Political Commissar Xiao crawled into the exoskeleton Jiang Ling had just warmed, inserted his data core into the card slot, and then poked his head out to ask her, "Are all awakened people the same as you? No, I mean, your method of acquiring knowledge doesn't come at a cost? I'm just asking. If there's a confidentiality agreement, you don't have to tell me."

"Most of them probably won't be able to," Jiang Ling replied, touching his nose. "I haven't seen the cost yet. Maybe our values ​​have changed. But there's one thing I can tell you. When sharing memories, he can't defend himself. Forcing them to read might burn their brains out. So I usually don't do it. When I come across those unlucky ones, I'll help them out."

"So, your technology is very similar to computer information technology?"

"That's about right. I remember someone summing it up, what was it called... Oh yeah, it's called convergent evolution! I guess if we give Earth's creatures a little more time, they'll all gain similar powers. After all, we're all carbon-based creatures, there's no essential difference... Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No, nothing." Political Commissar Xiao's face flushed, and he turned his head away, returning to his exoskeleton. He tried to distract himself with work, but after a while, he paused his fingers from scrolling the screen.

A dull humming sound echoed from the opening of the jar. "Do you really think so? Do you really think that you and I, animals and plants, mutants, are all the same kind? There's no such thing as the survival of the fittest, no one is born unequal?"

"No, I'm not so far from empathizing with the bugs. I'm not that extreme." Jiang Ling sat down on an empty cargo box and crossed his legs. "By the way, aren't you Comrade Political Commissar? Your thoughts should be more profound than those of an ordinary person like me, right? I think it depends on the scale of my perspective. If we rise to the height of the universe, I can say that the bugs and I are the same kind; but if we come down to this, we can't really be considered the same kind."

"Is that what you think? A golden mean isn't a bad idea." He commented from within his exoskeleton, then seemed to make up his mind, "I admit, my thinking is a bit extreme."

"Oh? Tell me about it and I'll analyze it for you." said the intimate elder sister Jiang Ling.

"Well, do you know about the Battle of the East Pacific? It's the one we kept talking about in our propaganda seven years ago." Political Commissar Xiao spoke slowly, reminiscing about his past experiences. "Back then, I was a combat staff officer on a warship. We disguised ourselves as a piece of marine debris, remaining silent and following the ocean currents. Starting from the new northern region of Australia, we brushed past the American fleet and made our way all the way to the west coast. In that attack, we destroyed most of their shipbuilding capabilities and spread a large number of hunters along their coast. It was considered a great victory."

"The official media did have that propaganda, but is there something else going on?"

"Yes, and there were several." He paused, unhooked himself from the exoskeleton, and continued, "In order to protect our allies and remain silent, two shield ships in our fleet were hit by test shells fired by passing enemy ships. The resulting fires were impossible to extinguish, and they couldn't escape on their own. In dire straits, their captain managed to poison the entire crew and was burned to death in the fire. The fire burned all night, and the enemy ships watched them burn all night with us. Afterwards..."

He paused, randomly opened two cargo boxes, and continued, "Then we chose the time when the enemy was most tired and most concentrated, around 1 a.m., which was 2 p.m. for them. We used cluster bombs, swarm drones, white phosphorus bombs, and thermobaric bombs... At that time, there was no emotion in our staff, no anger, no excitement, and no joy. We each had a cup of tea and listened to the double act performed by the captain and the fire control team. It was like completing a task - indifferent. I know..."

He paused again, took out the thermos he carried with him, took a sip, and squatted in front of the cargo box. He said, "I know that obedience is a soldier's duty. When I did those things, the war had already reached a fever pitch, and everyone was more or less filled with hatred. But my thinking changed from then on - we are all born different. The so-called seeking common ground while reserving differences is really just an ideal. Some people, if they are born in the wrong place, will never be the same as others. No matter how the perspective changes, bugs will always be bugs, and enemies will always be enemies. What they did will forever be recorded in history, and every future generation will be influenced by it, and thus view them with preconceived ideas."

"Wait, how do you know how they died? Did you..."

Political Commissar Xiao did not answer this question. He just smiled at Jiang Ling, revealing two rows of metallic teeth in his mouth.

His teeth reflected the red light in the environment, which made Jiang Ling frown. She had only seen the same situation in a few people, and they were usually those who had attempted suicide.

"So you still hate them now?"

"I don't know, but I think I hate all our enemies. I can't sympathize with them, and it's impossible for me to sympathize with them. Seeing their names makes me sick to my stomach. And I still can't eat beef, even though there's no real beef anymore."

Jiang Ling understood what he meant and wanted to continue asking questions when the loudspeaker in the cabin suddenly sounded.

"Attention all crew members, attention all crew members! Please return to combat positions immediately! The launching ceremony is cancelled, we will leave the dock in less than ten minutes!"

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