Ironclad Group Chat: Red and Black Lists Engraved with Heroic Epics

Scott's voice seemed to regain its confidence towards the end, having stubbornly withstood the barrage of questions.

But everyone could sense his bravado masking his inner weakness; the changing tone sounded like he was hypnotizing himself, trying to boost his own morale.

[March 7th: Wow! I thought Qingque would suddenly transform into a martial arts master, turning her jade tablet into a top-tier hidden weapon, making Scott run away in terror. But I didn't expect... she's even cooler than that! She's actually going to defeat Scott with words?!]

[Sai Fei'er: A true master! This is a real master!]

[Qingque: Ahem, how about we use a different word to compliment someone?]

[Fireworks: And Little Gray Hair, you don't talk much usually, and when you do, it's mostly weird stuff. I didn't expect you to be so good at serious negotiations and know so much about the company, and you cooperate so well with Blue Sparrow?]

[Star: Haha~ It's just an ordinary skill I've acquired in my life.]

[Yao Guang: That's awesome...]

The admiration in Yao Guang's eyes as he looked at Qing Que was so intense it was almost overflowing, so intense that if Fu Xuan saw it, it would make his hair stand on end and him shout a stern rebuke.

"It's not just laziness; it goes beyond being indifferent to everything. It involves profound thinking and a mature theoretical framework. Moreover, it shows a sense of when to advance and retreat, and an understanding of power dynamics... Tsk tsk, it's just too perfect!"

"Such a perfect person, giving her to my junior sister... cough cough, to Luo Fu as the successor of the Grand Diviner is a real waste of talent, a great misuse of her abilities. She deserves much greater development!"

[Fu Xuan: Senior Sister... I saw everything! Even a Heavenly General of the Imperial Bow should know manners and follow the rules! Forcibly taking and dragging is not the behavior of a gentleman!]

[Qingque: Ah, yes, yes, the Grand Diviner is absolutely right. I just had a burst of inspiration and rambled on a bit; it was just a lucky accident. After this period, my form will decline, and I'll just be another ordinary person. It's not surprising!]

The superior and subordinate have never been so of one mind and so focused on the same goal.

Qingque was extremely resistant to it.

Are you kidding me? Do you think the position of general is easy to hold? The Grand Diviner is already keeping a close eye on her every day, and now he wants to give her an even heavier burden? No way, absolutely not!

What's so great about that general's throne? It's practically burning your butt!

[Yao Guang: Just another face in the crowd? Hmph, then I'll have to examine him carefully and thoroughly.]

[Qingque: Uh...]

Oh no, we've really been targeted this time!

Damn it, I didn't suffer the same fate as Tail in the virtual world, but why am I constantly getting promoted in real life? Is there no justice in this world?

She looked at her reflection on the screen, her heart pounding with anxiety. For a fleeting moment, she even wished she could lose. Compared to a promotion, imitating a pig's squeal wasn't so bad; at worst, she could learn it herself for March 7th.

But seeing Scott causing trouble for others... she felt resentful.

Qingque clutched her head, deeply troubled: "Damn it, this guy is really causing trouble."

"Ah... whatever, I'll leave it to fate."

……

Looking at Scott's pained expression as he struggled to convince himself, Xing's bright golden eyes held only pity. She said mercilessly, "After you left, the business in Golden Man Alley progressed even better. And now, are the transport ships you're in charge of really unable to function without you?"

Scott's eyes darted around, and after swallowing hard, he forced a smile and said, "Golden Man Alley was an accident. If you had listened to me, the company would have taken it over long ago! Besides, this transport ship definitely can't function without me!"

March 7 chimed in quietly from the side: "I heard that the number of people who join and leave the company each year is more than the total population of Hot Night City... If you don't do it, Scott can do it."

[Company employees A, B, C, D...: Don't say that!]

Xing's gaze towards Scott deepened with pity. She casually posed a hypothetical scenario, one that terrified countless adults: "You care so much about the confidence the company gives you, but have you ever considered that once you leave the company, you'll be nothing?"

Scott froze, as if struck by lightning. Unwilling to back down, he gritted his teeth and stubbornly insisted, "I...I, Scott, am a former employee of Interstellar Peace Corporation!"

Although his voice was loud, his gesture of covering his face with his sleeve betrayed his true thoughts.

March 7th said, "Listen to yourself, is this reasonable? Is your name just a company suffix?"

[Employee E: What else? This is exactly the effect the company wants. Aside from the top positions, the rest, even the so-called specialists, are just high-level wage slaves. They have no means of production, and once the talent incentive department kicks them out with a single piece of paper, they're no different from a dismissed entry-level employee.]

The other employees in the company secretly gave a thumbs up, thinking, "You're really something! You dare to say anything."

[Gold Sand: Ahem, buddy, I won't ask which department you're from. But, please be a little more concerned about your safety.]

The company's executives were somewhat embarrassed. But what he said was true, and anyone with a modicum of self-respect couldn't just openly take action after he finished speaking. But what someone was doing behind the scenes was anyone's guess.

What made them even more ashamed was that, on the light screen, Qingque and her group's offensive had not stopped.

Xing pressed her advantage: "Even when you're arguing with someone, you don't forget to promote the company's mecha products. You're certainly dedicated. But do you really have a life of your own?"

"W-What's wrong?" Scott forced back his trembling lips. "I'm finding joy in life through my work. My life... is very fulfilling!"

March 7th said with pity, "You even find fault with drinking tea. I feel like you have no life at all, let alone any quality of life!"

[Yun Li: Oh? I was wondering why he was bothering a minor teahouse owner. So he's having a rough time, hence the "kicking the cat" on the street? Is he just transferring his negative emotions? He's a specialist, yet his quality of life is so poor, so repressed?]

[Employee E: Of course! Want a life of your own? Do you think the talent incentive department is just sitting around doing nothing? Those guys do nothing but figure out how to squeeze every last drop out of their employees! Their salary standards are the result of massive calculations by millions of experts. Lower-level employees work themselves to the bone, barely enough to share a bed in the company's starship. Besides eating, drinking, and relieving themselves, there's nothing left—it's as precious as the first time you go to the toilet each morning! As a specialist, he can make money, but want a leisurely life? That's wishful thinking. They'll squeeze every last drop of value out of you, like they've lost their stimulant, constantly on edge, as if their ancestors for eighteen generations have all died. Ah… my mouth is dry, I'll have a glass of water.]

[Fireworks: Wow, bro, what a refined taste! Come on, speak louder. I'll get a hacker to broadcast this on a loop throughout the entire Pierpoint building!]