Hell Game: Starting from Metropolis

Thirteen Yao smirked.

What if I don't help you?

He paused, then asked.

"Then I'll have no choice but to take them by force."

Liu Zheng said regretfully.

"You're getting a bit arrogant, aren't you? Don't think that just because I can't beat you, no one at the bathhouse can."

"Come here, Minister, I've got something good for you."

He said it mysteriously.

"What is that? You don't mean to show me your hooves, do you?"

Thirteen Orphans squinted and said.

"How could that be? You are the minister I respect the most."

Liu Zheng said in a very serious tone.

"Stop pretending, what is it? Take it out now."

Thirteen said impatiently.

"He was definitely faking it."

He opened the legendary delivery box, revealing Shao Yanming's head.

"Nani!"

Thirteen's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"You, you, you killed Kunguna?!"

He pointed at the legendary delivery box, his fingers trembling as if he had Parkinson's disease.

"To be precise, it is Shaoming Kunguna and Kunguna's true form, Shaoyanming."

"To be more precise, He is not completely dead, but His divine body was destroyed by me and will take ten years to reassemble."

Liu Zheng shook his head.

"Impossible. If you're that strong, why didn't I sense any killing intent from you?"

Thirteen Orphans instinctively retorted.

Faced with such a powerful being capable of killing gods, his murderous intent had long since urged him to flee.

"Don't trust your senses too much, Minister. There are too many things that cannot be perceived, and senses themselves are easily deceived."

The items are not exclusive to players; locals in the metropolis can also use them, but it's just more convenient for players to use them.

"It's not your place to lecture me."

Thirteen Orphans complained.

"You really like the bathhouse, don't you, Minister?"

Liu Zheng suddenly said.

Why are you suddenly saying something so nonsensical?

"The bathhouse district is one of the most prosperous places outside the city, and the staff of the service department should be the most skilled females outside the city."

"Now that you're the head of a core department like the massage department, your daily life can't be described as one of unbridled bliss, but it could certainly be described as one of extreme luxury and indulgence, right?"

he continued.

"What exactly are you trying to say, kid?"

"I have six words for you, Minister."

Liu Zheng instinctively tried to make the gesture for the number "six," but embarrassingly discovered that he not only had no fingers, but also no tentacles.

"What six words?"

Fortunately, Thirteen Orphans doesn't have the mind to pay attention to these things right now.

"Think of danger, think of retreat, think of change."

"I didn't finish elementary school, so I can't understand it."

Thirteen Orphans shook his head.

"You've reached the top of your career as the head of the massage department, haven't you?"

“Even if you have the ability, Grandma Tang won’t let you go up to a higher position.”

"And if you can't get promoted, the people below you naturally can't get promoted either. For example, Deputy Minister Liu Tong, after becoming the executive deputy minister, his next goal is the ministerial position."

He explained.

"He dares! I'll cripple him with one punch."

Thirteen Orphans said confidently.

"It's not a question of whether he dares or not. People strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill; it's a natural law of the world. Even if Deputy Minister Liu himself doesn't have this ambition, his subordinates will push him to move up."

"If you can still climb higher, then of course it's fine; they can even be a help to you."

"But if you can't get up there, then they will become the combined force that brings you down."

Liu Zheng shook his head.

This time, Thirteen Orphans did not answer; he just kept a gloomy face.

"Actually, preventing you from getting promoted isn't the worst thing. If I were Granny Tang, I would use even more ruthless methods."

He said casually.

"any solution?"

Thirteen couldn't help but ask.

"A promotion in name only, giving you a position with high rank but little power. Or you don't need any power or little power, as long as it has nothing to do with the massage department."

"After all, the massage parlor is your base of operations. Once your foundation is shaken, dealing with you will be a piece of cake."

Liu Zheng said.

"You're too ruthless, kid."

Thirteen Orphans made my hair stand on end.

"It's just a trick that those in power often use. Haven't you used it yourself, Minister?"

He asked rhetorically.

"Um"

Thirteen Orphans fell silent.

He wasn't exactly a saint either; he had naturally used the same methods to manipulate his subordinates.

Otherwise, why wouldn't Liu Tong know the secret to serving the great river flow?

"I heard that the reason Minister Thirteen opposes Granny Tang is because she covets your body?"

"Who told you that?!"

Thirteen Orphans shouted as if his hair had been bristled.

"Never mind who told me. If that's the case, then if you lose power, your fate might be worse than death."

Since the goal was to persuade him, the deputy minister naturally told Liu Zheng about this gossip as well.

"Hmph, I might as well just leave."

Thirteen Orphans snorted coldly.

He's not like Ba Tiao; with his skills, even the heaviest penalty for breach of contract would be paid by a bathhouse.

"That's why I asked before, you like it here, don't you, Minister?"

"You little rascal, you're a monster."

Thirteen couldn't help but curse.

"That's a new nickname. They usually call me Succubus."

Liu Zheng smiled.

"Tch. Just because I helped you, does that mean I can take another step forward?"

Thirteen asked.

"At least they've considered changing their mindset, haven't they?"

"If an employee violates the rules, whether it's being beaten, killed, or turned into a pig, everyone can accept it."

"But imprisoning them without killing them, and then extorting money from their families, crosses everyone's line, doesn't it?"

"Who hasn't made mistakes? Who wants to risk their life working hard their whole life, only to end up owing their boss a huge debt instead of saving a penny?"

"If your family simply ignores you, then you'll be born humble and die a quick death."

"But if family members truly love someone and are willing to go bankrupt to save them, only to end up losing both their money and their family, they probably won't die in peace, right?"

The more Liu Zheng spoke, the more malicious he became.

"do not talk!"

Thirteen Yao interrupted him sharply.

"Okay. But I don't have much time, you must make a decision quickly."

He shut his mouth after he finished speaking.

After a brief yet long silence, Thirteen Orphans finally spoke.

"Actually, the real owner of the bathhouse is not Grandma Tang."

"guessed."

Liu Zheng nodded.

If Granny Tang were the real boss, how could she possibly allow her subordinates to have openly dissenting voices?

"However, for certain reasons, we cannot let the real boss take the lead."

Thirteen hesitated for a moment, but still did not reveal the biggest secret of the Hundred Ghosts Parade.

"Then why does it have to be Grandma Tang?"

"Because apart from one other person, only Grandma Tang can control the real boss."

Thirteen replied.

"So no matter how annoying Granny Tang is, you can't really break ties with her. And Granny Tang can only suppress you secretly, lest she push you to the brink."

Liu Zheng concluded.

"That's right, that's pretty much the situation."

Thirteen nodded.

His rise to become the head of the opposition was not solely due to his personal feud with Granny Tang.

He was able to become the head of the massage department thanks to the support of the older employees who were dissatisfied with Grandma Tang's management.

"So, you want me to find someone else and have her take over the Hundred Ghosts Parade in place of Granny Tang?"

Liu Zheng directly saw through his thoughts.

"Yes."

Thirteen Orphans readily admitted it.

"There probably isn't enough time."

“I know you can take your time with this.”

Thirteen nodded.

Their conflict with Granny Tang didn't escalate to a fever pitch.