Chapter 341: Ch

“To @WhatThisAbout,” one user tagged, “answer me this: did you not take the gene advancement serum? If you did—and I know you did—then tell me, if there was some conspiracy, wouldn’t the Void Fleet have just killed us all through the serum? I say what you’re speaking is total bull.”

Another user jumped in, tagging @ThisIsSham: “As for the two billion people, I think they’re living a good life wherever they are.

Why does the Void Fleet need them? Anyone can see the Fleet arrived here without much of a population of its own. If we go by the rumors, the Imperial Commander wants to create a galactic empire of his own. An empire needs people—where else would they get that population if not from us?”

“Don’t forget the footage of the Void Fleet’s expansion,” a third added. “They’ve already hired many of our people who have now become there members. They’re stationed across different star systems, defending us all and living a life I can only dream of. Tell us, how exactly is that a sham, huh?”

“Why don’t you reply, @WhatThisAbout?” one user demanded. “You people are a truly ungrateful bunch. You receive these benefits for free—the ability to live another hundred years and a promising future for your children—yet you have the gall to speak this nonsense! How dare you?”

A barrage of similar messages followed, as hundreds of users tagged @WhatThisAbout and @ThisIsSham, pointing fingers at their perceived hypocrisy. Since the vast majority supported the “Great Future,” the opposing voices were quickly suppressed until they fell silent.

The public assumed the dissenters had retreated in fear. They couldn’t have been more wrong. At the very moment the debate reached a boiling point, with the majority drowning out the minority, the one who started it all made a stunning re-entrance.

@WhatThisAbout: “What hypocritical words, @DontBeHypocrate. A hundred years of life? A promising future for the next generation? I never asked for that gene advancement, did I? And as for future generations—that’s too far off! What about now? Everything is in shambles! Factories are closing all over the world. Countries that existed for centuries have vanished, replaced by a ’Federation’ that has carved the globe into six clinical zones. I don’t see a bright future in that.”

He posted several more lines of biting commentary that echoed across the digital landscape. But his next words were the ones that truly stunned the world.

@WhatThisAbout: “And as for equality? There is no such thing. Across the world, people of every culture were selected and taken away by the Void Fleet. But why was I left behind? Am I not good enough? Why were my children not selected? Why were we cast aside? Isn’t this biased?”

So, that was what this was really about.

In a corner of the world where a vast city’s skyline pierced the clouds and traffic surged through the streets below, a man sat in his residential flat. To any observer, he looked to be in his mid-thirties, but in reality, he was over sixty. This was the work of the gene advancement serum; it hadn’t just strengthened human constitutions and intelligence, but had effectively rewound the clock, granting longevity and a youthful vigor to the elderly while enhancing the beauty of the young.

This man was @DontBeHypocrite. As he sat before his holographic screens, reading the latest vitriol from @WhatThisAbout, a sense of clarity washed over him. He finally understood why the other poster was spewing such nonsense.

“He was left behind, then,” the man mused to himself.

It was a common enough reality. The opportunities offered by the Void Fleet were so immense that almost everyone had clamored to go. He had wanted it himself, but he hadn’t made the cut for the initial wave. He was fortunate, however; his children and their spouses had been selected. Unlike many others, he simply had to wait; his time to join the Void Fleet would come soon enough.

For those who couldn’t go, the reality was the Earth Federation. It wasn’t a bad life—certainly better than the past—but when forced to choose between being a common citizen or joining the ranks of the galactic elite, the choice was obvious. Everyone wanted the best for themselves.

But there was another group: those who met the physical criteria but were rejected for “various reasons.” These were the people with questionable backgrounds—the unreliable, the unstable, and those whose cultural practices were deemed incompatible with the Fleet’s mission. They were the ones most affected by the transition.

“So, he’s from that bunch,” the man whispered. “No wonder he’s spitting venom. He’s one of them.”

To him, it was no surprise these people hadn’t been chosen. They were two-faced and bitter. While others had the decency to accept reality and enjoy their newfound health, this group took the “moral high ground” only because they had been denied entry.

The old man sighed with a sense of relief. He looked out at the bustling city, thinking that if not for the Federation’s high-security protocols, this “crazy bunch” would have likely burned the cities to the ground in protest. They were little more than cultists, with only a few decent souls scattered among them, lost in the noise of the radical minority.

And he wasn’t the only one having such thoughts. Many others were thinking the same as well, for it was right in front of their eyes. And now the illusions that many once had about human nature had already shattered after what had taken place before the formation of the Federation.

Many people… no, they could hardly even be called people, but rather a bunch of heretics who took advantage of the chaos created in several fourth-world countries. They managed to take control of their nuclear arsenals and bomb the bustling cities where the former top buildings stood, along with many other locations, which threw the world into storms of death and fear.

Thinking about it, many people sitting safely in their homes under the Federation still felt fear run down their spines. Such events, believe it or not, were even reported in the news to have almost happened in other places as well, if not for the timely intervention of the Void Fleet. But the damage had already been done. Many millions had died in the aftermath.

And this was something that hastened the formation of the Federation, where many who were unwilling eventually gave in under the pressure of their own people. And those who didn’t were dealt with by the Void Fleet themselves. After all, they were no good, having created massacres while safeguarding their own thrones of power.

Many people had never experienced something like this before. Even the world itself seemed shaken by it. After all, such mass killing was something many had never witnessed in their entire lives. People were killed for no real reason at all, simply because a few individuals had their minds filled with madness and hatred.

And not only that, the countries whose nuclear weapons were used in the attacks also suffered devastation themselves. Nearly 150 million people died there as well.

This mass killing was also a major reason why more than two billion people accepted the offer of the Void Fleet and moved away. It wasn’t only because the offer and benefits were tempting. It was also because they no longer felt safe.

After all, even though the Federation had been formed, it still wasn’t the Void Fleet. And with people like that still around in the world, many didn’t feel safe at all. Even if nuclear arsenals were taken away, there are still many ways someone can cause the same kind of destruction.

It was this event that made everyone realize the darker side of human nature and the mindset of that particular bunch. In truth, not much more could even be said about them. No matter how much one criticized them, it still felt less than what they deserved.

And many people already knew which group was responsible. They criticized them even more, accusing them of having two faces and betraying their own people.

Some even went as far as beginning to tag the authorities, telling them to take action against this bunch. Not only were the Federation authorities tagged, but even the Void Fleet’s own embassy on Earth and related authorities were mentioned.

It was also brought to their attention by many millions of people who were outraged by the devious behavior of this small yet loud group.

The internet had become a battlefield, and many authorities monitoring the situation felt their faces heat up with anger. The group of people who were managing the Galactic Internet operations under the implementation of Quantum Net Limited (a Void Fleet–affiliated company that manages the internet and its operations) also felt the same anger.

Many of them worked directly within the system and had a strong sense of affiliation and belonging toward the Void Fleet itself. Seeing this bunch openly spreading their opinions and agitation angered them even more.

Even though this group was technically a minority, it was still backed by more than half a billion people behind them.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep