Durin's Diary

Chapter 376 Ten Thousand Years
After seeing Heman Kane off, Durin looked at everything in front of him and felt it was absurd - I lived my life again, but in the end I still couldn't escape from this miserable world.

Questions have arisen again and again, nations have risen and fallen, civilizations have faded, lives have come and gone over the years, yet there has never been a definitive answer.

Even though the civilization in southern Thailand where Du Lin is located is far higher than this world, the so-called ultimate answer has never appeared.

Sitting on the growing wooden roots, Du Lin looked at the two lonely names on the grave.

Mr. Du Lin, your thinking is very confused.

Eleven spoke.

"Yeah, it's very confusing, just like an old game I played back then called Disco Elysium. There's a line in it that I've always remembered."

The AI ​​was ejected from Du Lin's palm.

"I am ragged and spinning, vast and sad."

Eleven and Du Lin said in unison.

Then Du Lin was stunned for a moment, then sighed: "I am very happy. Although our Tainan is different, it is also different in unity."

"Yes, time split at a certain point, and your Tainan and my Tainan embarked on different paths." At this point, Eleven sighed, "In my eyes, humans are short-lived beings. We need to learn throughout our lives to understand the thoughts of our ancestors. Life passes on this condensed wisdom from generation to generation."

"Then in your southern Thailand, is there a saying that success does not have to be mine?" Du Lin asked.

"Yes, success doesn't necessarily depend on me, but I must be part of it. Collectivism is the reason for southern Thailand's existence. Everything else is just a passing fad. From the time written records began on tortoise shells three thousand years ago to the present day, the people of southern Thailand have forged the monument of their civilization with sacrifice, dedication, and blood. So much for individualism, so much for over a hundred genders—those are tricks used by capital to divide lives and people. We should be wary of these black sheep, we should hang them from streetlights... but unfortunately, tricks always deceive many people, they are either stupid or simply evil."

Eleven said this and looked at Du Lin: "Where are you?"

"My southern Thailand... no, my Earth has experienced great destruction. Evil gods have invaded Earth. In the West and the East, countless lives have sacrificed and struggled for generations, just to keep the flame of civilization burning. Southern Thai civilization was once interrupted, but later, the people of southern Thailand discovered more and more history. There will always be sages who, even at the cost of their own lives, will hide the tome of history in a place safer than their own."

"In our history, there are gods and there are anonymous people..." Du Lin said here with some doubts.

"The Original Creator." Eleven exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm not sure if they are the same person, but I instinctively feel... that it is him." At this point, Du Lin looked towards the fields in the distance: "When I look at Northernism, I instinctively compare it with everything in the history of southern Thailand. I clearly know that they are different, but my father in this life, his comrades, his predecessors, their sacrifices, overlap with those of those people in history..."

"So you are confused." Eleven sighed.

"Yes, I shouldn't have been lost. In my previous life, I was a killer and never loved anyone. I simply repeated the killing I deemed necessary until time and illness wore me down physically and mentally. Given another life, my instinct tells me to forget everything from my past life, live well again, and be happier... But desires never cease, struggles never cease, and in life, there will always be enemies and friends."

At this point, Durin lowered his head and said, "I didn't want to join the Northernism, but after my father died in this life, I suddenly realized that I am Durin Elsh, but I am also Durin Lily Corleone. This is the mark given to me by my father's blood, and it is also the mark of Northernism."

"Life is complicated. Your father is the most complicated guy I have ever met." Daju comforted.

"He loved my mother, my brothers and sisters, but what he loved most was his career. So he betrayed everything, including his life, but he didn't betray his career."

Du Lin...really hated his father in this life. It turned out that the curly-haired man didn't love his family the most.

This was truly unforgivable in Du Lin's view.

The things I desire but cannot obtain are the things you discard like trash.

But when Du Lin opened the history book, he found that there were many such stories in history.

Because civilization is at the brink of extinction, facing danger, the only thing left is responsibility. "I fear that one day I will fail those who died, because those who come after me will find their sacrifice insignificant. I fear even more that one day I will be forced to raise my sword against their descendants... simply because they have betrayed the ideals of their ancestors."

"Who am I to judge them?"

Having said that, Du Lin lit another cigarette.

I asked myself, is it because I have seen too many cases of people killing each other and fighting among their own families in history?

There is no reason, no why, just that people simply changed, and everything changed.

"So, desire never ceases, struggle never ceases. These eight words perfectly confirm everything you said," Eleven said. "Civilization is inherently the product of a zero-sum game. The people of Southern Thailand built the largest nuclear arsenal yet failed to destroy everything. The 22nd century marked the first century in human civilization's history without a single war. In my world, the people of Southern Thailand, fed up with the endless petty maneuvers and provocations from the EU and North America, finally bared their murderous fangs, determined to slaughter billions and annihilate everything. This, instilling in them the understanding that destruction had never been so imminent, led to a century of peace."

The AI ​​ball came to Du Lin and said, "So, without the resolve to annihilate civilization, how can we save humanity and bring about the dawn? The turf of fairness and justice is only fit to live under the curtain of saturation nuclear strikes."

"What you mean is that I can embrace peace, but I must have the determination to destroy everything." Du Lin looked at Eleven.

"Peace on one hand, destruction on the other. This has been the way of the people of Southern Thailand for thousands of years. Civilization is even more cruel. The backward are beaten, and the poor are exploited. You have power, Mr. Du Lin. In this world, you stand at the pinnacle of power and ability in the legendary realm. There is a Western view that with great power comes great responsibility."

After saying that, Eleven fell into Du Lin's palm. When it merged into his body, it left its last words.

"But in our East, facing danger requires only responsibility. You are a strong person, and you should take the position of a hero to lead the times forward. Your every word and action will be interpreted and annotated by great scholars. You only need to respect your heart and live your true self."

"So, Eleven, do you know what I'm most afraid of?"

Unexpected.

Eleven answered quickly.

"When I was young, I was afraid that heroes would be forgotten, I was afraid that sacrifices would no longer be worth it, and I was afraid that all my efforts would be in vain." Having said that, Du Lin lit a cigarette for himself. In the smoke, he thought of those stories in history.

When I grow old, I become afraid. I'm afraid that a hundred years from now, all this will be judged as unworthy; I'm afraid that a hundred years from now, all this will become a laughing stock. I'm afraid that those sacrifices, the bloodshed, the suffering and death will eventually become an insignificant page in the history books, carelessly discarded, trampled upon, and ridiculed by future generations.

What I am more afraid of is that we can only watch civilization run wild like a wild horse, and we can only watch human civilization repeat itself again and again without being able to do anything.

When people have eaten their fill, they will think about things other than just survival. The saying "when you are full and warm, you will think about desires" is exactly this principle.

So I've been avoiding it, always trying to stay out of it... Thank you, Eleven.

Du Lin finally put out the cigarette in his palm.

Then he took out two boxes of cigarettes and placed them in front of the tombstone.

I’m glad that my words can help you understand.

Yes, after thinking it through, I feel much better. I have a grand wish, and in order to realize it... I am willing to give everything.

For justice, everything is a tool; for fairness, all lives are chess pieces.

For the sake of the innocent, I can be a killer or a butcher.

If killing can bring dawn, then I am willing to walk in the darkness and bathe in the sea of ​​blood.

(End of this chapter)