Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 602 - 600: Remodeling

Black Trojan furrowed his brows in thought. The corner of his eye inadvertently caught sight of Li Ang, who was floating idly in the air. Hesitating for a moment, he couldn't resist asking, "Uh... Shadow Man, old pal? What are you..."

"I'm thinking," Li Ang said, maintaining his posture as he looked up at the hall's dome. "If, at this moment, I told the dinosaurs, 'You have the wrong person, I'm not Lawyer Kevin,' would they let us go?"

"The likeliest possibility is they'd immediately bring down divine punishment and strike the employer dead..." Black Trojan grimaced and said, "This isn't the time for jokes. If you have any ideas, just say them. The other party is still waiting for an answer."

"'A well-timed silence can lead the others to believe we are seriously deliberating,' Li Ang said indifferently, turning to look at his teammates."

During this time, he had been using the Title Skill "Mystery Delver" to probe into the hidden thoughts of all beings in the hall, including his teammates, gaining a preliminary understanding of some council members' personalities and stances.

"'Based on my experience with the nature of murder game scenarios, the third phase task our employer is facing now is very likely 'Assist the Council in Formulating the Code of Law,' 'Convince the Council,' 'Convince the Council of Humanity's Guilt,' or 'Convince the Council of Humanity's Innocence,'' Li Ang said to the Mule. 'If any of the options I suggested is correct, move a finger on your right hand, starting with the thumb. If none are right, move your right little finger.'"

The Mule's brow furrowed. His left hand was held before him, his right arm clasping his left fist as he feigned deep thought, naturally moving his right index finger.

"'Just to convince the council? No other specific conditions? Like time? Or content?' Li Ang pressed. 'If there are specific conditions, move your index finger again. If not, don't.'"

The Mule did as instructed. Li Ang raised an eyebrow slightly and murmured, "Merely convincing the council... Hmm, let me think..."

The Tyrannosaurus Rex on the high platform, seeing the Mule's silence, called out, "Lawyer Kevin?"

"'I am here.' The Mule lifted his head, took a deep breath, and following Li Ang's instructions, asked, 'May I inquire if there is a specific work guide for Underworld official personnel? For instance, the specific memory cleansing process, the Underworld's maximum degree of influence on the Mortal Realm, the operational procedure for the reincarnation of Souls, which Spiritual Bodies can reside long-term, and which Spiritual Bodies must be reincarnated immediately, and so forth.'"

This request was apparently within reason. The Tyrannosaurus Rex snapped his small, short fingers. A heavy book immediately appeared in front of the Mule. Opening it revealed a table of contents that clearly recorded the entire operational System of the Underworld.

The Mule remained silent, flipping through the pages rapidly with his fingers, scanning the contents as if speed-reading.

Li Ang and Black Trojan were by his side. Li Ang issued demands, while Black Trojan used his Mechanical Eyeball to clearly record all the data. Following Li Ang's instructions, Black Trojan sifted out specific content and then projected this portion into mid-air using the eyeball's projection function.

Working together, the two quickly scanned the entire book. The Mule, pretending to have only briefly reviewed the table of contents, heaved a heavy sigh and closed the book with force.

"'Respected council members, up to now, I still somewhat fail to understand why it would be me.' The Mule raised his head and said, 'I am just a lawyer, providing legal services to society. That is my profession, nothing more. I am not a philosopher, moralist, or social activist. I Believe that in human history, there are surely Souls better suited to answer this question than I.'"

"'Please do not sell yourself short, Lawyer Kevin Romas,' Tyrannosaurus T-Bone said gently. 'The special construction of Paradise Mountain allows us to see everything that happens in the Mortal Realm with clarity, to peer through dense mists and discern the true nature of events. You have been both a prosecutor and a lawyer, possessing a profound understanding of the judicial System and the law itself. You are an unbeliever who believes in justice, yet you have witnessed justice delayed by social System interference countless times, causing you unbearable pain. Many legal professionals face similar pain. However, they usually choose to harden their hearts, becoming indifferent and mechanical, pretending nothing has happened. There is nothing wrong with that; prosecutors or lawyers are just ordinary people with special professional demands. They are still part of society and unable to uphold justice for all the injustices they see. After all, a mortal's capabilities are always limited. But you are different. Your morals and conscience have tormented you for a long time, preventing you from remaining indifferent. They have propelled you to charge at evil like Don Quixote, time and again, until death.'"

Tyrannosaurus T-Bone paused for a moment, then said slowly, "Morals are the guidelines and norms for the common life and actions of beings. Since they are norms, they inevitably have their scope of application: family, ethnicity, nation, civilization, species, world, planet... The scope of moral influence can affect the perspective from which things are viewed. Although your morals mostly hover within the range of nation and civilization, I Believe your conscience is sufficient for you to view problems from a higher perspective. We await your answer."

"'...You flatter me.' The Mule nodded, took a deep breath, and said in a grave tone, 'Council members, I first want to know whether plants possess Souls.'"

"'Er... this question...' Tyrannosaurus T-Bone furrowed his brow slightly and said slowly, 'We have researched this before. After a long period of observation, we've found only a very faint, almost non-existent Psychic Response within plants, and no substantial Soul.'"

The Mule asked, "So the right to life of plants is not within the scope of the Underworld's consideration?"

Tyrannosaurus T-Bone nodded. "As regrettable as it is, that's correct."

"Then, what about bacteria, viruses, fungi, and algae?"

"They have no substantial Soul. Not considered."

"Cancer cells?"

"No substantial Soul. Not considered."

"Unicellular organisms?"

"No substantial Soul. Not considered."

"Tardigrades?"

"'You mean Tardigrades?' Tyrannosaurus T-Bone shook his head. 'The concentration of Souls within them is far too low to form a substantial entity. They don't even need to participate in the cycle of Soul reincarnation; they only need to absorb the Soul Energy drifting in the Mortal Realm to exist. The same applies to corals and other such creatures.'"

"'I see.' The Mule nodded. 'That is to say, within the Underworld's moral System, the factor that determines whether a living being is entitled to rights is solely dependent on the Soul.'"

"'That's right,' Tyrannosaurus T-Bone agreed."

"'Well then, back to the previous question,' the Mule said slowly. 'From the perspective of human moral perspectives, humanity's actions are not excessive. Without modern farming techniques, the price of meat in the Mortal Realm would skyrocket, and many people would not be able to afford it. Humanity's consumption of meat at home and in restaurants, much like wild beasts hunting, is a form of natural balance. However, from the viewpoint of both worlds, humanity's practice of breeding animals not only violates a broader morality but is also detrimental to both worlds from a utilitarian standpoint. Personally, however, I believe this issue can be resolved by humanity itself in the future.'"

"'Oh?' Tyrannosaurus T-Bone asked. 'Are you suggesting that as the standard of material life improves, humanity's overall morality will lead to a society-wide adoption of vegetarianism?'"

"'That's not what I mean.' The Mule shook his head, imitating Li Ang. 'The pleasure derived from the taste of meat is deeply ingrained in human instinct. I don't believe that human moral progress will leap forward anytime soon to encompass all animals.'"

"'Then you're referring to...?'"

"'New scientific and technological breakthroughs.' The Mule stated plainly, 'Science and technology determine the standard of material life, and that standard determines societal moral norms. I don't know if you've all heard of something called artificial meat. There are two types. One is soy protein meat, made from soy protein mixed with vegetables, fats, and food additives, then extruded by machines to mimic the texture of animal meat. The other is animal meat cultivated from animal stem cells. Either type should meet the moral and practical standards of the Underworld.'"

"'Hmm... Both technologies do meet moral standards. If they could be widely promoted, the moral issue would cease to exist,' Tyrannosaurus T-Bone commented calmly. 'However, soy protein meat technology has been available for a long time and still isn't widely accepted by humanity. As for animal cell meat, isn't it still in the laboratory stage? Commercial use seems a long way off. And even if costs were reduced, large-scale commercial use was implemented, and it gained wide acceptance, I think it still wouldn't stop a portion of humanity from pursuing individuality and continuing to consume farmed meat.'"

"'That's true,' the Mule nodded. 'But what if there were micro-adjustments from the Underworld?'"

"'Adjustments?' Tyrannosaurus T-Bone frowned. 'You mean...'"

With an indifferent expression, the Mule said, "If, in the past, human council members of the Slave Era could create myths in reality by writing stories, then now, the same can be done by transforming the Underworld to adjust the moral norms of the Mortal Realm."

"'Impossible.' Tyrannosaurus T-Bone shook his head. 'We made that mistake once; we won't make it a second time. Worship is the furthest thing from reason. Any blind faith inevitably leads to chaos. Countless scriptures tell humanity to do good and reject evil. And yet? Countless people still preach morality and justice while secretly committing atrocious deeds.'"

"'That's because there's a lack of oversight and a punishment mechanism,' the Mule stated frankly. 'The more complex a System is, the fewer people can fully understand and utilize it, and these few hold more sway. A lawyer understands the legal System and therefore holds a great advantage over ordinary people. They can exploit the System's loopholes and flaws for personal gain, or even use the System to protect their own interests. A powerful elite who understands the societal System has an even greater advantage. The Matthew Effect—the strong get stronger, the weak get weaker—applies in education, finance, and science, in all such fields. All Systems in human society are plagued by this problem—unless a higher power intervenes.'" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Tyrannosaurus T-Bone blinked. "Such as?"

"'For instance, transforming the Underworld into an amusement park.' The Mule smiled. 'A theme park that, after a visit, significantly improves a person's morality.'"