Chapter 936: "The Root of Calamity" Opening—Man is Uglier Than God
"Quickly, here!"
A familiar Chinese voice sounded from the side. Zong Jiwei turned his head to look, then nodded slightly to the two girls who were clearly fans of China who had sat down next to him.
Hello, hello.
Perhaps it was Zong Jiwei's slightly chubby appearance that made him seem more amiable, and several fans nodded slightly at him.
Shortly after they sat down, the entire hall went dark.
On stage, the host began to read out the basic information of the participating teams in a serious and methodical manner.
The previously noisy scene suddenly quieted down.
The performance props have already been set up on the stage.
A few minutes later, the music suddenly started playing—
...
In the darkness, the cold white stage lights shone down, and several ragged, emaciated actors walked forward, hunched over. Even though they staggered and their movements were tired and numb, they did not stop and continued to walk forward in a long line.
A chorus of low, mournful cries drifted across the stage, accompanied by the faint rumble of artillery fire, the weeping of scattered civilians, and fragmented alarm sirens—
A vision of a living hell has already taken shape.
Beyond the slightly lit background, there were even more distant and chilling screams, but they were no longer visible.
Meanwhile, on the other side, warm yellow lights silently lit up and gradually expanded, replacing those painful images and transforming into a magnificent hall.
Several actors playing royalty and nobility, dressed in luxurious clothes, languidly enjoyed their afternoon tea with relaxed expressions.
They were talking about tomorrow's party and what they were wearing today, as if this was how life should be.
As a result of the war, countless people were displaced and killed. The lower classes struggled in the flames of war, suffering the hardships of displacement, while the upper classes continued to indulge in pleasure and live carefree lives, turning a blind eye to the devastation brought by the war outside...
The stage lights, one cold and one warm, created a stark contrast, as if two separate worlds. This interplay of light and shadow simply and directly exposed the most glaring injustices of a chaotic world.
And so, the hero appeared.
...
The story of "The Root of Calamity" is said to be an original script written by Chinese people themselves.
Although it was Zong Jiwei's first time watching, he could roughly guess what kind of story it was based on the competition title information released early on. After all, the theme of this competition was anti-war, and the name "Root of Calamity" was concise and clear, and it was definitely used to point out the essence of war and thus call for peace.
However, Zong Jiwei was actually somewhat surprised by the team's boldness this time.
Judging from the costumes worn by the actors at the beginning, it's clear that the story they're telling is set in a foreign country, rather than the traditional Chinese cultural background.
Telling stories from a foreign land is inherently challenging, which is why teams that have participated in previous competitions have mostly submitted original works that are adaptations of traditional Chinese culture or classic Chinese works.
It is quite challenging to tell the story of other regions' cultures effectively and evoke resonance.
If not handled properly, it could backfire.
Therefore, Zong Jiwei thought that "The Root of Calamity" would also adopt a conservative approach.
The result was unexpectedly different.
This made Zong Jiwei curious °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° about what would happen next.
Now that the hero, as the protagonist, has appeared, what role does Xiao He play?
Zong Jiwei pondered intently, his gaze sweeping over the actors—the king, the nobles, the merchants, the heroes, the heroes' companions, and so on—but he couldn't find Xiao He's figure.
Isn't the root of war precisely these people?
The main plot has now unfolded: the hero raises his arms and shouts, calling on the oppressed common people to rise up in rebellion, preparing to overthrow the corrupt rule and end the endless war—a very standard template for a rebel story.
So, in what capacity will Xiao He appear?
-
The story takes a turn in another direction as the hero resists and the battle is swept away.
The atmosphere on stage suddenly tightened. The king began to feel fear, and the nobles plotted various schemes. The warm yellow lights overhead were gradually replaced by a cold luster, which further highlighted their panicked and sinister expressions. However, they showed no remorse and discussed various ways to make the hero stop overthrowing their rule.
They tried to bribe the hero with money, but the hero was not greedy.
They continued to lull the brave man into complacency with beauty, food, and power, but the brave man remained calm, disciplined, and rational, completely unmoved.
Even the death of his companions gave him more motivation and an even more resolute heart.
They used every means they could think of, tempting and wooing their rulers with the most extravagant and luxurious temptations, but all they got in return was a crumbling regime.
In the end, the king had to admit that the hero truly lived up to his reputation as a hero who appeared in chaotic times.
He is steadfast, strong, kind, calm, composed, and brave... He possesses all the qualities a hero should have.
There was no trace of human darkness in him; it was as if the hero was born to save the world.
Finally, the bishop, having exhausted all other options, came up with a solution—
He told the king that none of this was their fault.
The root cause of all these calamities is the gods!
It is an evil god who toys with humanity; it is a despicable god who brings them endless war and disaster!
It's all the gods' fault! What does it have to do with us ordinary humans?
—That's actually quite ridiculous.
When their rule became unstable, the bishops who believed in God chose to betray God, letting God bear the blame and punishment on their behalf.
Doesn't this imply that their faith has never been in God himself, but rather in themselves?
At that moment, the ugly rulers displayed the ugliest aspects of human nature in full.
The king accepted the hero and tearfully confessed his sins to him, while also presenting the shield he had found—
"Actually, all the targeting and probing of you before were a kind of test."
The king, clutching his crown as if struggling to prop up his crumbling rule, spoke in a trembling voice, tinged with a hint of persuasion and coaxing. His gaze fell upon the hero, but also upon the followers behind him—
A hero has no weaknesses.
But his companions, those commoners, were just ignorant commoners.
When pushed to the brink, they will fight back, but just as easily given a glimmer of hope, they will quiet down and remain weak.
This is also human nature.
It is the essence that the rulers have grasped that has enabled them to rule to this day.
The king became even more certain, his voice no longer trembling, and his tone growing more sorrowful: "It is said that the evil god controls the seven deadly sins of humanity, and all mortals will inevitably be controlled by him. But you are different, hero; you were born to fight against evil."
"You are not lustful, not addicted to pleasure, not short-tempered, humble and brave, intelligent and rational."
"We have never been enemies—"
As the king spoke, the stage floor where the actor was standing began to slowly rise, as if the king, who was high above, had finally regained his sovereignty, and everyone below the stage looked up at him, including the brave warrior who had come here.
That visual transformation made him seem like an evil god.
But that makes sense, the evil god is a lie after all.
Humans are more despicable than gods, and they are even more prone to lying than gods.