Wang Jian shook the manuscript in his hand. His presbyopia was evident, his glasses perched precariously on the tip of his nose, as if about to fall off.
"To begin today, I must first emphasize one point: modernity means that under no circumstances can one kill."
A rustling of pages filled the hall, followed by the rhythmic clicking of ballpoint pens. Almost all the audience members were bowing their heads, taking notes as if in a large lecture. This club did not allow video recording or audio recording, so the simplest method was employed.
"Some of you here are natives and must have seen the video from the 'Bombing Incident.' Those who have immigrated later can watch it. When opening up new continents, Jiang Ye deployed the navy to launch missiles, cruelly killing hundreds of people and executing several prisoners of war simply because they refused to surrender." Wang Jian adjusted his glasses. "I have visited many planets over the years, and on any planet with a dictatorial system, similar incidents occur, and they become increasingly worse. This exposes Jiang Ye's own autocratic and barbaric nature; he has no respect for human life, which is why he dared to commit such a massacre."
"What is most outrageous is that this was not done in secret, but completely openly. The video of the execution of prisoners of war was released on the world channel. This behavior is a complete regression in history, something only ancient Earth tyrants would do, and Jiang Ye is precisely an ancient person. He came from ancient times through cryo-technology and brought his ancient barbarity with him."
The audience nodded in unison.
"Furthermore, Jiang Ye controls the entire wealth of the planet. Almost all major industries must surrender enormous wealth to him personally. This exploitation of wealth severely hinders the development of the entire society because this money should be circulating throughout the planet."
"The Mohist assassins said that killing one tyrant can save ten thousand people. Of course, I do not advocate killing Jiang Ye, because modernity means that under no circumstances can one kill. However, I propose to oust Jiang Ye. He is a great stone pressing down on everyone on this planet..."
Wang Jian read page after page of his manuscript. The hundreds of people in the audience took notes almost throughout, nodding frequently, with occasional murmurs of agreement.
"Professor Wang is absolutely right!"
"Jiang Ye really should be removed from power. As long as this tyrant remains, it's no good for us."
"I've felt for a long time that something was wrong with this planet. I've never seen Jiang Ye do anything substantial, yet the money from all the companies goes into his own pocket."
"He actually killed so many people, how bloody!"
...
Finally, Wang Jian concluded his speech.
He stood up and bowed. A wave of applause swept through the hall, and several people even stood up to applaud him. The scene was quite enthusiastic.
Wang Jian did not leave the stage but sat down on a sofa chair behind the podium.
The second speaker took the stage. He was a stout, bald man with a kind and benevolent face. He wasn't wearing formal attire, just a white undershirt, black shorts, and slippers – the typical outfit of a wealthy person.
"Hello everyone, this is my first time speaking on stage, and I am honored. My name is Li Baofa. My parents were so poor, so poor that we only had one pair of cotton pants. Whoever went out wore it, and the rest of us stayed home naked. That's why my father named me, hoping I would become a nouveau riche in the future."
Laughter erupted from the audience, and even Jiang Ye, sitting in the back, chuckled.
"Don't laugh, it's true, not an exaggeration. We really only had one pair of cotton pants back then." Li Baofa said with a smile. "When I grew up, I finally fulfilled my family's wish and became a nouveau riche. My net worth is now around ten billion, with five to six hundred million in savings. I've done business on several planets, and Jiang Ye Star is the tenth planet I've visited."
Applause rippled through the hall. Stories of rags-to-riches always delighted people.
"My topic today is also related to Mr. Jiang. As you can tell from my address, my attitude is different from Professor Wang's. I am a rough person with very little education, only primary school. I've persisted in reading leisure books all these years, and I hope my speech won't be a joke. Please bear with me and just listen, don't throw shoes at me."
"Professor Wang just mentioned the bombing incident. My stance on this matter is that I do not support Mr. Jiang's actions, but I fully understand his decision. I do not oppose the bombing incident, I just feel there might have been better ways to resolve it."
"First, everyone must understand that this is a colony planet. Initially, one hundred thousand colonial administrators were deployed to this planet. There was no water, no food, no clothing, and people died of starvation and were killed by their own kind every day. The environment of the entire planet is not a normal human society but a gladiatorial arena, a place of life and death. Humanity is extinguished, beastly nature prevails, and divinity is rarely seen."
"I have some friends in the military who have heard some inside information about the bombing incident. The bombing targeted two groups, let's call them B and C. Both groups had three to four hundred people and were armed with assault rifles and similar weapons. They had reinforced their base vehicles, forming clusters similar to armored vehicles. Before the bombing, Mr. Jiang repeatedly attempted to persuade them to surrender through the channel, but there was no response. He then sent air force units to risk their lives to drop leaflets to persuade them, still with no response."
"It's important to note that during Mr. Jiang's attempts to persuade them, these two groups, B and C, encountered each other. What did they do? They fought! A very fierce exchange of fire, killing over a hundred people." Li Baofa turned a page of his manuscript. "If Mr. Jiang hadn't intervened, the fate of these two groups would have been for one side to be wiped out, or even mutually annihilated. After Mr. Jiang intervened, one group was bombed, and the other group surrendered upon seeing the situation. From this perspective, Mr. Jiang's actions might have even saved some lives."
Wang Jian, sitting in the back, showed clear signs of anger but did not interrupt, listening quietly.
"Professor Wang just suggested replacing Mr. Jiang with someone else. But the problem is, who should replace him? Replacing him might not make this planet any better. In my opinion, this planet is developing quite well. Based on my twenty years of experience, Jiang Ye Star has a high probability of becoming prosperous, and everyone will live a better life."
"Moreover, Mr. Jiang is likely not a tyrant. If a tyrant ruled this planet, we wouldn't be able to sit here and complain about him. A few soldiers would block the doors, and five minutes of machine-gun fire would wipe us all out. That's a tyrant. Such events are endless in history, and many planets are still experiencing them today. I have experienced them personally."
"A planet not far from here, Har Star. The governor of Har Star has never launched a massacre like the bombing incident, but I can say without reservation that, in comparison, the governor of Har Star is more like a tyrant."
"On Har Star, the entire population is religious. The governor of Har Star is an envoy sent by the true God to the human world. Anyone who does not believe in the religion cannot live, they are cut off from water and electricity, lose their jobs, are ostracized by their neighbors, and cannot find a spouse. Believers wake up every morning to sing songs expressing their devotion to the governor of Har Star, and before sleeping every night, they must kneel nine times in the direction of the governor. No one criticizes the governor, because he is an envoy of the true God. No one criticizes the church either, because that would be blasphemy."
"I think we should at least be grateful that Mr. Jiang allows us to complain here."
Li Baofa finished reading the last page of his manuscript and bowed to the audience.
He didn't leave the stage but sat down on the sofa chair in the back, next to Wang Jian.
Wang Jian picked up the microphone and blew into it. "Thank you for your speech, Mr. Li. But I disagree on one point. If Jiang Ye knew we were speaking ill of him here, he might very well send troops to arrest us. Our activities are completely confidential, and he doesn't know about them. From my understanding of him, if he were present, the military police would quickly rush in and handcuff all of us."
Li Baofa also raised his microphone. "I reserve my opinion. I believe that even if Mr. Jiang were here, he would not resort to force against us. He is fundamentally an enlightened person; he is not a tyrant."
Wang Jian shook his head and smiled. "I also reserve my opinion."
"You don't need to reserve it, I'm right here!" a loud voice shouted.
Everyone was startled. They turned their heads at the sound and saw Jiang Ye sitting far in a corner in the back row. Every face showed terror. The Commander had actually come! When did he arrive?
The host rushed onto the stage, stumbled, and practically crawled up.
"Commander's esteemed presence at the club's exchange meeting, please give him a round of applause!" The host's hand holding the microphone was trembling, and every word was shaky. "Please invite Commander to the stage!"