Translator: CinderTL
The subsequent information Feng Qi uncovered deepened his confusion about Mu Qing's betrayal.
The Scarlet Research Institute had convened a Domain Combat Team Conference, attended by numerous group leaders from various domain combat teams. As such, the details of the conference were not classified.
However, no video recordings existed, only written transcripts.
According to the records, the conference's primary focus was on strategies for effectively dispersing Domain Fields. The proceedings appeared entirely normal.
During the conference, Mu Qing had actively shared her insights on Domain Field dispersal tactics.
But as the meeting neared its conclusion, Mu Qing suddenly turned violent, assassinating several domain combat team leaders.
Facing the combined assault of the remaining leaders, Mu Qing killed several more before calmly retreating.
Following this incident, Mu Qing's trajectory reverted to the path that led her to become the Great Demon King.
First, she recruited scavengers, then formed the dawn rebels, and finally orchestrated a series of city massacres, earning her the eternal condemnation of future generations as the world-destroying demon king.
After reviewing this information, Feng Qi found numerous inconsistencies.
If Mu Qing had been controlled by the Scarlet Research Institute during this conference, transforming her into a secret weapon against humanity, the explanation seemed far from convincing.
A meticulous plan cannot afford to include any uncertain factors.
If Mu Qing was the Scarlet Research Institute's secret weapon, they should have kept her under their control at all times, rather than granting her freedom and creating a potentially uncontrollable risk.
But if Mu Qing wasn't controlled by the Scarlet Research Institute and only discovered their secrets during the conference, leading to her "betrayal of humanity," her subsequent actions remain inexplicable.
Having uncovered the Scarlet Research Institute's secrets, why would she kill the group leaders of several renowned domain combat teams instead of directly targeting the institute itself?
Based on his understanding of Mu Qing, she deeply yearned for humanity's ultimate victory. If she hadn't been controlled, why would she later slaughter entire cities?
Unless... the city massacres were a fabrication!
A terrifying hypothesis surged through his mind.
Perhaps Mu Qing had never betrayed humanity at all. Instead, she might have discovered numerous organizations within human society similar to the Scarlet Research Institute and formed her own faction to systematically eliminate them.
History can be deceptive.
Just as he had been branded a traitor to humanity in the Future People's accounts, it was possible that Mu Qing's betrayal of humanity had also been distorted.
Distorting history is remarkably easy; one doesn't even need to fabricate events.
Consider how humans harvest honey from bees. There are multiple ways to describe this:
Humans cultivate bees and then harvest their honey. Humans enslave bees. * Bees selflessly dedicate themselves to honey production.
Each phrasing carries a vastly different connotation, yet they all describe the same event.
Similarly, Mu Qing's "city slaughter" could be twisted into various interpretations.
However, after further research, Feng Qi found this explanation unsatisfactory.
The problem circled back to its origin:
If Mu Qing formed the "dawn rebels" to eradicate clandestine organizations like the Scarlet Research Institute, why was there no record in the database of her launching attacks against the institute?
If Mu Qing aimed to eliminate this "malignant tumor," the Scarlet Research Institute should have been her primary target.
Could it be that Star City's defenses were too formidable for the rebels to breach?
Feng Qi immediately shook his head.
The Scarlet Research Institute wasn't confined to Star City; branches existed in multiple cities.
None of these branches had ever been attacked by the dawn rebels, which suggested Mu Qing harbored no hostility toward the Scarlet Research Institute.
All the answers seemed wrong.
If Mu Qing was controlled by the Scarlet Research Institute, why had she always been free?
If she wasn't controlled, why would she betray humanity?
If Mu Qing had discovered the Scarlet Research Institute's secrets and the city massacre was a ruse to purge the hidden cancer within human society, why hadn't she ever targeted the Scarlet Research Institute directly?
All the answers seemed to point to the conclusion that Mu Qing had truly betrayed all of humanity.
But Feng Qi refused to believe this was the truth.
She had no reason to betray humanity.
If Mu Qing had betrayed humanity because of him, it would violate their agreement.
Even if she had broken their agreement, her primary target would still be the Scarlet Research Institute.
Feng Qi believed his death had been orchestrated by the Scarlet Research Institute behind the scenes.
If Mu Qing would betray humanity for him, she would undoubtedly investigate and uncover the Scarlet Research Institute's involvement. Therefore, her first target would still be the Scarlet Research Institute, not to ignore it completely.
None of the four answers made sense; each had fatal flaws.
With limited time, he had to abandon trying to understand the reason for now.
Next, he entered his private email address code into the database, and the email page immediately popped up.
After entering his 12-digit password, the email opened, and message after message appeared on the screen.
His future self had left behind a wealth of information, including plenty of complaints about the trivialities of daily life.
"Life is getting harder. Although I can repeatedly teach cultivation techniques like the Fierce Tiger Fist, this isn't a sustainable solution. Being a teacher is too difficult."
"I've decided to start self-study. No problem can stump me."
"My days are full and fulfilling, but I haven't forgotten about secretly forming an organization to oppose the Scarlet Research Institute. I've already begun planning for this."
"My students all come from powerful backgrounds. If I can recruit them into the organization, they'll undoubtedly be valuable assets in the future fight against the Scarlet Research Institute. But I need to ensure they're trustworthy."
"The most troublesome student is the monk. He's completely unreliable. While others come to learn, he's just here to freeload and coast through life. I need to change him. Old Wang always said we must never give up on any student."
With limited time, Feng Qi skimmed over less important details.
"I've decided to let Mu Qing and Lin Ran leave. I once wanted to recruit them into the organization, but reality has proven that without my 'cheat,' I lack the ability to help them grow. Keeping them by my side would only stifle their potential. However, I'll continue to monitor them closely as long as I live."
"The organization has been secretly established, comprising eleven members including myself. The monk left after graduation. The remaining members are all your former students, who passed my evaluation and were deemed suitable for the organization. We've already begun investigating the Scarlet Research Institute, but I'll remember that safety comes first. No more reckless risks."
"Mu Qing has formed the Dawn Battle Group. I'm going to celebrate with her. The Mu Qing of this timeline has completely changed; she won't repeat her past mistakes. Lin Ran, Old Wang, and other friends will be at the celebration. I'm in high spirits today."
"The party's over. I drank myself sick. Mu Qing invited me to join the Dawn Battle Group, but I refused. I have more important things to do. Mu Qing has a brighter future now and has completely changed. I didn't want to drag her back into the organization, fearing she might revert to her old ways."
"Oh, and I talked with Lin Ran for a long time at the party. He outwardly agreed to stop studying cultivation arts, but I know he was just saying what I wanted to hear."
"Lin Ran made me realize something profound: no amount of persuasion can truly enlighten someone. The only things that can awaken a person from their illusions are experience, setbacks, regret, and pain."
"Of course, if I could beat him, I'd have beaten that bastard to death already. Why waste words when violence can solve everything!"
(End of the Chapter)
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