You said mechs were going to fight monsters, but instead you're destroying stars with your bare

Chapter 152: Trust in the Wisdom of Future Generations

This is an incredibly complex sociological problem, one that could even be described as unsolvable.

Li Zhe shook his head, temporarily putting these worries behind him.

Such grand issues concerning the direction of civilization are not for me, a mere "deliveryman," to worry about.

His top priority now is to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

Make thorough preparations for your "foundation-building" endeavor.

As for these complex social problems?
Trust in the wisdom of adults.

……

At this moment, in the northern capital of Huazhou.

Inside the highest strategic command center of the coalition government.

A closed-door meeting on "reform of the mech pilot system" is also underway.

The huge circular conference table was filled with top think tanks from various fields.

Their faces were filled with solemnity.

"The remarks made by 'Mingquan Xianfeng' have already created tremendous public pressure online." An official in charge of monitoring online public opinion reported in a heavy tone, "The public's questioning of the privileges of mecha pilots is getting louder and louder. If it is not guided, it may very well develop into a serious crisis of social trust."

"Guidance? How do we guide them?" General Volkov's hoarse voice pounded on the table like a hammer. "Are we going to lower the selection standards for mech pilots just to cater to those populist calls? Let a bunch of rookies who can't even do basic calisthenics pilot mechs? That's irresponsible to the lives of the soldiers on the front lines! It's also irresponsible to the future of all human civilization!"

“But we can’t ignore public opinion!” an expert from Europe retorted. “There’s an old saying in China that goes, ‘Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.’ The power of mech pilots ultimately comes from the support of the people. Once we lose that support, we will become water without a source and a tree without roots!”

"Are you sure this power is related to us humans?" an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering asked meaningfully.

His words instantly plunged the entire conference room into a deathly silence.

All eyes turned to the white-haired old man, whose eyes gleamed with rationality and worry.

"Academician Wang, what do you mean by that?"

Academician Wang pushed up his thick glasses.

He slowly stood up and brought up a series of complex data models.

"Everyone, we have always regarded 'mechs' as a weapon, a tool, but have we ever thought about what the essence of this power is? Where does it come from? Star mechs, abyssal monsters... all of this seems to have appeared out of thin air, completely beyond our existing framework of physics."

His finger swept across the holographic screen, displaying a diagram of the energy structure of the Star Mech's core.

"It's a perfect black box. We know how to use it and how much energy it can unleash, but we know nothing about how it works inside. We're like a bunch of primitive people who found a divine weapon and only know how to pull the trigger, but we don't understand at all why the bullet can fly."

His voice grew increasingly heavy: “We are now discussing ‘democratization,’ discussing distributing this power to more people, but this is based on one premise—that this power belongs to us, that it is within our control, but what if… it isn’t?”

"What if this is just a game, an experiment, from some higher dimension? Every time we summon mechs, every time we kill monsters, are we just providing them with data? What if we abuse this 'gift' and anger that 'god,' will He... take back this power at any time?"

These words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

They have always been immersed in the excitement of gaining great power and the urgency of fighting the abyss, but few people have thought about the ultimate question behind this power.

Academician Wang's words were like tearing open a bloody wound.

It laid bare the deepest fear that everyone had been deliberately avoiding...

"This is alarmist talk!" A clear and firm voice broke the silence.

The speaker was a young female representative.

She is one of the most outstanding emerging politicians of the new generation, known for her enterprising style and remarkable vision.

“I understand Academician Wang’s concerns… but fearing the unknown will only hold us back!” She stood up, her gaze sweeping across the room with intense intensity. “When Prometheus stole fire, didn’t he fear Zeus’s punishment? Every leap forward in human civilization has been accompanied by enormous risks and sacrifices.”

"This power may not have been created by us, but it is now in our hands! It is our only hope against the abyss! To hoard it, to carefully enshrine it, and to pray for the mercy of the 'gods' is to invite our own destruction!"

She took a deep breath, her tone becoming even more impassioned.

"We must not only use it, but also study it, deconstruct it, and ultimately... completely master it! Let it transform from a 'gift from the gods' into a technology that truly belongs to humankind! And to achieve this, we must not rely on the closed-door development of a few elites, but rather on the collective wisdom of all humankind, and on millions of people trying, making mistakes, and exploring!"

"Openness is the only path to truth!"

This passionate and idealistic speech ignited the enthusiasm of many young officials and scientists in the audience.

However, the Europa expert poured cold water on the idea once again.

"Ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh. Young man, you've overlooked the most crucial point... the human heart." He sighed. "The 'Mingquan Immortal Peak' incident is a bloody lesson. We haven't even had time to popularize mecha technology, and huge rifts have already formed within society due to 'injustice.' Once we truly open it up completely, what do you think will happen? Will the whole nation unite to overcome difficulties? Or... will the world descend into chaos, with everyone wanting to use the power of mechas to achieve their own selfish desires?"

“Then we will establish a more comprehensive oversight mechanism! We will use the law and morality to restrain this force!” The female representative refused to back down.

"Restraints? Before absolute power, any restraint is utterly futile." General Volkov scoffed, interrupting the argument with his hoarse voice. "I don't care whether this power is a gift from God or a temptation from the devil. I only know that the only ones who can stop the monster now are those elite warriors who have been tempered by fire! Entrusting mechs to a bunch of rabble is not democracy, it's suicide!"

The meeting reached a stalemate once again.

Several distinct viewpoints represent different paths to the future.

These viewpoints clashed fiercely, and neither side could convince the other.

"Academician Wang's prudence is the responsibility of a scientist; the female comrade's pioneering spirit is the courage of a trailblazer; the expert's concerns are the foresight of a sociologist; the general's decisiveness is the responsibility of a soldier."

"What you said... is all correct."

"But they're all...not entirely correct."

He walked up to the huge holographic map and looked at the blue planet shrouded in the shadow of the abyss.

"We are now like walking on a tightrope shrouded in mist. One step to the right is the destruction of stagnation; one step to the left may lead to an abyss of chaos and disorder... We have no way back, we can only grope our way forward."

He paused for a moment, then made his final decision.

"So, I've decided—"

"The elite selection system will be retained for the time being and further strengthened to ensure that we have an invincible elite force, which is the 'shield'."

"At the same time, we will gradually open up research and education on basic mecha-related technologies, and establish a 'National Mecha Knowledge Popularization Committee' to allow more people to understand and participate in it. This is the foundation."

"Furthermore, immediately establish a top-level secret project team for 'source code analysis,' personally led by Academician Wang, and spare no effort to figure out the nature of this power, which is the 'sword.'"

"As for the final path..."

A complex glint flashed in the leader's eyes.

“Trust in the wisdom of future generations.”

(End of this chapter)