[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-god-s-imitator":3,"chapter-god-s-imitator-god-s-imitator-chapter-510":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","God's Imitator",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1795000,2392,"Chapter 518 518: Power and Politics","god-s-imitator-chapter-510",510,"\u003Cp>Evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sizhi was in the outdoor area, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yao sat on the single sofa next to him and said, \"Zheng Jie and I have decided to leave on the last day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Otherwise, you'd be so bored alone in the community.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sizhi smiled, \"I don't mind. Sometimes I prefer the quiet solitude over the hustle and bustle, which allows me to think about things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But thank you both anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yao hesitated for a moment, then said, \"Why don't we stay? It's hard to see Community 17, a previous stage victor, fall apart leaving only you, Lawyer Lin, behind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sizhi looked at her, smiled, and shook his head, \"That's not necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The New World is only suitable for a small number of people, while most suffer and are imprisoned here without a reason to stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even though the Walkway generously offers everyone in our community a chance to leave the New World, it's still an exception: none of the other communities receive such a favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because the Walkway still aims to lock most players in, confining them to provide a gaming experience for a select few.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't see this as 'falling apart' for Community 17. Why can't it be a 'perfect exit'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused slightly before continuing, \"For you, leaving the New World is a perfect clearance, a graceful exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's like finishing a game; even if there are leftover gold coins and gear, or uncompleted goals and achievements, they're still just virtual data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no need to have any attachment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What matters is the experience itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For players like me, this game has the option of 'multiple playthroughs'; it might be repetitive or drastically different each time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But for a 'multiple playthrough player,' whether to carry over previous gear isn't really important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Traveling light suits my style better.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sat quietly, watching the distant night sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can I interrupt for a moment?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yao looked up and saw Li Renshu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sizhi nodded, \"Of course.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yao helped move the nearby single sofa so Li Renshu could sit comfortably and then asked, \"By the way, Renshu, I haven't asked: are you planning to stay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Renshu didn't immediately have an answer but eventually shook her head, \"Probably not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I used to have confidence in my political capability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Before the 'Tarot Game,' I was also quite satisfied with my status and community-building achievements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But now I realize that those were illusions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What I did actually had no meaning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sizhi shook his head, \"That's not entirely true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reflecting on the past three months, I think the community building was as fascinating as the Walkway's game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your performance was excellent; don't be too hard on yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for realizing you were overshadowed by Cai Zhiyuan and couldn't do anything, that was unavoidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because Cai Zhiyuan is also a player with top-tier political abilities, on par with you, but his strategic and disruptive abilities surpass yours. Moreover, he has the advantage of being an Imitator, so this was the outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From a political standpoint, you didn't lose by much; you lost in areas beyond your control.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This surprised Li Renshu, \"Lawyer Lin, you found the community-building part 'fascinating'? I thought you dismissed it as minor squabbles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Earlier, when discussing such topics, you rarely spoke, even if you understood the unwritten rules and hidden agendas, you never intervened or opposed them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sizhi shook his head, \"I didn't participate because I wanted to be an 'audience'; I don't consider it minor squabbles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Qin Yao, let me ask you a question. What do you think 'politics' is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yao thought for a moment, \"I know! I specifically looked it up in books from the library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Politics is the act of governing a political entity, centered on the distribution and use of power, aimed at maintaining social order, promoting public welfare, and safeguarding citizens' rights.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Renshu pondered for a moment and said, \"To me, politics is about regulating the distribution of interests among different groups, optimizing the resource mobilization for the entire group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In other words, it's about identifying allies you can rally and adversaries you must oppose, ensuring allies' interests are protected to unleash their potential; curtailing adversaries' interests but cleverly keeping them suppressed within a non-disruptive range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You could also say, seek common ground while accommodating differences, make more friends and fewer enemies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sizhi nodded, \"Hmm, you're both right, as there is no particularly clear definition of politics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, I prefer a more straightforward explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Before discussing the concept of 'politics,' I'd like to talk about 'power.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Some say 'power' is violence, but that's not quite correct. 'Power' is a form of 'strong control' over others; compelling someone to drink at a table to test their compliance is an example of power; forcing a subordinate to take the fall at work even when they know how serious it is but have no choice is another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If someone can't compel people to do certain things, then they don't possess power; conversely, the more people you can compel and the more things you can make them do, the greater your power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, power often isn't exerted through sheer violence; many times, it's constructed on 'illusions.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because in the real world, there's no 'all-conquering force,' the violence one can muster is highly limited, and to enhance one's power, forming some group or order is necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When most people acknowledge your power, you truly have power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whether your intentions are benevolent or malicious, whether the system you're constructing ensures everyone's rights or lets you control everything, requires a specific process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And in the process of building this system, everything you need to manage, every related action, is politics.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Sizhi paused briefly, then continued, \"So, I think the concept of politics is independent of population size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From a group of three to a nation of billions, politics is present. Though different in form, they are essentially the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The manifestation of political awareness and capability doesn't depend on the number of political participants but merely on specific actions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1009,"2026-06-09T04:22:47.739Z",1,"novelbin.me","6689349f81c4dab18ebeb2cad851076d53a054bbe7a0b58108b946df675949db","god-s-imitator-chapter-511","god-s-imitator-chapter-509",597,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fgod-s-imitator-cover.jpg"]