NOVEL NEXT Chapter 342: Man is the Sum of All Social Relations_2
"...What's the question?" the voice asked, "You've piqued my curiosity, so go on, tell me."
"Nothing... it's nothing. Let's just end this topic here," Xiao Yi gave a light cough and finally felt his hanging heart settle, and he immediately continued, "So, what do you really want to ask? Hurry up and spit it out."
"..." The voice fell silent for a moment before it said, "I just wanted to ask you, why... Why must you come to the Tower and seek all the Answers at the top?"
"Ha? Why else?" Xiao Yi suddenly found the question rather nonsensical, "Other than wanting to put an end to all this, what else could it be for?"
"So..." the voice probed further, "Why must you end all this?"
"You've got me stumped there," Xiao Yi said, "What other reason could there be? This crisis is threatening everyone on Blue Star! How could I possibly not come to put an end to all this?"
"But..." However, the voice said, "What's that got to do with you?"
"...Huh?" Xiao Yi was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
"With your current ability, this world-ending crisis hardly amounts to anything for you, right?" the voice pointed out, "The so-called crisis doesn't pose a threat to you, so why go to all the trouble and expend so much energy to put an end to it? Is it... really necessary?"
"..."
Xiao Yi hesitated for a moment, mouth slightly open, about to say something, when the voice continued,
"Besides, this crisis will resolve itself soon enough. Even if you do nothing, everything will still come to an end. So... Do you really have a reason to personally see to its end?"
"I..." Xiao Yi paused before continuing, "So, what you're saying is, I should just stand by and watch people die?"
"Is that... such a bad thing?" the voice asked, "You're not going to tell me, you actually care about the lives of those... those strangers you've never met, are you?"
"..." Xiao Yi fell silent.
"Your silence is a very good Answer," the voice said, "You know better than anyone that you're not the kind of person with a heart for the world, nor someone who cares about everyone, right?"
"But..." Xiao Yi countered, "There are people in this world I care about, who are in danger right now, and I certainly can't just ignore them!"
"Is that so?" the voice chuckled softly, "Then how many people do you care about? More than... the number of fingers on one hand?"
"..." Xiao Yi fell silent, not actually lifting his hand to count but quietly tallying with his thumb...
He soon realized that the number of people whose names he could remember on Blue Star was indeed no greater than the number on one hand!
"It seems you already have the Answer in your heart."
The voice addressed Xiao Yi in a soft tone:
"Xiao Yi, by nature, you're quite indifferent... You could even be described as apathetic. Throughout your life, you've encountered countless individuals, had exchanges with them, but ... you never truly sought a deeper understanding, you didn't bother with their stories, hobbies, not even their names, because deep down, you don't really care about those people. In fact, you find forming connections with them... troublesome. I'm right, aren't I?"
"..." Xiao Yi remained silent, unable to deny it.
"Nearly two decades of life on a planet with billions of people, and yet the number of names you remember doesn't exceed the fingers on one hand. Only those you have to spend a lot of time with, who don't irritate you, who even indulge you and meet your emotional needs, do you begrudgingly remember their names, don't you?
"You remember more people from the instances than you do from Blue Star, even two of whom you met in the instances... Your indifference really is unmatched by ordinary people."
The voice paused for a moment and then continued to ask:
"Xiao Yi, I can assure you that those people you care about will not be harmed, only some insignificant people will die, that's something you're completely indifferent about, right? So... now, answer me, why did you come to the Tower to end it all, or perhaps I should ask you this."
The voice raised the most fundamental question.
"You don't care about those so-called good reputations, do you? Remove the duties others have imposed on you, and you have no reason to make this trip, do you? Why... must you insist on being the Savior?"
"..." Xiao Yi lowered his head, falling into complete silence; he seemed at a loss for an answer.
"Heh..." The voice chuckled lightly, its confidence in victory evident.
But in the next moment, Xiao Yi suddenly raised his head and answered firmly:
"Your question is indeed profound, it made me reflect for a moment, and then I found the Answer. I really do have to save everyone in the world!"
"...Why!?" The voice sounded somewhat urgent, "Those people have nothing to do with you, do they?"
"Who says they're unrelated?" Xiao Yi said, "The essence of a person is... the sum of all their social relationships, which means I am tightly connected with everyone in the world! This is not a matter of personal will but an objective fact!"
Immediately following, Xiao Yi gave an irrefutable rationale!
"If almost everyone in this world were to die and society itself could hardly be maintained, then who would deliver my takeout? Who would cook the food? Who would farm the land? Without people making TV shows, movies, animations, and silly short videos, what would I watch? I also like to listen to orchestral music! But an orchestra needs dozens, even hundreds of people, who would organize them? Who would train them? Who would make the instruments? Besides, I don't even have a driver's license, for a long trip I'd need mechanics, drivers, fellow passengers, car parts manufacturers, car designers, and plenty of others! Can you say... I have no connection with the people in this world, and what reason would I have... not to save them?"
"Uh..." The voice was obviously taken aback, unable to refute Xiao Yi.
"Then, there's another reason I came here," Xiao Yi said, "I heard Old Xu is around here... Oh, I get it now, you must be Old Xu himself!"
"...Huh?" The voice expressed confusion.
"Old Xu, oh Old Xu..." Xiao Yi went on, "Stop playing tricks, it really doesn't suit you, your character is crumbling to pieces."
"You..." The voice, tinged with anger, "I am not Xu Yingguang, you've got it wrong!"
"Come on, Old Xu..." Xiao Yi, unbothered, continued to speak, "Let's go back! Go do the job you love the most!"
"..."
"Xu Yingguang, speak!"
"I've told you! I'm not Xu Yingguang!"
The voice now sounded utterly defeated, sighing helplessly.
"Well... I must admit, this time, I've lost to you. The essence of your Visualization, thoughts, and cognition is indeed exceptionally strong, insurmountable, even when faced with thought dilemmas crafted for you, you can still break through... As agreed, I will take you to the top."