Chapter 92: A Chat with the Philosophical Driver
"Interests." He simply spoke two words.
The people from the Dao Academy came here almost exclusively for that astronomical five percent reward. No one here was a fool; getting a head start meant staying ahead, and only with more resources could they maintain their current advantage.
"I will wait for you all for half a day, until seven o'clock this evening, Italian time."
Bai Mo hung up the phone after speaking, then quickly packed his luggage and set off for Shaowofu.
With panic spreading everywhere after the disaster, it took him a considerable effort to find a driver willing to undertake a long-distance fare at such a time.
Shaowofu was several hundred kilometers away from here, and walking there on his own would be a severe test of stamina.
Along the way, ruins and shattered walls were occasionally visible, as were patrolling soldiers. After its capital was destroyed by the sudden disaster, Italy swiftly entered a state of national emergency.
"Rome is in that state, and the surrounding areas were hit by a tsunami. Haven't things descended into chaos here?" Bai Mo struck up a conversation with the driver, feigning normalcy.
"Some who saw the news thought a nuclear war was about to break out and frantically raided supermarkets, while my neighbors, convinced it was the end of the world, just piled into their car with their whole family, old and young, and fled to the Alps. They figured the apocalyptic flood probably wouldn't reach there."
"Of course there was, but before the police even had a chance to act, they were immediately suppressed by our 'Second Government.'"
"Second Government? You mean the Black Hand Gang?" Bai Mo pressed further.
"Exactly, who else could be Italy's Second Government but them?" the driver chuckled, continuing to tease.
"If society falls into chaos, who will they collect protection money from? Who will loan sharks demand money from? How many people can you feed just by robbing? The Black Hand Gang needs to eat too."
"Protection money makes sense, but loan sharking seems a bit far-fetched."
The driver gave a dry laugh, trying to cover up the awkwardness of his boast falling flat.
"The Black Hand Gang is also pushing their own kind of order. If it truly became a wasteland, with people completely isolated from each other like islands, then, among other things, the addicts who've lost their drug supply alone would explode. Sicily, after all, isn't a place for growing poppies!"
"But those guys with half their brains eaten away by drugs probably wouldn't think that far," Bai Mo joked.
"Of course, they don't have the mental capacity to think that far ahead; they'd rather spend their time figuring out where to get some money for another hit. But the godfathers who control the distribution network are different. Their enormous profits are built upon society still functioning effectively. As vested interests, they naturally do everything in their power to maintain order—at least, superficial order."
"You don't sound like an ordinary driver."
"I'm a Philosophy PhD from the Florence Academy, specializing in political philosophy. But my wife says I just spout useless nonsense all day and don't make any money, so my side job became driving."
Bai Mo simply smiled again, offering no comment.
"Sir, our situation in Italy is rather unique. I wonder what it's like where you're from."
"From what I've seen on TV, it seems fine, just a few chaotic regions."
"Understandable. Ambitious people are everywhere, but it seems they've chosen the wrong timing."
"What do you mean?"
"An hour ago, I saw something online: a war correspondent uploaded a video to Youku, filmed at great personal risk. It showed the Russian army, in order to quickly eliminate the Chechen forces that had once again stirred up rebellion within their borders, directly dropping multiple nuclear bombs on areas where the guerrillas were entrenched, blasting both the rebels and their supporters to kingdom come. Truly a bunch of savage polar bears."
"However, despite this insane act, it didn't provoke strong condemnation from the international community, just some lukewarm accusations," the driver added.
"All countries are pouring their full efforts into disaster relief and stabilizing their domestic situations; who has time to bother with foreign affairs? Millions of their own people have died; a few hundred thousand more outsiders dying is just another number. Ultimately, no matter how many die, if they're not their own, it doesn't really matter. Truly worthy of the Combat Nation, seizing the moment when all countries are busy dealing with disasters to utterly uproot the rebels who've been a nuisance for years," Bai Mo couldn't help but think.
"Thank you for being willing to spend time talking with me. Everyone around here knows my personality; once I start talking about current affairs, I can't stop, and I feel awkward always badgering them. Foreign tourists rarely strike up conversations with drivers like you do."
Bai Mo suddenly realized he didn't know what to say, so he simply maintained his smile.
The driver continued to chatter away: "The world is changing. The appearance of Spirit Qi has completely altered the political trajectory of this world. As long as the power disparity between individuals continues to widen, the future will inevitably belong to the strongest dictator. Moreover, this kind of dictatorship will be even more stable; as long as the strongest individual doesn't die, and still possesses the power to suppress everyone, then their regime will remain impregnable, and the possibility of a coup will become very low."
"That suddenly reminds me of a quote from Cicero: 'The strong do as they will, and the weak suffer what they must.'"
The driver's laments seemed endless, but Bai Mo wasn't impatient. Instead, he admired the passing scenery while listening to the man's words.
"Do you think strongman dictatorship is good?" Bai Mo asked the driver, who was pointing out the state of affairs with a scholarly air.
"You can't generalize about systems; the complexity of human nature leads to the complexity of analysis. Some people intend to establish an ideal nation in their minds, wanting everyone to live according to what they deem good. But then the problem arises: what if the 'good' actions in the eyes of the strong are seen as bad by others?"
"For example, if he believes everyone should have the same values, outlook on life, and worldview, so that contradictions between people naturally disappear, and then he forcefully brainwashes and promotes this system, what then?"
"Philosophers truly think differently from us." Bai Mo didn't directly answer his question, but silently noted this unusual philosophical driver in his mind.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Di Ge La Su." It was only then that the two men, whose ways of thinking diverged so greatly from the ordinary, realized they had been chatting for so long without knowing each other's names.
"Bai Mo. And your name reminds me of Socrates."
"Many people say that. Perhaps that's part of the reason I pursued a Philosophy PhD."
"One question."
"Go ahead."
"Are you an Ability User?"
"Yes, but it's a rather useless ability. In my eyes, people with different emotions emit different colored lights. Angry people emit red, scared people emit blue, regretful people emit purple... The deeper the color, the stronger the corresponding emotion. But almost everyone's emotions are mixed colors, and distinguishing them one by one is too exhausting." Di Ge La Su spoke of his ability to Bai Mo without any reservation.
"Then, what color am I right now?" Bai Mo asked curiously.
"That's strange, I can't see any color on you. In my eyes, you're just an ordinary person."
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