Father, you've been drafted four times already, please spare us!

"What did he say to you?"

Old Ge asked, frowning.

"He said, he said..."

Xie Fei's cheeks flushed slightly, and he was too embarrassed to speak.

"Let me say it!"

Chen Nian didn't want to see Xie Fei like this, so he took the initiative to speak.

"He will definitely tell you—no, I should say hint—that with each move, the emperor appoints his own officials, making you ideologically aligned with the highest military commander in the company. He will also tell you that if you actively cooperate with his work, you will definitely be given priority in things like performance evaluations and commendations!"

"Besides that, it probably also hinted that you should target me or Lao Ge!"

Xie Fei's eyes widened instantly as he listened to Chen Nian's account.

"Master, how did you know!"

Chen Nian curled his lip and revealed a sneer:

"Aren't these little tricks just common methods?"

"Give me a comment," Chen Nian said, stroking his chin as he looked at Lao Ge.

"Since he was able to contact Xie Fei, he wouldn't only be contacting Xie Fei!"

"Old Ge, he's coming for you!"

"As the lowest-ranking officer in the company, the squad leader is also the person closest to the soldiers. If he can win over the squad leaders' hearts from Zhang Zheng and transfer them to you, then you'll truly be the political instructor—an instructor who can only give instructions but can't do anything else!"

Old Ge also realized what was going on:

"Is he trying to sideline me?"

Chen Nian nodded, then shook his head, and analyzed:

"Discard you? You overestimate yourself. What he wants isn't to discard you, but to exclusively enjoy, or rather, to share the results of the recruit competition only with Cheng Yongkang!"

"Whether or not you are sidelined is not important."

Old Ge slammed his hand on the table:

"Damn it, just because I haven't shown my teeth doesn't mean he thinks I'm a pushover. Just because I'm not a writer doesn't mean I can't write reports!"

Chen Nian was not surprised by Lao Ge's reaction.

Even a clay figure has a bit of temper, let alone a grown man!

"Do you want to compete with him, or are you looking for an opportunity to transfer?"

"If you want to find a way to transfer, I can help you; if you want to fight for him and don't want to just accept it by refusing to accept it, then don't think about anything else, don't hesitate!"

Without even thinking, Lao Ge loudly proclaimed:

"Let's do it!"

"I've been working at the grassroots level for so many years. I can choose not to move up, because I don't even have the ambition. But I won't allow anyone to climb over me to get ahead!"

"Just say what you're thinking, kid!"

During yesterday's meeting, Chen Nian had already realized that Zhang Xingong was problematic, and he thought about it for a long time yesterday.

If Lao Ge admits it, then he will try to contact Qin Yuanshan to see if he can get Lao Ge transferred.

If Lao Ge wants to do it, Chen Nian already has a plan.

Old Ge is not Chen Nian, and Chen Nian cannot make decisions for him. Only when Old Ge expresses his opinion can Chen Nian take the next step.

Now, the honest man is getting desperate.

"If you want to do it, then do it!"

"That's easy to handle. He's here to pick the peaches, so just stop him from picking them!"

"Let's find a way to send him back to where he came from!"

Chen Nian's words were somewhat vague, and Lao Ge couldn't quite figure them out for a moment:

"What do you mean? This Zhang Xingong is very cautious in his dealings with people. The fact that Lao Cheng sent him here means he's definitely not a good-for-nothing. Trying to find problems with him won't be easy!"

"Furthermore, if I were him, I would have already kept myself clean and waited for the right opportunity. As long as I didn't make any mistakes, Zhang Xingong's name would be on the list of winners in the grand competition!"

Chen Nian chuckled and shook his head:

"Old Ge, you people who've never seen blood are too rigid in your thinking. You're always thinking about playing defense, always thinking 'I won't attack unless attacked!'"

"But others might not think that way!"

"In our view, as long as danger exists, whether it occurs or not, it must be eliminated immediately to prevent future troubles!"

"That's what I despise about you guys—you lack backbone!"

Old Ge awkwardly touched his nose, then replied with obvious disgust:

"Alright, alright, I know you're so great, just say what you have to say. Why are you even grabbing a pointer and starting a lesson?!"

Chen Nian snorted twice and said bluntly:

"Zhang Xingong is adept at navigating social situations and has no flaws whatsoever!"

"But he has a keychain, and that keychain is his biggest weakness!"

Old Ge squinted and thought for two seconds, then instantly realized what he meant:

"You mean Cheng Yongkang?"

"But this kid has been behaving himself lately. Besides, even if you really have something on Cheng Yongkang's head, it doesn't mean Zhang Xingong will take any action!"

"He'll just stand by and watch!"

Chen Nian tapped the table twice with his finger and replied:

"You didn't understand Zhang Xingong's purpose in coming here!"

"It's true he wanted to take the credit, but did you see what he did after he came over?"

"Why did he promote Cheng Yongkang, and even create a fake assistant instructor position? Wasn't it just to let Cheng Yongkang get a fair share of the spoils?"

"Doesn't he know Cheng Yongkang's reputation in the company? Doesn't he know that Cheng Yongkang is utterly useless?"

"He knows, he knows better than anyone else!"

Chen Nian paused for a moment, then continued:

"But why did he still do it?"

"Because someone instructed him to do it!"

"Zhang Xin's downfall, to put it bluntly, was to protect Cheng Yongkang!"

"We won't speculate on the relationship between Zhang Xingong and Lao Cheng—whether it's that of a student and a student or a personal relationship—but no matter how close they are, it can never compare to the closeness of a son!"

"Since that's the case, then I'll target Cheng Yongkang. Don't be fooled by his seemingly respectable demeanor these past few days; it's all an act. You don't even need to pay attention to him. When he can't keep up the act anymore, he'll make a mistake on his own!"

"All we need to do is add a catalyst while we wait for the result to appear, and let it undergo a chemical reaction on its own!"

Old Ge didn't know the specifics of Chen Nian's actions, but he still felt a chill.

Who says there's no such thing as a perfect crime? This is the perfect crime, isn't it?

By exploiting Cheng Yongkang's human weaknesses, we can get him to come out on his own. Then, we only need to give him a push to maximize the results!

"Chen Nian, is this the mindset of a special forces soldier?"

Old Ge felt a chill down his back.

"Special forces mindset? Give me a break. If it weren't for you, I would have already taken action. What is a special forces mindset? Discover danger, eliminate it with force!"

"Because we are machines cultivated by the state to quell external aggression with violence!"

Chen Nian's words were cold, but also very true.

Old Ge stared at Chen Nian silently, then fell silent.

"Master, is what you're saying something I can understand?"

Xie Fei leaned back on the sofa, half-squatting, and listened to the entire conversation between Lao Ge and Chen Nian. He was trembling with fear.

Chen Nian turned his head and flashed him a set of big white teeth, which looked creepy even in daylight.

"Xie Fei, do you know how Baidu died?"

Xie Fei shook his head.

"Knowing too much is what kills you!"

"Now that you know so much, how do you plan to die?"

Xie Fei's eyes widened:

"Does he really have to die?"

"Not necessarily!"

Chen Nian licked his chapped lips. "If you can do me a favor, then you're one of us, one of us!"

Xie Fei immediately stood at attention:

"Please give me your guidance, Master!"