National destiny: Starting with a coffin, building an aircraft carrier is broadcast live globally.

"N-nothing..."

Jiro Sato's gaze darted around, instinctively wanting to hide.

"My family... just asked me if I was doing well, and told me... to be careful..."

His voice grew softer and softer, dry and hoarse.

Even he himself found it utterly unconvincing.

His fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of his clothes, his face showing only panic and the fear of being exposed.

Ren Yi didn't ask any further questions, but simply watched him quietly.

The more silent he remained, the heavier the invisible pressure became, like a slowly tightening noose that made it almost impossible for Jiro Sato to breathe.

"Mr. Sato,"

The voice remained as gentle as ever, taking a step forward.

"Did... I said something that made you uncomfortable? It's okay, as long as you don't do anything stupid here, you're safe. I promise."

Safety?

In just three short minutes,

Mayor Low gave him a task in a commanding tone that could shatter him to pieces!

"Sato-kun, the Empire needs your loyalty! Colonel Morrison of the United States will soon launch a purge of contestant number 100 from the Dragon Kingdom."

Your mission is to create chaos from within while he acts! This is the glory of your loyalty to the Empire!

Loyalty? Glory?

Are you kidding me!

Jiro Sato's mind was screaming wildly.

He was just an ordinary office worker, a nobody who made a living by flattery in peacetime!

My biggest wish is simply to earn enough money to go to a brothel and find young, beautiful girls, and hear them call out to me in their sweet, cloying voices:

"Sato-san~"

Instead of getting caught up in the war of these monsters on this damned sea!

Morrison! That devil from America!

Jiro Sato had witnessed in a live broadcast how Morrison ruthlessly discarded those who had lost their value, treating them like trash...

This cruelty towards its own kind is more terrifying than that of any monster.

In comparison...

His gaze involuntarily drifted towards Ren Yi.

This Chinese man is also a devil; he can laugh as he breaks people down into materials and speak the most terrifying words in the gentlest tone.

But he...

He promised to provide shelter, and he really did give me food, a boat to shelter me from the wind and rain, and that I wouldn't be cannon fodder in case of danger.

This is a subtle yet drastically different treatment.

Why?

Why should the empire follow that hypocritical and beautiful country like a dog?

Just because they look more powerful?

However, if not only can it not protect the people of the empire, but it also makes them walk on thin ice every day, what is the point of such dependence?

It would be better to just honestly surrender to the Dragon Kingdom and admit our mistakes!

"Idiot! Fool!"

"Those high and mighty figures simply don't care about the lives of us nobody else!"

In Jiro Sato's inner world:

The chibi-style figure is kneeling on the ground, pounding on the deck with tears streaming down its face.

Just then, Klaus came out from the stern.

"Why not just kill him?"

"It's obvious what those American lackeys are capable of."

Ivan snorted coldly and continued:

"Exactly, they'll definitely make him cause some trouble, or they'll find a way to coordinate with Morrison from the inside."

How could they have guessed so accurately!

They know everything!

Sato's feigned composure crumbled instantly, his already fragile calm crumbling into disarray.

"No...that's not what I thought..."

His feeble excuse was,

In the end, all his words turned into suppressed sobs. He gave up begging for mercy and trembled in vain.

Ivan picked up his "concern," ready to eliminate this potential threat with a mere nod.

"Ivan, Klaus, the world hasn't completely turned into a wasteland yet."

He held down Ivan's axe, still speaking in that gentle tone.

"He's not due to die yet."

"As long as our civilization on Earth exists, we must act as civilized people, mustn't we?"

Klaus remained silent for a moment, then coldly warned Sato:

"Be smart, don't do anything that makes me think you deserve to die!"

[What?! Dude, you can tolerate this?!]

[Keeping this around is definitely going to cause trouble!]

[I cried, the gentlest boss in the world, sob sob sob...]

[Wake up, sister! Have you forgotten how happy the pro was when he used that little cherry blossom as a nesting spot?]

The atmosphere in the Dragon Kingdom's command center was heavy.

One of the staff officers was deeply worried:

"Elder Pei, isn't letting him go... a bit too kind?"

"Yeah, the US and Japan are in cahoots, they're definitely up to no good!"

In the meeting room, a small group of people expressed their confusion and concern.

However, another group of people felt that while this approach was worrying, it was absolutely correct.

The psychological profiler suddenly chuckled softly on Friday.

"Kindness? Worry?"

He pushed up his glasses. "You guys are still being influenced by this kid's harmless appearance..."

This seemingly 'saintly' approach is actually for everyone—

The audience and Klaus and Ivan, who are standing next to them, establish a "mental anchor".

Whether it was risking their lives to save Klaus and Ivan, or marking out safe passages for later competitors...

Including what now appears to be 'tolerant' behavior

"This is building a nest to attract phoenixes! He is using his actions to screen allies who tend to be law-abiding, like Klaus and Ivan."

He didn't want a makeshift team, but a reliable team that could operate efficiently, with him at its core!

On Friday, watching the screen, Renyi was patting Sato Jiro on the shoulder and laughing.

Having just narrowly escaped death, Jiro Sato was now weeping uncontrollably, vowing to work even harder to produce salt.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion:

That kid's got some tricks up his sleeve!

......

He played along with Ivan and Klaus, playing both the good cop and the bad cop.

With just a few words, they tricked Sato Jiro into revealing the Japanese government's instructions to him, and then crushed his mental defenses.

It was as if nothing had happened.

He turned back to the side of the boat, picked up the "Pudu" (a traditional Chinese fishing rod), cast his line, and waited.

It's as if we just changed the 'flowerpot' for the blue eyes.

Man-machine.

The word suddenly popped into Klaus's head.

This Chinese person is like a precision instrument, always pursuing the optimal solution.

That discourse about "civilized people" is not a remnant of naivety and kindness, but a set of behavioral guidelines to prevent the decline of humanity.

Once a person does certain things, their bottom line will keep lowering.

He looked down at his reflection in the gleaming blade of the sword he had polished, his gray eyes filled with a coldness he barely recognized.

Lina...

If he makes it back alive,

When Lina awakens from "Deep Sea Silence Syndrome," will her brother be the same as before?

No, you can't.

What Renyi said is right; they are still people of a civilized society.

I must never let Lina look at me with unfamiliar, or even fearful, eyes—

"Klaus".

Her casual, indifferent call abruptly interrupted his reverie.

He looked up and asked Ren Yi a questioning look.

"The communication between the countries has ended, and now we have a one-month window of opportunity."

As he spoke, he felt the restlessness of the sea.

"So there's no need to deliberately slow down the progress anymore."

"Three days. Within three days, we will complete our evolution."

He gazed in the direction General Pei had pointed out where Morrison was.

Southeast.

"We've prepared a little 'surprise' for our friends who come from afar."