Chapter 49 Fear, Collusion with the Enemy, You Will Be Responsible "Otherwise, you'll be playing with..."
While the ship was docked, Badger Tooth immediately found another first mate to replace Fu Ze.
However, when he and his men boarded the ship again, they found Fu Ze still standing in the same spot, staring blankly at the place where the insignia had disappeared.
"It's just a badge, it can't be that serious, can it?" Badger Tooth asked dismissively. "Don't even think about it. The water depth in Dala Harbor is over ten meters, and there are also a lot of oddly shaped cement blocks laid at the bottom to reduce waves. Once you lose something, you basically can't find it again."
Fu Ze said softly, "I'm not worried about the badge, I'm worried about myself getting scolded again."
Badger Tooth seized the opportunity to fan the flames, saying, "If you really can't stand Yuan Jianxing, you can submit a report to the group. As long as the big boss approves, we'll find an opportunity to take him down together. You'll be in charge of the final blow."
Just as Badger Tooth was saying this, a clearly audible sneer came through Fu Ze's communicator.
"By the way, why didn't you get rid of him sooner?" Fu Ze suddenly asked, his mind racing.
He had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but he could never find a suitable person to discuss it with.
Since both parties involved are present, if we don't ask now, when will we?
“If you were hesitant to act before because you were wary of his chief position and symbolic significance, then at least you couldn’t act rashly without thorough preparation,” Fu Ze said, bringing up his previous analysis.
"In addition, he is far away in V City, and even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Otherwise, the farce of the central hub will be repeated."
"But now he has been demoted and transferred to L City. Why are they still holding back?"
"Are we really going to raise a tiger that will eventually become a threat?"
As if he'd heard the funniest joke, Badger Tooth pushed up his slipping glasses. "Afraid of him? Are you looking down on the Cumming Group?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare," Fu Ze immediately replied.
“First of all, you need to understand one thing. No matter how many honors you receive, Yuan Jianxing is ultimately just an executive officer,” Badger Tooth continued.
"Executives are nothing more than lackeys of the Adjudication Bureau who have been granted the legal right to bite people."
"And the adjudication bureau, which claims to 'uphold justice and adjudicate truth from falsehood,' is nothing more than a higher-level means of controlling residents."
Badger Tooth spoke fluently and without pausing for a moment, as if he had rehearsed similar words in his mind many times.
Fu Ze had no interest in this ideology, which was almost equivalent to "missionary work," and just wanted to find an opportunity to steer the conversation back on track.
Suddenly, Badger Tooth changed the subject.
"But Cummins Group is different."
"While I wouldn't say the vast majority, at least more than half of the group members suffered unfair treatment and ultimately gained the opportunity to 'uphold justice' on their own thanks to the group's assistance."
"Didn't they seek help from the enforcement officer? Of course they did. But where was the enforcement officer then? Where was the adjudication bureau?"
Badger Tooth spoke these words with genuine emotion, and his usually refined face even became somewhat ferocious.
"Therefore, whether it is the executive officer or the adjudication board, these things that are constrained by rules and regulations cannot be put on the table of Cummins Group as opponents."
Although the words sounded quite bold, Fu Ze only found them amusing.
"Aren't you guys just playing by the rules they set?" he asked jokingly.
"Despise your opponent strategically, but take them seriously tactically." Badger Tooth completely ignored the sarcasm in Fu Ze's words. "Didn't you speak so eloquently back then? You didn't change your mind after working with Yuan Jianxing for a few days, did you?"
Fu Ze immediately changed his tune, "That's true."
He would never easily slap himself in the face unless he could gain extremely high profits.
On the contrary, Yuan Jianxing on the other end of the communicator was both amused and exasperated by Fu Ze's change of heart.
Seeing that Badger Tooth had calmed down, Fu Ze immediately steered the conversation back on track: "But you still haven't answered me why you didn't deal with Yuan Jianxing beforehand."
“If I could make the decision, you and Yuan Jianxing would have died in a car accident on the third day after arriving in L City.” Badger Tooth composed himself and said seriously, “When you have the chance, you can ask Deer Ear yourself why she won’t let us touch Yuan Jianxing.”
Seeing that she was about to encounter a blind spot in her knowledge, Fu Ze nodded gracefully to Badger Tooth and used the excuse of the strong wind to return to the cabin.
As he walked, he began to think.
It's deer ears again.
Ever since he started dealing with Kangming Group, Fu Ze has heard this name repeatedly.
But until now, apart from the fact that Deer Ear is a woman and Bogdan's teacher, he knew nothing else.
Just then, Hara Kensei provided a perfectly timed narration message on the communicator.
"Deer Ear is the current mistress of Dragon Spine."
Fu Ze walked steadily.
Wait a minute? What does "current" Dragonspine's mistress mean? How many generations of Dragonspine are there?
"She was also the mistress of the former Dragon Ridge."
Fu Ze opened his eyes wide.
Wow! That's so exciting!
"By the way, Dragon Spine is just a code name, and the two Dragon Spines are not father and son."
Fu Ze shook his head regretfully.
Unfortunately, it felt like it lost a lot of dramatic tension all at once.
"In addition, she is also the sworn sister of Deputy Director Xu Xiezhi."
Fu Ze tripped and fell.
For the first time, he felt that Yuan Jianxing was an unfathomable being.
It's astonishing that he could deliver such weighty news in such a nonchalant manner.
"Once the ship sets sail, find a chance to meet me on the top deck of the cruise ship."
This man can not only keep gossip to himself, but he's also working hard!
He had to get to the scene immediately to get some information about the enemy—or rather, to get more details.
-
"So, you already knew that Lu Er would protect you because of Deputy Director Xu's influence." Fu Ze took a bite of the watermelon he'd picked up while passing by the kitchen. "What's the fundamental difference between your actions and treason?"
After glancing at the nearly empty fruit plate in front of Fu Ze, Yuan Jianxing pushed the fruit that Fu Ze had brought him over to Fu Ze.
“I was just using the long-standing, unknown conflict between her and the deputy director to seek my own convenience. I didn’t make any contribution to her at all, so how can you say I was ‘colluding with the enemy’?”
Over the course of a few days, Yuan Jianxing had come to realize that Fu Ze was the kind of person who would never compromise himself unless absolutely necessary.
Including the fruit he just brought up, it's all his favorite food.
Fu Ze didn't stand on ceremony and immediately brought the plate over.
"In contrast, the fact that not only did they not hand you over to the adjudication board, but they even reached a cooperation agreement with you is a real case of 'colluding with the enemy'."
"People will inevitably overthink things, like with rhinoceros horns and badger teeth. Once your true intentions become clear and the adjudication bureau investigates, there will definitely be gossip."
Yuan Jianxing didn't take it seriously: "If the method works, then use it. If 'thinking' were useful, then the world would be at peace long ago."
Fu Ze casually tossed the cleaned melon rind into the sea, then pulled out a tissue from somewhere to wipe his mouth. "As expected of the chief, so insightful."
Yuan Jianxing looked at Fu Ze and thought: You are more insightful than me.
After all, when all of a person's actions revolve around the most basic goal of "living well," any action tainted with other selfish motives seems particularly pretentious and hypocritical.
Switching his phone to floating mode, Yuan Jianxing pulled up a map of Dala Port that he had marked extensively. "Come over here after you finish eating. What follows is crucial; it relates to our operations during the second test. Listen carefully."
Looking at the pale blue screen floating between the two of them, Fu Ze frowned. "Can you adjust the transparency? Can't I watch it from here?"
"I don't want to fail at the crucial moment because my teammates got the directions wrong."
“That makes sense, I’ll listen to you.” Fu Ze nodded seriously.
He has always been a good listener of others' advice, provided he is willing to listen.
Fortunately, ever since he received the information about the [key] from Snake Eyes, he no longer had any conflict of interest with Yuan Jianxing. Therefore, up to now, Fu Ze has been quite willing to listen to Yuan Jianxing.
Watching Fu Ze rise from his seated position, walk over, lean against the wall, and finally slide down to sit next to him, Yuan Jianxing couldn't help but feel deeply concerned about the current educational methods of the Executive Officer Special Selection Team.
Although he himself did not have the academic background of an executive like Mu Wangzhuo, who had undergone a long period of systematic training, he had been influenced by many executives and had become somewhat like them.
However, Fu Ze presented a very subtle attitude.
High emotional intelligence: Like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without artifice.
In addition, according to Fu Ze's file and the results of Yuan Jianxing's secret inquiries with the other party's contemporaries and instructors, this person was the kind of person who was cautious in his words and deeds and never went astray during his time in the Executive Officer Special Selection Group.
Aside from being so obsessed with shooting that he would occasionally sneak out to underground shooting ranges for extra training.
However, considering the relationship between this person and the deer ear, it remains to be seen what this person was going to do by climbing over the wall.
In short, the Fu Ze that others spoke of was very different from the Fu Ze who was standing in front of Yuan Jianxing now.
Thinking of this, Yuan Jianxing's eyes darkened.
Regardless of which of these two Fu Ze is actually faking it, it's a rather terrifying outcome.
However, compared to the horror, a strange, familiar feeling suddenly arose in Yuan Jianxing's heart.
The last person to give him this feeling was Wan Chuanqiu.
A universally disliked individual who has gained some online fame for his bizarre deeds, and a lawless madman who can stir up trouble right under your nose, break someone out of prison, and even livestream a murder on the rooftop.
The difference between the two Wan Chuanqius is no less than that between the two Fu Zes.
Suddenly, Yuan Jianxing thought of the Demon Lizard 757 that had been confiscated by the Adjudication Bureau.
The car's exterior is covered with the latest electrochromic technology, allowing it to change its appearance with a simple adjustment.
But the car itself is still the same car, the one with sleek lines and brutal performance.
By analogy, Yuan Jianxing realized that there were quite a few similarities between this second Wan Chuanqiu and the second Fu Ze.
"By the way, sir, I have a question."
Yuan Jianxing's train of thought was interrupted.
Meanwhile, Fu Ze, who had interrupted him, was looking at him with a fawning expression.
"Didn't you ask me to throw something away back then...?"
"It happened so suddenly, the only thing I had that met the requirements was a collar badge..."
Unlike props used for uniform play, the collar badges of legitimate executives are engraved with serial numbers.
One person, one number, one badge, with no two alike.
This is both an affirmation and praise of the special qualities of executives.
It also makes it easier to identify the deceased in the event of an accident where the body is completely mutilated.
Having already completely guessed what Fu Ze was going to say next, Yuan Jianxing answered first:
“You didn’t return to the team after your mission was over, and you decided to stay on the ship without authorization. You were bound to have to submit a self-criticism.”
"Losing the insignia now is just adding another one; having too many lice doesn't make you itch."
The thought of writing a self-criticism and all those rules and regulations made Fu Ze's scalp tingle. He didn't even have the thought of arguing with Yuan Jianxing about how it was clearly this person who "induced" him to stay. Instead, he immediately grabbed the other person's forearm.
"I think you should take the majority of the responsibility for this."
"Otherwise, how is your behavior any different from that of a scumbag who plays with other people's feelings?"
That's a novel accusation.
Looking across the entire V City, no one would associate the word "scumbag" with Yuan Jianxing, a workaholic who embodies the spirit of "cutting off all feelings and love."
Even Hara Mihoshi himself didn't know how to deal with it.
So he subconsciously used the response he most often heard when mediating disputes:
"You call me a scumbag and want me to take responsibility, do you have any proof?"
"Note that this is not an official mission period, and you cannot be considered my trainee executive officer."
Fu Ze was dumbfounded, never expecting that Yuan Jianxing, who was always meticulous and pragmatic, would make such a fuss.
Fortunately, he is very good at coming up with ideas in a crisis.
"have!"
Bathed in Yuan Jianxing's questioning gaze, Fu Ze pulled open his collar to show the other party the red marks that had become somewhat dark.
"evidence!"
Yuan Jianxing's confusion turned into shock: "What is this...?"
“Since you can be here, it means no one can prove that you were carrying out that Schrödinger’s mission tonight.” Fu Ze’s lips curled slightly. “In other words, the final interpretation of this rests with me.”
"Whatever the reason, it is indeed what you did. If you don't believe me, we'll get a DNA test done."
Hara Mihoshi: ...
It feels like I've been treated the same way they treated me.
"I can give you a reference to the self-criticism I wrote before. It's basically just a bunch of stock phrases, you just need to rearrange the order." Yuan Jianxing rarely gave in like this. "Both self-criticisms are available for reference."
"Why didn't you cooperate like this earlier?" After a resounding victory, Fu Ze proudly raised his head, poking between Yuan Jianxing and himself with his finger. "We're on the same team now."
Yuan Jianxing grabbed Fu Ze's forearm and its restless paws with one hand and put them back down.
"Remember not to copy the name too."
"Now, let's get down to business."
"I highly suspect..."
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Author's Note: I even lent my homework to Fu Xiaozhe to copy, Xingxing-ge, you're just spoiling him rotten. [Shrug]
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