Chapter 618

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Chapter 618: What Others Give You Is Not Called the Right to Choose

"If you kill the black dragon, Hongze Lake will breach."

"A lake burst its banks on the ground, leaving millions of people homeless."

"The entire northern part of Huizhou turned into a low-lying area, thousands of acres of farmland flooded, resulting in countless financial losses."

"The water from the Huai River will not wait for anyone. It continues to flow towards Hongze Lake. If it can’t reach the Yangtze River, it will rampage in search of a way out to the sea, turning the Huai River into a disaster."

"This natural disaster surpasses any since the founding of the country, affecting multiple provinces and nearly a tenth of the population."

"People’s grievances are sharp, panic is spreading."

"Subsequent outbreaks of diseases, decreased food production, and changes in climate and terrain are all foreseeable facts…"

Lu Yunchuan asked Bai Wei, "Have you considered all of this?"

The heroic spirit, who had never been defeated, threw the question at Bai Wei, "Even if you know this will happen, will you still go and slay the black dragon?"

Silence, a rigid silence.

Captain Lu raised his hand and said. Sit down, young man… I’ve been waiting for you here on purpose to explain some things to you.

Bai Wei sat down, looking calm. "I understand without you explaining. If killing the Black Dragon will solve everything, I wouldn’t be here."

The Black Dragon is strong, but not invincible. Three Black Dragons are nothing to fear, the real threat is Hongze Lake itself.

Unfortunately, this dangerous lake is under the control of the Black Dragon. They use it as their base and become increasingly audacious.

Targeting Ying Mu’s Dragon Pearl, isn’t that also reckless? Even daring to retaliate against Bai Wei without fear of reprisal, all because of Hongze Lake.

Bai Wei rubbed his chin, "I didn’t go directly to Hongze Lake because I understand, the key issue is not slaying dragons. The Hongze water system is so tricky, it can’t be solved by just killing a few dragons, that’s why no one has solved it in over five hundred years."

Captain Lu said in a serious tone, "Having a button that, when pressed, can cause millions to die tragically, can threaten the entire Ming Country into submission."

Ying Mu, feeling uneasy, said. Isn’t this terrorism?

"Yes, but there’s nothing we can do." The heroic spirit held a black chess piece in hand. My sword is sharp, but without a chance to unsheathe it. Young man, both you and I are people of the Ming Country, our positions are actually the same, what you’re going through, has happened before.

Bai Wei asked. So you have been enduring this for so many years?

"Had to endure," Lu Yunchuan said solemnly. "Had to endure…"

"Do I have to endure too?"

"You can choose not to endure, it’s a matter of choice," Lu Yunchuan placed a black piece on the center of the board.

"What kind of choices?" Bai Wei casually placed a white piece on the board.

"Kill the black dragon, seek revenge, then trigger the collapse of the Hongze Lake, bringing endless troubles, leaving a bad smell in history for thousands of years," Lu Zhong placed his second piece. "And in order to avoid this worst outcome, not only will I stop you, but all the heroic spirits of the Ming Country will stop you. Even if you have the strength to fight thousands alone, you won’t win."

Bai Wei didn’t say if he could win or not, only shook his head. "I don’t want to fight my countrymen."

"Or, give up on revenge, join the army, we will take care of your safety and your family’s safety. I promise you in the Heroic Spirit Principle," Lu Zhong placed his black piece down. "What do you think?"

"Rather than say it’s a choice, it’s more like no choice at all," Bai Wei continued placing his pieces.

"Yeah, but that’s just how things are, a really messed up reality. You can only choose between bad and not so bad, and once you choose, you have to deal with the consequences."

Choices come with consequences.

This is different from the past; Bai Wei could destroy an empire, but it’s to pave the way for a new era. Sacrifices are worth it.

But in the current situation, is the sacrifice worth it?

Shaking the foundation of a country for personal desires, for grudges, is indeed a foolish choice. That’s why 99% of people wouldn’t choose that path, but one in a billion would, and what’s even scarier is not only would they choose it, but they would also have the capability to do it!

Lu Yunchuan was straightforward, "If you choose the first option, once this game is over, I’ll take you away, send you to Yan City, and then you’ll go through several rounds of political examination, have a bunch of psychologists counsel you until you come to terms."

"Not just execution or imprisonment?" Bai Wei asked. "Also, why do you all think I’m capable instead of just empty words?"

"Precisely because you are capable, that’s why we are wary." Lu Zhong sighed. A Martial Saint in his twenties… Give you another twenty years, and you might surpass the level of a Martial Saint. By then, forget killing a few black dragons, even a second-grade heroic spirit might not be a match for you.

"Dealing with Heroic Spirit Principle is no easy feat. The martial arts system has its limitations, albeit strong, there are ways to overcome them," Bai Wei said nonchalantly. "Besides, we still have the strongest upper-tier heroic spirit in the world to keep us in check, right?"

General Lu sighed. Young man, I advise you not to cause trouble all the time. That person is not easy to deal with. If she sees you as a threat, she will slap you without hesitation. You won’t even have a chance to defend yourself.

"Just stay put and join our group in the central area. You can have whatever you want – delicious food and drinks. Isn’t that nice? There are many unmarried pretty girls in our central area, I can introduce you to them…"

*Cough cough cough!* Lord Chaohu kept coughing on the side because his daughter kept patting him on the back.

"I’ll arrange it for you!" The heroic spirit glanced at Lord Chaohu and decided not to give face to his old friend, choosing to keep things within their own group.

"No way!" Ying Mu proudly said. What do they have that’s better than me?

Xue Hanlei added. She means… if he doesn’t even like her, he definitely won’t like those soldiers either.

Seeing the situation getting chaotic, Bai Wei placed a chess piece down and said. All this doesn’t matter, it has nothing to do with me joining the central area group. Besides, I’m from Jinling City, not under General Lu’s control.

Lu Yunchuan’s expression turned serious, "You, young man, that was rude. We are all citizens of Ming Country, why divide by regions? Such thinking is not good at all. You need to broaden your perspective. We are all serving our country and people, why talk about East and Central?"

Lord Chaohu scratched his shoulder, he knew this old friend well, he could tell everything from just a little gesture.

No matter the situation, when someone sees a young person with potential and comes over to gain an advantage shamelessly.

Lord Chaohu: Xia Longque realized and asked. Should I not go to your doorstep to cause trouble?

Lu Yunchuan: Let her cause trouble!

Bai Wei tossed the white chess piece, flipping it in his hand like flipping a coin, "We can discuss my situation later, the matter of slaying the black dragon can also wait, then… what about her? Xue Hanlei’s position, and where does she belong?"

It circled back to the initial question.

The heroic spirit seemed stuck like a scratched CD, silent for a while.

Bai Wei whispered. It seems like they haven’t thought about it, or perhaps it’s some official talk like ‘not interfering in the dragon’s family matters’.

General Lu tried to ease his inner embarrassment with a light cough, "Indeed, it is a dragon family matter, how can we intervene? At most, we can try our best to help her find a place to hide, or temporarily stay abroad…"

Standing by Bai Wei’s side, Xue Hanlei simply said. I am not a koi fish, a pond cannot contain me.

Heroic spirit clasped his hands and said. I misspoke, I apologize…

Xue Hanlei bowed her head and said. Bai Wei, don’t pretend, you don’t even know how to play chess. You’re cornered, why put on an act?

It’s about a chess game, but not really.

Just a short while into the game, it was close to ending. It seemed that Bai Wei wasn’t very good at chess. Understanding is one thing, but playing is another.

Lu Yunchuan is not very good at chess, but being not very good refers to someone who is not skilled but likes to play. Skill is relative, and practice makes perfect.

"It’s normal for young people not to study chess." Lu Yunchuan wasn’t proud and said. Practice more and you’ll get the hang of it.

"Really?" Bai Wei didn’t look at the chessboard but propped his chin up and gazed at Xue Hanlei with a sly look,"I was about to win quickly, I’m just waiting for this conversation to end before making my move."

Xue Hanlei looked at the chessboard a few times but couldn’t figure it out. She chose not to believe and said. Nonsense.

Bai Wei didn’t rush to explain but said. If I win, you have to stop talking nonsense and just follow me obediently, okay?

Xue Hanlei shrugged and glanced at Ying Mu out of the corner of her eye.

Ying Mu ground her teeth at the subtle look.

Bai Wei casually made a move and declared. Okay, I win.

The others stared for a while, looking around, but couldn’t see who had won.

Xue Hanlei blinked a few times, then widened her eyes suddenly, "You… " She couldn’t help but smile, "Is this how you win?"

Bai Wei asked back, "Why wouldn’t it count? Does winning always have to be within the other person’s understanding and rules?"

"What do you mean?" Ying Mu still couldn’t understand.

"He’s not playing Go." Lord Chaohu understood and laughed heartily, pointing at Bai Wei, "He struck gold… this is Gomoku."

He actually admired the young man a bit, appreciating his daring to be clever and break the rules with a thick skin. Being unconventional was good for the youth, instead of being too serious and gloomy.

General Lu remained silent for a moment, then admitted. Indeed, I didn’t say it was Go at first… I thought it was Go, but it turned out to be Gomoku. I admit defeat.

He didn’t want to argue with a young man about this, he wanted to ask, "Using chess to describe a situation – in Go, there’s no way out, but in Gomoku, you can win unexpectedly. Are you trying to say that actually you have a third choice?"

"What others give you is not called a choice." Bai Wei stood up, holding onto the chessboard.

"Black Dragon, I will kill."

"Hongze, I will wipe out."

"Only children make choices, adults don’t need to choose at all."