Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Hollis’s face stiffened, his smile no longer sustainable. Yet, representing the Hall of Samsara, he had no choice but to force another grin, his smile brittle as he said, “Child, you grew up in Matia. Now that you’ve followed the Vanguard to the surface, you think you’ve seen the whole world. You’re still young, and your perspective is limited.”

His words carried a sharp edge, mocking Su Xu for believing every rumor, then shifting to a tone of fake concern. “After the Black Rain Era, all surface water sources on Earth were contaminated. For years, we’ve been searching for ways to purify water. But to obtain better test results and cultivate superior genes, we had no choice but to use groundwater.”

As he spoke, Hollis tilted his head slightly, looking down at Su Xu with an air of condescension.

Su Xu found this unwarranted, paternalistic lecturing utterly repulsive. He scoffed and retorted, “How much water do experiments even need? The Underground Base has a large-scale wastewater treatment system. Why can the people there use it, while you insist on groundwater? Is it because the high-and-mighty Matia is full of ‘superiors’?”

During his visit to Chunhui Hall, he had passed through the industrial zone of the Underground Base and seen their wastewater treatment machines operating around the clock. The population there far exceeded that of Matia.

Hollis pressed his lips together, glancing sideways at Gabriel and the others, signaling it was their turn to speak. They had been sent to wrap things up, yet he was the only one talking, making them look powerless.

The head of the Engineering Department stepped forward and explained, “Matia is built to stay far from the sea. It can’t support large machinery—there’s a risk of collapse.”

Su Xu asked, “I see. You have the resources to drill underwater but can’t spare the effort to build a wastewater treatment system on the surface?”

“That’s because…” The Engineering Department head faltered, then repeated Hollis’s words, “As we said, exposed water sources are already contaminated.”

Gabriel had no desire to intervene at this moment, but under orders, he had no choice. “Wastewater treatment doesn’t guarantee 100% purification. There’s still a risk of infection.”

Su Xu turned to him and asked, “Then, what’s the infection rate for the residents of the Underground Base?”

Gabriel immediately fell silent, seeing where this was headed. It was best not to give Su Xu any more ammunition.

Hollis didn’t understand Gabriel’s look but knew Su Xu was openly provoking him now.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Ignoring Hollis, Su Xu pressed Gabriel further: “What’s the infection rate from mutated creatures’ biovirus? You’ve calculated it, right? It’s not 100%, is it?”

Under the barrage of questions, Gabriel exhaled slowly but didn’t react to Su Xu’s audacity with anger. Instead, his eyes held more admiration.

Su Xu was sharp—damn sharp. With his potential, perhaps he could continue the experiment that Patton’s failed subject couldn’t complete?

Gabriel answered calmly, “Indeed, it’s not.”

Su Xu nodded at the response, then shifted his gaze back to the puffed-up Hollis. “So, the chances you’d abandon your fellow humans are lower than the infection rate in the Underground Base?”

After the assessments, Vanguard members showing signs of infection were taken to a sealed room in the corner. By the time their ship departed, none of those locked inside had been given any follow-up treatment.

Any Vanguard member returning from a mission with exposed wounds was as good as written off by the Inspection Team.

If Roger hadn’t brought back a crucial sample like the mutated human, and if Su Xu hadn’t saved the other survivors from the mission, their fate would have been no different from those in the sealed room.

Yet the truth was, bio-contamination wasn’t inevitable. There might be specific conditions, and Matia clearly had the means to prevent so many lives from being lost.

The irony was that Matia preached, “Everything is for the continuation of human life.”

Su Xu couldn’t help but let out a dark laugh, locking eyes with Hollis as he demanded, “Sacrificing a small group brings greater benefits. Just a few deaths—barely a blip in the remaining population. Just like the endlessly extracted groundwater, it’s all for humanity in the end, right?”

He glanced at the man dripping in gold and pink. “Or just make the flowers in You Ni’s Garden work a few extra shifts, huh?”

Max’s face darkened. “Su Xu, quit while you’re ahead!”

The higher-ups had made it clear: if Su Xu cooperated, You Ni’s Garden would also show goodwill, pretending the past never happened. As for the lost sample, they could wait until Su Xu fell back in line with Matia before retrieving it.

But now, it was obvious Su Xu intended to oppose Matia outright.

Su Xu rested his chin on one hand, idly tapping his knee with the other, utterly unfazed.

These people were Matia’s leadership, holding power over life and death, yet he showed no fear—just an air of indifference from start to finish.

“Tell me,” he said casually, as if chatting with a friend, “what exactly is humanity’s future?”

Hollis found Su Xu harder to read. His barbs appeared and vanished unpredictably, and he kept spouting nonsense.

“Of course, it’s the day the seas recede, and Matia leads the remaining humans to rebuild civilization.”

Su Xu pressed, “And if that day never comes? What if Matia collapses before then?”

He knew exactly why they were here today—whether through threats or coaxing, or even having You Ni’s Garden back down, the goal was the same: to silence him.

He could play dumb, pretend nothing happened. After all, he’d risked his life escaping the depths to climb higher in Matia and uncover more about the HOM project.

If he gave them face, he might gain something—but the price was begging for handouts.

But if he’d been willing to grovel, he would’ve done so long ago. He hadn’t returned from hell’s doorstep to be a lapdog.

His thoughts churned as his gaze settled on Gabriel, who had been silently watching him with a faint smile.

“You—this is flat-out heresy!” Hollis, struggling to maintain his benevolent facade, erupted in fury, slamming his hands against the observation glass as he glared at Su Xu.

Seeing the Hall of Samsara lose composure, Max refused to let Su Xu gain the upper hand. He seized the moment to boast, “Matia is equipped with gene-freezing pods. They can preserve humanity’s superior genes for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, until they see the light of day again.”

Su Xu snorted as if hearing a joke. “Superior genes?”

He pondered silently—Matia was obsessed with genetics. Could what “Su Xu” had taken be related to “genes”?

Max studied Su Xu, baffled by his reaction. “Of course. Stronger genes have higher survival rates in harsh environments.”

Su Xu didn’t dispute that point. Instead, he zeroed in on the flaw.

“Does this world’s method of determining genetic strength align with Matia’s standards for ‘superior’ genes?”

He dropped his chin from his hand, interlacing his fingers thoughtfully. “Let me ask you this—if Matia really falls one day, and everyone is forced to live on the surface, who do you think will survive to the end? The ‘superior genes’ nurtured in Matia, or us disposable Vanguard grunts, or the Underground Base?”

He added mischievously, “Oh, right—should we include the so-called raider camps too?”

“Su Xu, stay in your lane!” Hollis hissed through clenched teeth. “Matia, out of the goodness of its heart, forgave your past crimes because of your contributions this time. Yet you choose to defy us!”

During the recent meeting, the captain had proposed a conciliatory approach to win Su Xu over—whether to bolster their ranks or settle the matter with You Ni’s Garden, controlling him was crucial.

Max had outright opposed the idea, arguing that a traitor shouldn’t be given a second chance.

Back then, seeing the captain’s resolve, Hollis hadn’t backed Max up. Now, he regretted this entire visit.

Su Xu feigned innocence. “Defy? This is just an ordinary Matia citizen asking questions. Would merciful Matia really hold that against me?”

Hollis bit back his words, jaw clenched as he fought to keep his temper in check. He couldn’t lose face in front of a small fry like Su Xu.

Forcing his patronizing smile, he said softly, “Child, you must have been brain-scrambled by the mutated creatures to ask such foolish questions. Rest and recover. We’ll visit again later.”

With that, he waved at the others and strode toward the door. Noticing Max still rooted in place, glaring at Su Xu, he hacked a warning cough.

Su Xu was only this bold because of his achievements. If not for the captain’s rule forbidding conflict among citizens on Matia, Max would’ve knocked him down a peg!

But what’s really on the captain’s mind? What does Su Xu have that’s worth such effort? Gabriel seems pretty interested in him too.

Su Xu lay back down leisurely and said, “Just like humans pick and choose genes, the earth does the same with species. You slap the label of ‘superior genes’ on yourselves, trampling on human lives beneath your feet, and one day, you’ll pay the price for it.”

His opinion didn’t matter to this icy, hulking ship, nor had he ever imagined that he alone could change this absurd and rotten world.

Playing the lone hero came at too high a cost—not his style.

But every time he faced a choice, he would recall the teachings of the director and teachers at the orphanage. They could ride out the tides, weather the storms, but if they willingly wallowed in the mire, that was true decay.

He refused to turn into someone the director would scorn.

He wasn’t about to dig up the truth this way, only to be scolded by the director, ears pinched, when all was said and done.

At the thought of that scene, Su Xu smiled fondly.

Suddenly, his smile froze. He tilted his head slightly and looked toward the door, locking eyes with Mo Le. He blinked, silently asking if there were any instructions.

Mo Le hadn’t left with the others. He stood silently by the door, watching Su Xu in the treatment pod. Caught in the act, he turned without a word and disappeared beyond the doorway.