Heroes' Prison

Chapter 744 - 709 Skirting the Edge

"But the Era of Corporation adheres to fairness, and fairness conflicts with justice," Mr. Huang Sha said with a shake of his head and a smile. "Fairness means giving the same thing to everyone. Justice means allowing everyone to possess the same thing."

As he spoke, Mr. Huang Sha again took out a packet of bait and sprinkled it evenly, saying as he scattered it, "Inside the enclosure there’s an exciting ball game happening, and both an adult and a child outside the fence want to watch. The adult can easily see inside, but the child, even on tiptoes, cannot see a thing. Now, if I give both of them one brick each, for the adult, it doesn’t matter whether he uses the brick or not, and the child, even with one brick, still cannot see the ball game inside the fence. But this is fairness, because I’ve treated everyone equally, without bias."

While speaking, Mr. Huang Sha threw a handful of bait directly in front of the dying fish and continued, "Of course, if I give the adult’s brick to the child as well, allowing the child to stand on two bricks, then he would be able to see the ball game inside the fence. This would be justice, as I would have provided them both with the same view, letting both see the game. However, this kind of justice comes at the price of harming the adult’s fairness."

He paused slightly and said, "The Era of Corporation holds a special status, and you might think our company can act without restraint. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; we walk on thin ice every day because the greater our power becomes, the harder it often is to control it. If the Era of Corporation exerts an unbalanced force on this world, it could bring about catastrophic disaster. If I favor one side, then I must harm the interests of the other, which clearly disrupts the balance."

Mr. Huang Sha scattered another handful of bait to the lively school of fish and said, "You keep stressing how corrupt the World Federation is and how dangerous it is to the world. But what I fear more is that after I’ve dismantled the World Federation, an even greater crisis might emerge. Therefore, I choose to pursue fairness, treating everyone with the same impartiality, without favoring any side. The direction of the world is for you to decide."

After saying this, Mr. Huang Sha shifted the topic, "Of course, absolute fairness does not exist; I can only achieve what seems fair on the surface. For example, poor people can only use free virtual devices to enter The Second World, while the rich can buy advanced virtual devices and directly obtain Advanced Classes, which seems unfair. So, we make powerful Rare Classes impartial to all; everyone must complete a Rare Quest to obtain them, and each person has only one chance. Fail, and they must choose a Common Class. The real world is the same; although we pursue fairness, some of the things we do will inevitably indirectly affect fairness, and this cannot be avoided."

Once he finished, Mr. Huang Sha cast all of the bait at once, then placed his hands behind his back again and calmly asked, "I believe you understand what I mean, so now, tell me your wish."

Huang Yi cracked a slight smile, then shook his head and said, "Indeed, it’s hard to maintain balance in details when power grows, but on a macro level, it’s possible to do some things that were previously impossible. You say fairness and justice cannot be achieved together, but with the power the Era of Corporation holds now, it’s possible to achieve both. Since both the adult and the child are outside the wall, then can’t you simply knock the wall down?"

Mr. Huang Sha’s eyebrows lifted with interest as he asked, "And what do you mean by that?"

Huang Yi immediately spoke the truth, "Actually, I’m here for the Thunder God; his execution is imminent. I know that according to the principles of the Era of Corporation, it’s impossible to bluntly interfere with politics or spare the Thunder God’s execution. You’ve also said before, the Era of Corporation will always be a technology company. So, my request is something else..."

Next, Huang Yi detailed his wish, a method he had thought of recently.

"Oh? This is a quite a wish," Mr. Huang Sha said, a bit surprised, but he laughed, "You’re playing to the edge of the rules, but it’s undeniable that your way perfectly circumvents the Era of Corporation’s principles. And it simultaneously achieves both fairness and justice. I can agree to that."

"Phew!" Huang Yi let out a long sigh of relief, his hanging heart relaxed as he said, "Mr. Huang Sha, thank you! You are a person filled with justice! I’ve always admired you!"

"You don’t need to thank me; you should thank the version of you who once strived hard. If you hadn’t won the Best Individual Award, I would not have agreed to your request," Mr. Huang Sha said, patting Huang Yi on the shoulder, "You should call me Blood Song! When I was your age, I also rode through the virtual world; Blood Song was my name back then in the virtual world. Now, looking at you, I feel as if I’m seeing the vigorous young man I once was."

"Then, Mr. Blood Song, may I ask you a question?" Huang Yi asked suddenly, a thought striking him.

"Ask!"

"If a player grows to an unprecedented height, truly without rivals, not even NPCs can defeat him, then what would happen to The Second World?" Huang Yi asked thoughtfully.

"This question is simple," Mr. Huang Sha said, with a look of reminiscence, "You know about the Hope System? That used to be the predecessor of The Second World, and it was the virtual world where I once roamed. When a player reaches the highest pinnacle in the virtual world, then the system will open the next world. It’s as if we are launching a brand new virtual world product. We won’t let the virtual world become a world dominated by a single player. Whenever such signs emerge, it signifies The Second World’s lifecycle coming to an end and the dawn of a new world. The Hope System became The Second World for that reason."

"What then happens to the people in The Second World after the new world opens?" Huang Yi continued.

"Except for a few players who can retain their original state and enter the new world, the rest have to start a new journey from scratch. Even those few who do enter the new world face significant restrictions. Their power can’t affect the new world too early, and their fate will be decided by the players of the new world," Mr. Huang Sha said, showing a meaningful smile, "I think you may reach such a height, and I look forward to your growth. Alright, my wife is waiting for me to go out for a walk, I’ve got to go offline. Goodbye." With that, he disappeared into thin air.

In the empty courtyard, Huang Yi was left alone, the air so still and quiet that one couldn’t help but want to close their eyes and drift off to sleep.

Huang Yi still looked down at the pond, where the fish continued their playful splashing, and that one goldfish which had been at death’s door finally fought for and obtained the feed. Under the influence of a strange energy, it began to regain its vitality.

He watched the goldfish and quietly began to smile.

...

Before he knew it, over half a month had passed.

Huang Yi’s level had recovered to 25, allowing him to transform into a Half-Beastman form. However, he continued to maintain his Spirit Cat form, and Yue Yue, Haitang, and the other four girls hadn’t recognized his player identity, treating him as if he were a real cat.

He stayed hidden like this, waiting for his strength to recover.

During these days, The Second World underwent some earth-shattering changes. After the Pope, T.N.T, and Miyamoto Musashi fired the first shot at Hero’s Continent, a large-scale national war officially erupted.

This time, it was not the small skirmishes Huang Yi encountered on the Land of Dongying, but a massive free-for-all between nations and guilds.

Since the Pope, Miyamoto Musashi, and T.N.T had long planned the invasion of Hero’s Continent and made thorough preparations, they caught Hero’s Continent by surprise. Currently, their momentum was fierce, having occupied a large territory of Hero’s Continent, constructed numerous defense works, and steadily advanced. They were digesting the conquered land and continuously sending in fresh troops.

On the side of Hero’s Continent, since Desire Arises from the Heart made his declaration of war during the annual awards gala, the powers behind him had shaped him into the leader of the Chinese players from all sectors. He quickly formed the Desire Legion, with nearly all of China’s top guilds joining, making him very prominent for a time.

Desire Arises from the Heart’s resistance indeed had some effect, slowing down the advance of the Tri-nation Coalition. However, looking at the battle data from these days, his counterattacks were more losses than wins. Even the battles they won were piled up by sheer numbers, with their casualties far exceeding those of the enemy.

That day, after Huang Yi logged in, he first went to check the 24-hour hot posts on the forum.

"The winner of the Best Charm Award, one of Indonesia’s leaders—Fuchan Fenrao declares the formation of a national war guild, joining Miyamoto Musashi, the Pope, and T.N.T’s Tri-nation Coalition to invade Hero’s Continent!"

"The struggle for the World Stone resources on the mysterious deserted island escalates, as the Giant Bear and Pharaoh, two great leaders, kick off a national war!"

"The largest port on Ganges Continent witnesses a large fleet of Deep Sea Battleships heading towards Hero’s Continent. Analysts believe this move is likely instigated by the Indian player leader Ganges, adding insult to injury for Hero’s Continent."

...

The 24-hour hot posts on the forum were mostly dominated by news of national wars, as a great war that swept across the world fiercely ignited!

In the midst of this, Hero’s Continent was the absolute center of conflict. It was the largest continent among all countries in the world, with the most intermediate-level resources, and without the Heavenly Realm NPCs, it was the easiest to arouse envy. Now that Miyamoto Musashi, TNT, and the Pope had started the action, more and more countries wanted to join in the invasion, wanting a share of the spoils. If this trend continued, Hero’s Continent could very well face a combined invasion from all the countries of the world!

This trend had to be stopped as soon as possible!