VAP - Chapter 31
Chapter 31: The Sleeping Beauty Whose Words Are Law (30)
Shengjing City Military Region.
This was one of the most confidential locations in the entire military region. In a spacious conference room, people were seated in a circle.
Most of them were older, conversing with one another, exuding the aura of those long accustomed to positions of power.
There were also young men and women present, dressed in the uniforms of the Esper squads. Each possessed a unique and intimidating aura.
This was a meeting that brought together representatives from the major military bases of the north, the first gathering of leaders from various provinces and cities since the great outbreak of superpowers.
The attendees included military leaders who had held high positions even before the chaotic times began, as well as several of the most powerful Espers from each base.
Of course, not every base had sent representatives. Some of the weaker bases couldn't afford the risks of a long journey, so they watched a live broadcast of the meeting from their own military regions, expressing their opinions via bullet comments.
...At times like these, one could only be grateful for the advancement of human technology.
"I suggest we strengthen our surveillance of Espers," an elderly man in a white researcher's coat said.
As he spoke, his gaze swept, intentionally or not, over the few Espers in uniform. He raised his chin. "We all know that none of us can fully comprehend these superpowers. Mutated creatures go berserk because of them. Are Espers truly controllable?"
Beside him, a few other researchers in white coats nodded in agreement.
As if encouraged, the old man raised his voice and continued, "Given that we cannot be certain whether Espers will pose a threat to human society in the future, we must place all of them under surveillance! This is for the future of humanity!"
Across from the old man in white, a young woman also in a researcher's uniform sneered. "Dr. Yang, are you trying to discard us now that we've served our purpose? Don't forget who protects the major military regions! If Espers had even the slightest ill intent toward humanity, why would the members of our Esper squads bother fighting the Chaos Faction and mutated creatures to protect ordinary people?"
Dr. Yang's face darkened. "Professor Ming, you're an Esper yourself, so I can understand your motive for defending them. But you can't deny science for your own benefit, nor can you disregard the greater good of humanity for selfish reasons!"
The woman known as Professor Ming refused to back down, retorting, "Even if I hadn't awakened a superpower, I still couldn't agree with your viewpoint, Dr. Yang. Science? Is there a single experiment that proves Espers will descend into madness like mutated creatures? If there is, please present the experimental data so we can have a proper discussion!"
The two researchers went back and forth, their debate growing heated.
A middle-aged man in a military uniform sat at the head of the table. He listened to them argue for a long time without saying a word.
Only after he had observed the expressions of everyone in the room and seen enough of the bullet comments on the live broadcast did he raise a hand to stop them. "Hold on. Please listen to me first."
At his words, the two researchers with opposing views shot each other a fierce glare and fell silent.
"It's true that we don't understand Espers well enough," he said, his authoritative gaze sweeping evenly over everyone present.
Dr. Yang's expression immediately brightened with excitement.
"However—that does not mean we have the right to place them under surveillance."
This time, it was Professor Ming's turn to smile.
The man said in a solemn voice, "Every Esper who fights to protect the people is a legal citizen of China. From both a legal and a moral standpoint, no one has the right to disregard their rights and place them under surveillance."
Dr. Yang couldn't hold back. He looked like he wanted to jump to his feet, but something held him back, and he remained seated, waving his arms agitatedly. "Espers are a threat to order! Their abilities are bizarre and uncontrollable. We can't just let them be!"
As all the Espers in the room glared at him, the man at the head of the table also looked at him coolly. "I was under the impression that I was speaking, Dr. Yang."
The elderly researcher clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn't dare to shout again.
The man at the head of the table was General Lin, the head of the Shengjing City Military Region.
He had been the commander of the capital's military region even before the great outbreak of superpowers. Although he hadn't awakened an ability himself, he commanded immense authority, and his seniority was the highest in the room.
"Dr. Yang may hope to control Espers through surveillance," General Lin said. "But that won't solve any problems. The only ones who would be monitored are the law-abiding Espers living in the military regions. It would dishearten them, and it would be completely useless against the Chaos Faction, the ones who truly disrupt order."
A researcher next to Dr. Yang muttered under his breath, "But it's the Espers in the military regions we need to guard against..."
The researchers, led by Dr. Yang, were all staunch members of the anti-Esper faction.
In their view, these seemingly normal Espers in the military regions were the true unstable elements for humanity; who knew when one of them might go berserk. They were like pet dogs that needed to be leashed and tagged to prevent them from running wild and hurting people.
As for the Chaos Faction, they were simply dogs that had already gone mad. Did mad dogs need special surveillance? You just killed them on sight.
On this point, quite a few ordinary people actually shared their view. No matter how powerful the Espers were or how much they protected them, they were still a minority.
Some people always subconsciously reject minorities.
Besides, it was just surveillance; it wasn't as if anyone was planning to do anything to them. Why shouldn't it be allowed?
But the Espers were unwilling to be monitored. They had done nothing wrong and shouldn't be treated like monsters to be guarded against at all times, nor should they be stripped of their right to privacy.
This was an irreconcilable conflict—
Once group differences emerge among people, conflict is inevitable; the only question is its scale.
For now, the conflict between the Espers and the anti-Esper faction had not yet reached an irreconcilable point. After all, the Recovery Mist had already descended twice, and no one knew if there would be a third or fourth time. What if they were the ones to awaken next?
But if the Recovery Mist never appeared again, the conflict between ordinary people and Espers would only grow more acute over time, and the anti-Esper faction would attract more and more followers.
General Lin steered the conversation away from the topic in just a few words.
He was well-versed in handling such matters: postpone uncertain issues until the situation became clearer.
Under the resentful gazes of the two researchers, the attendees moved on to the next topic.
Meanwhile, Yue Du, who was also watching the live broadcast, let out a sigh.
Hacking into the secure channel to watch the live broadcast wasn't difficult; a System's understanding of information far surpassed that of the people of this era.
Qi Jiu turned her head and asked with a light laugh, "What are you sighing for?"
Yue Du pressed her lips together, not wanting to answer, just like a truly cold and impersonal System.
But Qi Jiu continued to stare at her with those deep, dark eyes, the pressure too intense to ignore. Yue Du couldn't brush it off, so she had no choice but to speak. "Seeing them scheme against each other like this makes me a little curious... I wonder what they would think if they knew this world would eventually develop to a point where superpowers and science were equally valued, and where ninety-five percent of the population were Espers."
By then, the roles of majority and minority would be completely reversed. Ordinary people would become the ones being subconsciously ostracized.
They would have it worse than the Espers of today—at least the Espers had power.
Such is human nature.
Qi Jiu listened, unconcerned, but her gaze never left Yue Du. "That's their problem."
Yue Du avoided her gaze. "Judging by the trajectory of the main quests so far, the next mission will most likely be related to the anti-Esper faction."
Qi Jiu raised an eyebrow. "That's just a matter of a word or two."
Yue Du thought about it. It seemed no mission had ever truly troubled her host. Looking back, all those points felt like they had been practically handed to her.
On the live broadcast, the representative from G City was now speaking. She was a female military officer with a sharp, heroic look, and she was reporting on recent problems in G City.
Among them was the incident involving her younger brother.
"It's quite bizarre," she said grimly. "It could be a single Esper or a group. Their ability is also very unusual—it might erase memories or steal time, and it possesses a certain lethality."
Hearing this, the representative from S City recalled something as well. "Professor Xing from our military region reported a similar situation. The party in question subdued the black tiger in the forest on the outskirts of S City but did nothing to our Esper squad."
Xing Qingcang himself wasn't participating in the meeting; he had remained in S City to stand guard in case of any unforeseen incidents.
General Lin asked, "What was Professor Xing's assessment?"
The S City representative frowned. "Professor Xing has no leads. He said they are very difficult to deal with."
Xing Qingcang was currently a star figure. Not only was he brilliant, but he was also a dual-ability Esper, adept at both research and combat. By a rough estimate, his power ranked among the top five Espers in the world.
The Espers under his command were S City's finest, not people one could trifle with. If even someone of his caliber was helpless... then this matter was truly bizarre.
The thought that such an elusive Esper or team of Espers was lurking somewhere in China sent a chill down the spines of the representatives present.
If it were a team, it would be somewhat understandable. But if it was a single individual—just how terrifying would that person have to be?
Just then, a comment scrolled across the live broadcast's bullet screen.
Xing Qingcang, S City: Perhaps we can find clues elsewhere.
General Lin noticed the comment. After a moment's thought, he had the S City representative dial Xing Qingcang's number and put it on speakerphone.
He said, "Please elaborate."
Xing Qingcang's cool, deep voice echoed through the conference room:
"Recently, the few Chaos Faction Espers who caused the biggest stir in China have vanished. This isn't just happening in China, but in other countries as well... In fact, a while ago, a tweet from a little girl in the United States garnered widespread attention. She claimed that America's 'Joker' was dead, eliminated by a mysterious girl from the East."
Everyone listened to him in silence.
"Although the US authorities won't confirm the authenticity of this news, the matter is undoubtedly unusual. It's not just the Chaos Faction; those powerful mutated creatures that were wreaking havoc have also vanished."
Professor Ming interjected, "With all due respect, we've been monitoring these issues, and they've been discussed on major social media platforms. But what does any of this have to do with that bizarre Esper culprit?"
Xing Qingcang was silent for a moment before stating with certainty, "I believe they're related."
"Why?"
"Based on my intuition as an Esper with Brain Domain Expansion."
Yue Du, the spectating onlooker: "..."
It's your protagonist's intuition, isn't it!
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