My Notoriety Spreads Throughout the World

Chapter 797: Chapter 706: Family Talk (2)

A brief silence hovered above the room, broken by the voice of Li Mingxiong.

"A hundred years of the past, like dust and wind. The closer you get to the end, the more you understand the meaning of loneliness."

"A person’s fist can’t always be clenched, there will always be times it softens. A person’s heart can’t always be as steadfast as steel. The more stubbornly you do something, the more likely you are to mess it up."

"Yazi, do you think, up to now, we have the power to change this world?" Li Mingxiong asked.

"Father, Yazi doesn’t understand, please enlighten me," Li Yazi shook his head slightly.

Li Liujin lowered her gaze slightly.

Life Daylight is undoubtedly a giant in today’s world. A person’s life is inseparable from three things: birth, death, and Life Daylight. Its presence spans a person’s entire life, from the top echelons of nations to every aspect of daily life.

Whenever they wish, a single decree can determine the fate of countless Nest Cities.

In today’s world, big corporations maintain a delicate balance with one another, together constraining an immense economic system, intricately interwoven with networks of interests. Any disruption to this balance is devastating to ordinary people.

Undoubtedly, they can change this world.

But as the wheels of time churn forward, the roots of corporate colonialism penetrate deep into the soil, drawing from the blood and flesh of the deceased. Both now and in the future, they will continue to expand. From the moment this beast was let out of its cage, it was destined to grow wildly and savagely.

More than rumors, or the existence in the Eternal Garden, what leads ordinary people to despair is the future dominated by corporate colonialism. The end of that road is extinction; they all understand this, yet tacitly hasten towards its end.

Undoubtedly, they cannot change this world.

Li Liujin once naively fantasized about launching a grand corporate war, overhauling the old world from its fundamental systems. Until she witnessed people rioting to overthrow corporate rule and establish a new regime, only for it to collapse in the resource-starved vortex.

The corporations didn’t need to act.

They didn’t need to quell the uprising, just cut the rebellious area from their trade routes, and the new regimes would be overthrown by new insurgents.

This is a sorrowful era, an era destined for extinction.

Humankind cannot conquer the entities among the stars, nor initiate space exploration, thus never escaping the shadow over their heads.

"Liujin, what do you think?" Li Mingxiong looked at the young girl.

"They all say you’re the most naive and protected by Laiwu."

"But I know, you’ve seen the truth long ago."

"I want to change this era, father," Li Liujin said softly.

Li Yazi looked at Li Liujin in slight astonishment; such words are greatly rebellious, especially before someone who once wielded absolute power and is about to entrust it. Reform implies rebellion, negating the path they’ve walked for so long.

Implying the negation of Li Mingxiong’s life’s work.

Contrary to Li Yazi’s expectations, the temperamental patriarch did not get angry; he only shook his head, showing neither comfort nor anger.

"Father, I can change this era." Li Mingqing suddenly spoke, eyes determined.

Behind the youth is the youngest political force within Life Daylight. They are sizable and daring, more aggressive compared to Li Yazi’s establishment-backed faction and Li Liujin’s moderate faction. Within the faction, the youth too holds significant influence.

"I know what you want," Li Mingxiong exhaled slowly.

"Mingqing, you’re brave and decisive, prioritizing efficiency and profit, always at the forefront, contributing the most to the company."

"Externally, everyone hopes you’ll become the next Patriarch, leading the company forward."

Upon hearing this, Li Mingqing was dumbfounded, as it was the first time his father had openly acknowledged him. For a moment, he felt a cold hardness in his heart dissolve, a feeling he’d never experienced before.

"But, you’ve stepped onto the wrong path. Your methods are obsessive and extreme, often ignoring consequences. This path of yours will lead the company into the abyss." Li Mingxiong pivoted to the main topic of the night.

"The wrong path?"

Thin frost gathered in Mingqing’s eyes, the warmth fading, replaced by deep bewilderment and anger.

"Father, what are you talking about?"

"Haven’t I always been doing what you did?"

"You told me Life Daylight should build a world of mutual understanding and tolerance, and I’ve been following your path!"

"Do you think what you’ve done—" Li Mingxiong yanked a vine from the wall, striding toward Mingqing.

"Can escape my eyes?"

"You’ve disrespected life, with those things you did..." seemingly overwhelmed by anger, Li Mingxiong’s withered hands trembled, his voice rising,

"Those inhumane experiments, I could hardly believe my ears when I heard!"

"Why has the heir I poured my heart into become a cold-blooded demon?"

With those words, he raised the vine, striking Li Mingqing’s back mercilessly.

Mingqing endured the fiery pain on his back, not lowering his proudly held head, with a growing fire in his eyes.

"Cold-blooded demon, Father, how can you speak of me like this," Li Mingqing clenched his fists, "every time I made a mistake, you’d react like this, swiftly punishing me, repeatedly denying my thoughts and actions."

"So, as you wished, I took you as my target to pursue... ugh..."

The fierce whipping drew blood from Mingqing’s mouth, his eyes blazing.

"I tried not to err while walking the path you took, for a world of mutual understanding and tolerance, enduring the scorn of thousands."

"Yet you call me a cold-blooded demon?"

"My son would never do such inhumane things!"

Li Mingxiong increased the force of the beating, only for Mingqing to spring up and grasp his wrist, eyes full of shock.

"Spouting such pointless words, why bother? With the Life Staff incident, you silently allowed it at the time, knowing someone had to do those things, while we remained at a standstill."

"Now, your revered son stands out, shouldering all infamy and sin."

"And you still dare criticize me?" Mingqing suddenly flung Li Mingxiong’s hand away.

"You are the least qualified to criticize me! In the company’s fertile grounds, many have had their blood and flesh consumed, tossed like firewood into the flames, compared to them, what is my wrongdoing?"

"I truly can’t fathom it."

Mingqing almost angrily questioned,

"Is my revered father a hypocritical scoundrel?"