Monster Dismantling Company

Chapter 42 Monsters are Rice, Noodles, Money, and Food

"Ah..." Li Lin nodded, "However, I don't want to lie. If I really wanted to give you a gift, I would have prepared something. This was just something I grabbed on the spot."

"That's what I like most about you. You're different from everyone else; you're sincere. Oh, by the way, is there anything you like about me?"

"You?" Li Lin thought for a moment, "Does liking your appearance count?"

His answer was as simple and direct as ever.

"Okay... that's part of being sincere. But, is there anything else?"

Li Lin nodded: "Yes. Actually, your area of ​​expertise aligns very well with my work."

I like his appearance, and we're a good match professionally. As for the food, it's delicious and nutritious. These words from Li Lin are extremely high praise. He's also emphasizing a very practical reason—Lin Zhiqing's expertise is in monster ecology research, which is indeed helpful to his work.

His decision to pursue a further relationship with Lin Zhiqing was not based on a momentary impulse, but rather on careful consideration.

Lin Zhiqing tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Then can I understand that you didn't agree to this on a whim, so you won't cut off contact with me on a whim?"

Like a translator, Lin Zhiqing deciphered the hidden meaning within.

"Mmm, you understand me better than I understand myself," Li Lin nodded.

"Actually, I don't know why... From childhood to adulthood, besides liking to study monsters, I've always liked to study you. Every time I see you in front of me, I never get tired of looking at you."

"Well, I happen to have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Hmm." Lin Zhiqing sat up straight. "Go ahead and ask. This is knowledge that can get you into Guanzhong High School, so feel free to ask."

Li Lin cut to the chase, asking the question he had been pondering: "Do you think monsters can be tamed?"

"You've come to the right person! The answer is yes, it's possible! It depends on how you view the concept of 'domestication'."

"for example?"

"For example," Lin Zhiqing thought for a moment, "like the place you're going to, Diqiu. Diqiu is an energy gathering base built on the miasma environment created by the [Super Beast Thor]. The so-called domestication is 'the utilization and mastery of another creature.' From this point of view, this can also be considered a kind of domestication of Thor. However... this is not a complete domestication."

"Why?" Li Lin asked.

"Because strictly speaking, domestication is a mutually beneficial act. While being utilized and controlled, the one being utilized can also gain protection and increase its own numbers. Just like humans domesticated chickens, the total number of chickens raised on Earth once exceeded 300 billion. If we only consider the numbers, the chicken species can be said to have become quite successful because of this. As long as humans exist, chickens will not go extinct—but here, I have not found any benefit for [Thor] from what humans have done."

"So, what benefits do you hope to gain from this?"

Lin Zhiqing shook his head violently: "I just like studying monsters. If I really had to coexist with monsters, I'd probably be terrified. It's the same here: if people really start taming monsters, wouldn't that mean some people will profit from them? There's an old saying: 'Taking someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.' If monsters really become rice, flour, and money, then the monsters in this world will never be eradicated, and our lives will never be able to return to normal."

Lin Zhiqing's research on monsters did not evoke any sympathy for them. She held a firm view on monster extermination—it wasn't that she didn't know monsters were useful. It was precisely because she knew how useful monsters were that she believed they had to be eradicated.

"Monsters are inherently dangerous, and the more I try to understand them, the more incomprehensible they become. This is because the very existence of monsters obstructs our understanding of the outside world: the power of mirages is essentially about creating a black box that isolates us from the outside. I've seen some old cartoons, like 'Tom and Jerry.' In them, Tom can sometimes perform anti-gravity actions when Newton isn't looking, such as sitting on the edge of a cliff. As long as he doesn't know that there's nothing beneath his feet, he won't fall."

After saying that, she looked at Li Lin and asked, "Was I too excited?"

"No, no. I think it's good to get to know each other better."

"In short, I think humans shouldn't touch the power of monsters; that's like drinking poison to quench thirst. As long as we use the power of monsters to fight monsters, this matter will never end."

Li Lin then asked, "If you had the opportunity to enter the upper echelons of Shenhe Plain in the future, what would you do?"

"I will try to connect all of humanity. Isolated humanity is far too vulnerable; they are easily tempted to acquire power they shouldn't in order to protect themselves. We must let all of humanity know what the golden age before the war was like, and how high humanity can climb—you can't expect too much from someone living in hell, nor can you expect humanity to defend one hell from an attack by another. Only a healthy, complete, and prosperous humanity can resist such an unreasonable force. When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; human foresight must be built on the foundation of having basic needs met."

"Oh!" Li Lin clapped her hands. "I've learned a lot from what you said."

"You agree with my point of view? I myself think that's a bit far-fetched."

Li Lin looked at her and said, "You have to dream with spirit. Your dream can also be my dream. Although I just want to live a peaceful life, if the whole world becomes unstable, then my peaceful life is out of the question."

"Really! You're really willing to help me? It's a long road!"

"I have plenty of time," Li Lin replied. "We have a long time to try things out slowly."

"Right now, I actually have a small favor I'd like you to do me..."

"Go ahead and say it. There's nothing you can't say."

Lin Zhiqing lowered her voice: "Actually, I'd also like to experience working at a monster dismantling company..."

"No, that's too tiring. And it's dangerous too."

"If I don't know how monsters are dealt with, how can I presume to say I understand them? Besides, I want to see how the black box of the mirage is broken. Since you're going to hunt Thor, could you take me with you?"

"No way." Li Lin was quite principled in this regard. "Even if we've already established a relationship, and I support your decision, this still won't work. Rules are rules, and safety is paramount at the construction site. I can't let unauthorized personnel wander around freely."

"Okay." Lin Zhiqing was a little disappointed. "If you don't want me to go, then I won't go... Don't worry, if I say I won't go, I definitely won't go."

If she said she wouldn't go, she meant it. Lin Zhiqing agreed readily. Her partnership with Li Lin was based on rationality and was anything but complicated.

"Invite me over when I become more useful to you. You should also work hard; maybe in the future you'll want to help me, but I won't be happy about it."