Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 253 The Failed Idealist (Fifth Update)

Chen Yu's projection remained silent for a moment, its black eyes seemingly piercing through time and space, gazing at something deeper.

When he spoke again, his voice remained steady, yet carried an almost compassionate insight: "Your answer confirms my observation." His voice had an almost sighing quality, "Fifty years of lurking and scheming, yet we have never been able to break through the fundamental issue of 'destruction' and 'construction'."

Your spirit of resistance is commendable, but this resistance remains at the emotional level and fails to rise to a rational level.

He paused slightly, letting the deeper meaning of his words settle: "You keenly perceived the exploitative nature of the company, but failed to delve into the historical inevitability behind it—the profound contradiction between the organizational form of human society and the level of productivity development in a world with limited resources."

You yearn to destroy this system, yet you overlook the fact that any stable new order must be built upon three fundamental pillars: a complete theoretical framework, meticulous institutional design, and a social mobilization mechanism capable of building consensus.

Chen Yu's gaze seemed to pierce through Lai Xuan, looking towards a more distant place: "There have been many idealists like you in history. They passionately overthrew the old order, but because they lacked a clear blueprint for building a new world, they either plunged society into deeper chaos or unintentionally gave rise to new forms of oppression."

Your action plan, in essence, remains at the stage of that angry young man fifty years ago—obsessed with the pleasure of 'destruction,' yet lacking the necessary understanding and preparation for the difficulties of 'construction.'

This analysis progresses layer by layer, each sentence like a precise scalpel, dissecting the psychological defenses that Lai Hsuan had meticulously built over the past fifty years.

He stopped speaking and just stared blankly at the projection in front of him, his face gradually turning pale.

Those questions he had deliberately avoided, those doubts that had flashed through his mind in the dead of night, were now presented so clearly before him, leaving him nowhere to escape.

Chen Yu's last words echoed in the silent observation room: "Destroying an old world requires courage, but building a new world requires wisdom. And you seem to have focused all your energy on the former."

A long silence hung in the air.

Lai Xuan lowered his head, looking at his scarred hands, as if trying to find answers in those wounds.

When he raised his head again, the stubborn light in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by a deep, bone-deep weariness.

“You’re right.” His voice was hoarse, as if he had exhausted all his strength. “For the past fifty years, I’ve been like a lonely gravedigger, digging this grave of Arasaka day and night.”

I was so focused on every shovelful of earth that I forgot to think about what should be planted on this land after the grave was dug.

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Facing the behemoth that is Arakawa alone, I have to devote all my energy to how to dismantle it, how to evade its pursuit, and how to find cracks within its system."

Every plan takes years to conceive, and every action carries the risk of utter disaster. Just maintaining that belief has exhausted all my strength.

Lai Xuan's gaze became distant, as if he had traveled back to those lonely days and nights: "When you are constantly under the shadow of a behemoth, and you have to be careful even when you breathe, it is indeed difficult to have the spare energy to envision a complete future."

My vision and my perspective have long been squeezed out of existence by this unequal confrontation, leaving only the 'confrontation' itself.

He sighed deeply, a sigh that carried the weight of half a century: "Looking back now, perhaps I have already unknowingly become a prisoner on another level—a prisoner imprisoned by my own obsessions."

This confession was more profound than any of his previous words.

It is not merely an acknowledgment of one's own limitations, but also a heartbreaking truth discovered by an idealist in his reflection on his lifelong pursuit: in the process of battling the dragon, he himself also partially lost the ability to soar through the skies.

“Your honesty is very valuable.” Chen Yu’s voice remained calm, but it lacked the previous sense of distance. “You have shown me the most typical dilemma of an idealist—being so focused on fighting the behemoth that he forgets the thousands of troops that should be standing behind him.”

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp: "For fifty years, you have devoted all your energy to how to dismantle the fortress of Arasaka, but you have overlooked the most fundamental question: Why are you always fighting alone?"
You witnessed oppression and felt injustice, yet you failed to unite this scattered anger into a collective force. You lacked a vision that resonated with all the oppressed, a banner that transcended mere destruction and was worthy of universal emulation.

“That’s precisely why,” Chen Yu’s voice carried a sharp insight, “you will always be a lonely rebel, not a leader capable of bringing about change.”

You chose the most difficult path—bearing the weight of the entire world alone—forgetting that change is never a one-person endeavor.

These words were like a precise scalpel, peeling away the layers of the shell Lai Xuan had built for himself over the past fifty years, forcing him to confront the truth that had been hidden all along.

His loneliness did not stem entirely from the oppression of his environment, but more from the limitations of his own perspective.

He was so focused on fighting Arakawa that he forgot to ignite the flame in the hearts of others.

Lai Xuan stood there, stunned, Chen Yu's words echoing in his mind.

Surprisingly, he did not feel offended; instead, he felt a sense of relief.

It was as if a burden that had been carried for too long had finally been lifted, allowing him to re-examine his life, filled with obsession, from a completely new perspective.

“So, ‘Sage,’ Lai Xuan raised his head, looking at Chen Yu’s holographic projection with a complicated expression, “What do you intend to do with me, this…failed idealist?”

"Disposal?" Chen Yu's projection shook its head slightly, its tone carrying an almost absolute objectivity. "Your past is sufficient as a case study. But your future may offer another kind of value."

He paused briefly, as if retrieving some information, before calmly stating: "Here, what keeps the city running is an artificial intelligence called 'Manager'."

It is responsible for assessing each person's abilities and placing them in positions where they can maximize their effectiveness, in order to maintain the stability and data output of the entire social system. You will also be included in this system.

As he finished speaking, a hidden door slid open on the side of the observation room, and a sleek, precise machine silently entered, stopping beside Lai Xuan's stretcher and awaiting instructions.

“It’s worth mentioning,” Chen Yu’s tone seemed to change subtly, carrying a hint of guidance, “that the core personality template of this ‘manager’ is built on the data of your half-brother, Arasaka Kei.”

He didn't give Lai Xuan much time to process this astonishing information, and continued, "Perhaps, in the process of working with 'him,' you can re-examine everything you have been stubbornly fighting against for the past fifty years from a completely different perspective."

You will be assigned specific tasks by the 'manager,' which will allow you to have more direct contact with and understanding of the specific people you once aspired to save but who were overlooked in the grand scheme of things.

"As for those unfinished thoughts about 'overthrowing' and 'destruction'," Chen Yu concluded, his gaze seemingly piercing through Lai Xuan's heart, "after this old shackle has been broken, you will have ample time to reflect on the questions you previously had no time to ponder in concrete practice—such as what true 'construction' is."

After speaking, Chen Yu's projection vanished silently into the air, just as it had appeared.

Lai Xuan leaned back alone in the cold alloy chair, Chen Yu's words echoing in his mind—"Arasaka Kei," "manager," "concrete practice," "construction"... These words intertwined, impacting his mindset that had been solidified for half a century.

He no longer needed to exhaust himself to destroy Arasaka, and a huge sense of emptiness washed over him, but beneath this emptiness, there seemed to be a faint hint of... a new possibility.
Go and understand the order built by the "brother" he never truly comprehended, and get in touch with those vibrant individuals he claimed to save but had no time to attend to.
The servant emitted a gentle prompting tone, indicating that he should follow.

Arakasaka Yoriyuki, the former traitor to the empire, took a deep breath and let his servant push his stretcher toward the unknown "afterlife" managed by his "brother".

This time, he may be more than just a destroyer.

(End of this chapter)