Huo Li noticed that the youth finally seemed to relax a little, and he secretly let out a sigh of relief as well. The two entered the meeting room one after the other. Under the coordination of C2001, over 1,900 surviving ability users had already gathered. Xu Yun Cheng was also sitting on the side, symbolically guarded by the mechanical warriors.

When the crowd saw the black-haired youth, they exchanged uneasy glances. The ability users seated near the youth instinctively shrank back as he passed by, unable to suppress their subconscious fear. After all, the memory of the youth extending his black tendrils into everyone’s necks was still fresh in their minds—no one could let down their guard against an alien.

Huo Li and the black-haired youth took their seats at the front of the room. Seated alongside them were C2001, Long Tai, and a few other high-ranking ability users. As the fear for the youth gradually subsided, the thousands of ability users in the room redirected their hatred and disgust toward Xu Yun Cheng, who sat in the front corner of the hall.

Those who had lost lovers or friends in the explosion hated him to the bones!

“Xu Yun Cheng, we’re all human! Why did you betray us and side with the parasitic beasts!?” a high-ranking ability user seated beside Long Tai asked.

“My cousin worked tirelessly on her missions for centuries, and she finally advanced to the SS level. Do you know how happy she was? Why did you force her to join the rebel group?” A female ability user in the crowd stood up and shouted, her voice trembling with emotion.

“Over 500 people! They were our comrades and family—how could you do such a thing?!”

"How much did the Parasite Beasts offer you? Was it worth betraying your entire race?"

The meeting room erupted in a chorus of furious shouts. If not for the fact that an Alien was seated on the platform, the crowd might have already resorted to violence.

At that moment, Xu Yun Cheng, whose entire body—except for his brain and head—was under Huo Li's control and weaker than an ordinary person, showed no trace of guilt in response to the angry accusations and curses. Instead, asked with a straight face:

"Race? Who among us belongs to the same race?"

The crowd was stunned.

Huo Li asked, "Are we of the same race as the billions of humans across the galaxy?"

"Huo Li, have you really been with the Salvation Alliance for a thousand years? Do you truly believe that ability users and ordinary humans are the same race?" Xu Yun Cheng turned his head and asked. "For thousands of years, humanity has guarded against ability users more harshly than they have against the Zerg. Ability users have been strictly monitored by the government since childhood. We're prohibited from participating in politics, barred from accessing military affairs, and forbidden from working in advanced research fields…"

Xu Yun Cheng paused, then swept a nearly accusatory gaze over every ability user in the room. "You've been in the Salvation Alliance for too long—have you forgotten the fear and discrimination we endured in human society? Only one ability user is born out of hundreds of thousands of humans. High-ranking ability users are even more precious than human royalty or presidents. We should be the absolute elite of humanity, yet for a thousand years, we've been marginalized and forced to the fringes of society. Some of us even resorted to illegal activities for mere scraps of wealth. Do you truly believe this is the life we deserve?"

Although the ability users' hatred toward Xu Yun Cheng remained undiminished, they couldn't help but reveal expressions of anger and frustration at his questioning. It was clear that before joining the Salvation Alliance, everyone had suffered their fair share of injustice in the human world.

What was supposed to be a discussion on resisting the parasitic beasts was on the verge of being turned by Xu Yun Cheng into a rally to divide humans and ability users. Just as Huo Li was about to interject, the black-haired youth sitting beside him lightly tugged his sleeve, stopping him.

"It's okay, let him speak," the black-haired youth said softly. "This is an irreconcilable conflict—it’s bound to erupt sooner or later."

Xu Yun Cheng's gaze shifted to the female ability user who was still standing among the crowd, the one who had just condemned him in defense of her late cousin.

"KT2313, you and your cousin have been part of the Salvation Alliance for over 700 years, working tirelessly to save the human world. Neither of you even took a single day off, right?"

The female ability user, who was burning with hatred, froze for a moment after being directly addressed. Then, recalling her cousin’s image in life, she shouted with even more bitterness, "That's right! She worked so hard, saving countless humans! And yet you killed her!"

Xu Yun Cheng appeared unfazed by her accusation and continued as if he hadn’t heard her. "Tell me—where is your cousin now?"

The crowd exchanged confused glances, unsure why Xu Yun Cheng would ask such a seemingly senseless question.

"Her body has already been buried in this desert! If it weren’t for you…"

"Buried in the desert, huh!" Xu Yun Cheng let out a cold laugh. "The main system and humanity have enslaved you for so long! A hero who saved dozens of apocalyptic worlds ends up buried in some nameless wasteland with no flowers, farewell, or recognition—and you’ve even grown used to it?"

"Even an ordinary worker or a criminal in the human world gets a funeral and a grave," Xu Yun Cheng continued, his voice carrying a persuasive weight that resonated with the crowd. "But we, the most elite ability users across the galaxy, the ones who have contributed the most to its survival, have grown accustomed to death at any moment. And when we die, we’re left to rot in the wilderness of some doomsday planet with no one to remember our achievements. For centuries, we’ve barely had a few days of rest, and sometimes, the points we earn from saving a world are barely enough to buy a few cans of nutrient supplements. This treatment is worse than what a plumber in the human world receives, and yet you’ve come to accept it?"

Huo Li noticed that the situation was spiraling further out of control. More than half the ability users' expressions had turned resentful, united in a shared sense of injustice. Alarmed, Huo Li quickly tightened his control over Xu Yun Cheng, silencing him from speaking further.

"Let him continue!" the black-haired youth interjected.

Huo Li still couldn’t understand the youth’s intentions but reluctantly loosened his control over Xu Yun Cheng as instructed.

Regaining control of his speech, Xu Yun Cheng showed neither irritation nor embarrassment at being momentarily silenced. Instead, he calmly resumed his speech in a lighthearted manner:

"Humanity's fear and suppression drove you to the main system. Do you really think the Salvation Alliance is your home? It’s nothing more than another organization enslaving you. We, as a race superior to humans, are constantly subjected to their oppression and jealousy. On some planets, governments even secretly capture ability users, using us for human experimentation in attempts to steal our abilities!"

Even the typically composed and rational C2001 now wore an expression of anger and inner conflict, let alone the other saviors in the crowd.

Xu Yun Cheng swept his gaze across the room and continued, "Some of you might argue that we and humans are of the same race, that we should put aside our old grudges and live in harmony. But I tell you, that will never happen! Humanity’s fear of us does not stem from us destroying planets or committing heinous crimes with our powers—because we, ability users, haven’t done those things. In fact, the number of planets destroyed by humans themselves far exceeds anything we’ve done, and the human race has bred more deranged criminals and anti-human maniacs than our entire population of ability users combined!"

The resentment in the crowd’s eyes deepened, growing more intense with each word.

"The ultimate conflict between ability users and humanity lies in the greed, jealousy, and fear of the strong embedded in humanity’s blood and soul. These are the original sins and inherent flaws that humanity can never shed. As long as humans continue to rule the universe, this ugliness will poison every planet! We, ability users, will always be feared, suppressed, and isolated!" At this moment, Xu Yun Cheng’s ability to sway the masses was on full display. Even as a prisoner, he grasped the hidden pain in every ability user’s heart, striking a chord so powerful it silenced all dissidence.

Xu Yun Cheng continued, "But the parasite race is different. They possess no emotions, desires, or greed—only pure rationality. The parasite race also lacks any innate abilities, which makes their society in need of elite individuals like us. As long as they recognize that ability users contribute to the survival and advancement of their society, they will never harbor the kind of hypocritical and vile thoughts that humans do.

If we cooperate with the parasite race, they will preserve 1% of the human planets across the galaxy and hand them over to us to govern. In that new world, we will finally break free from the centuries-long suppression and humiliation. As ability users, superior and more noble than weak humans, we will develop that 1% of human planets into something far greater than the current human worlds. We will prove ourselves to be better rulers and builders than the belligerent and foolish humans of the Interstellar Federation. Our buried talents and ideals, suppressed for millennia, will finally flourish in the new world we create alongside the parasitic beasts!"

Huo Li sensed the inner struggle, restlessness, and yearning for this "new world" in the hearts of the ability users. His gaze swept cautiously across the conference room as he tried to think of a way to counter Xu Yun Cheng's words…. However, no matter how hard Huo Li searched for flaws or points to refute, he found very little. He had to admit that Xu Yun Cheng's arguments were persuasive, both emotionally and logically. What could he possibly say to dissuade them?

At this moment, the black-haired youth, who had been silently allowing the situation to unfold, cleared his throat and spoke: "Now that everyone has heard Xu Yun Cheng's perspective, I won’t offer any rebuttal."

The crowd erupted in shock and confusion. Did this mean he agreed with Xu Yun Cheng’s words?

Ignoring the commotion and restless energy in the room, the black-haired youth continued, "Regardless of your relationship with the parasitic beasts, because of my own nature as an alien, the parasite race and I will always be mortal enemies. As long as even one parasitic beast remains, I will stop at nothing to kill it."

The youth slowly surveyed the entire assembly, his aura exuding a chilling and dangerous intensity. "Now, I have only one question for all of you here: At this very moment, is there anyone who has decided to betray humanity and join the parasitic beasts in slaughtering 99% of the humans in the entire galaxy to build this so-called 'new world'? If so, step forward now."