NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 878
“Is this how things will conclude?”
Park Jinseong faced a slight loss but, in the long run, considered it a pretty useful opportunity, while the Chinese upper class took a hit overall but assessed that it could turn into a fortunate reversal if handled well. The president of China, enraged that something that could harm face value had happened, ultimately decided to contain the situation. Meanwhile, the people thought, “It was unexpected, but we have to keep living, what can we do?” and resignedly returned to their everyday lives. So, is this how it will conclude?
It might, or it might not.
The truths of the world are beyond human comprehension, tangled like countless structures, changing shape with even the smallest shifts, making it impossible to grasp easily.
However, we cannot deny the high possibility that things will flow that way, provided that no unforeseen variables intervene.
But what could possibly be the variables?
The disruptive elements causing chaos in China are now gone.
The fire sorcerers and wizards have died, and the courtesan sorcerer has returned to her country.
The terrorist sorcerer has also vanished.
The soldiers and public security forces who overreacted are now dedicated to maintaining public order, managing the people to ensure that “dissidents seeking to disrupt social order or deceive the masses” don’t stir up trouble.
What variables could possibly arise?
Everything should flow according to its natural order.
Following the will of Heaven.
Once upon a time, the people of ancient China said.
Wherever they were, that was the world, and beyond their territory lay the “outside world.”
The world would be complete only within their own realm, and everything would concentrate here, which is the Middle Kingdom.
The place of civilization.
They claimed it was the center of the world.
These people did not crave those outside their world.
They considered themselves civilized (華) and outsiders as barbarians (夷), hence saying that both could not occupy the same position was akin to comparing humans to beasts. Only through the enlightenment of civilized people could barbarians become human, and naturally, they would admire them for their grace.
They did not desire goods from outside their realm.
The Middle Kingdom was the center of the world, the world itself.
Although the earth is vast, there is nothing that China does not possess.
Their resources are plentiful and overflowing, never feeling the lack, unlike the barbarians who experienced joys and sorrows due to scarcity.
But as time passed, they eventually reached a standstill.
Having completed the world by themselves, they could not develop through interaction and, while they knew how to create vassal states and subjugate others, they failed to genuinely embrace them, hindering mutual growth.
They had those around them declare them emperors, but persistently looked down on them as barbarians, failing to earn true loyalty, leading to enduring threats from surrounding barbarians and further retreating inward.
Yet, even while lacking, they had no ambition to grow significantly.
This was why the East and West reversed their fortunes.
Once a majestic dragon, the nation fell, while an insignificant island nation transformed into a monster that devoured them. From that point, the greedy Western monsters surged in, tearing them apart and plunging the people’s lives into despair, which, after many twists and turns, led to the present-day People’s Republic of China.
The lesson paid for in blood is said to be etched in the bones.
The People’s Republic of China craved and craved again.
Desperately wishing not to repeat a past that crumbled so easily in corruption.
Hoping to return to a time filled with old glory.
Rise and fall!
A nation rises and ultimately falls, prosperity gives way to decline in the ways of the world.
Yet, if that is the unalterable will of Heaven, how is the period determined?
Setting the timelines of rise and fall is a human affair.
Bringing about decline is a day for those who hold the mandate of Heaven.
Until the civilization that flourished alongside rivers gradually expands its territory and takes its place at the center of the world.
That principle has not changed and will not change in the future.
Therefore, a hero hopes and hopes.
For the time when their will aligns with the will of Heaven.
To stand tall under the blessing of Heaven and the protection of the earth.
If merely wishing could make everything happen, nothing could be better!
Yet, as the saying goes, “Minding the affairs of man, the completion lies with Heaven, it cannot be forced!”
Heaven is indeed cold and cruel, indifferent to human desires and efforts, no matter how desperate one may be. No matter how meticulously a plan is crafted, if Heaven does not permit it, all efforts will return to nothingness.
Thus, what one can do is to put forth their utmost effort in everything, waiting for Heaven to grant them permission and timing. And after enduring long patience, only then can one bear fruit, for knowing when to wait is a hero’s virtue.
Wait and wait.
Even when it seems the nation trampled by the West has turned to ashes and is destined to rise once more.
When one is face down, waiting for the day to stand again.
When other nations indiscriminately accept factories that have become undesirable due to contamination,
Finally, when united, the people’s will reaches even under America.
Wait and wait.
And finally, the moment of opportunity has come.
“The discovery of Geburah Akav ■■■■■ Nekton ■■■■.”
The chain of coincidences leading to that discovery is truly remarkable.
In a city turned to ruins, the public security forces—as they were deployed to maintain order—caught wind of a single sinkhole tucked away in a corner of the city. Not too far from the city center to raise suspicions, yet cleverly concealed, making it absolutely impossible to be discovered through conventional methods.
Hidden yet not hidden, this blind spot was created by utilizing human psychology to its extremes.
Moreover, the reason for this was absurdly peculiar.
There was no noble pursuit of searching for survivors, nor any desire to look for something worth spending money on.
Remarkably, the trigger for discovering the sinkhole was the simple desire to play Mahjong.
Unlike simply hiding away to drink or smoke, Mahjong required four people to sit around a table, demanding a space suitable for gaming. Thus, one diligently sought “a cozy place of sufficient size with soundproofing while still possessing an accessible location for quick assembly in case of emergencies,” which ultimately led to the discovery of this secretive spot.
What followed was equally bizarre.
Upon hearing of the sinkhole found in a secluded area, the superior, instead of responding gruffly with, “What? The crazy fools are causing chaos? With missiles and shells exploding everywhere, it’s no surprise the ground has a hole or two; why bother with a report?” had a truly astonishing idea.
“A sinkhole in a secluded area? Not sure how deep it is? Then… wouldn’t it be great to send some dissidents down there!”
What the superior envisioned was a cumbersome method for dealing with those “dissidents.”
The dissidents were truly annoying and irritating.
If not caught, they caused problems, yet once captured, a new problem arose. Prisons had been destroyed and were no longer functional, and there weren’t enough decent spaces for soldiers, public security, or the people to use as shelters or lodgings.
Moreover, they had to monitor whether those bastards would escape and needed to ensure that those trapped would not starve to death.
While one would want to kill them all, doing so might stir discontent among the people, which was difficult.
But wait—a sinkhole is out there?
Then it could be used to disseminate rumors, engage in rebellion against soldiers, defy public security’s control, or efficiently handle those engaging in “actions against order” by simply pushing the “dissidents” in there!
Being in a secluded place would make it almost invisible, and eliminating without the hassle of bullets or blades meant it was as simple as just shoving them into the sinkhole. Additionally, even if those remains were discovered later, there would be infinite excuses to be made!
“Couldn’t it have been those damned criminals causing trouble in the chaotic city?”
“Weren’t the people voluntarily cleaning up corpses to prevent the plague?”
“Maybe they fell in there while wandering around or got caught in the collapse. I don’t know the details!”
A splendid idea.
And so, it was done.
The troublesome criminals were dispatched there unconscious, and those who dared to voice discontent against the Communist Party, attempting to deceive the populace, were dragged away with muzzles secured. Meanwhile, those who complied with the controls were either released according to the severity of their crimes or retained to “demonstrate how well we maintain order.”
Thus, countless individuals began their wingless flight, plummeting into the sinkhole.
As time went on, this sinkhole would be repurposed as a “dissident disposal site” and eventually filled with corpses, later paved over with debris and cement, becoming a buried secret.
But then, another coincidence occurred.
On a day when the peaceful routine of disposing of dissidents in the sinkhole continued, one of the falling dissidents turned out to be a relative of one of the representatives of the National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Naturally, it would be a significant problem if it got revealed that they had killed the relative of someone connected to a member of the National Congress. Even if they tried to ignore it, it would be equally problematic if remains were found in the sinkhole later on.
Thus, they resolved to explore the sinkhole to sort out the situation somehow.
While they might naturally be dead, at least recovering the body could help resolve some issues.
Whether they burned the body to eliminate all traces or reported it as having been eaten by cannibals, or covered up by claiming it was an accident during the city’s collapse… one way or another, they had to extract the body from that sinkhole.
The outcome of being labeled a dissident and reduced to a mountain of bodies made entirely of those dullards would surely be a shocking ordeal for both the deceased’s relatives and those connected to him!
Thus, they descended into the sinkhole, ropes tied tightly.
What they witnessed upon entry was a mountain of corpses, victims who had died falling from above.
There were rats and insects, startled and scampering away when they saw the people descending, having been busy feasting on the remains.
And there were monitors displaying a blue image of a wood drawing with a five-pointed red star and the floating remains of a human brain in horrific tanks.