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To be honest, after confirming that Old Liu had indeed betrayed them back then, he had always found it hard to comprehend...

At that time, it was Old Liu who wanted to rally them to rebel against those nobles.

And if the rebellion succeeded, given Old Liu’s prestige at the time, it was highly likely that he would have become the Central Federation’s newest representative.

Coupled with his unique identity as a sentient artificial being, leading humanity down an alternative path of coexistence was not impossible.

Why choose betrayal as the path forward?

It was indeed Old Liu who ordered the bombing that killed Elder Long and his group, establishing an irreconcilable vendetta with those nobles. But even after defecting later, what real position or advantage could he have gained?

If not for leveraging the Buddha Kingdom’s unique Dream Space, it would have been impossible to found a guild capable of countering the nobles’ power.

At a time when he could have taken a chance and won, why choose betrayal? What was the meaning of it all?

This wasn’t about feelings or character; purely from a standpoint of benefits, even Chen Qing found Old Liu’s betrayal back then to be utterly illogical!

"Why?" Old Liu looked at Chen Qing, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.

"If I were to say that, back then, I genuinely wanted to take down Elder Long and his faction, and never intended to ignite the Third World War—would you believe me?"

Chen Qing gazed at Old Liu, and after a moment, he nodded: "I believe you."

"Why?" Old Liu chuckled suddenly. "I betrayed you, and you still believe me?"

"I have to say I believe you; otherwise, you wouldn’t continue talking... wouldn’t you agree?" Chen Qing smiled in return.

"Hahahaha..." Old Liu burst into laughter. "I’ve always thought you were more interesting than Pu YunChuan."

"It seems you don’t know him very well," Chen Qing said, still smiling. But when Pu YunChuan was mentioned, an unmistakable chill flickered in his eyes.

"Well, it’s not like I don’t understand him at all.

.." Old Liu said, chuckling. "Back then, my relationship with him was quite good.

We often chatted, especially when he was gravely ill.

After all... I was also diagnosed with esophageal cancer—not late-stage, though.

At the time... you might say we were comrades-in-suffering. "

"Really?" Chen Qing was slightly stunned. His memory regarding this was somewhat vague, but he felt that Old Liu had no reason to lie about it.

"I agreed with many of his ideas, including... the notion that the people of this world could no longer simply be considered electronic data."

"Oh?" Chen Qing raised an eyebrow, then asked with a wry smile, "Don’t tell me your betrayal back then was due to some tender-heartedness, like Pu YunChuan’s."

Back then, Pu YunChuan had supported them wholeheartedly, only to part ways at the very end.

The reasoning was simple: Pu YunChuan had fused with this world and developed feelings for it.

In his words, he could feel the emotions of almost every living being in this world—humans, Demons—it didn’t matter.

He could empathize instantly with their emotional data.

Because of this, he had come to see this world not as just a simple game world.

So, when the time came and the only way to save humanity was to destroy this world, everyone else saw the choice as straightforward.

After all, the choice between humans and electronic pets was clear.

But to him, there was no difference between the two, and it became a moral dilemma—a trolley problem of sorts.

The result? He chose to stand aside, watching as his former comrades, including his own younger brother, were suppressed and killed one by one in the most brutal ways.

Even after learning the truth, Chen Qing could never forgive Pu YunChuan’s actions.

But while he couldn’t forgive him, he at least understood.

After all, everyone thinks differently. But as for Old Liu?

There was no way Chen Qing would believe for a second that he was the same kind of person as Pu YunChuan.

"Why can’t I be like Pu YunChuan?" Old Liu asked with a laugh.

"A ruthless general who nearly wiped out half of the Sunrise Kingdom tells me he’s a benevolent and compassionate man? Are you kidding me? You were the most infamous racist!"

Old Liu was taken aback for a moment, then burst into unrestrained laughter again.

How many years had it been since he had last heard that term?

Back then, most people of the Federation admired him, but there were still some who believed him to be excessively cruel, his methods too harsh.

But survival of the fittest—that was the way of the world.

The Sunrise Kingdom was an extremely dangerous race.

With such limited geographical resources, they had managed to maintain their lead for so many years.

From technology to economics, they remained at the top of the global stage for so long—how terrifying was that?

During several key technological revolutions, they had always chosen the right direction.

Their vision was unparalleled, and their ability to execute unmatched—the stuff of legend.

Had their domestic market been larger, leading the entire globe wouldn’t have been out of the question.

What would such a race do to the Central Federation if given the opportunity to soar?

You didn’t need much imagination to figure it out. Back then, the only reason he hadn’t completely exterminated them was because of international public opinion. Otherwise...

But Chen Qing wasn’t wrong. If Old Liu could bring the Sunrise Kingdom to the brink of extinction for the Federation, there was no chance he’d sacrifice his own people for the so-called lives of Otherworld creatures.

"Back then... I faced a difficult matter," Old Liu suddenly said.

"What kind of difficulty?"

"My family betrayed me."

Chen Qing: "..."

"It was my most accomplished child. You’ve probably heard of him."

"Liu Guodong..." Chen Qing murmured.

Indeed. Back then, none of General Liu’s children had gone into the military, except for one—his second son, Liu Guodong.

"He chose to destroy me from within, using the supercomputer I had secretly activated."

Chen Qing was stunned. Was this even possible?

"With the help of my beloved wife..."

Chen Qing: "..."

Old Liu’s military accolades were renowned across the Central Federation. But his personal ethics had always been subject to controversy. Among them was a particularly scandalous detail: at sixty years old, Old Liu had married a twenty-four-year-old young woman.

This was nearly unheard of among top dignitaries, especially in the Federation’s image-conscious political environment. At least not publicly.

But Old Liu had done it anyway. Many people mocked him as a dirty old man, while others didn’t think it was a big deal. After all... for a man who had achieved so much for the Federation, wasn’t a little indulgence forgivable?

But honestly... expecting a twenty-four-year-old bride to be completely loyal? That’s just wishful thinking.

After all... wasn’t it obvious what she saw in him?

Surely not his unwashed vigor in old age?

"At the time, I asked my son why he betrayed me. Do you know what his answer was?"

"What was it?" Chen Qing asked, intrigued.

"He said... he no longer considered me his father."

Chen Qing: "..."

"It makes sense when you think about it. A string of uploaded electronic data—what right does it have to be recognized as ’you?’ If even my own family thought this way, how could outsiders think any differently?"

"For beings like us, the moment our existence is exposed, the outcome is always the same: total ostracization."

"Pathetic to consider, isn’t it? I risked my life to turn against Elder Long and his group, gave up so much power, and in the end... even my own child didn’t trust me. Instead, he seized the chance to wipe me out and inherit my political legacy more quickly..."

"That’s when I came to realize a truth... all that talk about compatriots and family? It’s really just meaningless. In this world... the only person who truly matters is yourself."

"That simple?" Chen Qing frowned.

"That simple," Old Liu said with a smile. "Don’t think of me as some kind of battlefield hero. Heroes are still people, and people... are inherently selfish. Once you understand that, you’ll see why I’ve become the way I am."

"In that case..." Chen Qing rose to his feet. "I think it’s even more necessary to leave you behind, Old Liu."

Old Liu froze, a sudden realization dawning on him. When he turned his head, he saw that at some point, a white-robed girl had appeared outside the room.

The girl exuded no pressure or aura, but her elegance was otherworldly. One look was enough to see she was an exceptional swordsman.

Ao Zhen... had won!!!