The Great Wu Chang can single-handedly destroy an entire nation—

Forgive me for my disbelief upon hearing this. Coming from Zhu Shi’s mouth, this statement felt as absurd within my previous worldview as a government official openly declaring that “the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are actually puppets controlled by the Rothschild family,” the kind of outlandish conspiracy theory you'd find in tabloid fiction.

Then I gathered my thoughts.

“When you say ‘an entire nation,’ are you referring to something like a small country? Or perhaps ancient nations from before the rise of industrial civilization?”

“I mean the country we’re currently standing in,” Zhu Shi said, gesturing at the ground beneath us.

“Are you serious?” I questioned.

“I am.” She nodded, then paused to think and added, “Though I’ve never personally witnessed the Great Wu Chang fighting seriously, at least based on what I’ve learned, the Great Wu Chang are capable of such feats.

“Throughout history, the Great Wu Chang have been able to summon tsunamis and floods, trigger earthquakes and droughts, and unleash other natural disasters like typhoons. If they were to truly get serious, the scale of the disasters they could cause would be monumental, enough to be recorded in history books.

“Even concentrated nuclear strikes couldn’t kill the Great Wu Chang. They either possess defenses that defy all worldly logic or have an immortality that allows them to return even if their bodies and souls are completely obliterated.”

“In the myths and legends that have been passed down, some of the deities are actually the Great Wu Chang who once brought calamity to the land or benefitted the people.”

Able to trigger tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, and droughts...

I wasn’t sure if what Zhu Shi was saying was true. While I was certain she wasn’t lying to me, I couldn’t help but wonder how reliable those historical records were. I didn’t know much about natural disasters, but I did understand some basic concepts. For example, the energy released by a major earthquake that leaves a mark in history is at least hundreds or thousands of times the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Tsunamis or typhoons are the same. Nuclear weapons may be hailed as the ultimate weapon of modern civilization, a cornerstone of peace maintained through mutual deterrence between great powers. However, when it comes to competing with large-scale natural disasters in terms of total energy, they still fall far short.

It would make sense that the Great Wu Chang, who can manipulate such massive natural disasters, wouldn’t be afraid of nuclear weapons.

But this raised an even bigger question: why would such powerful Great Wu Chang still nominally submit to the guidance of nations?

Or to put it bluntly—since these individuals already possess such heavenly power, why bother establishing something like Mount Luo? Why didn’t they just create their own Heavenly Court?

Why do they quietly handle the dangers of the world below the surface, dealing with the anomalies, rather than stepping out to rule the world?

After all, if our country has figures capable of literally shaking the heavens and the earth, why do such perplexing twists still exist in history?

I directed all my questions to Zhu Shi.

She showed an expression of helplessness. “I can’t answer you.”

“Is this one of Mount Luo’s secrets?” I asked.

“No, it’s not like that… this isn’t a secret at all. It’s actually common knowledge around here.” She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “The reason I’m not answering you isn’t because I don’t want to, but because, including myself, all the hunters I know have no idea of the answer.”

My confusion deepened. “You mean even Mount Luo doesn’t know why they’re doing this?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “We don’t know the fundamental reason behind why we don’t publicly disclose the existence of hunters and anomalies, or why we don’t become the rulers of this country.”

“So, if you’re not speaking from the organization’s standpoint, but from your personal standpoint, why do you think you’ve chosen this approach?” I pressed.

“Because everyone around me does the same, so I just followed along.” She answered directly. “After all, I have no desire to dominate others or seek fame. As long as I can protect innocent people, that’s enough for me.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“This…” I felt as though a fog of doubt had enveloped me. “At the very least, the core leadership of Mount Luo must know why they’re doing this, right? They—the Great Wu Chang—must have hidden their true intentions from all of you, and forcibly made you do this. Over time, you’ve just gotten used to it… is that it?”

This time, the words she spoke plunged me even deeper into the fog of confusion: "It's not like that. The Great Wu Chang don't know the truth either."

I countered, "How can you determine whether the Great Wu Chang know the truth?"

"Because the Great Wu Chang have been in conflict over this issue for the past three years," she said. "Do you remember what I told you the night before last? Mount Luo is currently in chaos and conflict, and everyone is gradually realizing that what they've been doing isn't so natural. They realize they could reveal their true selves to society, they could become rulers of this country, or even try to do much more."

"Your statement sounds like every hunter throughout history has been under some inexplicable hypnosis, and now, for some unknown reason, the hypnosis is finally being broken," I sarcastically remarked.

She didn't deny it, instead replying, "The 'hypnosis theory' is quite popular in Mount Luo as well, but it's hard to imagine that even all the Great Wu Chang, both past and present, could have been hypnotized."

I had only been casually making a remark, but it was surprising that she didn’t outright reject it.

I now understood. No wonder when I last asked her why Mount Luo hid the truth about the existence of anomalies from society, she was evasive. It was because she genuinely didn’t know how to explain it.

"Wait, you said this chaos has been happening for the past three years..." I carefully reconsidered what she had said. "Why has this chaos lasted for three years without ending? Aren't the Great Wu Chang capable of easily conquering this country?"

Not only this country—assuming no foreign supernatural organizations are of comparable scale, the Great Wu Chang who can manipulate large-scale natural disasters would be able to conquer the world with ease.

Perhaps my question had touched a very sensitive point, as Zhu Shi's expression suddenly became very serious.

"Before answering this question, Zhuang Cheng, I want to ask you a question first—"

Seeing this, I couldn't help but focus and prepare myself to take her question seriously.

She seemed to wait until I was mentally ready before asking her question:

"How do you view the world as it is now?

"How do you view people like yourself, those with superpowers, compared to ordinary people without any powers?

"Do you think superpowered individuals are superior to ordinary people? Do you think you should become the ruler of the world, forcing those without power to submit to you and view you as a god, high above them?"

Upon hearing these words, I immediately understood what kind of turmoil was currently happening within Mount Luo.

What she was asking now was likely a question of stance.

It seemed that within Mount Luo, at least for now, there were at least two conflicting viewpoints: one, as previously mentioned, believed that the hunters should be above all, becoming gods on Earth to dominate all beings; the other believed that hunters should reintegrate into the existing social system in a relatively peaceful manner.

Given Zhu Shi's personality, her views were most likely aligned with the latter. Since I was aiming to join Mount Luo through her, I should say something that resonates with her preferences. In other words, this was a political alignment, and I had to take it seriously.

I opened my mouth, about to say a lie, but for some reason, I found this politically charged questioning unbearably nauseating. I decided to disregard everything and speak the truth.

"Yes, I believe that superpowered individuals are superior to ordinary people," I said directly from my heart.

This wasn't something I came up with on the spot.

Ever since awakening my superpowers and gradually growing stronger, I had repeatedly considered what attitude I should have toward the relationship between myself and society, if my superpowers remained with me permanently. Specifically, whether I could consider myself superior to ordinary people.

The answer was clear. I am a superpowered individual, and I possess violence far beyond that of ordinary people. I am indeed superior to them.

In the past, when people around me criticized me, sometimes even saying hurtful things, I never used my powers to trouble them. Partly because I couldn’t be bothered, but also perhaps because I knew, "I could kill them anytime, anywhere." Because I held the upper hand in terms of power, I was able to view them with an unusually tolerant attitude.

For a time, I even tried to emulate the aloof, god-like characters in fantasy novels who could decide life and death, speaking in a detached tone.

However, I often forgot the persona I had set for myself. When someone near me cracked a joke or did something funny, I couldn’t help but laugh aloud. Over time, I just thought, "Forget it, forget it." Even though I did have the power to lord over others, I didn’t particularly yearn for that kind of life.

On the other hand, while I had concluded that "superpowered individuals are superior," I couldn't help but feel some doubt.

Indeed, if another superpowered individual appeared before me and declared, purely based on their power, that they were superior to ordinary people, I would acknowledge them. Violence is important. Human history has been a history of violent struggles, and since ancient times, the strongest wielders of violence have claimed legitimacy. No matter how powerful the weapon of critique, it cannot outweigh the power of the weapon itself.

To be honest, though, I always felt that kind of approach was a bit beneath me.

Or, to use a more modern expression, it was "low-class." Violence can certainly force people to acknowledge your superiority by pressing their heads to the ground, and it can eliminate anyone who refuses to recognize it. But all that does is make them comply. I think a person who is truly superior to ordinary people should have some persuasive quality that wins people's hearts and minds. Not only should they excel physically, but ideally, they should also have a sense of taste on a mental level.

I shared these thoughts with Zhu Shi.

The more she listened, the more speechless she became. In the end, she expressed her thoughts: "…Overall, you still think superpowered individuals are superior to ordinary people… Am I right?"

"That's roughly the case," I admitted.

"Then why did you become friends with my brother? Isn't he also a 'lower-ranking human' in your eyes?" she asked.