Even so, they still felt it was a pity—what a pity for Skyler Quinn and the others.
Their talent truly was formidable. Even among all the people of Huaxia, their gifts were first-tier, utterly one-of-a-kind. Setting aside Brandon White, who had been entrusted with Authority, even if you looked at the whole world, they were convinced that Skyler and his companions belonged to the very first echelon.
But life on this planet was not limited to humans—and not limited to the ground beneath human feet.
Seventy-one percent of Earth was ocean, and the life hidden within those waters was staggeringly vast in number. Among such vast multitudes, it was hardly impossible for beings to appear whose innate aptitude surpassed humanity's.
That mutated giant octopus that broke through Haicheng's defenses—would you say its talent was inferior to Skyler and the rest?
It was not.
But would you say it surpassed Skyler and the rest?
That was not true either.
Skyler and the other two did have the ability to go one-on-one against it. But the battle would last too long; the spillover of that clash could easily inflict further casualties on Haicheng, which had only just been calmed.
Finishing it as quickly as possible was the best course.
Yet precisely because of that, they could not be molded into a god—could not be shaped into the faith that put the people at ease.
Because their strength was not strong enough.
Standing alone against an enemy was not enough. What the people needed was crushing force—an overwhelming advantage.
But…
Such a thing was impossible.
Humanity was not Heaven's favorite, not a race singularly favored by Earth. Or rather, the one who was truly favored numbered exactly one: Brandon White.
As for the rest? They were merely by-products of the resurgence of spiritual energy.
So, in the end, the only one who could be molded—no, the only one whom Earth itself would choose—was Brandon White, and he alone could be crowned with the title of god.
Others—they were powerhouses, saviors, heroes… but in a sense entirely different from Brandon White.
"Before spiritual energy revived, we used to say all life is equal, that every being has a spirit; now there has even appeared a leader of Earth's civilization—one who doesn't care about species, only about the advancement of civilization."
"Maybe that's just talk not matching action. I truly wish he belonged only to humanity, only to Huaxia."
Another man sighed as he spoke.
"That is likely why Earth entrusted him with Authority. You and I both know how disastrous partiality would be for a civilization."
"Besides, he has already helped Huaxia more than enough."
"Rather than dwell on that, we should focus on the reality before us."
A Bureau of Spiritual Energy administrator seated at the far right shook his head.
"At present, Huaxia is producing outstanding people, but the number of ability users who have stepped forward and actually possess respectable combat power is still far too small."
"As for those like Skyler and the others—we've only seen one. According to the report submitted by Comrade Firewing, at least seventy percent of the Snow Mastiff Armor units manufactured by Brandon White are within Huaxia's borders, and yet even now we haven't found many in use…"
"This shows that many of those who obtained Imperial Arms or ate Devil Fruits are keeping a low profile among the populace—perhaps they are watching and waiting, perhaps caring for family. In any case, we need to prioritize this issue: every additional fighting force is one more layer of protection."
"If a few more first-sequence ability users appeared among them, Huaxia would be that much steadier."
"They will."
"They certainly will."
"The reason Huaxia's beast tides were quelled was that countless soldiers charged forward one after another, holding back the flood with their lives. Most of them did not have great gifts, but their hearts—their determination to protect the people—shone brilliantly enough."
"That they did…"
As for Huaxia's present situation, they had done all they could.
Though it fell far short of the peace that existed before the resurgence of spiritual energy, it had not devolved into utter chaos, and order still held.
Compared to other countries, Huaxia had already done quite well.
Take the "Lighthouse" in the West, for example: it had long been shrouded in chaos, slaughter, and death. No one even knew how many civilians died each day—felled by mutated creatures or by human firearms.
Their nation's most powerful ability users had even formed their own forces to manage the populace, somehow maintaining a degree of stability.
On that point, they truly did not know what to say.
There was one thing worth celebrating: the resurgence of spiritual energy had not impacted current technology. Had the rules of reality warped as in certain novels, with formulas changing en masse, it would have spelled a dire catastrophe for humanity.
Even with spiritual energy producing many ability users, technology still played an essential role for humankind. If they could help it, no one wished to abandon the path of technology.
The seas, however, were anything but peaceful now, thanks to mutated sea beasts. Exchanges between nations could only occur over the internet; as for trade, in the short term there was nothing to be done.
Not long ago, the navy of a certain country took a submarine in hopes of crossing the ocean to reach another nation—only to be crushed by a colossal mutated sea creature after traveling no great distance.
The skies had likewise been claimed by mutated birds. Human fighter jets were not entirely useless against them, but the effect was minimal—perhaps a handful of mutated birds would be downed before the jets themselves were destroyed.
For this reason, unless absolutely necessary, human ships, carriers, and fighter aircraft would not appear upon sea or in sky.
At most they operated over short distances; attempting to cross the long spans to reach other nations was simply impossible.
As for combining technology with spiritual energy to create a new path of research?
It was nowhere near as easy as saying it. It would require time—an unimaginably long time.
This was a dark age, one that would see endless bloodshed and sacrifice.
But it was also an age brimming with hope.
Countless heroes would emerge from among the people, torches in hand, lighting the road ahead.
Every soldier, every member of the Bureau of Spiritual Energy, everyone who stepped forward to protect the people and the nation—these heroes were the very foundation upon which humanity's future would be built.
Their existence was to create for future generations a homeland of inexhaustible happiness.
Just as their forebears had built a new Huaxia for them, so now they should do something for those who would come after.
Times would change, but human civilization would not decay with time. It would burst forth with new radiance.
No matter how dark, how despairing the road ahead might be, they would raise their torches high, sickles in hand, hack their way through thorns and brambles, and carve a new path.
"My strength still isn't enough."
After returning from Haicheng, Skyler Quinn did nothing but train his body in the gym, and, using the property of the Flame Dragon Armor whereby killing mutated creatures allowed him to seize a portion of their energy to strengthen himself, he hunted them with relentless ferocity.
In truth, his combat strength had grown considerably during his time in Haicheng.
Especially after he, Chris Frost, Firewing, and the mutated orca slew the mutated giant octopus—an enormous surge of energy had poured into his body.
(End of this chapter)