Chapter 35 Reflections on the Future (II)

Anyone who has read the original book of "Overlord of the Undead" will find a little strange. The pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info that is the protagonist of the Lich King Ainz, or Satoru Suzuki, a Japanese office worker in 2138, after arriving in another world, although he worked hard to gather information to find out if there were companions in this world, he never thought much about how to return to the original world.

Because, in his future world of 2138, the living environment of ordinary people is really sad.

-- In that world, when the wheel of history rolled to the year 2138, the surface environment of the world was completely polluted, the sky was always covered in black haze, and there was very little time to see the sun. Because the fog contains highly toxic substances, ordinary humans need gas masks to go for a walk. Plants that are supposed to purify the air are also withering due to lack of sunlight, further exacerbating the rate of air pollution. The number of birds and insects that feed on plants and fruits has also plummeted, and the entire ecosystem is falling apart.

However, in addition to air pollution, water pollution is also quite serious, and all of Japan's rivers have become polluted, and pure drinking water has become a very expensive necessity. All traditional farming methods that rely on sunlight and rain are no longer sustainable, usable crops must be grown indoors without soil, prices have become extremely high, and fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood have become the preserve of the wealthy. Ordinary people can only barely survive by eating hard-to-swallow synthetic food, or even more miserably eat the contaminated crops in the wild, and then contract all kinds of strange diseases and die.

In such a world, it is a luxury for the poor to want to see the beautiful natural scenery and breathe in the pure fresh air. It's no wonder that the protagonist is so excited when he sees the pure starry sky of another world and feels the evening breeze on the grassland.

However, compared with the pollution and destruction of the natural environment, the darkness and depression within human society are even more heart-wrenching.

-- During his lifetime, Marx prophesied that the barriers of state, nation, race, religion, and language would be broken down and that "the proletarians of the whole world would unite," and this slogan was repeatedly raised in the world revolution of the following century. But in the future world of the Lich King Ainz, the barriers of nation, ethnicity, race, religion and language were indeed broken, but the result was not "the proletarians of the whole world uniting" to eliminate exploitation and develop productive forces. Rather, it is "the bourgeoisie of the whole world united", closely united and cooperative, and joined hands to oppress the proletariat of the whole world.

In that world, the big business groups broke free from the shackles of the government in an unbelievable way, that is, through international cooperation, they joined forces to eliminate all governments and patriots in the world, and the final result was that the national regular army was deposed, and the finance and taxation departments were completely finished. The alliance of transnational consortia has successfully grasped the three major powers of justice, legislation and administration in all countries, and has become the de facto ruler of the whole world.

The welfare system, which was originally guaranteed by the modern state system, also collapsed, and pensions, medical insurance, labor insurance, compulsory education and minimum wages were gone, and the living standards of the toiling masses fell directly into the nightmare era of the early industrial revolution.

Of course, where there is oppression, there is resistance, and this law will also hold true in the future world. But in the face of the possible revolt of the people at the bottom, the plutocracy that rules the world also has a trick to extract wages from the bottom of the kettle, that is, to severely restrict education, leaving the poor in a state of ignorance, and can only survive in a state of confusion, unable to think about how to resist, let alone think of a way to resist: in the nineteenth century, a group of illiterate workers or tax-resistant farmers revolted, and they could cause great losses. But in an era when the war machine was unmanned, capitalists, unfettered by any legal and moral values, could easily slaughter strikers and protesters with armed drones, and then recruit a new batch of cheap labor from the slums.

In fact, due to the popularization of automated production and artificial intelligence, the capitalists of that era did not need much labor at all, and wished that the poor would die more. Anyway, robots can take their place, and they work hard, and will never put forward conditions and rebel.

Even in the twentieth century, the peoples of the vast colonies of Asia, Africa and Latin America won the opportunity for independence and freedom because of the Europeans who fought each other and suffered excessive internal friction during the two world wars. If they were confronted with a completely unified United European and American Atlantic Empire, without division and internal strife, and without the trade-offs caused by world wars, then how hopeless would the prospects for the independence and freedom of the various other nations be!

Then, in order to prevent the poor from mastering knowledge and leaving them without books to read, the schools were naturally as few as possible, and not only was compulsory education abolished, but even the tuition fees for primary education were set extremely high. As for all kinds of private schools and training courses, they are the targets of severe crackdowns and bans, stealing knowledge in private is a felony that will lead to imprisonment, and scholarships and student loans are even more fantastical. Since everything is based on money and family status, test scores have become meaningless, and when college students receive higher education, it has become something like an aristocratic privilege. The level of education in Japan has regressed to the Edo period, and is degrading further into the Heian period. It is already difficult for civilians to go to primary school, and many more people are simply illiterate.

The reason why the Lich King Anz, who only has an elementary school education, or Satoru Suzuki, who is an office worker, does not seem stupid and his knowledge is not bad is because he has been trained in society for so many years, and there is a good player in the game guild who is a university professor, so he has learned something somewhat.

In short, the future earth of 2138 described in "The King of the Undead" is a sad era of severe destruction of the natural environment and complete solidification of social classes. The rich and powerful are drunk and dreaming of death, and the low-level civilians have no way to rise, and it is even difficult to obtain knowledge.

Because knowledge is monopolized in the hands of a very small number of people, it is impossible to talk about further research and development and innovation in science and technology, resulting in the development of science and technology basically stagnating, or even retreating instead of advancing, and the entire human civilization seems to be in a deep twilight, in a twilight of decline.

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Such a "dystopian" cruel future world scene naturally shocked everyone and made everyone feel unacceptable. In Professor Guo's eyes, this kind of future world of "corporate hollowing out of government", "national nihilism" and "the bourgeoisie of the whole world uniting" is even more terrifying to him than the "radiation wasteland" after a nuclear war!

Because, although the probability of realization is not very high, there is a real possibility that such a future world ruled by the chaebol will appear!

In the era of imperialism in the late 19th century, and until the Cold War, although human society was highly hierarchical and money-oriented, it was still possible to continuously achieve institutional and technological progress by relying on the cruel competition between countries. For example, if Britain achieves the Industrial Revolution, the ruling classes of the other European powers must follow suit as soon as possible, otherwise Britain will be defeated and destroyed. Germany has implemented compulsory education for all, and other countries must follow suit, because the illiterate army cannot defeat the new national army with knowledge. When the Soviet Union sent satellites and astronauts into space, the United States had to participate in the space race, otherwise it would be in danger of losing its hegemony in the world...... But if the whole world is unified by a bourgeois bloc, will there be international competition? Will there still be pressure to push society and technology forward?

As a matter of fact, when the world's large multinational conglomerates have achieved unified cooperation, the next priority is certainly not to develop social productive forces, but to imprison their minds forever and solidify their dominance. In this way, there is no need for such a thing as a "state" and a "nation" to exist. The regular army of the country, which can threaten the survival of the consortium, is naturally to be banned, and replaced by the thug mercenaries of the consortium. The government can no longer collect any taxes, but instead depends on the tips of the consortium to survive, so that the head of government can fully realize his deplorable status as a dog.

Since the law is set by large companies, then there is no need for labor insurance benefits or anything, there is no need to fight under the guise of equality for everyone, and it is directly stipulated that illegal privileges are given according to the amount of personal property, and there is no need to sign labor contracts, and whether large companies pay employees or not depends on their mood. There is no need to do the fig leaf of freedom and democracy anymore, because the competition between countries no longer exists, and the people can just be cattle and horses for the chaebol lords in a mess, and do not think about human rights and welfare. In order to prevent social changes, there is no need for science and technology to progress anymore, even the existing science and technology have to be made into a form of cheats and the like, and only a part of the selected henchmen and cronies are allowed to grasp it, and it is a crime for ordinary people to dare to learn secretly!

Due to the retrogression of science and technology and environmental pollution, there is not enough energy, and the land cannot support more people, and the solution of the chaebols is not how to develop the productive forces, but to let some people die. If they are left without work and food, hunger and disease will soon break out, and the surplus population will be wiped out. If you really don't want to die, you can also steal and rob and burn it, but you are only allowed to kill other people, and you must not offend the rich city where the old man lives. If someone really starts a revolutionary uprising, then it doesn't matter, the progress of science and technology makes it more difficult for the poor to resist, as long as a small number of mercenaries, armed drones and combat robots are dispatched, and a bloody massacre will solve all problems.

In short, in that dystopian future, the barriers between nation, ethnicity, race, language, and religion were indeed eliminated, but in the form that Marxists least wanted to see—the original civilization could not only evolve, but also degenerate. The contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie remains in the whole of human society, and the bourgeoisie, relying on its hereditary monopoly of knowledge and education, is forever above the slave-like ignorant masses.

In this way, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie were thoroughly divided into two groups, not only in wealth but also in blood. The bourgeoisie is born noble. The son of a rich man will always be a rich man, the son of a white-collar worker will always be a white-collar worker, but the son of a worker may not be a worker, but may become a beggar. Only the descendants of the powerful have access to formal education, and then arrogantly despise the stupid untouchables, and do their best to block knowledge so that they are forever ignorant.

“…… In the science fiction works I have read, there are countless tragic and cruel futures, such as nuclear war wasteland, zombie apocalypse, alien invasions, robot riots, and everything else. But I just use them as eye-catching backdrops, and the amazement is gone. However, the future world of 2138 described in "The King of the Undead" in "Overlord" made me feel creepy! ”

Political Commissar Guo, a veteran Marxist, sighed with a melancholy face while smoking a cigarette, "...... Because our world is really moving in that direction. For example, the TPP agreement led by the United States is an attempt to put international agreements above sovereign states, deprive countries of their judicial and legislative powers, and establish a supranational system that overwhelms governments. And the anti-intellectualism in the United States and Britain in recent years, as well as the sheep-herding public education, have created a bunch of middle school and college students who can't even multiply, and it seems that there are also deliberate intentions to keep the people stupid. And we are still being fooled into learning from these bad experiences of the West, saying all day long that we want to reduce the burden on students, and I really don't know what will happen in the end......

Alas, the face of the ruling stratum of the capitalist countries has not changed since ancient times. If it is possible, of course, it is hoped that there will be a policy of fooling the people, so that the people will remain stupid in order to slaughter. In the past, universal education in modern times was nothing more than a last resort under the life-and-death competition between the imperialist powers. When the Cold War ends, the external pressure eases a little, and the old ways will immediately relapse, and there will be no motivation without pressure! All kinds of anti-intellectualism and happy education are coming, as long as private schools still maintain cramming education.

In this way, the children of rich families and the children of poor families have opened a world of difference at the starting line of education...... Today's public education in the United States only makes it impossible for those students to write a fluent essay or do slightly more complex arithmetic problems. If this trend continues to degenerate from anti-intellectualism, it is not surprising that by the year 2138, the global capitalist society will really become a situation in which ordinary people are generally illiterate, primary school students become high-level intellectuals, and universities become the patents of the children of the powerful......

“…… I think...... It shouldn't have come to this, right? Wang Qiu thought for a while and said, "...... I remember you said in class that no matter what the system and culture are, it is ultimately the people, or the industrialized population, that determine the future of an industrialized society. Whether in Europe, the United States, the Soviet Union, China and Japan, or any industrial society, the number of industrial population not only directly determines the size of the industrial economy, but also closely related to the complexity of the industrial system, or the degree of advancement. The development trend of modern industry is that the division of labor is becoming more and more detailed, the products are becoming more and more complex, and there are more and more basic accessories. Even the birth of automated assembly lines to replace manual labor will only accelerate this development.

Modern industry in the 21st century is a very large system, which cannot be supported by an industrial population of hundreds of millions. Even in countries with tens of millions of people, which can only focus on one or two industrial sectors, even if artificial intelligence and robotic automation lines can be used to replace labor, it will also require a huge number of skilled workers and programmers to produce all kinds of robots and write all kinds of programs.

If the future bourgeois elite were really so mad as to deliberately degenerate the vast majority of the population into illiteracy, how would their industrial system be maintained? Are they willing to say goodbye to luxury cars and yachts and live in a medieval feudal castle again? ”

“…… Hehe, so you still remember my class! Yes, in the middle of the twentieth century, a complete industrial system already needed to be composed of tens of millions of basic industrial parts, and Britain and France, which were not populated enough, had difficulty maintaining a complete industrial system, so they were overtaken by the United States, the Soviet Union and Japan, which had more populations. Next, China, with its larger population, succeeded in becoming the world's factory after universal education. And those small countries can only use 'Made in China'...... However, there is an implicit premise in my argument, which is that it is a living, constantly upgrading industrial system that adapts to modern competition. But on the flip side, what if this is a dead, generational industrial system that doesn't require any evolution? Or something like 'Cult of the Mechanics'? Political Commissar Guo smiled, and then changed his words and said.

“…… In such a world, a limited number of monopolistic chaebols dominate all industries, even the government. They no longer seek wealth, but eternal supremacy. Without the pressure of competition, there is no longer a need for scientific and technological progress. The emergence of new technologies will instead shake their hegemonic system. Even environmental pressures can be addressed by relying on famine, plague and massacres, regularly exterminating a group of people.

In this way, without any innovation or improvement, the capitalists of the future can maintain the operation of an industrial system with very few engineers and skilled workers. The same style of machine can be used for a hundred or even a thousand years, and there will not be a single hair change. The same goes for the goods produced, which will never change from generation to generation. It is enough for the front-line operator to start the production line according to the instructions, and there is no need or permission to learn more. Even engineers who repair and maintain equipment only need to follow the manuals and not know why, without any improvements, no need to understand how the machine works, and no real science to understand.

As for the core materials concerning scientific principles and so on, the ruling class can lock them in a safe as a special secret book that only their children and grandchildren are allowed to read, so that they can sit forever and enjoy the monopoly dividends, and limit the knowledge in the minds of the laborers to a minimum - in any case, science and technology have stopped being updated, and technical data will not be eliminated even if they are buried in the cellar for a hundred years.

In this way, under the condition of global unity and no international competition, since there is no need to consider the development and progress of science and technology at all, and even the slow degradation of science and technology can be tolerated -- as long as it does not degenerate too quickly and make it unbearable for the elites, then the ruling stratum of capitalist society can completely snuff out the light of civilization in human society little by little, and establish a solid caste system like India...... Of course, it may not be easy for the future society to really fall to such a dark and desperate state. But for us, it's a potential danger......"

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Listening to Political Commissar Guo's worries and sighs, Wang Qiu couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

As a former reincarnation of infinite space who had struggled on the brink of life and death many times, he was really not used to thinking about such a big issue involving the future fate of all mankind, and he never thought that he was a sage and philosopher who needed to consider such a problem.

In Wang Qiu's view, as the saying goes, if you are not in your position, you will not seek your government. For example, the future fate of human civilization and the future prospects of national society, what does it have to do with such a heavy topic? It was not easy for him to save his life in the thrilling adventures one after another.

Wang Qiu knows very well that in terms of personality, he has never been a natural leader who is selfless and charismatic, but just a very mediocre layman: selfish, selfish, unwilling to contribute, and always finds all kinds of excuses to be lazy and not participate in group activities.

In campus life, although it is difficult to wander the fringes of various small groups and strive to make friends, in fact, there are few close friends to make friends with. On the surface, it seems that a good student who is cautious can win the love of adults, but when he is secretly rebellious, he always thinks of all kinds of dark and even perverted dirty ideas in his heart, but he does not have the courage to put them into action.

In short, he is such a mediocre person who occasionally takes risks when he is forced to do so, but in general lacks fighting spirit and dreams. He has always lacked long-term planning, is unwilling to think about things that are too far away, and has no firm belief and indomitable will.

――If you don't count the cruel tests that have survived the infinite space, it can be called a survival instinct as hard as stone.

Therefore, for the above-mentioned heavy topics mentioned by Political Commissar Guo, Wang Qiu immediately felt uncomfortable. It's not that I don't understand the implications, but I always feel that in today's tense situation, it seems that I don't have the heart to think about such a distant thing.

So, after a few casual rambles, he quickly diverted the topic:

“…… Professor Guo, at present, [Fortress City Ye. The Destruction of Lantil] This copy of easy scoring is basically over. If we want to make a lot of money, we should gnaw hard bones - just now, we have already found traces of the target, and we are about to start the operation. But why haven't the elite masters of online games that the central government said they would prepare for us have come yet? ”

“…… Oh, that group of people has already been gathered, and they are all top online game masters who have participated in competitions and won awards from colleges and universities across the country. At present, they have all completed seven days and seven nights of intensive cooperation training, and now they are resting next door...... I'm going to let them in......"

Then, in another world, is in the fortress of the city yes. In the wilderness north of Lantil, the Lich King Ainz was surprised to learn from the undead in the city, and at the same time instructed his men to contain and watch over the surviving refugees.

“…… What the? In Yay. On the outskirts south of Lantier, another group of armed men under the banner of the Slenist Sect was found? Hell yes! These haunted guys! Could it be that this undead catastrophe has something to do with them? And then, you're going to kill it directly? That's too reckless, isn't it? ”

“…… I don't think this is reckless, Mr. Ainzi, since the last battle in Karn, we have been enemies of the Slen Cult. Of course, these guys do have a bit of their own, and even if we are full-level players, it is still difficult to defeat them empty-handed. ”

Wang Qiu, who had turned into a tabby cat mage, replied with a smile, "...... So, can you fund a few of our boosters? ”

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ps: Due to the poor response from readers, the progress of this volume is expected to be greatly accelerated, and the next volume is planned to write about the Marvel world, dealing with strong people such as Iron Man, Thor, and S.H.I.E.L.D., which also makes the protagonist experience the helplessness of being crushed after suffering the depression of this volume. It is necessary to make scientific and technological progress. The emergence of new technologies will instead shake their hegemonic system. Even environmental pressures can be addressed by relying on famine, plague and massacres, regularly exterminating a group of people.

In this way, without any innovation or improvement, the capitalists of the future can maintain the operation of an industrial system with very few engineers and skilled workers. The same style of machine can be used for a hundred or even a thousand years, and there will not be a single hair change. The same goes for the goods produced, which will never change from generation to generation. It is enough for the front-line operator to start the production line according to the instructions, and there is no need or permission to learn more. Even engineers who repair and maintain equipment only need to follow the manuals and not know why, without any improvements, no need to understand how the machine works, and no real science to understand.

As for the core materials concerning scientific principles and so on, the ruling class can lock them in a safe as a special secret book that only their children and grandchildren are allowed to read, so that they can sit forever and enjoy the monopoly dividends, and limit the knowledge in the minds of the laborers to a minimum - in any case, science and technology have stopped being updated, and technical data will not be eliminated even if they are buried in the cellar for a hundred years.

In this way, under the condition of global unity and no international competition, since there is no need to consider the development and progress of science and technology at all, and even the slow degradation of science and technology can be tolerated -- as long as it does not degenerate too quickly and make it unbearable for the elites, then the ruling stratum of capitalist society can completely snuff out the light of civilization in human society little by little, and establish a solid caste system like India...... Of course, it may not be easy for the future society to really fall to such a dark and desperate state. But for us, it's a potential danger......"

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Listening to Political Commissar Guo's worries and sighs, Wang Qiu couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

As a former reincarnation of infinite space who had struggled on the brink of life and death many times, he was really not used to thinking about such a big issue involving the future fate of all mankind, and he never thought that he was a sage and philosopher who needed to consider such a problem.

In Wang Qiu's view, as the saying goes, if you are not in your position, you will not seek your government. For example, the future fate of human civilization and the future prospects of national society, what does it have to do with such a heavy topic? It was not easy for him to save his life in the thrilling adventures one after another.

Wang Qiu knows very well that in terms of personality, he has never been a natural leader who is selfless and charismatic, but just a very mediocre layman: selfish, selfish, unwilling to contribute, and always finds all kinds of excuses to be lazy and not participate in group activities.

In campus life, although it is difficult to wander the fringes of various small groups and strive to make friends, in fact, there are few close friends to make friends with. On the surface, it seems that a good student who is cautious can win the love of adults, but when he is secretly rebellious, he always thinks of all kinds of dark and even perverted dirty ideas in his heart, but he does not have the courage to put them into action.

In short, he is such a mediocre person who occasionally takes risks when he is forced to do so, but in general lacks fighting spirit and dreams. He has always lacked long-term planning, is unwilling to think about things that are too far away, and has no firm belief and indomitable will.

――If you don't count the cruel tests that have survived the infinite space, it can be called a survival instinct as hard as stone.

Therefore, for the above-mentioned heavy topics mentioned by Political Commissar Guo, Wang Qiu immediately felt uncomfortable. It's not that I don't understand the implications, but I always feel that in today's tense situation, it seems that I don't have the heart to think about such a distant thing.

So, after a few casual rambles, he quickly diverted the topic:

“…… Professor Guo, at present, [Fortress City Ye. The Destruction of Lantil] This copy of easy scoring is basically over. If we want to make a lot of money, we should gnaw hard bones - just now, we have already found traces of the target, and we are about to start the operation. But why haven't the elite masters of online games that the central government said they would prepare for us have come yet? ”

“…… Oh, that group of people has already been gathered, and they are all top online game masters who have participated in competitions and won awards from colleges and universities across the country. At present, they have all completed seven days and seven nights of intensive cooperation training, and now they are resting next door...... I'm going to let them in......"

Then, in another world, is in the fortress of the city yes. In the wilderness north of Lantil, the Lich King Ainz was surprised to learn from the undead in the city, and at the same time instructed his men to contain and watch over the surviving refugees.

“…… What the? In Yay. On the outskirts south of Lantier, another group of armed men under the banner of the Slenist Sect was found? Hell yes! These haunted guys! Could it be that this undead catastrophe has something to do with them? And then, you're going to kill it directly? That's too reckless, isn't it? ”

“…… I don't think this is reckless, Mr. Ainzi, since the last battle in Karn, we have been enemies of the Slen Cult. Of course, these guys do have a bit of their own, and even if we are full-level players, it is still difficult to defeat them empty-handed. ”

Wang Qiu, who had turned into a tabby cat mage, replied with a smile, "...... So, can you fund a few of our boosters? ”

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

ps: Due to the poor response from readers, the progress of this volume is expected to be greatly accelerated, and the next volume is planned to write about the Marvel world, dealing with strong people such as Iron Man, Thor, and S.H.I.E.L.D., which also makes the protagonist experience the helplessness of being crushed after suffering the depression of this volume.