Chapter 173: Speculation
"Oh my God, what is that?"
The pilot of a fighter jet let out a startled exclamation as he narrowly avoided colliding with Chang Wei.
"What?"
The air force command center, hearing the pilot's report, was puzzled.
The radar couldn't detect Chang Wei, so as far as they were concerned, nothing was happening on the front lines.
"Central, this is 'Dust 52.' There is an unidentified flying object on my left. I don't know how to describe it. Over!"
"Dust 52, this is Central. We have no unidentified flying objects on radar. Over!"
"Central, Central, this is Dust 52! Please confirm! I have a visual on an unidentified flying object approaching the monster. Over!"
The air force command center initiated a confirmation process. This time, they deployed satellites and prepared to send out reconnaissance drones.
Then they saw it.
"My God… is that a demon?"
In fact, Monarch had already seen it first via satellite.
"What is that?"
"A human?"
"How could a human surpass the speed of an F-18 with just a pair of flesh-and-blood wings?!"
"But if it's not human, then… is it a demon or a devil?"
The entire Monarch organization was in an uproar.
Monarch was a joint international organization established to deal with Titan behemoths. Humanity had long felt the threat of these creatures, and their most powerful weapon—nuclear bombs—had proven ineffective. In some cases, they had even served as food for the Titans.
Chang Wei's appearance naturally led to speculation, especially among Westerners, whose religious beliefs had been shaped and unified by monotheism.
Though they couldn't understand why this "demonic" figure had the face of an Asian man.
At his speed, Chang Wei could have easily avoided detection, crushed Rodan with a single slap, and vanished. But he was here for fun.
So, of course, the spectacle had to be as grand as possible.
Rodan let out a screech, spotting the tiny creature that had flown into its face. Chang Wei, in turn, gave it a friendly punch to the forehead.
"BOOM!!!"
A terrifying white shockwave exploded from Rodan's head. The fighter jets nearby were instantly caught in the blast, their alloy armor shredded into pieces, their engines damaged and spewing thick smoke.
"SKREEE!!"
Rodan let out a pained cry as it plummeted to the ground, smashing into the earth and carving out a massive crater—while simultaneously flattening the city below.
If Aihara Ryu were here, he'd probably be yelling, "Look at what you're protecting!"
But what could they do? Right now, Chang Wei looked like a demon.
The Monarch organization, along with everyone watching via satellite, collectively dropped their jaws.
Those who hadn't personally witnessed the terror of Titan behemoths for years—who hadn't lived under their looming threat—couldn't truly comprehend their emotions at this moment.
The sight of a tiny human effortlessly defeating a Titan…
They had dreamed of this moment countless times, fantasized about it, only to wake up to the same grim reality: studying, monitoring, and fearing the Titans every single day.
The belief that humans cannot defeat Titans had been ingrained in them for over five years—perhaps even longer.
At best, humanity could exploit the Titans' battles, playing the role of the mantis stalking the cicada—except, more often than not, even that wasn't an option.
They had lived in fear of the Titans for far too long.
And now, suddenly, someone had stepped forward and knocked out a supposedly invincible Titan with a single punch. The sheer visual impact—the sheer shock—was beyond anything they had ever imagined.
Even though this person looked nothing like them, human nature made it impossible not to feel a sense of identification.
"I want to know everything about him. No matter who he is—whether he's human or Satan, a god or a demon!"
This world was strange. It had monotheistic faiths, and yet, since ancient times, Titan behemoths had existed.
Logically, early humans who had witnessed these creatures shouldn't have passed down myths featuring gods in human form.
And yet, those myths existed.
What's more, Monarch had discovered that many Titans bore striking resemblances to mythological monsters from various cultures. This had led them to meticulously collect and cross-reference mythological records, even those from China—where the sheer abundance of legends often left even native scholars confused.
If Chang Wei had left any traces in history, they were confident they could find them.
Meanwhile, Dr. Serizawa was experiencing a severe case of whiplash.
Just recently, he had proposed a plan for humanity to become Godzilla's "pets," offering nuclear waste in exchange for protection—much like the relationship between humans and bees.
The plan could work. But humanity's pride wouldn't allow it.
We clawed our way to the top of the food chain… just to become someone else's pet?
What was the point of all that effort, then?!
And now, watching the "demon" on the screen, Dr. Serizawa found himself at a loss for words.
He wasn't religious, so he considered the situation from a purely objective perspective.
And an audacious idea formed in his mind.
"What if this person isn't a god or a demon from mythology… but rather an adaptive evolutionary response that humanity developed to counter the Titans?"
His words sent shockwaves through the room.
The high-ranking officials from America had already made up their minds—Chang Wei was either a divine savior or an agent of Satan.
Previously, they had dismissed such notions. There had been no miracles to justify faith.
But now, witnessing Chang Wei's appearance and power, they were shaken to their core.
If not for Dr. Serizawa's rational voice, they might have converted on the spot.
Of course, as the saying goes, "The ones most eager to keep God in heaven are the popes themselves."
Even if they did become devout believers, that didn't mean they wouldn't turn into Judases later.
"What do you mean, Dr. Serizawa?"
Dr. Serizawa paused before answering.
"Just like in natural evolution—our ancestors descended from trees to avoid danger or seek better opportunities. Living beings develop adaptive responses to threats."
"Though the idea is absurd… evolution and environmental adaptation shouldn't be able to produce such drastic changes in such a short time. But then again, we already have the Titans, creatures that defy our understanding of biology."
"Maybe humanity really does have this kind of potential. And if that's the case… then perhaps we've finally found the answer to the mystery of why so many gods in ancient myths had human forms."
His words sent everyone's imaginations racing.
For centuries, scholars had debated why deities in myths from around the world often resembled humans—and why so many of these gods shared eerily similar characteristics.
Some attributed it to cultural diffusion. Others argued for shared archetypes or simple plagiarism.
But now… what if the truth was something else entirely?
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