Chapter 822: 579 Chapter 822: 579 “Wait, what do you mean by that?”
“You want to know? It’s actually quite simple…”
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai described to everyone the history of the Human Empire and how it finally met its destruction.
“…In summary, that’s how it went. The remaining citizens of the Human Empire, driven by their plan, left the center of the universe and started anew in various galaxies. Some were unlucky and got tricked to death by alien creatures, others lost their original technology and had to start over from a primitive age where they drank blood and ate raw meat. Of course, all of this happened tens of thousands of years ago, the Human Empire has long since been destroyed, so you might as well consider it a story.”
“This is simply unbelievable…”
After listening to Duanmu Huai, many people were left dumbfounded, rebuilding their worldview, and some couldn’t bring themselves to believe what Duanmu Huai said, however…
“No, this could explain it!”
Yet, some were extremely excited, as if they had solved some century-old mystery.
“What are you talking about, Miss Serene?”
Seeing the black-haired woman’s exceptional excitement, someone asked in confusion. Knowing that this lady was usually very steady and mature, her excited demeanor was indeed surprising.
“You may not know, but in fact, in the fields of biology and astronomy, ever since the aliens attacked Earth, we’ve had a question: why do these aliens look so similar to Earthlings? No, not just in appearance. After genetic analysis, we found that our genetic similarity is also very high. The biological community has several opinions on this, one of which is that both Earthlings and aliens may actually originate from the same race… but we have never found evidence to prove it!”
“This is one of the reasons why the Tribunal distinguishes humans by their skulls.”
“During the Imperial Era, many humans had to undergo some sort of transformation or mutation due to the conditions of the planets they lived on. Therefore, the Tribunal used skulls rather than genes and appearance to determine who was human. Oh, the Human Empire had strict manuals on how to classify humans, subhumans, and aliens. If you’re interested, I can show them to you. Of course, it might be of no use to you.”
“Please, allow me to take a look.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
Even Captain Quadro now showed a shocked expression, but soon, he shifted his gaze back to Duanmu Huai.
“However, haven’t you considered rebuilding the Human Empire?”
“It’s not the Tribunal’s concern.”
Duanmu Huai answered straightforwardly.
“Whether the Human Empire exists or not, the Tribunal’s mission has only one goal, and that is to protect humanity, to annihilate any heretics, alien creatures, and demons that threaten humans. Besides, the once-great Human Empire has already been destroyed. The civilizations of modern humanity have each gone their own way and do not need our guidance.”
“But then, what is the meaning of our fight?”
Someone raised their doubt.
“The aliens are also humans. As long as we tell them this…”
“What difference would it make?”
Duanmu Huai shrugged and snorted lightly.
“On your planet, even within the same world, don’t different countries wage endless wars against each other? The war you call between Earthlings and aliens, as seen by the Tribunal, is no different from a war between two countries.”
At that moment, a young man with black hair and red eyes stared at Duanmu Huai and asked,
“If the Tribunal fights for the protection of humanity, doesn’t that make you the righteous side?”
“The Tribunal is the guardian of humanity, but not the envoy of justice.”
Duanmu Huai looked at him and spoke indifferently.
“Put simply, if humans, for some reason, need to invade another planet to plunder resources for survival, then the Tribunal will be the vanguard. We will eliminate all alien creatures on that planet who dare to oppose humanity–even if we are the invaders.”
“Then, what about the war? The bastards who cause wars, shouldn’t they be annihilated?”
“I understand your feelings.”
Looking at the agitated black-haired young man, Duanmu Huai nodded.
“War is painful for most ordinary people; no one wants to see their peaceful lives destroyed, and it is indeed sad that innocents die in conflict… But I’m sorry to say, from the Tribunal’s perspective, war is just part of the internal survival of the fittest for humanity. We will not intervene or interfere.”
Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, the black-haired youth was speechless.
“From an ordinary person’s perspective, war only causes pain, death, and destruction. Yet, ironically, from a macro perspective, war is also a part of humanity’s internal survival of the fittest, a self-adjusting mechanism. Willpower, ideals, a yearning for the future, everyone has their own different interpretation. Some hope for world peace, others for world domination, but these are not things that can be resolved by arguing. Only war… The ultimate victor has the right to decide the direction of humanity’s progress and development, so war is inevitable. Moreover, it is precisely because of war that humanity’s weapons and military power make rapid advances. Isn’t your Mecha the same? Without war, perhaps your Mechas would not have emerged, so when external threats appear–such as cosmic monsters–how will you fight them?”
The black-haired youth clenched his fists. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.
“I don’t ask you to agree with my view. As I said before, everyone has their own different ideals and futures. If you think your ideas are correct, then go ahead and act on them. The future you aspire to create depends solely on you, not the Tribunal. Because humanity has different futures, and which one lasts until the end… that is for history to judge.”
Listened to Duanmu Huai’s words, everyone present fell into a silence, the impact of his revelations too great, as if their fundamental beliefs had just been reshaped.
“Any other questions?”
“I, I have another question.”
At that moment, someone nervously raised their hand.
“Um… I’ve lost a front tooth, the Tribunal won’t consider me non-human for this, right?”
“…You should see a dentist for that, it has nothing to do with the Tribunal.”