This time I will accompany the atavists to the Alliance, ask him to help me prepare an identity.
His words silenced everyone. After a long while, the more composed Unicorn spoke up, “Do you want to open our wounds in front of the public, showing the Alliance how scarred the Atavists are?”
“Do you want people to pity us?” the Snake Woman twisted her tail, revealing her sharp fangs and looking threateningly at Lizard.
Lizard, observing everyone’s expressions and touching the scales on his face, nodded, “Yes.”
The impulsive Bison’s eyes reddened, his feet stomping on the ground twice, readying for an attack.
Unicorn raised his hand to stop the Bison, “Let him speak.”
Lizard said, “You’ve been competing and might not be fully aware of the ordinary Alliance’s view on Atavists. A 3% Atavist rate implies that maybe 6% of Alliance couples have borne Atavists. If they have other children, then more than 10% are blood-related to Atavists, plus some workers in the Alliance who deal with Atavists, at least 15%-20% of the Alliance’s population have been involved with Atavists. Nearly one-fifth of the Alliance, do you know what they think of Atavists?”
“Reluctant to acknowledge, yet feeling guilty, hoping that the Atavists can live well out of their sight. Telling themselves that exile to the Primitive stars is the best outcome for Atavists, living a lie, covering their conscience,” said Unicorn.
“Do you understand them well?” Snake Woman looked at Unicorn.
“I’ve escaped before,” Unicorn touched the horn on his forehead, “I’m different from you, with the right hat, I can pass as a normal person. I’ve talked with ordinary people about Atavists, and this is what they think. I could have escaped to a remote mining star, but I came back.”
No one asked why he returned; they all knew that the Alliance had no place for them.
Lizard continued, “As Unicorn mentioned, besides some informed higher-ups, most of the Alliance feels guilty. And this is a large portion of the population, enough to have a say.”
As he spoke, he laughed again, his vertical pupils shining brightly, “I’m a clown, what’s a clown’s job? To perform, to show the audience ugliness, silliness, to be laughed at and pitied. I fall to the ground, tear open my wounds, and let them laugh, hahaha!”
He laughed until tears streamed down his face.
When you feel like crying, just laugh.
“Living here, without the discriminatory eyes of the Alliance, as long as we control our urge to kill, over time, we can live with the Atavists in the base. Going to the Alliance’s court, all our past, experimental records, competition footage, life experiences, things I don’t even want to think about, will be brought up repeatedly, and we’ll have to sell our sorrow. Leaving this planet, we’ll be protected by the Alliance like prisoners, living in monitored rooms, and because our psychological evaluations fail, we’ll have to wear ankle monitors for surveillance,” Unicorn spoke calmly about the situation they might face.
“In the end, what will become of the Atavists after the court’s verdict?” Snake Woman asked.
Lizard thought for a moment, then forced a smile, “All born Atavists will live in welfare institutions under government arrangements. Schools will organize visits to the welfare institutions regularly, to see us, to tell the history of Atavists. We won’t be experimented on anymore, nor exiled.”
“But we’ll lose our freedom and dignity,” Unicorn said.
The reticent Crocodile said, “Give it up, living here is good, let Feng Lan put on that prisoner’s collar for us, and if someone can’t control themselves, just kill them, simple as that.”
Prefer death over going to the Alliance, over being pointed at.
“To live under the protection of our hated Kirates?” Lizard retorted.
He didn’t tell everyone that Feng Lianzhu and the Kirates Dragon were actually two different entities, a fact he would not mention unless Feng Lianzhu did.
Unicorn said, “The one who hates him is you, not us. And after seeing that kind of power and still continuing to hate, I respect you as a real man.”
“I hate him,” said Lizard, “I used to hate Kirates for being captured by humans, leading to all of us Atavists. Now I hate him for saving me, when dying would have been better.”
The people in the room fell silent, indeed, living is hard.
“I hate him, so I don’t want to owe him anything,” Lizard said. “He wants the Alliance to publicly trial the underground arena, right? No amount of evidence can compare to a victim in person! I’ll go to court, to testify, to return this favor he did by saving me, and continue to rightfully hate him.”
“You really are twisted,” Unicorn shook his head.
“But you’re right,” the Snake Woman laughed, her smile actually quite pretty, like the girl next door, “I’ve hated him for half my life. Whenever I’m in so much pain that I can’t stand it, thinking that I still hate him is what keeps me going. Suddenly not hating him, I can’t accept it. I am twisted, abnormal, can’t even say thank you properly, would rather be beaten to death than… than…”
Not wanting to accept this kindness.
They were accustomed to being treated cruelly, living in the cold glaciers, once they encounter a flame, they are afraid and dare not approach, thinking if warmth will eventually leave, it’s better not to have it at all.
“You’ve convinced me, I’ll persuade the others,” Unicorn stood up, “Almost forgot to tell you something, after being treated that day, I evolved.”
He pointed to the horn on his forehead, “This horn, it seems I can transmit my feelings, suggesting others to empathize with me. Such ability could play a significant role in court.”
After Unicorn finished, everyone in the room laughed together. What they were laughing about, probably no one knew.
This laughter was at ease, no longer tangled or complicated.
Choosing to go to court, for the Atavists of the underground arena, is the beginning of accepting themselves. To forgive oneself, one must first accept.
Unicorn decided how to persuade the others, opened the door, and was startled to step back two steps, bumping into the Bison, by the person standing outside in golden clothes.
“Humph! What are you doi…” Bison followed Unicorn’s gaze and also froze.
Dressed in golden clothes, Feng Lianzhu entered the room, and everyone involuntarily stood up, except for Lizard, who still sat firmly on the bed, staring at Feng Lianzhu.
“You heard what we said,” Lizard stated confidently.
“Mm.”
“What do you think?” Lizard asked.
He could now calmly look at Feng Lianzhu, not overemphasizing this person, nor hating him. Apart from Kirates’ influence, he still didn’t like Feng Lianzhu very much.
“That’s your freedom,” Feng Lianzhu said.
A feeling indescribable filled everyone’s hearts. Lizard touched his chest, at that moment, he actually felt a sense of anticipation, unclear of what he was anticipating, and when Feng Lianzhu didn’t stop them, Lizard felt lost and pained.
“However,” Feng Lianzhu surveyed the group, slowly saying, “after the trial, if you still want to return to the Primitive star, it’s fine if the Alliance agrees. If the Alliance disagrees, I’ll come to get you.”
Unicorn’s eyes lit up, his eyes large and black, like beautiful black pearls, now firmly fixed on Feng Lianzhu, seemingly trying to confirm the truthfulness of his words from his expression.
“Ssss~” the Snake Woman twisted her waist, using her tail to crawl next to Feng Lianzhu, circling around him.
She was very afraid of Kirates, but just wanted to circle around.
“In the name of Kirates,” Feng Lianzhu said.
After he spoke, he leapt out of the window as if weightless, leaving the Atavists behind.
ใThe system now issues Host Feng Lianzhu the fifth-stage mission: prevent humans from continuing to use Kirates specimens to alter genes, eliminate the possibility of Atavists’ births, and establish a kingdom for the Atavists. Upon completion, Host Feng Lianzhu will integrate the Five Elements, completely breaking free from the game’s control.ใ
After Feng Lianzhu left the room, the system issued him the task of integrating the Five Elements. Feng Lianzhu read it several times, feeling something was off.
“Is this my mission or PangยทKirates’ mission?” Feng Lianzhu asked, puzzled.
Until now, missions belonging to Feng Lianzhu were about defeating a certain boss in the game, acquiring that boss’s abilities and attributes, whereas missions related to Atavists were PangยทKirates’. The interstellar realm wasn’t originally Feng Lianzhu’s world, and technically, the affairs of the Atavists were also unrelated to him.
ใAfter system confirmation, this mission belongs to Host Feng Lianzhu, not PangยทKirates. Does the host decide to exchange tasks with PangยทKirates?ใ
“No need to exchange for now,” Feng Lianzhu shook his head, “Establishing a kingdom for Atavists could be feasible, but why is it my mission?”
According to the system’s usual style, the maturation of Kirates seems related to Atavists. Atavists are born because of Kirates’ gene, so it’s logical for the system to assign the dragon the task of saving these people. Establishing a kingdom, such a complex mission, should logically be the dragon’s most important task in the fifth stage, right?
ใThe system’s mission is completely logical and calculated based on big data, perfectly suited to the current state of each host.ใ
Feng Lianzhu: “โฆ”
Having dealt with it so many times, can’t it be more sincere?
He couldn’t understand why things had developed this way. Feng Lianzhu thought for a moment and changed his question, “You just asked me if I want to exchange tasks with PangยทKirates, was it a routine inquiry, or do you genuinely think we should exchange?”
ใRoutine inquiry, Host Feng Lianzhu and PangยทKirates are not suitable to exchange the next stage missions, the system confirms, Feng Lianzhu absolutely cannot complete PangยทKirates’ final mission.ใ
What exactly is the system thinking? Feng Lianzhu was very puzzled.
Having asked for so long and still not getting a response, Feng Lianzhu had no choice but to find Feng Lan and Dolphin 66, who have become the leaders of the base, one in the political arena and the other in the technical field.
Regarding the Atavists from the underground arena going to testify to the Alliance, Feng Lianzhu already had an idea. Before the system issued the mission, as soon as he heard Lizard’s words, Feng Lianzhu had already made a decision, otherwise, he wouldn’t have appeared before Lizard and the others.
“They’re going to testify?” Feng Lan said, surprised yet somewhat enlightened, “This, this could be a way, but they might have a hard time during this period.”
“It’s okay,” Feng Lianzhu told Dolphin 66, “Contact Laurie, tell him about this.”
He paused before continuing, “And tell him, this time I will accompany the Atavists to the Alliance, please prepare an identity for me.”
Author’s Note:
Feng Lianzhu: The children I saved, I am responsible for them to the end.
To the person who said yesterday that this is the Transformation System’s Lin Shu Little Angel, you, have a bright future!
–
Two more updates today, the next one before 8 pm~
Q แฏ Q the atavists from the underground arena and that discussion