Chapter 148: Chapter 137: Preserving Humanity

Spent a whole day having fun in Mandalay.

The next day, Lu Li, along with Chen Man Ni, Brother Gu, Zhen Qiang, and others, boarded a plane heading back to the country.

The plane was currently flying rapidly at high altitude.

Because a return ticket is required for a visa-on-arrival in Myanmar, and Lu Li had come in a hurry, he bought an economy class ticket.

However, Chen Man Ni, Brother Gu, and the others, unaware of this, all purchased business class tickets.

Lu Li didn’t mind this at all.

On the contrary, he thought that if he were with those people, he probably wouldn’t have a moment of peace during the nearly four-hour flight.

Yes, their group was flying directly from Yangon to Kunming.

Once back in Kunming, they would have to transfer again.

At this moment, Lu Li was resting with his eyes closed.

Recalling what he had done in Myanmar.

“I used to feel somewhat uncomfortable even watching pigs being slaughtered, yet this time in Myanmar, after killing so many people, I didn’t feel anything strange at all. It’s as if those people in my mind were not humans, but just like killing a few ants.”

Thinking of this, Lu Li couldn’t help but frown.

This situation is actually quite dangerous.

Especially when it happens to oneself.

Why say this?

Because it’s an indication of disregarding life.

If it happens to an ordinary person, they might end up as a murderer or even a serial killer.

But I am different; I will become increasingly powerful in the future.

If I really disregard life like this, I might truly become like ’I won’t eat beef’!

This is even scarier than any national threat.

At first, Lu Li didn’t notice the psychological changes that came with getting stronger.

Through this trip to Myanmar, he vaguely sensed that his psyche seemed to have changed significantly.

How to put it?

He felt that in his mind, unfamiliar people were somewhat like humans viewing ants.

Would humans feel sad or guilty for killing an ant?

Obviously not.

“This might be a ’side effect’ of constant evolution.”

Lu Li thought to himself, “I am evolving towards a higher organism, even to the stage of a god. If this continues, I will definitely become increasingly indifferent to life, even seeing humans as no different from livestock.”

It’s not just about those kidnappers that he killed.

Even when interacting with strangers like Wana and Mo Juedu, although he spoke politely, he didn’t take them seriously in his heart, maintaining a completely indifferent attitude.

Lu Li had a feeling that Wana, Mo Juedu, and others, were fundamentally not humans.

Just like the group of kidnappers he killed had no difference.

Although he didn’t want to think this way, his instinct compelled him to view Wana, Mo Juedu, and others in this manner.

He knew he couldn’t continue like this; otherwise, his potential harm would be too great.

But how to correct this mindset, he had not figured out a solution yet.

Suddenly, his strong perception sensed Chen Man Ni coming over from the business class.

Before long, Chen Man Ni approached the man sitting next to Lu Li and spoke politely, “Sir, I just spoke with the flight attendants, and they allowed me to switch seats with you. My seat is in the business class over there. Would you consider exchanging seats?”

The man seemed pleasantly surprised to be “upgraded” in such a manner and replied with a smile, “Sure, I’ll switch with you.”

With that, he got up and headed to the business class.

Lu Li looked at Chen Man Ni and blinked, “Why leave a nice business class seat to squeeze into the economy class?”

As usual, dressed in her floral dress, Chen Man Ni sat down beside him and smiled gently, “You traveled all the way to Myanmar to save us, and now you’re sitting economy class on the way back. I felt a bit sorry, so I came over to chat with you.”

Chen Man Ni was Liu Kexin’s close friend.

And they had some personal connections.

Lu Li didn’t mind her presence.

He smiled and said, “Should I thank you then?”

“Actually, I should be thanking you.” Chen Man Ni looked at him earnestly, “If it weren’t for you, my husband and I wouldn’t be alive.”

When Zhen Qiang, her husband, was mentioned, Lu Li couldn’t help but feel a sense of curiosity, “Miss Chen, I’m not sure if I should ask this…”

Chen Man Ni waved her hand and said, “You can call me Man Ni like Kexin does, or you can call me Xiaochen. Calling me Miss Chen feels a bit distant, especially since you and Kexin are a couple.”

Lu Li felt a bit awkward and explained, “Kexin and I are really not dating.”

“Oh? You guys aren’t dating?” Chen Man Ni was a bit surprised, “I saw how eager Kexin was with you and thought you two were together. Let me tell you, I’ve never seen her treat any guy so nicely before.”

She’s naturally friendly, but not overly enthusiastic, just right.

Lu Li was curious, “She’s so beautiful, didn’t any guys ask her out when you were in college?”

“Yes, there are.” Chen Man Ni said with a smile: “Many boys chase after her, but she’s always so aloof. For a while, I even suspected she might be a lesbian.”

She seemed reluctant to “betray” Liu Kexin’s information.

After mentioning it lightly, she quickly changed the subject: “Hey, what were you asking me about earlier?”

Lu Li didn’t think too much about it.

He initially wanted to gossip a bit.

But he felt it might not be very appropriate to ask.

So he simply shook his head, saying, “Forget it, I’d better not ask.”

Chen Man Ni, being quite smart, immediately guessed what he wanted to ask, “You want to ask if I married my husband for money, right?”

Lu Li gave an awkward smile, “I was planning to ask in a more subtle way.”

Chen Man Ni didn’t mind at all, she smiled helplessly, “It’s not wrong to say I married him for money, but it’s more out of gratitude.”

Lu Li asked curiously, “How so?”

Well, he’s always been quite nosy.

This propensity didn’t vanish with his growing strength.

Chen Man Ni recalled a bit, then sighed softly, “I was born into a relatively poor family. My parents were disabled, so I had to take care of the family from a young age.”

Ah?

That miserable?

Lu Li couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sympathy.

Chen Man Ni continued, “Actually, a bit of hardship is fine. I’m not incapable of living a tough life. But when I was in my first year of high school, my dad got seriously ill. The medical expenses were tens of thousands of yuan. You know, suddenly coming up with tens of thousands is a heavy burden for an average family, let alone a household like mine.”

Lu Li agreed, “Indeed.”

Chen Man Ni said with some sorrow, “At that time, to save my dad, I almost begged all our relatives, but they were aware of our situation and feared we wouldn’t repay the money, so in the end, I could only borrow 25,000 yuan – and that was my grandparents’ savings for their burial expenses. How could 25,000 yuan be enough to save my dad’s life? I was in despair then.”

Listening to this, Lu Li felt a heavy weight on his heart.

“But what surprised me was…” Chen Man Ni, whose voice had been low, started speaking more animatedly, “My husband… well, back then he wasn’t my husband, he was a jewelry tycoon in Su City. He was running a charity organization, and upon learning about my family’s situation, he immediately sent over tens of thousands of yuan for the surgery fees and also promised to cover my future tuition.”

Lu Li asked, “So you married him because of this?”

“No.” Chen Man Ni shook her head slightly, “I hadn’t met him back then. I knew he was doing it to promote his business, but regardless of his motives, it was true that he saved my dad’s life, so I was always very grateful to him. Therefore, I secretly resolved to study hard, and after graduating, apply to work in his company and contribute.”

Lu Li’s curiosity was even more piqued, “So how did you end up marrying him?”

“Let me finish.” Chen Man Ni spoke softly, “When I returned from studying abroad… He paid for my studies too. Anyway, upon returning, I successfully applied for a job at his company and worked diligently, never planning to become the boss’s wife. He didn’t notice me at all; after all, I was just a small employee — how could the boss notice?”

Lu Li agreed with this; when he first joined Vox, who among the high-ranking cared?

“At that time, I thought I’d work at his company for my entire life without being noticed by him.” Chen Man Ni said slowly, “But who knew my dad’s illness would suddenly relapse, requiring tens of thousands of yuan again, and I had just started working, so I had no money?”

This time, Lu Li learned to interject, “And then your husband helped your family again?”

“Yes.” Chen Man Ni nodded gently, “Since my family had received donations from his charity project, we always kept in touch with the charity organization. They were concerned about my dad’s health, and coincidentally, my husband’s reputation was damaged due to some matters at the time. He personally stepped in to send tens of thousands again. It was then he saw me, and later, my mother impulsively mentioned I was working in his company. From that point on, he started to notice me in the company and often showed concern for me. I knew what he was thinking.”

Lu Li also understood Zhen Qiang’s thoughts.

He was merely captivated by Chen Man Ni’s beauty and purity.

“His wife had passed away over ten years, and he hadn’t remarried.” Chen Man Ni was nearing the end of her story, “Ever since he noticed me, he felt I looked a lot like his late wife and gradually began to pursue me. To be honest, I really wanted to refuse, but when I thought about how he saved my dad twice, I eventually didn’t reject him and married him.”

After hearing all this, Lu Li really didn’t know what to say for a moment.

It was clear that Chen Man Ni was genuinely grateful to Zhen Qiang.

But from her tone, Lu Li also sensed that she had always lived with a sense of repaying a favor.

It must have been exhausting living that way.

Chen Man Ni laughed freely, “Marrying anyone is still marrying, right? Besides, he treats me very well, holding me as if afraid I might slip, cherishing me as if I might dissolve. I feel quite fortunate to have married him.”

At this point, perhaps realizing the atmosphere was a bit heavy, she deliberately made fun of herself with a joke, “Moreover, where could a girl like me find such a wealthy husband? I really scored big with him.”

Lu Li was amused by her.

Gold diggers typically wouldn’t admit it.

Yet you proudly proclaim yourself one?

He knew, of course, that Chen Man Ni wasn’t a gold digger, but was sincerely living with Zhen Qiang out of gratitude.

Lu Li was about to say something more.

Suddenly, he noticed that when chatting with Chen Man Ni, he seemed to be in a very relaxed state.

Or rather, when interacting with people he was familiar with, he almost never felt indifferent.

Lu Li vaguely understood something.

Probably, to maintain that pure ’humanity’ within himself, it required the bond with familiar people.

Otherwise, one day he might “lose his humanity” and become someone who sees human life as insignificant.

He didn’t want to be an emotionless machine.

Fortunately, he now understood what to do to maintain his humanity.

This realization made Lu Li very happy.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep