Ten minutes later, dozens of people in neck shackles lined up and followed Li Yuan from the rooftop back into the building.

Fang Liang took out a wet wipe from the car and handed it to Jing Xi.

“Calm down, it’s not worth getting angry over them.”

Jing Xi pulled out a sheet to wipe his hands.

He had managed to extract some useful clues from Fang Liang.

This area was Zone C, a specially designated game field, or rather, a killing field.

The people they captured were classified according to specific conditions.

A small portion lived in Zone A, where they could lead a normal life and even join the star pirate crew after passing an assessment.

Another portion lived in Zone B, which was much harsher than Zone A. They had to labor to get a full meal, like serious criminals.

Zone C was only open during specific times each month, and people from Zone B could sign up.

Those who persisted until the end of each round could receive generous rewards.

They could choose not to sign up and continue their hard life in Zone B, or sign up for Zone C to take a gamble, but this inevitably meant they had to kill their companions.

Only Chi Yao could come up with such a twisted game that tested human nature.

Jing Xi’s face was cold. “Killing is prohibited in all zones.”

Fang Liang agreed without any burden. “Yes, I’ll have them clean all the zones, ensuring not a trace of blood smell remains.”

It seemed the boss’s once-a-month obsession with cleanliness had struck again.

Since they were already here, Jing Xi planned to take a look around Zone C.

Just a few steps later, his peripheral vision caught something flying quickly across the sky.

“Boss!”

Hearing a child’s cry, Jing Xi looked up.

A much smaller hover car stopped in front of him. The upper part was a transparent protective cover, making it look like a toy.

The protective cover opened, and a three or four-year-old child jumped out.

“Wait!”

Being more than a meter off the ground, Jing Xi subconsciously reached out when he saw the child about to jump, but the child had already landed steadily.

He wore worn-out leather clothes and boots, his right eye was covered with a black leather patch, and his hair was messy and a bit long, but it couldn’t hide a pair of prominent ears.

The child reached behind his back, grabbed something, and struggled to pull it forward with both hands, his eyes shining as he ran to him.

“Boss, gun!”

The child held a small pistol up to Jing Xi, his voice soft and sweet. “In the days you were gone, I fucking wiped it with oil every day!”

Jing Xi: “…”

Seeing that he didn’t take it, the child offered it forward again, looking at the shackled group behind him and said anxiously, “They’re fucking about to go in!”

Jing Xi: “…”

Was he suggesting he use this gun to kill them?

Seeing him struggling to hold it up, Jing Xi took it. “What happened to your eye?”

The child touched the leather patch and grinned like a ruffian, which, due to his soft features, actually looked cute.

“Dug it out. It was a big fucking hole, hehehe.”

A perfectly good child with a mouth full of profanities, and his eye had been dug out.

That bastard Chi Yao didn’t even spare a child?

Jing Xi’s face darkened.

This star pirate crew must be shut down!

“Tie Xiong, the boss doesn’t need a gun today.” Fang Liang lifted him by the back of his collar and placed him on a hidden guard’s back to be carried.

Tie Xiong, hugging the guard’s head, swung his legs. “Are we fucking going to do a big clean-up again?”

Fang Liang: “Mhm.”

With a child present, it was no longer appropriate to enter Zone C.

Jing Xi had them return to the hover car to wait for Li Yuan.

His eyes swept over the dilapidated buildings and the streets overgrown with mutated plants. He said in a low voice, “Bring the crew’s account books to me later for review.”

Fang Liang was taken aback. “Account books?”

Jing Xi: “All financial records from the last three years, any land the crew owns, and so on. Bring me everything you have.”

Fang Liang scratched his face, somewhat embarrassed. “Boss, didn’t you say bookkeeping was too annoying and told us not to register anything?”

Jing Xi: “…There are no records?”

Fang Liang nodded innocently. “Nope, none.”

Jing Xi: “………”

Chi Yao, you’re really something!

His sleeve was gently tugged. He turned his head to look.

Tie Xiong was sitting in the seat next to him, looking at him obediently. “Boss, the gun…”

Jing Xi was curious what he wanted to do and handed him the gun he had put in his thigh holster.

“This one?”

“Mhm!”

Tie Xiong took the gun from his hand, pulled out a cleaning cloth, and skillfully wiped the gun before putting it back in its holster. Then he slung the holster back over his shoulder.

Jing Xi: “Isn’t it heavy?”

Tie Xiong shook his head, smiling with satisfaction. “It’s so damn light.”

Jing Xi: “…”

Jing Xi: “The second and third words can’t be said together.”

Tie Xiong tilted his head in confusion. Seeing Jing Xi’s serious expression, he tried hard to recall what the second and third words he had just said were.

“So… damn light? …So-so light?”

Jing Xi: “………”

It seemed the crew’s early education had serious problems as well.

__

At the military headquarters, although Chen Bingfeng didn’t plan to let anyone know he was beaten by Jing Xi, when others saw the bruises on his face and connected it to him calling Jing Xi to his office alone, they could more or less guess who had hit him.

But guessing was one thing; it was still too shocking, and many people couldn’t believe it.

Jing Xi had always been flawless in his work. This morning’s report meeting had simply refreshed their understanding of him.

They thought there would be nothing more explosive, but then right after lunch, they heard he had beaten up Chen Bingfeng.

That was just too daring!

After hitting someone, Chi Yao was in a good mood. He returned to his office and ate the lunch Jiang Feng had brought back.

He opened a virtual screen, projecting it into mid-air, and played the scanned items.

The window showed Chen Bingfeng’s office. Chi Yao tapped his finger, and a stack of documents on the bookshelf was selected.

The papers turned into simulated graphics and flew out, separating one by one and displaying themselves in front of him.

__

In another office, Pei Zhenyue was listening to a subordinate’s report.

“Jing Xi really hit him?” Pei Zhenyue frowned, lost in thought.

“Yes.” The adjutant nodded. “Among Lieutenant General Chen’s thirty-two major generals, Major General Jing received the fewest and worst resources. He probably has been displeased with him for a long time.”

Thinking of the morning’s report meeting, Pei Zhenyue let out a meaningful laugh.

“I thought he would endure it forever.”

Adjutant: “Major General Jing has a proud and aloof personality and rarely gets involved with people. If Lieutenant General Chen hadn’t gone too far, he probably wouldn’t have torn all pretenses.”

“He’s just occupying a position without doing the work!” Pei Zhenyue snorted heavily. “If Jing Xi hadn’t agreed himself back then, what would there be for him to do?!”

Latrine pit? This metaphor isn’t very appropriate, is it?

The adjutant said with a wooden face, “Chen Bingfeng was the first to extend an olive branch, and he agreed. I think it might not be that he was impressed with Chen Bingfeng, but that he just didn’t care.”

This statement pleased Pei Zhenyue.

“That bastard has no ability, but his hands are fast. All the good seedlings have been taken by him!”

The adjutant’s eyes glinted, and he said in a low voice, “Why don’t we take this opportunity—”

Pei Zhenyue looked up at him. “To poach him?”

Adjutant: “Although it doesn’t quite fit the unwritten rules of the military, a fine bird chooses a tree to nest in. How can the resources Chen Bingfeng has compare to yours? I believe Major General Jing will definitely make the right choice.”

Pei Zhenyue stroked his chin, his eyes calculating.

“This—isn’t very good, is it?”

Adjutant: “…”

Your expression says otherwise.

Remembering what Jing Xi had mentioned, Pei Zhenyue asked, “What’s this about the Cetus constellation he mentioned?”

Adjutant: “It’s unclear. That’s Chen Bingfeng’s territory. We haven’t received any abnormal intelligence so far.”

Pei Zhenyue thought for a moment.

“Have someone look into it, secretly.”

Adjutant: “Yes!”

---

Chi Yao, who was slurping his noodles, never imagined that his high-profile beating of his superior would, on the contrary, bring a huge opportunity for Jing Xi.

There was another regular meeting in the afternoon. Chi Yao glanced at the attendee list, casually picked up his military jacket, and reluctantly went out.

The meeting was chaired by General Pei Zhenyue. He had seen him this morning but didn’t know him.

As soon as he stepped into the conference hall, Chi Yao felt that the atmosphere was off.

It seemed the news of him hitting someone had already spread.

“Jing Xi, over here!” Huang Hao waved at him.

Chi Yao walked over. As soon as he sat down, Huang Hao leaned in, his voice very low.

“Did you eat gunpowder? You even dare to hit your superior?”

Chi Yao sneered, “He’s not even a fart.”

“Whoa—” Huang Hao’s eyes widened, and he winced as it pulled at the cut on the corner of his mouth.

Live long enough and you’ll see everything! Jing Xi could swear now!

__

Author’s Note:
The real Jing Xi: He really is less than a fart.