I am a full-level celestial master, you let me enter the strange talk of rules?

It's unclear what Zhang Yangqing was thinking, but the chairman, who had been trying to maintain a cool and aloof demeanor, couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

He mentally ranted: Looks like this kid's been completely fooled! You've been talking about the cases you witnessed, but what about the others you didn't see, the ones you weren't there for? Did they die 'after they got back'?
Isn't the logic obvious? Anyone with a brain and a moment's calm can figure it out!

They really are 'blinded by their own involvement,' blinded by fear and the unknown. Now, they've been tricked by someone with such a seemingly profound statement and have revealed their hand.

The chairman had completely forgotten that when he was being fooled—or rather, "guided" by Zhang Yangqing—he was so convinced and thought the other party was unfathomable that he was no better than the short-haired laborer in front of him, and might even have been a little more "foolish".

If the chairman thinks it's impossible, that he's so smart he couldn't possibly be fooled, then he can recall how Zhang Yangqing tricked him into attacking the old chairman.

Seeing the crew-cut laborer eagerly wanting an answer, his face filled with the longing of "Senior, please tell me quickly, what exactly happened?", Zhang Yangqing did not immediately grant his request.

He simply looked at the crew-cut laborer with a deeper, all-seeing gaze, and slowly said, "You want to know, this is why they died."

This statement was vague and ambiguous, which only confused the crew-cut laborer and made him even more anxious.

He scratched the back of his head, his face showing a mixture of confusion and urgency, but he still tried to maintain his respect and pleaded again: "Senior, what you said is too profound. I am dull-witted and did not understand. Could you please explain it more clearly?"
With construction about to begin, I'm really worried! Senior, what do you want? If I have it and can afford it, I'll give it to you! Please, show me the way!

He was clearly terrified by the frighteningly high "newbie mortality rate" and was desperate to grasp at any straw.

Looking at him like this, Zhang Yangqing sighed helplessly, shook his head, and showed an expression of "hopelessness," as if he was disgusted by the newcomer's poor comprehension.

But he still "reluctantly" spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of guidance: "Let me teach you something more. Take a close look at the other two newcomers who are still alive over there, and see what their characteristics are?"

Upon hearing this, the crew-cut laborer immediately followed Zhang Yangqing's signal and secretly glanced at two other young laborers not far away who also seemed out of place.

The two were also alone; one was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, resting, while the other had his head down and his fingers were unconsciously tracing something on the ground.

Their common characteristics are: silence, aloofness, almost no communication with any of the old laborers, and a wary and observant look in their eyes, rather than a blank or eager look to fit in.

The crew-cut laborer observed for a while, then replied uncertainly in a low voice, "They seem to know some inside information? Or have someone backing them?"

He felt that only those who knew the inside story or had powerful connections would dare to be so "unconventional".

Zhang Yangqing shook his head decisively, denying his guess: "No, the point is not what they know. If you look closely, their biggest characteristic is that they don't communicate with other old laborers, whether it's to flatter them, ask for advice, or complain."

The crew-cut laborer froze again, his brow furrowed, seemingly not quite understanding the crux of the matter. No communication? What kind of characteristic is that? Shouldn't he ask his seniors for advice to avoid making mistakes?
Seeing his bewildered expression, Zhang Yangqing knew the time was ripe. Without further suspense, he directly revealed the key point, his voice lower but each word clear:

“Most of those new recruits who died were like you. When they first arrived, they were scared, didn’t know the rules, and just wanted to survive, right?” The crew-cut laborer nodded vigorously.

"So, are they also thinking of going to those experienced old hands to ask for advice, learn the rules, and gain experience?" The crew-cut laborer nodded again; this was exactly what he had been thinking.

Zhang Yangqing's lips curled into a cold smile: "Then let me ask you, if you go to ask for advice, will they definitely tell you the right thing? Or will what they tell you be beneficial to you, or will it be beneficial to them?"

boom--!
It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in the mind of the crew-cut laborer!
His eyes widened suddenly, the color drained from his face, and his lips trembled slightly as an extremely terrifying possibility, one he had never considered before, emerged!
Zhang Yangqing's words were like an icicle, piercing his previous naive understanding: "Think about it, there are only so many jobs at the dock, and only so many trips by boat, so the amount of 'cargo' that needs to be transported is roughly fixed."

With one more person, there's one more mouth to feed the "benefits," and one more person who might make a mistake and implicate everyone. Most importantly, some "dirty work," "dangerous work," or "trial work" that easily violates the rules always needs someone to do it, to "test the waters." Who is best suited to do these things?

The crew-cut laborer's breathing became rapid, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

He had previously thought that the old laborers were indifferent, xenophobic, and too lazy to teach newcomers.

Now that Zhang Yangqing had pointed it out, he was horrified to realize that things might be far darker than he had imagined!

Those seemingly casual "points of advice" and "reminders" may hide deadly traps!
A casual remark like "This needs to be moved like this" or "That place is fine" could lead a clueless newcomer down a path of no return!

Zhang Yangqing's tone was calm, yet it revealed the cruelest underlying logic, which is also the logic of the supernatural world. Many chosen ones do this, because if they encounter danger, they can let others test the waters.

Don't think that only the natives of the supernatural world would do this; remember the beautiful woman with peach blossom eyes? She did the same thing.

“Not everyone is as ‘kind-hearted’ as me and the person next to me, willing to tell you these truly life-saving principles.”

He patted the shoulder of the somewhat dejected, short-haired laborer, his voice carrying a sense of world-weariness, as if he had been through it all:
"Remember this: if you want to survive in our line of work, especially at the beginning, don't ask too many questions! If you do, the answers you get are likely wrong, and could be your death warrant!"

"What you need to do is observe carefully! See with your eyes and remember with your mind! Observe those old laborers who have lived a long time, how they do it, how they move different goods with different postures and strengths, which routes they take, and when they avoid which areas."

How to treat the supervisors and guards, how to react to 'strange things'—memorize every detail as if it were engraved in your mind! Then, secretly learn from them, quietly imitate them, but never let them discover that you are deliberately imitating them! Once discovered, they might deliberately give incorrect examples to mislead you, or even conspire to set a trap for you! (End of Chapter)