wrong because fairness itself is based on human civilization."

"Blurring the concept of right and wrong is very dangerous," Mr. Wen said, "especially for someone who can influence many people."

"So the laws and morals mutually agreed upon by humans are good guidelines," Xu Huo said, "As long as you follow these guidelines, you won’t make big mistakes."

Mr. Wen was slightly surprised, "Don’t you think that strong individuals should create rules by themselves?"

"The concept of the strong corresponds to the weak. If I were that weak one, I absolutely wouldn’t want the strong to formulate rules entirely according to their own needs." Xu Huo said half-jokingly.

Mr. Wen burst out laughing, "The rules of this world have always been formulated by the strong. The laws and morals that humans collectively abide by were also defined by the earliest strong ones."

"There are always those who can empathize with others." Xu Huo drank a sip of tea, "Standing from a human’s standpoint, doing things that everyone approves of, like ’a life for a life’."

Mr. Wen’s smile grew larger, "In the Player’s world, that sounds like a joke."

Xu Huo shook his head slightly, "Not being able to fully implement it doesn’t mean it is a joke. For players in other zones, ’a life for a life’ is impossible, but in Rank-A zones, maybe every player has to live with their head lowered, and ’a life for a life’ might become a reality."

Mr. Wen’s smile did not last, but it wasn’t due to a change in emotion, rather because he felt tired, and he spoke lethargically, "Does it have meaning?"

He wasn’t asking anything in particular, as if speaking to himself, "When I was young, Cannibal Players in Zone 022 could walk openly, and many people viewed them as heroes, and even some chose to become Cannibal Players to quickly gain power."

"They protected their compatriots, resisted external enemies, became the backbone of the zone’s protection, and became shields against the wind and rain for other Players."

"As the crisis passed, more and better Players emerged, and they were no longer the power needed by the zone, thus they were gradually eliminated."

"But this isn’t the end. Cannibal Players might momentarily fade into history, but when a possible future day arrives and the zone is ravaged, they will be needed again."

"Their fate is the same as that of all Players in the Game World, cyclical."

"Because of this, humans shouldn’t have a longer lifespan." Xu Huo said, "From youth to old age, a person’s will and wisdom are worn down. When they start doubting the world, their thoughts begin to detach from the human form, and they can’t view the world with their feet on the ground."

"When the old era ends, new times will bring fresh blood."

"It’s not the world that is cyclical, but humanity."

"If people could strictly execute commands like machines, mankind’s world wouldn’t have much fluctuation."

"However, the world that exists now is a result of human fluctuations."

Mr. Wen tugged at the corners of his mouth, "I was also this vigorous when I was young."

"I believe the highest dimension of human life is to gaze upon fate." Xu Huo said, "Life aging is irreversible, but it will continue in others. A person may have been concluded and judged, but the world has not stopped. Since right and wrong cannot be clarified completely, being an observer wouldn’t be a bad choice."

"I’m curious as to whether Mr. Wen is curious about the fate of future humanity; I am quite curious."

"If this world is compared to a story, the ending of a story is often predictable, but how to achieve that ending has thousands of combinations, where deliberateness and coincidence intertwine, possibly making every turn surprising."

Mr. Wen was silent for a moment, and when he looked up at him again, a subtle change occurred in his gaze, "Can you calmly face your own death?"

"No." Xu Huo answered without hesitation, "I don’t seek death."

Mr. Wen sighed deeply, "I’m just seeking survival too..."

Xu Huo refilled his tea, "I heard that Zone-level Wormhole points have better doctors. Has Mr. Wen sought treatment?"

"It’s hard to live up to its name," Mr. Wen said with a touch of helplessness, "Even though human evolution has come to this point, many challenges are still insurmountable."

"I’ve seen more impressive people lose their last human dignity due to degeneration."

"Hopefully, I won’t end up like that when I die."

Xu Huo did not respond to this sentence, accompanied him for a while longer before getting up to leave.

Mr. Wen’s mental state is undoubtedly problematic, possibly due to the after-effects of degeneration, maybe because of aging and Zone 022’s attitude towards him. In any case, he’s quite unstable, nearly losing control of his emotions twice during the conversation, which is a very dangerous signal when facing a guest at home for a casual chat.

However, seeing this, it’s not surprising he might go berserk and kill at night.

Despite his words being full of loneliness and sadness, he couldn’t hide the desire to survive, even if it meant playing a monster curled up in this manor.