Chapter 50

Chapter 13: The Dark Forest Doctrine

　　”Everyone, you’ve worked hard, take a break.”

　　At Tianhai Tower, the engineer responsible for maintenance wiped his hands with a towel and muttered softly, “Why is the electrical panel always breaking down?”

　　”With summer here, it’s getting hotter. High temperatures can easily cause problems,” said the person beside him.

　　No one paid much attention, each finding a cool spot to eat their boxed meals.

　　He Shu, dressed in an electrician’s uniform, walked alone to the corner of the balcony, gazing at the sky outside the window, holding a cigarette in his hand. Behind him was Yunhai Company’s gaming department.

　　The reason he was able to discover Yuan Xiaoling’s crisis last time wasn’t because he happened to pass by, but because he was constantly “monitoring” this place.

　　Yunhai Company’s headquarters were on the upper floors, where security was stronger, making it easier to be discovered.

　　The cigarette in his mouth ignited without fire as He Shu took a deep puff, recent information flashing through his mind.

　　After the beautiful blonde girl left, they spent extra money repairing the circuitry and bought several miniature cameras. The purpose was unknown, but… it could be guessed.

　　Yesterday, two girls who looked like fresh graduates visited, then went upstairs to the headquarters. They seemed to be Spiritual Energy Manipulators.

　　Today, the young master of Yunhai Company came, sat for a while in the gaming department, then headed upstairs, looking very dissatisfied.

　　He Shu’s eyes flickered, not knowing what he was thinking.

　　Meanwhile, upstairs at Yunhai Company’s headquarters, a tall boy in a basketball uniform sat there glumly.

　　He wore a Bucks jersey, tall and muscular.

　　”Ah Han, don’t be like that, cheer up,” said the man across from him.

　　Murong Yi, chairman of Yunhai Company, and his son Mu Ron Han.

　　”How can I be happy? It was such a struggle to break through, and you even said that the first-tier level in Tianhai City right now is about this much,” Mu Ron Han was extremely dissatisfied, “But I still have to pretend to be humble out there, maintaining so-called low-key and patience, so I can only watch helplessly as the girl I like ends up in someone else’s bed!”

　　Murong Yi’s face darkened, “Can’t you chase after girls without using your abilities?”

　　Mu Ron Han didn’t say anything, just glaring at him. Duh, that’s the school beauty. Without using abilities to show off, why would she ever look at him?

　　”I’ve told you before, bear with it a little longer. You youngsters love sci-fi, don’t you all know about that thing, that dark forest something doctrine?” Murong Yi wiped sweat helplessly, “Stay low-profile for now, later on, what kind of woman won’t you have?”

　　Mu Ron Han turned away, unwilling to speak.

　　Whether the doctrine was right or not, who knows. Nowadays, among these young people, there was another saying.

　　…

　　The next day, Yuan Xiaoling, Gu Hui, and Qiao Lili gathered together for a small dormitory meeting.

　　Still in the dorm, but for the sake of ceremony, they specially bought three bottles of Rio, chilled.

　　”Will drinking really not affect us?” Yuan Xiaoling was somewhat worried about everyone, “We’re at least conducting an academic discussion.”

　　Gu Hui smiled, “Xiaoling, the alcohol content in this drink can be ignored. No one should get drunk from this.”

　　”…Alright.”

　　At this moment, Qiao Lili picked up her laptop and placed it on the table in the middle, opening a PPT to show her roommates.

　　”I’ve organized the materials I found online, it’s more or less like this.”

　　Yuan Xiaoling and Gu Hui leaned in to look.

　　”At the beginning of the century, industry and the market entered a highly developed period, countless factories sprang up like mushrooms after rain. To solve the problem of labor force and manpower costs, many factory owners went into underdeveloped rural areas, enticing countless young people from the countryside with the promise of a better life in the city.”

　　”But when these people arrived in the city and entered the factories, they realized everything wasn’t as beautiful as promised. Besides the hardships and monotony, the more serious issue was the sense of alienation.”

　　”Most of them had low levels of education, coming alone to the city, without family or friends. Their meager wages and free time did not allow them to explore, their lives revolving around work and sleep. They couldn’t find their place in the city, feeling like just a cog in the assembly line.”

　　Gu Hui tilted her head, “Then came the Xiatema style?”

　　”Yes, the origin doesn’t matter much. Maybe at first, they saw this strange art style on TV, someone started imitating it, then brought others along. Soon, a large group of Xiatema formed.”

　　Qiao Lili explained as she pointed to the PPT.

　　”Why them,” Gu Hui had a small question, “Why the Xiatema form?”

　　At this point, Yuan Xiaoling spoke up first, “Because it’s cheap and wild enough.”

　　Gu Hui and Qiao Lili both looked at her.

　　”Colorful hair covers, unconventional behavior, whether in terms of appearance or words, it’s rebellious. For others, schoolchildren can’t emulate it because families and schools are strict. Older adults can’t do it either because they care about the opinions of those around them – family, friends, colleagues.”

　　Yuan Xiaoling took a sip of Rio and continued, “But they are different. Their lives revolve around work, no need for schooling. Away from family, no friends, colleagues… colleagues are all the same. On the contrary, the Xiatema culture allows them to establish social connections, giving them a life beyond work for the first time.”

　　”One could say, even without the Xiatema culture, any popular culture that satisfies being wild and unconventional would produce such a large group, just differing in artistic expression.”

　　Gu Hui seemed to understand, recalling a phrase from high school textbooks: “The essence of man is the sum total of all social relations.”

　　”Exactly, the Xiatema culture back then was the bond that made them recognize each other, giving them a warm refuge excluded by the city.” Yuan Xiaoling took a sip of wine, lightly burping cutely.

　　”Amazing, Xiaoling, analyzing so thoroughly,” Gu Hui said, “I used to think they were just hooligans.”

　　”Hmph, I’m definitely amazing.”

　　Yuan Xiaoling thought to herself, originally clever, after the awakening of spiritual power, she felt even sharper, reaching a new level.

　　This was the confidence given to her by the Water Dragon LORD.

　　”Emmmmm, due to low levels of education, occasionally there would be incidents of provoking trouble, being perceived as hooligans by outsiders is normal…” Qiao Lili paused, saying, “In general, Xiatema is a specific group that inevitably appears during a certain historical phase, mainly characterized by unconventional forms not accepted by the masses, and primarily engaging in inexpensive entertainment activities.”

　　”For instance, QQ Speed and QQ Dance,”

　　Yuan Xiaoling and Gu Hui both laughed.

　　They first heard about Xiatema indeed from these two games.

　　”The analysis based on the materials found online is more or less that much,” Qiao Lili said, “The real experiences of the individuals involved will be entrusted to Xiaoling.”

　　”No problem!”