Liu Xing's anger surged within him. He sat with a dark expression, his subordinates around him dared not even breathe too loudly. Though Liu Xing appeared scholarly and perhaps seemed like someone who couldn't lift a finger, the aura of malevolence emanating from him was growing stronger by the moment.
Others might not know it, but his close followers were fully aware. Despite being intellectuals, cultured individuals, who could assume that scholars were always virtuous? Throughout the five millennia, the corrupt officials, scoundrels, even traitors and national disgraces, hadn't they all been educated in the ways of Confucius and Mencius, passing the imperial examinations? Speaking of ethics and writing articles, they all seemed loyal and patriotic, but this only illustrated that knowledge and character were unrelated.
The not-so-large meeting room exuded an ancient air. A rectangular grand table dominated the space, filled with attendees on both sides, numbering around several dozen. At the head of the table sat Liu Xing, his expression solemn.
He gazed at the high-ranking individuals who followed the principle of "observe the eyes, observe the nose, observe the mouth, observe the heart." Suddenly, a feeling of déjà vu washed over him. It was reminiscent of certain officials in TV dramas—those who were manipulated by underground parties, helpless as they watched their underlings make a mess, none of them competent.
"Let's hear it then," Liu Xing slowly began, "everyone, speak up and share your suggestions."
Despite the silence that lingered, Liu Xing pressed on with his inquiry.
No one spoke up.
"A bunch of incompetents!" Liu Xing cursed inwardly.
Well, he supposed he had no choice but to rely on these flatterers.
"Since no one's speaking up, I'll say a few words," Liu Xing began slowly. The tension in the room visibly eased.
"Lately, the rampant rumors are unstoppable, even a plague couldn't silence these people."
"In the end, it's my leniency that's to blame."
At this point, the atmosphere grew tense. No one knew what Liu Xing was about to do.
"I've been cherishing old sentiments, not taking severe actions against those stubborn fellows who don't understand me. But they don't appreciate it."
"What do they see me as? A despot? A tyrant?"
"It's laughable, truly laughable. Look at the world we're in; even calling our lives as insignificant as ants would be an exaggeration."
"We possess top-tier scientists, but not even a piece of iron or half a copper here."
"Over this past year, what we've sacrificed is our lives. We used our lives to establish a base of the Stone Age on this cliff."
"Some individuals aim too high, thinking we should keep exploring, discovering minerals. What happens? They venture out and never return, becoming food for insects we can't even locate."
"Some are born in comfort but can't appreciate it. They have food and drink, yet they're always clinging to their former status, gripping it tightly. I want to tell them, adults, the era has changed!"
"Some can't see, can't perceive reality. The era has changed; we no longer possess that technology, that civilization bestowed upon us by the previous era. Yet they insist on clinging to those old tales."
"This world is different now. No Confucius, no Newton. We are in a new era, the era of Kaiyuan!"
"The new world, the new rules. Some teachers still lecture students about the great figures of that world, the stories of that world. What's the difference between those and ancient myths?"
"I just want to ask, if you talk about Kong Rong sharing a pear, are there pears in this world? You talk about world history? Where are those countries, may I ask?"
"We need to talk about modern history, the history of the present. What is the history of the present? It's us, the ones seated here, the history we're creating."
"We are the first generation of the base, we pioneered the base, we are forging the future."
"We establish rules, laws; we decide what is legal and what we oppose in this world. We are the aristocrats, representatives of this world. We can even decide who can have several wives."
The attendees were no longer composed, everyone exchanged glances, excitement stirring among those present. No one was foolish; they understood that this was about dividing the world among them. The atmosphere in the meeting room became charged.
"I no longer view our arrival in this world as tribulation; I believe this is what the previous world couldn't offer us. We are the kings and nobles of this world." Liu Xing's voice resonated softly from his throat.
Excitement swept through the crowd, people began to whisper to each other.
"I believe we shouldn't be courteous to those stubborn people."
"Yes, they're stumbling blocks to our civilization's evolution."
"I believe the old legal concepts can't be applied to this world."
"We should be given the power to enforce our rules—no, we should have this power."
"Yes, a system of punishment should exist. Those who oppose should be penalized, stripped of their power."
"Exactly, class distinctions should exist. Those obstructing progress should be demoted."
Liu Xing looked at his creation with satisfaction; he no longer needed to worry about the rest.
This place was a stretch of rocky terrain, muddy yet firm. Bai Qiangqiang felt like he had reached the end, though regret was not something he had many memories of.
As someone who studied physics, he wasn't born into hardship. Smooth sailing was his life from the very beginning; he sailed through his studies, entering graduate school without trouble. After graduating, he didn't consider himself Ph.D. material and, upon his mentor's recommendation, joined the research institute.
Even in this strange world, he still felt things were going his way, finally free from the worries of being set up on blind dates. When he returned one day, hopefully, he wouldn't be pressured into marriage.
After taking many detours, Bai Qiangqiang arrived at this rocky terrain, with no vegetation around, and a cliff ahead. Yes, this was the edge of Cliff Base.
"Sooner or later they'd find this place," Bai Qiangqiang glanced at the cliff. "Technically, with humans getting smaller, jumping off a cliff shouldn't be fatal. But why am I still afraid?"
Bai Qiangqiang had no intention of waiting for those 'agents' to catch up and then 'execute' him. He felt scared, but he understood that fear was rooted in his previous world's nature; he might not necessarily die from the fall, but he could end up maimed. There's a difference between knowing how to fall and not. Trained individuals were like those extreme athletes, adjusting their bodies in the air, optimizing their state before landing to minimize the impact on their bodies. Some daring soldiers had tried this before, but it was strictly prohibited afterward due to the inadequate safety measures at the time.
"Well then," Bai Qiangqiang took a deep breath. "I'll jump before they arrive; otherwise, they'd follow and capture me as soon as they get here. That would make the jump pointless."
Standing at the edge of the cliff, Bai Qiangqiang, who was just about to take a bold step, heard a faint buzzing sound in the air.
He hesitated for a moment, turned his head, and saw a large dragonfly gently landing not far from him. A person leapt off the dragonfly, tattered clothes hanging on him. With closed eyes, he strode confidently toward Bai Qiangqiang, the gentle evening breeze lifting his ragged garments. Despite the wear and tear he'd endured, his resolute spirit and clear emotions were plain to see.
In that fleeting moment, Bai Qiangqiang's mind seemed to echo a familiar background tune, the iconic melody of "The Bund," transcending time and space, "Waves surge, waves flow, the endless river never rests. Sweeping away all worldly matters, blending into a surging tide..."
"Given how few humans are left in this world, what's the trouble that warrants ending your life?"
At that moment, Bai Qiangqiang still hadn't fully grasped the situation.
The newcomer stood across from Bai Qiangqiang, eyes closed, head slightly turned, as if sensing the surroundings. Breaking Bai Qiangqiang's stunned silence, he spoke again, "Don't stand there in a daze," he grinned, "I've just returned not long ago. After a hurried meeting with Comrade Su and Comrade Zhao, we felt the commotion over here. We guessed something had happened to you."
Hearing the words "Comrade" and "we," Bai Qiangqiang was deeply moved, almost on the verge of tears. Finally, he had found an organization. In an instant, he forgot all his previous tribulations and reset his life to "smooth sailing."
"Let's go, you're injured in the leg," the newcomer said, "we should leave first and chat leisurely once we reach the camp."
Limping along, Bai Qiangqiang was supported by the newcomer's precise assistance, yet he could still sense from the demeanor that the man was blind.
The newcomer seemed to sense this too, and he continued, "It's okay, the doctors at the camp examined me. It's just some blood congestion pressing on the nerves. Once the congestion disperses, I'll be fine. It's temporary blindness."
"I know, but you, a blind man, rode a dragonfly here blindfolded. You want to take me flying in the sky? I might as well jump off the cliff; at least I'd understand my death better," Bai Qiangqiang thought to himself.
Seemingly without any worries, the blind man guided the apprehensive Bai Qiangqiang to a calm and motionless dragonfly. "I'm Xiao Guang, and you?"