Zero didn't think it was a surprise to be broken by Theon's words. If Theon couldn't see through, then he wasn't Theon.
Zero generously admitted: "I need your knowledge and talent very much, Mr. Theon."
"I understand." Theon lit himself a cigar and handed one to Ling.
For this kind of rough "cigarette", he had zero interest in it, and he shook his head to express that he was not interested. Theon didn't take it seriously, and put the cigar back into his pocket. He then said, "This is a good product. It was sent by the little guy from the Helburn family. It would be a pity if you didn't try it."
Zero clenched his fist slightly. Although it was just a very plain sentence, the meaning was very obvious. With Theon's ability, it is not surprising that Helben's family will recruit him. Zero hesitated: "You..."
"No. Although the Helburn family lacks a butler who can handle various situations, I declined their invitation." Theon's face appeared uncertain under the light of the cigar. He looked at Ling and said meaningfully: "Believe me, Ling. The conditions offered by the Helben family are definitely better than what you can imagine. If it was before, I probably wouldn't refuse it. But now, I am no longer the Theon I used to be. When Remut was buried in the hands of those monsters, that Theon was already dead. Now I am just trying to survive so that Pella's sacrifice will not be in vain. "
Taking a deep breath, Theon looked at the dim ceiling of the base and sighed: "It's so hard to live, Zero. Especially living aimlessly like me, can you imagine? Every night I have to drink I can only fall asleep with a bottle of spirits. Every morning when I wake up, I always think that I am still in Remtree. That fire not only buried me and Pera, but also completely destroyed my dreams. Zero , How can a person who has no dreams help you who are building an ideal blueprint."
"I can't do it because I'm afraid that after all my efforts, I still won't be able to escape a war." Looking at Zero, Theon said lightly.
For the first time, Zero felt the pain in this man's heart and the despair he couldn't extricate himself from. Standing in front of him now, Theon, who was still talking and laughing in the VIP room just now, is just a body, just his residual instinct. As Theon said, the real him, his soul died when Remut fell.
But...
"Can you trust me once!" Zero looked at Theon seriously and said, "I know it's not easy, I can understand the pain and despair in your heart. Because I, like Mr. Theon, have lost everything. My beloved People, people I care about, my friends, my comrades-in-arms. Those once beautiful, because of the cruelty of this world, they left. Or helpless, maybe tragic, but I can't keep them. All this, because of my The power is not strong enough. So from then on, I hope to become strong, I hope to change the world. Whether it is naive or arrogant, some dreams must be sacrificed for it; some battles are not allowed to escape. But I One person can't do this. I need partners, like Feng and Berrien. And you, Mr. Theon, even if you lend me your ability, I will build the dream country in return !"
On the butt of the cigar, the flame flickered slightly, like the chaotic thoughts in Theon's mind.
After a moment of silence, Theon said softly: "It's very touching, Zero."
He shook his head and said: "I know your ideals, your ambitions. I'm glad you can feel my pain and helplessness, but these are not enough, zero. I have lost everything, and I don't want to exchange for anything. Money , I think the current income of this position is enough for me to squander the rest of my life; Quan, although I am not a big shot in this city, many big shots are willing to make friends with me. As long as I want, I can gain ten times more power than I have now. So, what can you give me, Zero?"
This is an unanswerable question, but also a real one.
Theon continued: "If I were twenty years younger, maybe I would promise you. But I am no longer young, and the remaining life was given to me by Pera, and I can't just use it to squander it. So zero , if you want me to work for you, you must give me a reason to do so!"
Zero was silent, he shook his head and smiled wryly: "I can't find it."
Xi En laughed, patted him on the shoulder and said: "That's the only way to do it first, and come to me when you find it. But before that, I can share with you a secret of mine. Just treat it as a gift from me for the opening of your company."
"Please tell me." Zero humbly asked.
The two walked towards the entrance while talking, and strolled on the streets of the base. Theon asked, "What do you think of Douglas?"
Ling Yizheng replied casually: "The superior person has no airs and is approachable. I have received a lot of help from him. Although he has his own goals, in general, I am very grateful for everything he has done for me. .”
Theon let out a chuckle and said, "It's like a kind elder, isn't it?"
Zero shrugged and said, "It's roughly the same."
"Even you think so, then I can only say that Glass's image has been successfully portrayed." Theon said lightly, but there was something in his words.
Zero frowned slightly: "You mean..."
"No, I don't mean anything else. Douglas has indeed cultivated you very carefully, and he has no malice towards you. There is no doubt about it. I just want to remind you that what you see is not all about Douglas. Zero, you Remember, the reason why every big man can become a big man is because they have ambition." Theon said solemnly: "Ambition and desire are innate instincts of human beings. But there are also high and low ambitions. Like the wilderness, a refugee who can only have a piece of bread a day but hopes to eat ten loaves of bread a day is also ambition. For Douglas, his ambition is not just an Asgard. This is the big man and the little man The difference between, Douglas is investing in you now, and the investment requires a return, zero."
Theon suddenly laughed and said, "So, don't be fooled by the momentary favor. There is no free lunch in the world, zero. One day, Douglas will ask you for something in return. Once you can't get it, or don't want to get it From time to time, you will find that you don't really know this old man that well."
Ling Moran, Theon's words had a huge shock to him. As the man said, he had never thought about these things before, but now that Theon pointed it out, Ling realized that he was indeed too immature in many places.
For example, it is easy to trust people, even if he thinks he is already quite careful. Of course, Theon didn't mean that Zero should be careful about Douglas, after all, Ben is beneficial and harmless to Zero now. At least for the foreseeable one or two years, Douglas will not make any threats to zero.
But later, who knows
Nothing is constant, and among the things that are constantly changing, interests will always change the fastest.
With Theon's reminder, Zero suddenly understood that not all investments are worth accepting. Before accepting, he must consider whether he can get something in return.
Among them, there is an invisible measuring stick, and its name is interest.
"Thank you, Mr. Theon." Zero said sincerely.
Theon nodded in satisfaction and said, "It seems that you are not a fool with a brain full of muscles. That's good, then you should be able to understand what I'm going to say next."
"Don't think too highly of yourself, Zero. Never do this, even if you are already above ten thousand people, you must maintain a humble heart." Theon said lightly.
Zero opened his eyes wide, there were too many meanings in these words, Zero seemed to catch it, but he didn't seem to understand anything. In the ear, Theon's low voice sounded.
"Humility is not shameful. It allows you to see yourself clearly and not do stupid things that are beyond your ability. It may not help you succeed, but at least it can make you make fewer mistakes, or even make mistakes. As long as you don't Make mistakes, then you have half the success. Keep yourself humble, and you can see the wider world. Lower your stature, and people will be happy to interact with you. But..." Theon emphasized: "Humility It does not mean cowardice, it is a kind of self-discipline and introversion. But the object of humility should be your elders, lover, friends, and partners. As for enemies, naturally, you don’t need to show them any affection.”
"Those who violate our borders should repay with thunder. This is the iron rule of the new era, otherwise how can we establish our own prestige!" Theon said heavily: "Look at Douglas and the others. How did these big men get their prestige? That is They bought it back with the blood of their hands, but they never doubted themselves, it was because they firmly believed that they were right. On the road of pursuing ideals, there has never been a smooth road, even though the end of ideals can bring everyone A happy country. But the foundation of the country is also laid with blood and bones. If you don’t have the belief that you will go on even if everyone criticizes you, then it’s better to give up as soon as possible.”
Zero's mood could not be calm for a long time.
He finally came into contact with the spiritual world of the superior.
Just like the saying that scholars in the old days always talked about, the ideal is beautiful, but the process is cruel. No matter how beautiful the ideal is, it is impossible to pave it with flowers and praise. Especially when Zero wants to overthrow the existing world, the interests of some people will inevitably be shaken, and the opposition and struggle will only become more intense.
It's not that he hasn't thought about this question before, but it's not as clear and direct as what Theon said now. Theon is not a warrior, but his words are like a sharp sword, tearing away the disguised peace and putting the bloody facts before Zero's eyes. The huge impact cannot be expressed in words.
After a while, Zero took a deep breath and said, "I have been taught."
The wilderness is silent, but it is also lively. Especially at night, the radiation intensity is much lower than during the day, which is the time for a large number of mutated creatures to forage and even mate.
Every year, every month, every day. The environment of this planet is getting worse day by day. Even if there are mutations, every once in a while, some mutant beasts must be extinct. This is the natural law of elimination, far more cruel and realistic than any other law.
Therefore, mutated creatures can only continue to evolve in order to evolve genes to adapt to the harsh environment.
The fastest way to evolve is reproduction. While the mating (mating) partners are exercising vigorously, they will bury the evolutionary genes deep in the cells of the next generation. When the newborn child is born, these genes will be continuously released, resulting in visible or invisible mutations. Of course, these mutations may sometimes be wrong, or even fatal, so the ending is already predictable, and it is naturally eliminated by the world.
In the evolution of all things, the pace of human beings can be said to be the slowest. Even if there are aliens like ability users in their huge race, compared to the huge base of ordinary people, such a mutation is just a wave in the ocean. No matter how big the waves are, there is nothing bigger than a tsunami, but a tsunami cannot change the fundamentals of the ocean.
But it is an indisputable fact that human beings can still survive in such an environment, although life is very difficult.
That benefits the wisdom of mankind, and even the technology derived from wisdom.
Technology changes life, this is not empty talk.
Although purification technology only began to appear two decades ago, even now, this technology is not necessarily so sophisticated. At least until it is enough to reverse the entire earth's environment, such a purification technology cannot be called brilliant. However, its appearance has given the lowest guarantee for human survival.
Like right now, three modified black sedans drive across the wilderness. Stylistically, they are no different from cars of the old days. But in fact, from materials to operating systems to built-in purification devices, cars are all the crystallization of new era technology.
With them, even the most ordinary human beings can move in the wilderness.
Of course, they are expensive, and not ordinary people can afford them.
Charles has no worries in this regard at all.
Although his family is not comparable to the three giants in Asgard, it is also one of the most core subsidiary families of the Helben family. Charles is the heir in line in the family, he is young and rich. The blond hair comparable to Apollo perfectly interpreted the definition of nobility. As for strength, as a seventh-level fighting master, Charles was very confident in his fists.
Those who dare to question have been defeated by his iron fist.
exception? This word has never appeared in Charles's dictionary.
"Master, Zero Point Company is almost here."
Charles, who was thinking about which woman to spend the night with after finishing some things and going home, suddenly heard the driver say so. Charles nodded casually, but the word Zero Technology floated in his mind.
Charles really couldn't understand why his father would let him participate in this small company's party. Of course, Charles knew that the boss of this new company was called Zero, as if he was an elite fighter of Doomhammer. And behind Zero, there are Douglas and Beyonce from the Black Rose family backing them up.
But that's all, whether it's Douglas or the Black Rose family. They have made a lot of investments, and there are also a lot of people who have been sponsored by them to become new nobles. But so what, in the world of nobles, it is not possible to make a fortune only by fighting power or financial power. More, it takes time to accumulate.
Like a fine wine, the older it gets, the better it tastes.
It's just that the father's order cannot be disobeyed, so Charles came. For him, it's just an easy job. Because the father's order is very simple: let them not do even one single business!
reason? Charles understood. Obviously it was aimed at Zero Technology, but it was actually against the Black Rose family.
As for Douglas' anger, it is natural for the Helben family to bear it. Although Douglas is the most powerful person in Asgard, but the Helben family is the head of the three giants, and this high-ranking person will not offend the Helben family for a small upstart. Then again, without the instructions of the Helburn family, the Charles family would not be so arrogant.
It's just this kind of work, as far as Charles thinks, just call any family acquaintance or any cousin to come forward. Charles felt that his father was giving too much face to him, the heir in line, to do this.
"A local nobleman." Charles sneered.
After a while, the car drove into the base area. Charles got out of the car and entered the reception hall under the protection of several guards. The cocktail party had come to an end, only a few young men and women remained in the hall, and most of them were still in the weapons exhibition room behind the hall.
Some young people in the hall did recognize Charles, but Charles didn't even have the time to greet them politely. Desiring to complete the task assigned by his father as soon as possible, Charles passed through the hall almost arrogantly, and walked straight to the exhibition room with the guards. As a result, several men who stretched out their hands to Charles to express their friendly greetings did not know where to send their half-stretched hands for a while, and all of them turned green with anger.
This scene just fell into the eyes of Zero and Theon.
At this moment, Zero was about to send Theon away. Not wanting to attract attention, they walked around the corner of the hall. In addition, the lights in the hall were dim, and no one noticed.
Looking at the domineering Charles, Theon smiled slightly and said, "Look, here comes the troublemaker."
He nodded, but didn't pay much attention to it. Still walking slowly towards the exit with Theon, as for Charles, of course Feng and Berrien were supporting him. As Theon said before, the ideal road cannot be smooth. From the fact that the invitations submitted at the opening of the company were flatly rejected by Helburn and Planning, and even other families affiliated with them, Zero knew their attitude and position, and knew that troubles like this would definitely happen .
Zero doesn't know much about politics. But with Theon's slight hint just now, Zero probably already knows what kind of situation is now.
The Hall of Valor built the prototype of Asgard, but the perfection and strength of this great city cannot be separated from the contributions of the three giants and other nobles. Ben's setting up the council, from another aspect, is exactly the expression of his inability to ignore the voices of these aristocratic and wealthy families.