Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 941 - 176: Anger

Chapter 941: Chapter 176: Anger

The trolley problem is a thought experiment. Like a physics experiment, it simplifies the premises repeatedly and controls variables to explore the core issue it needs to address.

Of course, this kind of "exploration" is more meaningful to experts in ethics and law.

But for someone like Xiang Shan, the first reaction to this problem is...

"First, kill the person who tied them up."

"Oh, you mean..." The Holy Lord surprisingly thought for two seconds: "You mean, I tied Kotoba and Mengying to the tracks, and since these tracks are not on the same line as your ’masses,’ I’m forcing you to make a choice?"

The Martial God Xiang Shan didn’t answer but instead grabbed the Holy Lord’s headless body and walked toward the back of the submarine, as if climbing a mountain.

The Holy Lord laughed: "Hahaha... hahahahahahaha! Oh my! Are you still dreaming some grand dreams? Huh? Do you still think that I deceived Kotoba and Mengying, and that’s why they are working for me? It’s all my fault that they are where they are today?"

"If it weren’t for bastards like you, would I need to make a choice? If it weren’t for bastards like you..." Xiang Shan paused, seemingly gasping for breath.

But cybernetically enhanced people clearly don’t rely on breathing.

Xiang Shan paused and said, "Do normal people need to frequently choose between justice and personal feelings? Do they need to? No, they don’t. In a world that hasn’t gone mad, people wouldn’t be forced to prioritize righteousness over family. In a true era of great unity, no one would need to make such choices between two sides. No one would need to choose..."

The Holy Lord said lazily: "That so-called ’era of great unity’ has never appeared..."

"Before the Wright brothers invented the first airplane in 1903, ’flying machines denser than air’ only existed on the blueprints of those two inventors. Since airplanes didn’t originally exist but could be invented by humans, why can’t an era of great unity? Why can’t the Freedom Kingdom?"

The Holy Lord sighed: "I almost forgot, you actually believe in this."

There are also some who think that Xiang Shan doesn’t fully believe in what he preaches.

Would someone who understands the blindness and shortsightedness of the crowd, and even excels at using such blind faith and shortsightedness, truly believe "all humans are equal" and that no one is born more noble than another?

Of course, this can be easily explained. Xiang Shan himself truly believes that every person is a potential powerhouse, a sleeping giant. It’s just that the environment hasn’t provided them with the opportunities for their innate talents to manifest and flourish.

Xiang Shan tells everyone this.

However, not everyone truly believes it. This line of reasoning is also viewed as "Xiang Shan hiding his true nature with sophistry."

People know that Xiang Shan is someone with personal interests. Xiang Shan would also portray himself as having flesh and blood, conforming to the public’s expectation of a "hero who avenges grievances" and a "wise and mighty leader."

Because these images are useful and beneficial for promotion and recruitment.

A truly powerful person, someone indeed superior to others, who knows how to exploit the weaknesses of the masses—such a person is seen by others as the "savior."

When the "savior" says, "I am just like you," people will say, "Oh, you’re too modest, too approachable. This is your virtue!"

The Martial God genuinely believes "we are the same," while the Holy Lord possesses this virtue of humility.

Most of the time, their external behaviors appear the same. It is only in extreme circumstances that these differences reveal themselves.

In other words, without "extreme circumstances," in a peaceful environment, without needing to test human nature...

The Holy Lord Xiang Shan and the Martial God Xiang Shan would both become ordinary people who contribute to society.

At this moment, having just ended their battle, both have realized their decisive differences.

At this moment, the Nautilus has already shown a noticeable tilt. The originally level corridor has turned into a steep slope. Sea water is pouring downward.

And the Holy Lord’s head is being held by Xiang Shan, facing the ceiling of the corridor.

The Holy Lord even has the leisure to hum a tune. As he hums, he asks: "So? So I tied Kotoba to the tracks, and then shoved the controller into your hands, right? Ha, self-deception should have its limits..."

Xiang Shan sighed: "Kotoba’s birthday... December 16, 2031. On December 16, 2049, she became an adult. From that day, she can do anything. She could work, she could marry, she could... even if she had a child with some wild young man... forget it, that’s a bit too early for an eighteen-year-old. By the way, her hometown also stipulates that you have to be 20 to drink. But from that day, she could be responsible for her own life. This year, she’s almost 300. She’s not a child anymore."

"Mengying’s birthday is August 10, 2056. Unfortunately, neither her grandfather nor I attended her coming-of-age ceremony, as the war was intense in 2074. But I remember it."

Xiang Shan continued: "They, of course, have the right to decide their own lives, and they should naturally be responsible for their own decisions."

"Haha, you’re truly pitiful." The Holy Lord said: "So you start blaming the two of them. You blame them for not properly living up to your expectations, to become machines like you, Saints."

"Oh, my fault?"

"Isn’t it? You chose the hardest path, provided the grandest blueprint, drew the biggest pie, then lost the most important battles, and subsequently died and resurrected ten times, losing again each time." The Holy Lord sneered: "In such a situation, you still demand others to believe in you? Aren’t you too arrogant?"

"Stop distorting the concepts here." Xiang Shan walked forward indifferently: "It’s fine to be tired, it’s fine not to want to fight anymore. Why not find a place to hole up? These are forms of life that only need a little energy to survive..."

"People need a purpose," the Holy Lord said. "Would you rather they numb and degrade themselves in pain?"

"It’s better than seeing them follow you and wreak havoc."

"Do you love humanity that much, Xiang Shan? Even if it means killing your own family."

"If it weren’t for you, bastard, why would I need to make such a choice?"

"Haha, let me remind you again, I am you. Insulting me is like insulting yourself." The Holy Lord laughed: "You’re just shirking responsibility. Faced with the trolley problem, you curse the one posing the question ’if it weren’t for you damn troublemaker, why would I need to choose’... It’s like cursing the equipment during a physics experiment, utterly unreasonable..."

"So what if it’s unreasonable?" Xiang Shan placed the Holy Lord’s head in front of him: "Because I’m an ordinary person too! I too have a heart! I too have feelings!"

This was the first time the Holy Lord faced Xiang Shan face-to-face.

```