Under One Person, Engage in Black Technology

Chapter 203

Upon hearing Qu Tong's words, Zheng Shuang was momentarily stunned. After blinking twice, she immediately understood her boss's meaning and said, "I understand, but..."

"If, due to unforeseen circumstances, we are truly unable to establish an opportunity to be 'one-on-one' with Brother Ma..."

Upon hearing this, Qu Tong first took a deep breath, then slowly nodded, indicating that she understood what the other person meant.

After a moment of silence, a red light flashed in her eyes, and she said, "If we can't create the environment by using all means, then let's kill him."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Shuang's expression froze again, and his eyebrows involuntarily rose, revealing a perfectly standard look of surprise. He said, "Killed? Uh... killed who?"

In fact, if a third party were present, it wouldn't be difficult to understand Qu Tong's meaning. And the "he" in Qu Tong's "kill him" naturally refers to President Qu's good younger brother—Ma Xianhong, the inheritor of the Divine Machine Hundred Refinements.

But... perhaps because they've been like plastic siblings for so many years, Ma Xianhong has started to be regarded as one of their own within the Yaoxing Society, which is why Zheng Shuang has some doubts.

Not to mention her, even Kong Shicao, who was sitting next to Qu Tong at the moment, kept glancing over after the club president said those words. But that was all. In the Yaoxing Club, nothing was more important than the club president. Even if someone understood or had doubts, it didn't mean they had to speak up.

A few seconds after asking the question in surprise, Zheng Shuang seemed to realize something belatedly, and laughed awkwardly, saying, "Uh, I see... I understand. You mean, if we can't create the environment, we should just kill Brother Ma."

However, after saying that, she asked again, "But, I mean... should we consider kidnapping Brother Ma?"

"If he's not around, the Cultivation Furnace project will probably be affected, right?"

Qu Tong shook her head, took out another cigarette, and said, "There are only two options: either you can create a space with Xian Hong so that 'I' can communicate with him, or you can only kill him."

After saying that, Qu Tong picked up the lighter on the table as if unconsciously, fiddled with it casually for a moment, and then lightly lit the cigarette.

But at this moment, she didn't smoke; instead, she just quietly watched the smoke from the cigarette lying across the table change.

Upon hearing her boss's words, Zheng Shuang's expression froze, as she had a bad feeling.

But she still said, "Okay, I understand, President."

However, Qu Tong was not a leader who didn't understand people's hearts. Seeing that her old subordinate who had followed her for more than ten years looked strange, she asked, "What's wrong? You don't look well. Are you worried about something? Or is there something else you want to ask?"

Zheng Shuang's neck and face froze, without the slightest tremor. Then, the female officer swallowed hard and said, "Uh, President, although I don't want to say it, according to the current preliminary plan, I think... there's a possibility that we'll end up fighting with Brother Ma."

"Brother Ma is also quite strong. Although his magical artifacts must have been somewhat depleted last night, the fact that he was able to win in the end means that he probably had a lot of them left over."

At this point, Zheng Shuang deliberately cleared his throat and said, "Ahem... If we can't reach an agreement, and Guan Liang can't defeat Brother Ma within three moves, it will most likely turn into a protracted battle."

"Uh, what I mean is... if we consider multiple possibilities in advance, how should we handle the 'aftermath' of each choice?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Tong rubbed her temples and gave her answer after only two breaths, saying, "If you can successfully infiltrate, just come back quietly."

"If a fight breaks out... no matter how it happens, whether it's with Anyotong or Biyou Village..."

"Either kill them all, or let Guan Liang and the others... all die."

Zheng Shuang twitched her thick eyebrows and asked somewhat speechlessly, "Then... am I the same?"

Qu Tong sighed softly and said, "If a real fight breaks out, 'I' will take over your duties. Afterwards, if you have the chance, try to escape, if you can."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. She knew about the methods Qu Tong had used on her. If she wanted to escape, then... she definitely could.

Even...it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise, creating a celebrity lookalike.
"Ok, I see."

------

Meanwhile, in the woods not that far from Biyou Village.

"die"

"You can also choose to die."

These two sentences do indeed seem rather cold and ruthless. Especially since they were directed at Chen Duo—a girl who looks like she's only in high school.

The person who spoke was the only one in that 'temporary worker' team who wasn't a temporary worker—Zhang Chulan, the True Man of the Jade Lotus.

The reason he said these words was not because he had any 'dislike' or 'hatred' for Chen Duo or for any other reason, but simply because he offered a... more targeted and customized 'choice', although it was somewhat absurd.

Yes, after their rather dramatic meeting with Chen Duo, everyone present tacitly understood what this girl, whose 'thinking' had been distorted by persecution by a cult, truly needed...

What she wanted was something very ordinary: she wanted to make a choice, or rather, the power to make a choice.

Therefore, when Chen Duo asked where she could go, everyone at Na Du Tong racked their brains to help her find a way out.

Unfortunately, there are very few options that can be called 'options'.

Even Old Meng, who cared most about Chen Duo, could only offer the option of sending Chen Duo to the company's secret bunker for further "education," which felt rather absurd, like [squeezing out the "outsourced staff" to the newly renovated office to inhale formaldehyde before firing them, in order to squeeze out any remaining value].

However… what's rather funny is that although Lao Meng reluctantly gave Chen Duo a seemingly “kind” answer like “she can go to the bunker,”...

In truth, Lao Meng himself had no idea how to get the board to accept this choice. In other words... even this kind of 'tragic' choice, barely enough to survive, was actually very difficult to achieve, with a very low success rate.

The ironic thing is that even this compromise was the only option they could come up with for Chen Duo.

Therefore, at his wits' end, Lao Meng wanted to ask his smart teammates for advice, but after waiting for more than ten minutes, no one could come up with any insights, and he could only stand there with a stiff face.

Only Zhang Chulan, who was not a 'temporary worker', offered an answer in this moment of utter silence: [Chen Duo can die].

While the answer had a touch of dark humor and a hint of prank, it was undeniably reasonable. For Chen Duo, it was indeed a choice, far better than pursuing further studies in the hidden bunker without Lao Liao. However… it must be said that the answer was still too hurtful, giving off a sense of discarding someone after they've served their purpose.

Perhaps due to his cold-bloodedness, Old Meng's kind, middle-aged face flushed crimson with anger as he exclaimed, "Zhang Chulan! What nonsense are you spouting? You! You... how could you..."

Perhaps it was anger at those words and that choice that made Old Meng's voice tremble as he walked towards Zhang Chulan, panting heavily. Or perhaps it was because he was truly enraged, for his hands, which were reaching for Zhang Chulan's collar, were trembling and covered in a damp sweat.

Snapped!
Just as Lao Meng was about to question Bi Lian Zhenren about why she had said such inhuman words, he was stopped by Xiao Zizai.

Wang Zhenqiu sighed, pointed ahead, and advised, "Old Meng, although Zhang Chulan's words weren't pleasant..."

"But... that was indeed one..."

After being pulled back, Lao Meng felt a surge of emotion, but when he turned around and looked in the direction Wang Zhenqiu was pointing, he understood what the other party meant—Chen Duo was seriously considering Zhang Chulan's suggestion that "it is also possible to die."

It was as if it wasn't a joke or kicking someone when they're down, but rather a 'not bad' and attractive option.

Upon seeing this, Lao Meng, for some reason, broke down and began to cover his head and weep. Whether it was for Chen Duo's sake or for Lao Liao's wish, he absolutely did not want Chen Duo to die like this.

"Chen Duo, you... don't think like that! It's not like that, we must have other options!"

"There's something else, right? Guan'er, say something, we can..."

"Well enough……"

Old Meng's mouth was chattering away like a machine gun, and sweat was constantly dripping from his temples and scalp. June in Guizhou wasn't too hot, and the reason this 'temporary worker' was sweating so much was naturally because of his anxiety—he didn't want Chen Duo to accept her 'fated death'.

The problem was that he couldn't think of any solutions, nor could he offer Chen Duo a better option. After all, compared to returning to the bunker to be studied and imprisoned, death might actually be a much easier end.

"Everyone, how old is Chen Duo? You're all young and smarter than me, help me think of a solution! Qiu'er, you're the quickest-thinking one, please help me, okay?"

Old Meng shook his teammates' arms and bodies, trying to get a proper, non-tragic choice, but all his teammates could give him was silence.

With no other option, he could only take another deep breath and walk to the very back of the crowd—Liu Ke was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and a somewhat solemn expression.

"Xiao Ke, you're the most influential person here... could you help Chen Duo think of a solution? She did make a mistake, but... it wasn't her intention to do it, it shouldn't be like this..."

"It's Lao Liao... eh..."

Upon hearing Lao Meng's words, Liu Ke couldn't help but sigh and said, "Uncle Meng, I understand what you mean."

After saying this, Liu Ke raised his head again and looked directly at Chen Duo, who seemed to have finished thinking.

He said, "But...in our view, death is a tragedy. But what about Chen Duo? What is death to her?"

Then, just like Wang Zhenqiu, he pointed at Chen Duo and said, "I still can't understand... Chen Duo's thoughts, but this is the only point that I seem to understand a little bit."

"Death, for her, might be an easier thing."

Coincidentally, right after Liu Ke finished speaking, Chen Duo raised her head, as if suddenly struck by a flash of inspiration, and made her own choice.

The girl, who had been rescued from the Medicine Immortal Society by Old Meng since she was a child, quietly said, "Um... I die."

……

Although he was somewhat prepared, Liu Ke still couldn't help but twitch his eye when he heard the girl's final choice with his own ears.

Even though his words were incredibly harsh when he tried to persuade Lao Meng, he was actually feeling terrible inside. He didn't like tragic endings, and Chen Duo's life was precisely a man-made, predetermined tragedy.

So, after sighing, Liu Ke fell silent, lowered his hand, and stepped back. He cleared his mind and began aimlessly browsing the internet using the black wall, seemingly searching for something.

Even after Chen Duo's answer "break the ice" and everyone lit a campfire to start a nighttime chat, he still didn't react much.

……

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

Upon hearing the voice in his head, Liu Ke was stunned for a moment before realizing that Gao Yushan was chatting with him through the black wall.

After raising his eyebrows, he rubbed his cheeks with both hands and replied in a relatively lighthearted tone in his 'mind': "Well, although I expected it, after seeing what happened to Chen Duo, who could be in a good mood?"

Upon hearing the answer, Gao Yushan, thousands of miles away, sighed and then asked, "If, I mean if, you were to give Chen Duo a prosthetic body..."

Liu Ke glanced at Chen Duo, who was not far away, taking off her clothes to show that she could suppress the Gu poison in her body.

Then, he said in a somber tone, "I think it's theoretically possible... however, the surgery might be a bit more complicated than yours."

"But the biggest problem isn't the surgery, it's her own body."

Liu Ke paused for a moment, then said, "Her thinking is different from ours, but she is a smart person. If she wants to get rid of the Gu poison, she should firmly stand on the side of Village Chief Ma."

"After all, with Lao Ma's skills, I think that in just three to five years, perhaps with a brilliant idea, we can solve the [Gu Body Saint Child] physique."

"But she didn't. The Gu poison was indeed tormenting her, but whether she had Gu poison or not only affected our perception of her, but did not interfere with her own actions or choices."

"So... don't you understand? She's just a passerby in our world."

“She has an extra world compared to us, and now she wants to go back.”

(End of this chapter)