Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 50 Who is Our Enemy?

2*30年6月8日，倒计时，7天。

Su Xun was working when he suddenly saw Jiang Yi push the door open and come in with a serious expression.

"What? What happened?"

"Director Shao has fallen ill."

"What? How is it? Is it serious?"

Su Xun was startled and stood up. Shao Xuezhen had been working tirelessly these days, practically neglecting sleep and meals. Su Xun had tried to persuade him several times, but the pressure on him was indeed very heavy, especially since the border conflict broke out, when he had been living in his office.

"Fortunately, there's nothing seriously wrong, but he may need to go to the hospital for a period of treatment."

"That's good."

Su Xun breathed a sigh of relief, and then heard Jiang Yi say, "Director Shao said he wanted to see you before going to the hospital, but of course, if you have work to do, you don't have to go."

"What are you saying? Why are you only telling me now? Where is he?"

Jiang Yi turned and led the way for Su Xun, and the two quickly arrived at the base hospital.

There is a complete hospital within the base, but the medical resources are currently insufficient, and it is mainly staffed by military doctors. Shao Xuezhen's condition requires more in-depth treatment.

When Su Xun saw him, he looked like he had aged ten years in an instant. The once energetic old man was now extremely haggard.

Shao Xuezhen leaned against the hospital bed and sighed as Su Xun entered the room.

"I'm getting old, I can't deny it."

"Comrade Su, I'm sorry to disturb your work."

Su Xun shook his head: "You're just too tired. There's no such thing as disturbing you. You're the commander-in-chief. Even if you want to leave, I still have to report to you."

"What do you want from me?"

"Actually, there are many things that don't require me to inform you. It's just that I'm not at ease with myself."

"We have made so many preparations that the world will not repeat the mistakes of your past life. Zombies are no longer invincible opponents. Mutant beasts and mutated plants will be subdued by us. Even natural disasters will be able to compete with us in the future."

Shao Xuezhen struggled to sit up, his tired and bloodshot eyes staring directly at Su Xun: "Extraordinary people, people with superpowers, these people are perhaps the opponents we need to be most wary of."

"Humanity's greatest adversary will always be humankind, and will only be humankind."

"How can we ensure that these people don't become the next natural disaster? How can we guarantee their obedience to the new order?"

Su Xun fell silent; this was a question that was difficult to avoid.

In their previous lives, everyone was constantly struggling on the brink of life and death. The threat of natural disasters forced the extraordinary individuals to unite closely together, leaving them with neither the time nor the resources to explore these issues.

However, things are about to change in this life. The number of survivors will far exceed that of the past, and it is unknown how many extraordinary beings will emerge from among them.

Could there be short-sighted individuals among them who deviate from the overall destiny of humanity? The answer is almost certainly yes.

Does this mean we should believe in human kindness? No, humans are not trustworthy.

Su Xun knew exactly what Shao Xuezhen was worried about.

He pondered for a long time before finally saying, "It is inevitable that there will be changes in the system to adapt to the new era and new environment. We will definitely use new methods to manage the extraordinary."

"But things might not be that bad. Are the weapons that the armed forces now possess capable of withstanding by ordinary people? Should we be afraid of warships and airplanes because of this?"

"Humans are far more efficient than some superhumans at slaughtering their own kind using airplanes and cannons."

"Superhumans are also human. Apart from a small number of people with special abilities, most superhumans evolved from ordinary people step by step. They did not appear out of thin air. In the future that I can foresee, we—my comrades—will surely wield the greatest violence among humankind." "Power will exist. It will exist in the future, it exists now, and it existed in the past. Old comrade, I think you should rest assured. There is no need to be afraid of the idea that great power belongs to an individual."

"Individuals who wield great power are ultimately still part of the collective. They are not born to be opposed to the collective—why would they be opposed? For extraordinary individuals, cooperation is also meaningful; they are also members of the people."

"It is precisely at times like these that we should think more clearly about who our enemies are and who our friends are. At least in my judgment, the superhumans are not our enemies."

"Unite with the friends who should be united and strike at the enemies who should be struck; this is an unchanging principle."

Shao Xuezhen was silent for a moment, then shook his head with a smile: "Concern makes one lose focus; one forgets even the most basic things."

Judging from the other person's expression, Su Xun knew that he had not completely convinced him; he had only heard a result that was barely acceptable.

After thinking for a moment, Su Xun added, "Actually, there is another factor. To put it bluntly, ordinary people are always useful to superhumans. Spiritual power is influenced by will, and the collective will is always greater than the individual will. None of the tenth-order natural disasters I have seen reached the peak through individual strength."

"Moreover, compared to ordinary people who live and die in a day, the will of the extraordinary can be said to be unbreakable. They can only be changed by the right things. Some comrades believe that the extraordinary people of the future are idealists, but on the contrary, they are actually the most materialistic group of people. Their thoughts influence reality. This phenomenon has already appeared, and countless people will follow in their footsteps to study this phenomenon in the future."

"And I firmly believe that our cause is the right one."

Shao Xuezhen nodded and lay down with Su Xun's help.

"The future belongs to you, especially to you. I'm actually quite reassured about entrusting it to you."

"This parting may be the last time we meet, Comrade Su Xun. Please take care."

Su Xun shook his head and said, "After the Great Cataclysm, anything is possible. Perhaps you will gain superpowers like Elder Xu? There's no need to be too pessimistic."

Shao Xuezhen smiled but didn't say anything more.

His condition was actually quite serious; he managed to say a few words to Su Xun before becoming very exhausted.

Su Xun didn't bother them any longer, said goodbye and left the ward. By lunchtime, he learned that the other party had already left the base.

In the afternoon, Secretary-General Feng Zhengze arrived at the Taimeng base and found Su Xun.

"I will take over as the commander-in-chief of Project Kuafu, and Comrade Su, you will continue to serve as the deputy commander-in-chief and chief advisor."

"In addition, the organization has decided that if the great catastrophe really occurs, you will directly take over as the commander-in-chief and start the second half of the Kuafu Project to restore production and preserve the manpower."

This old man, who had been on the battlefield, was much more dignified and solemn than Shao Xuezhen. He stared at Su Xun.

"The future will be turbulent and dark; our civilization will be destroyed, our order will be torn apart, and our creations will decay and fall into ruin."

"To continue it, to rebuild it, to protect it—this is the mission entrusted to you by the nation and the people, Comrade Su Xun. Are you willing to accept it?"

Su Xun stood at attention, raised his right hand, and touched his temple with his fingertips, level with his eyebrows.

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!!"

Recently, more and more people have been raising the issue of chapter titles, so I've become more compliant and will follow everyone's opinions.

There's nothing wrong with a conventional name, but some people did say that the original format was quite good, so we've continued using it.

In this respect, we'll follow the mainstream, and we hope that some readers will understand and forgive us. At least the normal chapter titles won't deter them.

I will revise some of the past chapter titles when I have time, as I do have some better ideas for some, but most of them will probably remain as they are.

Also, with the fan value-based commenting restrictions in place, all sorts of comments are being made, so it's best to limit them as much as possible. Some of the comments are really scary to read.

[Image of someone being beaten so badly by the reviewer that they can't breathe.] Let me catch my breath.

Thank you for your support, comrades!
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(End of this chapter)