"Now I must rearticulate my understanding to let you see the full scope of my thoughts. First, watch the documentary. This film records everything Iāve seen and heard in the past month and my thoughts at the time."
Two hours later, the documentary titled "Hell on Earth" concluded, and the office fell silent.
Everyone was dumbfounded, incredulous.
Ren Zhong tapped the table lightly, "According to my investigation, in fact, many towns were already like this before they lost the network, and itās been maintained for many years. Are you surprised, confused? The information was so developed when the ānetā existed. We could clearly access any data from hibernation spaces, use holographic projection to immerse ourselves in any town, but we never saw this."
"The reason is simple, the ānetā concealed this information. Under its strict control, we only ever saw what it was willing to show us. It has constantly manipulated everyoneās cognition through information control, shaping everyoneās thoughts. People in these towns donāt find their behavior problematic; in their eyes, humanity should be like this."
"However, this is clearly not the case in the eyes of Starfire Townās residents. Different regions, different people have been given different worldviews by the ānetā in a targeted manner."
"Moreover, now you also know Source Star has two layers of history. The first is the Source Star Origin Theory in the wilderness peopleās cognition, and the second is the ten-thousand-year history in the eyes of citizens. So which history is true? We donāt know."
"The past is already past; whatās truly important is the present and the future. Now weāve recognized this phenomenon; we must understand why this happens. Otherwise, itās impossible to change the future."
"As Iāve said before, under the control of ānetā, people have ceased to be human, or humans no longer see their kind as their kind, so naturally, everything follows."
"Then, continuing to expand the issue. You know how to live is to live, and have seen that the wilderness people under our rule are not truly worthless. But do those who have sunk to the bottom have any chance to change their fate and genuinely live like a human? Iāve changed the lives of people in Yangsheng City, Jianghao City, and Zhan Sha County. But I am powerless further afield."
"Moving time back. If the ānetā still existed, could wilderness people change their fate? No. Iāve achieved this, but I was the only newly promoted citizen in the past decade in Starfire Town, and the only wilderness person to rise to Fifth Level Citizen in Yangsheng City in the past decade. Globally, how many are like me?"
"An invisible shackle envelopes everything, controlling everything, suppressing everything; it cuts off the ladder for those at the bottom to move up. It uses the Association as its claw, establishing the unbreakable Pyramid system. It is ānet.ā So is this right? What can these rules create?"
"Iāll give an example with Yujin and Zheng Tian. You two have proven to have good talent, capable of undertaking important tasks. You also possess strong self-discipline and learning ability. Given the chance, you can showcase your talent, and within the structure of my Ren Group, make contributions worth a hundred or even a thousandfold."
"Now, every day new trainees graduate from our academy with excellent grades, stepping into one position after another. Among these people, there are citizens, temporary wilderness people, and even outdoor wilderness people. These individuals can create more resources for my Ren Group."
"However, without my presence, Zheng Tian, you would have died tragically at Lin Wangās hands, and Yujin, you would have perished from poverty or the fist of some unknown semi-professional scavenger. There are many more like you out there, whose work ability, talent, and driveārepresenting productive capacityāis being extravagantly wasted. Itās like a giant tap pouring water underground in a water-scarce desert city."
"But do people on Source Star really not lack water?"
"They do!"
"Sun Miao, as an experienced researcher, you know how many years Source Starās technological level hasnāt advanced. All so-called researchers, including those in the nine major corporations, are essentially just translation clerks for the technological products provided by the Empire. How then do people of Source Star have any capital to enter the interstellar era?"
"Even if we high-level citizens, myself included, really went to the starry skies, what is the meaning of our existence? We would just be a group of mindless, valueless flesh pigs."
"Indeed, we are flesh pigs, producing brains. Otherwise, Source Star peopleās sexual concepts would not be so open, contraception wouldnāt be listed as a prohibition, and birth rates wouldnāt be so high!"
"Iāve also discovered that the behavior patterns of Ruined Beast changed after the ānetā disappeared. Undoubtedly, Ruined Beast is not a naturally occurring creature; it is also manipulated by the ānet.ā This is a large-scale dual breeding, harvesting both human brains and the Level Nine Ruined Beast that should exist but weāve almost never seen!"
"Now, let me tell you what true Contribution Points, cosmic constants, cosmic hash values are..."
...
"Folks, humans of Source Star never truly had a future. The other side of the great migration, the depths of the starry sky is endless enslavement."
"What must we do to break free from this enslavement?"
"Restore civilization to its true form! Within limited time, ensure that everyone with potential receives sufficient education, steps into appropriate roles, and achieves the greatest accomplishment his talent can support!"
"Only by ensuring everyone receives adequate knowledge and can dominate his destiny as much as possible can we truly unleash civilizationās potential! Only by spreading Ren Groupās rules over every inch of the Source Star System can this decaying Source Star civilization become a truly capable war machine to vie for the future. Otherwise, even with human freezing or time travel, the journeyās end will still be annihilation."
"Everyone, we must change this era. And we will inevitably succeed because everyone inherently desires a better life; our ideology can gain recognition from the vast majority of people below Fifth Level Citizen. Our comrades will only increase, and victory will ultimately belong to us."