Chapter 1238: Dispute

Dispute

"Do you see it? Changqing, this is the miracle of biology!"

"..."

"If we want to adapt to the apocalyptic environment, we must complete our evolution in the shortest time possible! But the limitations of human evolution are too great. If we can promote Fusion technology together, humans will never again have to worry about the mental and physical corruption caused by the Gray World, nor hide in the dark underground. They might even obtain more powerful strength, just like you."

"..."

"I myself am the best example... Changqing, you know what Teacher was like before. Old, exhausted, even having difficulty walking with my own two legs... But what about now? Now I possess a body that hardly ages and a brain whose energy won't deplete. My thoughts can diverge at ten times the speed they used to. Those biological conundrums that once troubled me can now be easily solved..."

"Now, Teacher is your greatest competitor, hahaha!"

"..."

"Changqing, tell me the truth... Did you steal my experimental results and samples?"

"Changqing, do you know how much effort it took me to record those things? You...Sigh... I am your teacher. If you want them, just tell me directly. I've never held anything back from you... But Changqing, what on earth do you intend to do by stealing my blood samples?"

"..."

"In this world, you and I are the only two Fusionists. We both know very well what kind of leap we've achieved after completing the Fusion... And now, you actually want to keep this technology for yourself?"

"..."

"Science should serve the masses, not individuals at the top of the pyramid! I know you are now the dignified Lord of the South Sea, an existence admired by everyone, but... have you somewhat forgotten yourself?"

"..."

"Are you afraid? What are you afraid of... Afraid that others will discover the secret of Fusion? Afraid that a Lord of the South Sea could also be born among those ordinary people? Thus you wouldn't be able to maintain your special status over the Nine Monarchs and humanity?"

"..."

"Changqing, ever since returning from the Gray World, it's like I don't know you anymore..."

"..."

"Chu Changqing!!! I am your teacher!! I am the one who personally led you into the halls of biology!! And now... now you actually slander me?"

"..."

"I, Ye Mu, swear to the heavens, I absolutely did not privately use children for Human Experimentation!! I also absolutely did not privately sell organs, nor secretly sell addictive drugs in human bases!! The disappearance of those children really has nothing to do with me... Really... Really..."

"..."

"I do not accept the joint verdict of the Nine Great Bases on me! I DO NOT ACCEPT IT!!!!"

"..."

Bang—!!

The sound of the gavel striking echoed in the courtroom like rumbling thunder, abruptly jolting Teacher Ye awake from his dream!

The dim, gray sky was like an iron-colored dome, pressing down so heavily that people could hardly breathe. Wind and frost mixed with a chill brushed past his temples. After a long while, he finally recovered his senses in a daze and slowly sat up...

Beneath him was a meticulously laid blanket. Although the blanket was full of dust and tears, it was still soft and comfortable to lie on. Teacher Ye gently rubbed the cute blanket printed with cartoon patterns with his fingertips, his gaze looking forward.

On the barren Gray World earth, the figures of the children were sitting around in batches. Originally wearing colorful clothes under the Mother Tree, they had now all lost their color, staring blankly at the gray flames in the middle in despair, like refugees in an old black-and-white movie, miserable and sorrowful.

"Teacher Ye! You're awake??" Zhao Yi's pleasantly surprised voice rang out from the side.

As soon as these words came out, the muddleheaded children all suddenly snapped back to their senses. The radiance in their gloomy eyes re-emerged, and with a swoosh, they tightly surrounded Teacher Ye!

"Teacher Ye, you're finally awake!"

"Teacher Ye, we were so worried about you just now..."

"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere, Teacher Ye? Are you hungry? Big Brother Sun gave me two sticks of candied haws just now, I'll share one with you!"

"Teacher Ye, your complexion is so poor. Did you have a nightmare?"

"..."

The chattering voices were incredibly noisy,

But for some reason, hearing these voices, Teacher Ye's heart settled down, and he asked softly, "What... happened to me?"

"I don't know, you suddenly fell from the sky just now, and Big Brother Sun saved you... Big Brother Chen Ling said you were just overly physically fatigued and would be fine after a good rest."

Teacher Ye recalled his memories before fainting and nodded slightly:

"...I understand."

The chattering voices around gradually died down.

But the children didn't leave. Instead, they quietly surrounded Teacher Ye. Pairs of clean eyes just looked at him like that, like twinkling stars in the night.

"What's wrong?" Teacher Ye asked.

Finally, a girl couldn't help but speak, choking with sobs,

"Teacher Ye... the Integration Faction is gone... What... what are we going to do?"

The girl's sobbing was like some kind of switch. The moment her words fell, the grievances and sorrows suppressed in the bottom of the other children's hearts could no longer be hidden.

From the destruction of the Mother Tree and Teacher Ye's fainting to now, these children hadn't shed a single tear. But after Teacher Ye woke up, they finally relaxed as if they had a pillar of support, an object they could cry to and rely on. More and more sobbing and crying sounds rang out from the crowd, echoing in the barrenness of the Gray World...

In Teacher Ye's eyes, the image of the children kneeling and crying in the ruins was reflected. He only felt a burst of severe pain in his heart, but he still gently stroked the girl's head and replied as gently as possible:

"The Mother Tree is gone, we can find another place to settle... As long as we are still here, the Integration Faction will always be here."

"But... but where else can we go?"

The children had grown up in the Mother Tree since childhood. The vast majority of them had never seen what it looked like outside the Gray World. Having lost their shelter, they looked confusedly at the monotonous world around them where only black, white, and gray remained, and an inexplicable fear welled up from the bottom of their hearts.

Teacher Ye remained silent for a long time, as if he had finally made some kind of decision. He slowly stood up from the ground...

"We are going to the South Sea Domain."

...

Under the dim sky, several massive Shadow Centipedes roamed the barren earth.

If one looked down from the sky, one could find that these Shadow Centipedes were all encircling the periphery of the Integration Faction's children, acting as sentinels guarding the surroundings... And on top of the head of the largest centipede among them, a figure draped in a Great Crimson Theatrical Robe stood silently.

After an unknown amount of time, an entirely pitch-black youth ran over from around a campfire not far away and shouted at Chen Ling:

"Great King Chen Ling!"

"Teacher Ye invites you to go over for a moment!"