"Why must we resolve this through war? There are clearly many other ways..."

Yu Wei tilted his head slightly up to look at the sky, slowly closed his eyes, and sighed.

"You're wrong. This war is not only our choice, but also the choice of the rebels and the orcish organization."

Lin Ling gently brushed the dust off Yu Wei's shoulder, raised her eyes to look at him, "Fifty years ago, the Alliance violently overthrew the oppressive rule of several empires. Because the Alliance's leaders at the time were soft-hearted and refused to propose eradicating the threat completely, this situation has led to what we see today."

"In the eyes of the rebels, the Alliance were insurgents, a bunch of unruly mobs, while they were noble nobles whose rule was the only legitimate one."

“But the original intention of the alliance was not to use violence to suppress violence.” Yu Wei lowered his head and stared at his toes. “The masses are innocent. They should not become the victims and stepping stones in the struggle of the rulers.”

"Orcs without malice are also innocent. They earn their living through their labor and live happily with their families and friends. They... should not be victims."

"The original intention of the alliance was not only to protect, but also to pursue justice, equality, and resist all forms of oppression and exploitation."

Lin Ling also knew that, given Yu Wei's personality, it would be difficult for him to understand this point, and no matter how others explained these principles, it would be useless; he could only come to understand them himself.

"When the interests of a minority are realized at the expense of the interests of the majority, such a system should not exist."

"You have never experienced the oppressive rule of an empire, so naturally you don't understand the meaning of fairness and democracy."

“Dad, I still can’t accept it…” Yu Wei’s lips trembled as he turned his face to look at the empty corner: “We must have other ways.”

“Xiao Wei, no one wants to see mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and piles of white bones, but we have no time. The arrow is on the bowstring, and we have no choice but to release it.” Lin Ling placed Yu Wei’s trembling, clenched fist into his dry, warm palm, and gently stroked his face with his other hand: “If we fail, the entire interstellar space will once again fall into the dark rule of the Empire, and more innocent people will be sent to laboratories, tied to dissection tables, and become another batch of test subjects.”

“But none of this has happened yet.” Yu Wei buried her head in Lin Ling’s shoulder, hugging him tightly. “We can use other methods, such as signing a peace treaty with the rebels…”

“But the rebels don’t think that way.” Lin Ling cupped Yu Wei’s face in her hands, her eyes devoid of tenderness, filled with indifference, coldness, and overwhelming hatred. “In their eyes, ordinary people are just slaves to be driven, prisoners of war and slaves are livestock to be driven, and orcs are rare experimental subjects. They are the noble rulers, the incarnations of gods, beings that everyone must kneel and look up to.”

"They kept blood slaves to provide them with fresh organs and blood, forced respectable children to become their playthings, used human skin as cushions, wove carpets with human hair, and smashed the bones of the people to suck their marrow. Each and every one of these is evidence of their crimes."

"Our predecessors spent their entire lives and exhausted all their strength to overthrow their rule, and now you're telling me to reconcile with them? It's utterly absurd!" Lin Ling's eyes grew increasingly crazed, and the force in his hands increased. "What right do you have to forgive those devils on behalf of those innocent people, on behalf of the predecessors who sacrificed themselves for today's alliance!"

"I..." Yu Wei couldn't speak, his hands twisting together, and he lowered his head. "Dad, I'm sorry, I..."

“Kindness is good, but being soft-hearted is not.” Lin Ling sighed, let go of his hand, turned around and faced away from Yu Wei, placing her hands on the table. “Kindness is by no means being unable to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, nor is kindness an excuse for weakness.”

"You are the supreme commander of the Alliance army, the guardian of the Alliance people, and the future of the Alliance that we twelve people have devoted our hearts and souls to cultivating. Your life is destined to be extraordinary."

“Xiao Wei, you must remember, from now on, you are no longer just you, nor are you only you.” Lin Ling patted the dust off Yu Wei’s clothes and straightened his epaulets: “Behind you are millions of Alliance people. They need you, they need a rational leader, they need faith, and they need God.”

"And you are the only one who can do it."

“Dad, I…I can’t do it.” Yu Wei shook his head and took a step back. “I’m sorry, Dad, I’ve let you down.”

“I don’t have the courage to take responsibility for other people’s future, let alone the ability to lead them. I am cowardly and timid, and I dare not make promises easily because I am afraid that I cannot keep them.”

"I'm still young, and I lack experience and ability in many areas..."

"Smack!"

The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the empty conference room. Lin Ling withdrew her hand, her left hand trembling slightly as it hung at her side.

"Yu Wei, you've disappointed me so much." Lin Ling took a few deep breaths, turned around, and forced herself to calm down. After a long while, she slowly turned back. "I never imagined you could be so cowardly. We planned everything. If you had just followed the plan, you would have become a god in everyone's eyes..."

"But did you ever ask for my opinion?" Yu Wei closed her eyes and swallowed her tears. "From childhood to adulthood, what I eat, what I wear, what I use, which kindergarten and primary school I attend, what training I participate in, what competitions I participate in, and what kind of friends I make—all of these were planned out by you long ago!"

“From joining the youth training camp to entering the army, my every move has been under your surveillance. I have no privacy whatsoever. You have deprived me of my right to make decisions. I must absolutely obey orders and follow arrangements. I cannot complain, I cannot have any questions, and I cannot have any autonomy. You have controlled everything in my life! If there were no matching system, would you even arrange my marriage?”

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