"Chairman, I don't want to discuss the future anymore. It's not that I'm unwilling to serve the country, but I have decided that once this war is over, I will resign. So, I don't want you to have unrealistic expectations of me," Wu Youping said.

He Rui felt as if his heart had been constricted by a thin wire, a sharp pain throbbing in his chest. Looking at Wu Youping, he saw that this old comrade-in-arms, nearing fifty, had graying hair. Although he didn't have many wrinkles, his exhaustion could not be concealed. From 1915 to the present, Wu Youping had been working for twenty-seven years. "Working day and night" was not a figure of speech for him, but a literal description of his life.

Wu Youping's life was representative of the comrades who had thrown themselves into the revolutionary cause in the early days. Their monthly work and study time started at 360 hours, with 400 hours being the norm. In extreme circumstances, such as during the war between the Northeast Government and Japan, working 480 hours a month—sixteen hours a day—was standard for this group of comrades.

He Rui was no exception. Back then, he slept less than six hours a day. It was to the point that after the war with Japan ended, when he finally relaxed and went for a bath, he almost drowned in the shallow pool because he fell asleep.

For the construction of the nation, this generation had sacrificed too much. As the pain in He Rui's heart faded, a sense of guilt welled up. These comrades were like sugarcane being repeatedly crushed in a press, every last drop of their energy squeezed out. Wu Youping's intention to retire was completely reasonable.

However, He Rui was still reluctant to let him go. He sighed, "Youping, you could take on a lighter workload."

Wu Youping shook his head decisively. "Either I do it, or I don't. Doing 'a little less' doesn't count for anything."

"...Do you feel that the changes in the era are too cruel? That everything we've just built will have to be abandoned in the blink of an eye?" He Rui probed, trying to persuade him.

Wu Youping shook his head again. "I spoke with Mr. Zhou Shuren about life. He said his only wish was to decay quickly after death. At the time, I thought it was just the affectation of a literary man. But looking at it now, if the tools we constructed are indeed abandoned quickly because they cannot keep up with the development of the era, that would actually be our glory."

He Rui couldn't help but interrupt. "I agree with everything else you said. But Mr. Zhou, precisely because he doesn't understand industry, does indeed have some of that literary affectation."

Wu Youping smiled. "That's not important... but thank you for the compliment, Chairman. In terms of social development, I can no longer be bothered to worry about the 'me of the past' being negated by the 'me of the present.' I simply don't have the energy to continue. As for your views on social screening, I completely agree. However, when I think about the opposition between fairness and equality in social development, and the impossibility of achieving both efficiency and fairness in economic development, I feel quite distressed.

"Unless we reach the stage of immense development in social productivity described by Marx, there seems to be absolutely no other solution. I feel that perhaps we can only wait for the socialist pricing model being studied by Comrade Li Runshi and others to achieve a real breakthrough before this problem can be solved."

He Rui naturally fell into thought upon hearing this. Hearing Wu Youping raise such issues, he couldn't help but shake his head. "This touches upon another level of the definition of the state. Is the state a tool for the dominant class to exercise class rule, or is it a tool to provide services to society? This involves the definition of humanity itself."

Seeing He Rui's gaze brighten, Wu Youping felt moved. He advised, "Chairman, I am completely replaceable, but you are not. Please take care of your health. The new Premier will still have to work under your leadership, and you will need to expend a great deal of effort communicating with them. I will simply wait to see the results of everyone's research."

He Rui chuckled at this, but a moment later, a sour sensation rushed up his nose, and tears almost fell. Over the past two years, He Rui had clearly felt his body aging. This aging wasn't a loss of spirit—he could still maintain his previous intensity of work—but his body could no longer support heavy workloads as willfully as it did when he was young. Moreover, his body no longer felt the same joy upon completing a difficult task.

To work himself to death like this... it was truly a bit pitiful. But He Rui knew he had to work until he died; it was the necessity and demand of the era. Aside from Churchill—that fellow whose head was full of restoring Victorian glory and who rose and fell repeatedly—every statesman in history who distinguished themselves in World War II died at their post.

Stalin, the Great Ancestor, Roosevelt. When reading *The Glory and the Dream*, he recalled that when Roosevelt died during his fourth term, the American newspapers published his obituary. That obituary was listed first on the list of war dead for that day: "Franklin Roosevelt, Place of Death: The White House."

Among the leaders of the defeated Fascist bloc, Mussolini and the Japanese wastes were too incompetent to even earn the right to die at their posts. The only one considered the true leader of the Fascist bloc, the little mustache Hitler, also died at his post.

In this era, having a strong leader capable of controlling the state apparatus was one of a nation's core combat capabilities. It wasn't that He Rui didn't dream of retiring in a beautiful era, watching the great nation he had built flourish among the mountains and rivers. It was that he knew he had no other choice in this era. Working until death was the only correct path for him.

Since he had already seen his future, He Rui put away his emotions and turned back to work. "What is your view on Comrade Li Runshi?"

Hearing this question, Wu Youping felt physically and mentally relieved. "I think he is a comrade full of promise. His breadth of mind, ambition, and work ability are all impeccable. Comrade Li Runshi's physical constitution far exceeds ours; having such a comrade is a blessing for the nation. However, how do you intend to use him? I don't think the position of Premier suits him."

He Rui knew that the core circle of the Civilization Party basically supported Li Runshi. Those with doubts weren't opposing him, but rather didn't know how to handle the relationship between He Rui and Li Runshi. As Wu Youping said, everyone believed Li Runshi was not suited for a subordinate role; in a true leadership position, he could unleash his maximum potential. But China only had one true leader, and the Party core didn't think He Rui should leave his post.

"I see it the same way. A World Government will certainly be established in the future. My idea is to hand over domestic work to Comrade Li Runshi, while I take on work in the World Government. Of course, if Comrade Li Runshi is willing to take on work in the future World Government, I would be very happy to swap fields with him," He Rui explained his arrangement. China could not adopt the backward model of the Soviet Union controlling the Third International. Since a World Government was being built, it absolutely could not be a tool of China. China would be just one member of the World Government, not its controller.

Wu Youping thought for a moment and nodded. "That is good."

After speaking, Wu Youping looked to He Rui's side. He Rui followed his gaze and saw his daughter, He Neyan, with her hand on a book, asleep leaning against him. Wu Youping smiled. "Chairman, I will take my leave."

"Mn." He Rui moved the book away from his daughter and gently picked her up. He Neyan didn't wake up in her father's arms; it seemed the little girl was very tired from the journey. Holding his daughter, He Rui walked Wu Youping to the door. "Youping, work must be done, but pay attention to your health."

Wu Youping laughed. "Haha, if my body really can't hold up, I'll immediately submit a report to the Politburo. Right now, I just can't make any progress, and my body is failing. Once the war is over, let younger comrades take over. Only then can I be at ease."

He Rui didn't ask for Wu Youping's opinion on a successor for Premier. The successor to a national leader was a political choice, open to discussion and communication within the Politburo. But the Premier of the State Council was an extremely professional position with huge, hard standards. Management philosophy, methods, experience, and achievements were the conditions for entering the selection process. While personal judgment had significant influence, it was not decisive. He Rui couldn't ask Wu Youping about this, at least not at this stage.

At 8:00 PM that evening, Li Runshi, having received the notification, arrived at 7 Renmin Road, the Official Residence of the State Chairman. After discussing the international situation with Li Runshi, He Rui asked, "Comrade Runshi, in the second phase of the currency revolution, it is highly likely that the vast majority of the masses will pass the second social screening. But the third social screening requires guidance from more advanced theory. We cannot be sure when a new technological revolution will erupt. If a new technological explosion occurs before the third social screening, or during this natural process, everything will be easy. If it doesn't, a massive contradiction between equality and fairness will inevitably arise."

Hearing that He Rui wanted to discuss this, Li Runshi unconsciously took out a cigarette. He Rui did the same. Old smokers might not necessarily love smoking itself, but when engaging in mental activity, they unconsciously needed nicotine to stimulate their blood vessels.

The human brain's volume and weight are a low proportion of the body, but it consumes 20% of the body's energy. During intense mental activity, consumption is even higher. Although nicotine is harmful to the body, it makes the body feel a bit better while bearing the huge burden of intense mental work.

Amidst clouds of smoke, Li Runshi said with some emotion, "Ever since I embraced communism, I always thought it would be a long process. Back then, I never imagined it would be possible to assess social costs so efficiently and profoundly, thereby allowing the state to provide effective services to society. This makes me agree very much with the concept of socialism with characteristics."

He Rui nodded repeatedly. In his youth, when his thinking was still binary, He Rui had been very dismissive of "characteristics," believing there should be an ideal state deeper and closer to the truth. Later, as he learned and understood more knowledge and theory, He Rui had to admit that if judgment wasn't clouded by morality and private virtue, the theories made public were not lies based on malice.

The Soviet Union's natural environment determined that, given the same resource supply, its light industry simply couldn't win against subtropical regions. In the hot and humid environment of Upper Burma, the cost of heavy industry was naturally much higher than in the Soviet Union. Therefore, the Soviet Union had Soviet-style socialism, Upper Burma had Upper Burma-style socialism, and China would have socialism with Chinese characteristics. Every country would have a unique model best suited to itself. As long as one thought based on materialist dialectics, this was an inevitability.

To believe there is a single model that transcends all natural environments is inherently non-materialist. If such a truth really exists, we'll have to wait until humanity transcends the current three-dimensional world concept, which only exists in hypothesis, and enters a higher level of worldly cognition.

If human development really enters such a new era, the "humans" of that time probably wouldn't count as the same species as current humans.

He Rui knew he definitely wouldn't live to see that day, so the discussion naturally confined itself to current human society.

Li Runshi continued, "As long as knowledge is constantly popularized and productivity constantly develops, the masses' opposition to privilege will become clearer and more intense. The people of Europe and America have been resisting capitalists for longer than we have. But as privilege is greatly curbed, the contradiction between fairness and equality becomes the biggest problem. Unless productivity develops to a certain level, the state cannot afford the cost of solving the contradiction between fairness and equality. I believe we should still prioritize solving the problem of equality. If we can't solve it, I'm afraid the majority of the masses won't be able to pass the third screening."

He Rui knew Li Runshi would definitely support equality over fairness, so he asked, "The fairer it is, the more unequal it becomes. The more equal it is, the more unfair it becomes. This dialectic has existed since ancient times. What I care about is the people's acceptance, and what proportion of the people can consciously resolve this developmental contradiction by transforming themselves."

"The Chairman seems very pessimistic?" Li Runshi asked, his expression calm.

Seeing Li Runshi's attitude so firm, He Rui waved his hand. "I'm not pessimistic. I just think that the human body actually resists such trends. In Marxist theory, because the level of productivity was relatively low at the time, to explain problems, there was a tendency to assume every person is a rational actor. From the perspective of solving concrete problems, irrationality is the human norm. At this stage, the human body does not inherit rationality; rationality, or correct thinking, is acquired through postnatal learning, practice, and reflection. What I am prioritizing now is where the cost to solve the problem comes from. Even if we have the resources to pay the cost, we have to consider if the efficiency is high enough, and whether we can maximize efficiency."

Li Runshi did not oppose He Rui's view. In an environment where privilege was greatly curbed, humans competing entirely on equality would naturally produce winners and losers. And after the winners received the rewards of victory and accumulated experience through correct practice, they would become stronger and more likely to win the next time.

Analyzing from the reality of human genetic diversity, the fields in which each person excels are different. Because resources are insufficient, it is impossible for everyone to receive optimal training tailored to them individually. Everyone is on the same track. Because of individual characteristics and each person's unique life experiences, absolute fairness will inevitably lead to absolute inequality.

For example, the huge gap in income is just one manifestation of the inequality brought about by this fairness.

Conversely, given insufficient social resources, pursuing absolute equality necessitates making those who create more wealth through their personal ability pay more. It might even require restricting or striking blows against those who are outstanding. Therefore, absolute equality inevitably creates absolute unfairness.

The function of the state as a tool is to adjust policies in different periods according to different economic conditions, constantly making trade-offs between fairness and equality to maintain the maximization of overall social interests in the current situation.

Marxism believes that the communist system will develop to the point where everyone receives sufficient resources for personal development. Under previous conditions of low productivity, this factually vague statement couldn't be nitpicked because it was sufficiently distant.

Marxism believes that a person is the sum of all social relations. If an era of abundant social resources really arrives, a paradox exists. Why would a person want to establish subjective relationships with society?