“Will we… stay in Peach Blossom Town forever?”
Meng Chao gazed deeply at the seemingly harmless little girl and said, “My name is Meng Chao. Those people who drifted here along Peach Blossom Creek before me should be my companions. They are not crazy, they are just mentally stimulated. May I know how they are? Ms. Gu Ling, did you, uh, hurt them?”
“Hurt them?”
Gu Ling widened her eyes as if she had heard an unbelievable joke. She shook her head like a rattle-drum. “No, of course not! Although some outsiders did cause trouble in Peach Blossom Town and even hurt a few spirit beasts, no matter what, we are all human beings, we are all compatriots!
“We, Peach Blossom people believe in peace. We will never use violence unless it is absolutely necessary, much less raise a butcher’s knife against our own compatriots. How is that possible? We are not from Earth!
“You said it yourself. Those outsiders were merely stimulated and temporarily delirious. After our persuasion and education, and especially after they saw the current situation of Taoyuan Town, they gradually calmed down and liked the life in Peach Blossom Town. Those who are especially violent will be sent to the Tree of Wisdom to recuperate for a few days. They will wake up, right?”
Meng Chao was stunned.
“What?”
He asked, “What did you say? You’re not what?”
“We’re not naturally evil Earthlings who like to kill each other. Why would we raise our blades against our fellow countrymen?” Gu Ling repeated.
She looked as if it was a matter of course.
“You’re not Earthlings?”
Meng Chao felt a huge psychological impact. He temporarily ignored the words “naturally evil” and “kill each other” as he pointed at the sewing machine in the corner. “The nameplate of that sewing machine clearly has the name of an Earth machinery manufacturing factory engraved on it. Moreover, we are all speaking the Earth language, so we can understand each other, right? Also, there are so many tall buildings outside, as well as the shells of the cars and buses being dragged by monsters. I don’t believe that there aren’t any traces of Earth’s production and construction.
“The whole town came from Earth, don’t tell me you don’t know that?”
“That’s right. A long time ago, we did migrate from a place called Earth.”
Gu Ling nodded and admitted it openly. However, she changed the topic and said, “But that was a long time ago. We can’t keep clinging to the stories from ancient times, can we?
“Since we’ve lived in Peach Blossom Town for so long, our days have been so happy and carefree, it’s like heaven. What’s the point of thinking about Earth? Now, we’re the people of the Peach Blossom Town. That’s all.”
“It’s not ‘a long time ago,’ or who knows how many years ago.”
Meng Chao frowned and corrected the little girl. “It was only half a century ago.”
“Half a century?”
Gu Ling blinked her big round eyes and asked innocently, “What is a century?”
“A century is a hundred years, and half a century is fifty years.”
Meng Chao was stunned again. “Why don’t you have any concept of a ‘century’? Don’t you know how many years you’ve transmigrated here?”
“I don’t know. No one cares.”
Gu Ling said, “I do know about ‘years’. The weather is warm and cold, and the flowers bloom and fall. Some of the big trees will turn yellow, some of the plants will wither, and some of the insects will turn into beautiful butterflies. But when it snows, they will all die!
“Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter. When the wind heats up again, everything will start all over again. The beautiful flowers, plants, butterflies, and dragonflies will all reappear. I will grow taller and stronger. It will be a year!
“But fifty years? A hundred years? Isn’t that too long?”
“Every day is so enjoyable right now. Why do we have to remember what happened fifty years ago? Why do we have to think about what will happen fifty years later?
“Therefore, whether it’s a century or half a century, there’s no need for us to know such useless concepts!”
The little girl’s words shocked Meng Chao even more than the seemingly “harmonious” scenery outside the window.
He remained silent for a while before he could only say, “It seems that you have really embarked on a completely different path from Earth’s civilization.”
“Of course.”
Gu Ling widened her eyes and covered her chest. She then said with an exaggerated expression, “Earth’s civilization is so evil and terrifying. It was not easy for us to escape Earth. How can we go back to our old ways?”
“Ms. Gu Ling, how do you know that Earth’s civilization is very evil and terrifying?” Meng Chao took a deep breath and tried his best to control his tone. He wanted to get more information from the seemingly innocent girl.
“Grandpa told me.”
Gu Ling did not seem to doubt Meng Chao’s motives at all. She told him everything she knew. “Grandpa said that the air on Earth is sour, the rivers are polluted, and people’s food are full of chemicals and additives. It tastes terrible!
“Grandpa said that living in such a highly polluted world would cause our hearts to be corroded by toxins. Plus, the people on Earth were corrupted.
“They were already the kings at the top of the food chain on Earth. They claimed to be the spirits of all living things, so they tamed and eliminated all the wild beasts, but mankind was still not satisfied. They raised their knives against their own kind and slaughtered and enslaved them wantonly. They took the pain of their own kind as their own pleasure.
“Grandpa said that life on Earth was like 1% of the people having 99% of everything, and 99% of the people only had 1% of everything. Yet, the former 1% would greedily go to the 99% and ask for more.
“Grandpa also said that on Earth, the vast majority of people could only live in small, dark, and narrow houses that were as simple as beehives. There were even many people who did not have a roof over their heads and had no fixed place to stay. They wandered and migrated, treating the garbage dump as their home. Very few people with power and influence could have dozens or hundreds of splendid, palace-like residences.
“Grandpa said that on Earth, most people have to work from morning till night, and many people quietly lie in cramped cubicles and die silently, like donkeys in a mill; but very few people can harvest the hope of most people and nourish their bellies with rhetoric or plunder.
“Grandpa said that on Earth, very few people set up rules that were obviously unfair. They used this set of rules to exploit the majority of the people. However, even such unfair rules would not be followed at all times. Instead, they racked their brains every second to make the ‘unfair’ even more unfair.
“Grandpa said that the gap between the most powerful Earthlings and the poorest and weakest earthlings was even greater than the gap between Kun Peng and ants!
“Even so, those people who have power and control over the most powerful forces on Earth are still not satisfied—no matter how much power, money, and power they get, they will never be satisfied.
“In order to plunder more benefits and fill their bottomless heart, they created a large number of weapons that could destroy humanity itself, and they did not hesitate to use such weapons to turn Earth into hell!
“No, perhaps before the ultimate weapon was released, Earth was already a complete hell.
“How lucky is our Peach Blossom Town that we managed to escape in time and migrate to a new world before this hell fell deeper into the abyss? Of course, we have to start a new life and walk a path that is completely different from Earth’s civilization. How can we repeat the same mistake and turn Peach Blossom’s land into a new Earth and a new hell?”
The little girl’s words caused great waves in Meng Chao’s heart.
He subconsciously denied everything. “No, what your grandfather said is not right. Earth’s civilization is definitely not like your grandfather’s depiction!
“In the Earth era, we humans had the resources of an entire planet, and we did not have any natural enemies. Whether it was resources or space, we were not lacking. How could life be like what your grandfather said?
“Let me tell you, the civilization of Earth is a civilization that is unprecedentedly prosperous, developed, harmonious, fair, and just.
“On Earth, there is only a division of labor between people, and there is no hierarchy.
“The experts who have made outstanding contributions to the civilization or the leaders who have led the civilization forward can certainly live in a more spacious place and enjoy more abundant resources and the respect of the people.
“But the ordinary people also enjoy the most basic dignity. They have the pride of being workers, farmers, and workers from all walks of life. By working hard from nine to five, they will be able to have clean houses and live peaceful, happy lives.
“Although there will certainly be conflicts and frictions among the countries on Earth, and they have no choice but to maintain an enormous armed force, the leaders of the countries all possess a high degree of wisdom and rationality. They will never allow the small frictions to develop into the ultimate war that will destroy everything.
“The laws on Earth are the same as everything on Earth. Of course, they are not perfect either. There will certainly be flaws and loopholes. Occasionally, they will be taken advantage of, but the rules of the game are generally fair. As long as you work hard, you will definitely succeed. If you violate the rules of the game, you will certainly be punished.
“In short, it is a civilization full of vitality, full of hope, and everyone has a chance to succeed. It is the dream place of all mankind. It is definitely not the ‘hell’ that you are talking about!”
Other than preventing the destruction of Dragon City, returning to Earth had always been his biggest dream.
In fact, returning to Earth and borrowing Earth’s power to fight against other worlds was not contradictory to preventing the destruction of Dragon City. Instead, it was a complementary relationship.
Ever since he became the director of Blue Home and participated in many activities to commemorate the Earth era, Meng Chao had grown more interested in the brilliant and glorious civilization of Earth.
Hearing the young and ignorant girl slander the civilization of his mother planet, Meng Chao could not help but get riled up.
Despite that, as soon as he spoke, he regretted it.
The bizarre Peach Blossom Town was obviously highly controlled by the monster civilization.
The girl named Gu Ling had naturally been brainwashed by the mastermind of the monster civilization, which was why she said such absurd nonsense.
What was the point of arguing with her?
“I’m sorry, I got a little agitated.”
Meng Chao apologized. “Ms. Gu Ling, please forgive me. Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.”
There was indeed no trace of fear on Gu Ling’s face. She shook her head, and the pity in her eyes grew stronger. “You outsiders are like this. You’ve been deceived for too long. When you first discover the truth, you get so agitated. Your reaction is already considered very polite.”
