Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 382 Gangzi's Story

In the Grand Palace, in the Sky Prison.

"After waking up, I recalled what I had done recently. I felt so ashamed... I actually followed Xiao Zong in his escape and helped him escape from your pursuit several times. I helped the tyrant to commit atrocities and brought shame to our ancestors!" Zu Geng said bitterly:

"I really want to die. But I still have some achievements to report. It would be a pity to die like this."

As he spoke, he tightly grasped the hands of Ren Yuan and Chen Baxian, and said excitedly: "It's great that you can come. Now I will teach you how to calculate the volume of a sphere through 'the power potential is the same, so the product cannot be different'..."

Chen Baxian's eyes were wide open, and his forehead was dark. The two men were fighting with the circle and the ball, which was torture for him. He was so scared that he dared not say a word, fearing that he would get into trouble.

"Uncle, please keep these results and report them to us when you meet us." Ren Yuan also declined the offer. He was satisfied with knowing 'four-thirds of πR cubed' and did not want to accept more advanced methods.

Well, actually he didn’t understand what Zu Geng was saying…

"Alas, how can I have the face to see my father again?" Zu Geng sighed and shook his head.

"You were under a spell at that time and lost your nature. Whatever you did was irrelevant." Ren Yuan comforted him, "Now that you have returned to normal, your words and actions can represent yourself."

"Thank you for your comfort, nephew." Zu Geng nodded gratefully and said, "It is precisely because I regret it so much and cannot bring shame to our ancestors that I rejected Ge Rong's request - I will never help him make a killing machine even if I die!"

"So he is going to kill you?" Chen Baxian asked.

"That's right." Zu Geng smiled bitterly, "At first I was fooled and promised to help him build the Thunderbolt Chariot. But after waking up that night, I changed my mind. Ge Rong was so angry that he slapped me and put me in jail to execute me."

"He's quite nice." Chen Baxian said with a smile, "If it were another tyrant, he would kill you right then and there, why would he wait until another day to kill you?"

"Because he hasn't given up yet, he wants to scare me and force me to surrender." Zu Geng saw clearly and said, "But I will not help the tyrant anymore. It's good to die like this. At least I can restore a little reputation for my ancestors."

"I am very grateful to both of you for coming to my rescue, but I have made up my mind. I hope you will help me." He bowed to the two of them and said:

"Please come back."

"Sima Zu, don't always talk about our ancestors. How do you know what they were thinking?" Chen Baxian advised.

"You know?" Zu Geng asked back.

"I don't know either." Chen Baxian said, "But I know your father doesn't want you to die in vain, otherwise he wouldn't have asked us to save you."

"Father..." Thinking of his father, Zu Geng's eyes turned red again and he felt very sad for a moment.

"Uncle, a genius like you must cherish your life, because people like you can benefit the public and even end this damn chaotic world sooner." Ren Yuan advised from a different angle.

"My dear nephew, you think too highly of me." Zu Geng blamed himself even more, "People like me are actually harmful to the people. I spent a lot of effort to repair the Fushan Weir, but in the end, so many people died..."

From the first moment Ren Yuan saw him, he felt that he looked like he had lost all hope in life - in fact, Fushan Weir was Zu Geng's real concern.

"Were you the one who insisted on building Fushan Weir?" Ren Yuan asked.

"Of course not." Zu Geng shook his head.

"Did you try to stop them?" "I did, but my words were insignificant and I couldn't stop them at all." Zu Geng said bitterly, "I took the initiative to undertake the design work because I was afraid that their reckless repairs would cause the dam to burst. As a result, they severely cut corners to meet the deadline... Oh, why say this? I can't shirk my responsibility."

Now even Chen Baxian saw through it, and Zu Geng wanted to take this opportunity to commit suicide and get relief...

"Well, let me tell you a story about Gangzi." Ren Yuan had no choice but to use his ultimate move.

"Gangzi? Who is this sage?" Zu Geng looked puzzled.

"I have only heard of Confucius, Mencius and Mozi, but never heard of Gangzi." Chen Baxian also said.

"This Gangzi is not from China, he is a strange man from a foreign land. He was originally an arms dealer... uh, you can understand him as a businessman who specializes in making killing machines for the military." Ren Yuan tried his best to speak in words that they could understand.

"Oh, he is also proficient in mechanical engineering." Zu Geng understood what he said and felt a little more friendly towards the man.

"Yes, he was proficient in mechanical engineering and made a fortune from it. The army used his weapons to kill people everywhere, and he committed countless crimes. But he was unaware of it and was even complacent. Until one day, he was severely injured by the weapons he made and kidnapped to a thieves' lair."

"It's really similar to my experience." Zu Geng said.

"He is much worse than you," Chen Baxian commented.

"Could it be that the thieves captured him in order to build a thunder chariot or something like that?" Zu Geng asked.

"Yes, the thieves captured him because they wanted him to build a powerful killing machine." Ren Yuan said seriously:

"But after this experience, he finally realized how dirty his business was, so he refused at first. Naturally, he was abused by the thieves, who threatened to kill him if he didn't agree."

"So what was his final decision?" Zu Geng asked hurriedly, clearly demonstrating empathy.

"He wanted to die at first, but a cellmate persuaded him that his 'mechanical skills' were neither right nor wrong. They could be used to kill people, but they could also be used to save people. If you feel that you have committed a crime, you should live with the guilt and use the rest of your life to atone for your sins."

“So, with the encouragement and help of his cellmates, he pretended to agree to the rebels’ demands. In name, he was helping them make a killing machine, but in fact he built a battle armor that could fly and hide. Then he wore it to kill the rebels and escape from the devil’s lair!” Ren Yuan raised his voice slightly and saw that Zu Geng’s eyes were gradually shining.

"Then isn't this armor still a killing machine?" Chen Baxian couldn't help but complain.

"Don't interrupt." Ren Yuan glared at the guy who was picking up the conversation.

Then he said to Zu Geng: "Although the armor is powerful and can kill people, it has always been in the hands of him and his friends. They have been chivalrous together to maintain world peace. He is deeply loved by the people of Xiniu Hezhou and is honored as Iron Man. Later, he sacrificed his life for the peace of the universe, so he is still deeply remembered and given the honorific title of 'Steel Man'."

Zu Geng was indeed deeply inspired, and slapped his thigh and said, "I want to learn from Gangzi!"

"That's right." Ren Yuan nodded with a smile: "This chaotic world also needs our own steel!"

"Okay, let me spend the rest of my life atonement for my sins!" Zu Geng was enraged.

Chen Baxian was stunned. Are scientists so easy to fool?

(End of this chapter)