Under One Person, Engage in Black Technology

Chapter 178 Jianghu
When Liu Ke said "without saying hello," his expression was indeed rather strange. Zhang Chulan guessed that the other party probably didn't want to say why, so he didn't dwell on it.

But after a couple of minutes, Zhang Chulan carefully considered the situation of his 'special operations team' and, with an 'awkward' expression, asked again, "So... you really aren't going to talk to the company?"

“I know you may have some concerns, but... then again, if you could give us a heads-up, we might not need to ‘organize’ this event at all, which would save us a lot of trouble!”

After hearing this, Liu Ke seemed to find Zhang Chulan's tone quite amusing and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "I do have some concerns, but those thoughts are rather dark, so I won't go into them. But even without those concerns, I probably wouldn't have chosen 'say hello' anyway."

"It works everywhere, right? All the 'operational' procedures, from top to bottom, ultimately come down to the board of directors."

"As for the board of directors... it would be an exaggeration to say that it's a one-man show, but almost all of Chairman Zhao's proposals and decisions are approved."

"But then again, regarding the so-called 'Chairman Zhao's decision'..."

"Chu Lan, you don't really think that he could have made all of this by himself, do you? Chairman Zhao's 'high awareness' is a talent, but it's not just a talent."

At this point, Liu Ke shook his neck and rubbed his temples, saying, "At least I think the current state of the supernatural world is in line with a certain unspoken 'grand strategy' that was set a long time ago."

"In other words, there are definitely people in the company who are connected to me, and I suspect they are not on the same path as my current superiors."

"It's not that it's wrong to interfere, but..."

“It’s too far removed from that, I think it’s too troublesome and not convenient or quick enough.”

After Zhang Chulan had thought about it for a moment, Liu Ke said again, "Turn back..."

"The current community of supernatural beings, although the term 'jungle-like' may sound a bit uncivilized, has actually turned out to be quite good in terms of its 'ecosystem' with a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) spirit, and is acceptable to all supernatural beings."

"And the 'outsiders' here include both the righteous and the evil. They all accept this extra-legal jurisdiction and speak with their fists."

At this point, Liu Ke paused and said, "Chu Lan, do you know why the company is called a 'company' but can't really be called a state-owned enterprise?"

Seeing Zhang Chulan shake his head, he continued, "Because, as long as there is no clear official affiliation and it happens with [Na Du Tong], then everything can be considered a matter of the martial arts world."

"Things of the martial world should be handled within the martial world. Why should we involve those above us in this little matter of Biyou Village? As I just said, doing so would only be a waste of time."

"But I don't want to 'ask someone for favors,' yet I want things to go my way. What should I do?"

"It's actually quite simple. Since we're all from the martial arts world, let's have a fight in the martial arts world. Whoever has the bigger fist gets to decide. Everyone will accept the result. It's convenient and quick."

"Anyway, no matter how the fight goes, I'm sure I'll win in the end."

"My only expectation of you... is that you get to work quickly. My vacation has been 'long enough' for now."

Liu Ke's meaning was quite clear after he finished speaking. Zhang Chulan was not stupid, and after understanding his meaning, he couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead.

Then he asked, "So, to put it bluntly, Xiao Ke, are you planning to help Biyou Village?"

When he said this, Zhang Chulan's face was somewhat blank, and his expression was somewhat stiff.

He knew that what Liu Ke had just said meant that if things went according to the company's 'procedures,' the two sides would inevitably have to fight, and the other side might even want to fight.

But he also had to get to the bottom of things, just like when he later asked the company for "requests," he would also choose to get to the bottom of things.

Liu Ke nodded, rubbed his face, and then revealed a calm smile, saying, "Subjectively, it's not there, but objectively, it might exist."

Such eloquent sophistry, yet so clear in its meaning, even made Zhang Chulan, whose mind had been somewhat somber, laugh.

"You... damn it, you didn't have any subjective intention? I don't believe you."

Upon hearing these words, Liu Ke, who was insisting on delivering his lines, laughed. He then pointed his right hand into the air and snapped his fingers.

Snapped!
As the snap of fingers rang out crisply, the figure of a colossal object suddenly appeared as if 3D printed.

This thing is none other than the latest model of the Body Cultivation Furnace designed by Ma Xianhong, created by Liu Ke using his [Projection] ability.

Seeing the other person's stunned expression, Liu Ke pointed to the furnace and said, "I can also make furnaces. That reason is enough, isn't it? Just consider it a case of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold,' or 'the rabbit will die, the fox will grieve.'"

Then he patted the other person on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, it's not that hard. You should give it your all, I will beat you."

"As long as you do your best and are defeated by me, even if the company reviews the incident, conducts a self-examination and self-correction, and gives you a lenient sentence, no one can say anything."

Seeing this, Zhang Chulan frowned and said, "Damn... you think you're that tough? But if you tell me now, aren't you just asking me to take care of you first?"

Liu Ke raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't worry, it won't do you any good if you get rid of me. My plans are already in place, so even if you tie me up and take me back to Tianjin now, it won't make a difference."

"Besides, I also owe a favor to those people who are with you, so it's not my place to go up and fight them myself."

"Of course, we'll use methods that won't harm our relationship and will still allow us to win."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chulan couldn't help but sigh and said, "No... Little Ke, Brother Ke? If you win, what do we do?"

"Even if the report is well-written afterward, the company might still revoke the temporary worker's authority. Bao'er, you know what's going on!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke replied, "I've also considered your question..."

"First of all, if Bao'er is really being targeted, I will find a way to deal with it."

"Secondly, I don't think the company will do anything to your 'temporary worker' team."

Seeing Zhang Chulan's confusion, he said, "Let's assume a situation. Just think of it this way: suppose you are a strange man with an anus on his face."

Seeing Zhang Chulan's face gradually twitch, Liu Ke waved his hand and said with a smile, "Just an example, an example. A more bizarre way of putting it makes it more relatable..."

"Well, you see, if you don't want people to discover the secret that your asshole is on your face, you'll definitely wear a mask every day."

"But one day, someone discovers your secret and uses it to blackmail you, demanding that you work for them from time to time. Would you agree?"

Seeing that Zhang Chulan was about to speak, Liu Ke waved his hand and replied, "I think you might disagree, but for the person in the 'scenario,' hiding the secret and blending in with ordinary people is what he wants, so he will compromise."

"But what if one day your secret is revealed by that person? Will 'you' still be at their beck and call?" Hearing this, Zhang Chulan seemed to understand something and then replied, "No."

Liu Ke nodded and said, "That's normal. The company has leverage over you, so you all have to obey and work diligently."

"But once we bring you back to headquarters, will you still work diligently?"

"The world is vast, and your strength is indeed formidable, but in such a large company, is there really no one else whose fighting power can match yours? I don't believe it."

"The reason why you 'temporary workers' are so capable and efficient is because you have good relationships with the regional leaders and are willing to put in the effort."

“If we bring you back to headquarters, you’ll most likely become just another ordinary person. Because you’ll be separated from the regional heads, you won’t need to obey anymore, and you’ll become slackers.”

At this point, Liu Ke stood up again, swaying his body as if doing gymnastics, and said, "Moreover, a temporary worker contract is equivalent to a labor dispatch agency, and a regional manager is equivalent to a labor dispatch company..."

"Have you ever seen a company voluntarily cancel the exploitative labor dispatch model? Delegating responsibility is actually a good thing for headquarters."

"Once the temporary workers are rescued, the company headquarters will be the ones in trouble."

After hearing this, Zhang Chulan couldn't help but take a breath, his mind clearing up a bit, and said, "So, according to you, as long as we all use our full strength, it doesn't matter even if we lose?"

Liu Ke nodded and said in full agreement, "Don't worry, just like in national team-level football matches, if the Chinese team loses to the Vietnamese team, it will definitely cause a huge uproar, but if they lose to Brazil, as long as it's not too bad, they will even be praised."

"And I will win beautifully, so that the board of directors will have no fault with me."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chulan couldn't help but laugh out loud and teased, "You... if you're so capable, why don't you go to the capital and capture Chairman Zhao now?"

Liu Ke shrugged and replied, "Hey, what are you joking about? If there's a disagreement, let's stick to the facts. It's normal to blush and sweat a little. Trying to ambush someone is going too far."

After hearing this, Zhang Chulan scratched his head and said, "Hey, by doing this, you've essentially slapped the board in the face and completely severed ties. Our working relationship is probably over now."

"You started working here before me, but you ended up leaving first? This makes me feel like our [All-in-One] is just an ordinary company..."

"Besides, isn't what you're doing just the same as tearing off all pretense of civility?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke couldn't help but chuckle a few times and said, "If Chairman Zhao is still willing to... continue to deposit 2000 yuan into my card every month, then I won't need to take off my uniform."

"Nobody is acting in their own self-interest. The board has its reasons, and I have mine. We just have different ideas and different paths."

"I think Chairman Zhao... will understand, probably."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chulan took a deep breath and then stood up.

Then he asked one last question: "Little Ke, one last question. Since you're so confident, given your personality, you probably wouldn't bother to deliberately hack our phones."

"So... how did you know our views on the board?"

"You seem to know everything about our conversation from a while ago. Could there be a spy among us?"

"Like you said, it's just a trivial matter, it's not worth using [spy], is it?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke smiled again and said, "Why the ugly expression?"

"You're supposed to be pretty smart, aren't you? I'm not a psychopath, why would I listen to your phones 24/7? Of course, there must be someone among you who's on my end..."

"Well, of course, that's not entirely accurate in meaning. But in reality... it's pretty much the same."

Hearing this, Zhang Chulan's gaze deepened further, and he said cryptically, "The one from the Northeast hasn't shown up yet, could it be that you...?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke raised his eyebrows and said with considerable surprise, "Huh? You think so? Although the 'naked wolf pit' is quite accurate, your imagination is a bit too rich. You should go write murder mystery games."

After his initial surprise, Liu Ke picked up his water bottle, took a sip, and said, "That woman from the Northeast is indeed one of my people, but I didn't replace her. She is who she is!"

"You've actually met this person before, she's Gao Yushan from the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony. We haven't been apart for more than a month, and although we haven't talked much, you should still remember her, right?"

"Yes, you must remember that you, Third Brother, and she went to find Sister Bao'er together."

Hearing his words, Zhang Chulan was also taken aback for a moment, and said, "Gao Yushan? Sister Gao? Um... oh, I remember now, she is indeed from Northeast China."

"So...did she simply not come at all?"

"Wait a minute, she...she's like a ghost, following us so closely!"

Liu Ke scratched his head and said, "...Well, well...she didn't come, but she's here in a way."

"Uh... anyway, just imagine her abilities are the same as mine."

"She probably didn't do the black market phone thing either, but DouDou and you guys definitely could."

"But don't worry, just like you, I've made her do her [missions] normally. Anyway, all she can do is gather information for you."

……

Liu Ke and Zhang Chulan's conversation was quite lengthy. Two or three days after their exchange, the company's temporary workers had almost finished their intelligence-gathering work.

That evening, the temporary workers from Nadutong gathered together and began a group discussion.

The temporary workers are all quite capable, but in the end, they are generally not very old and lack sufficient work experience.

When faced with serious matters, they often choose to entrust their brains to their respective regional leaders, while they themselves become the pure killing machines at the 'grassroots' and 'front lines'.

In other words, as long as the regional leaders say "cut," they cut; if they say "kill," they kill. They don't really have much time to think for themselves.

Therefore, these individuals are the ones who need to be discussed.

(End of this chapter)