Pretending To Be A Boss

"How do you plan to steal them? Just as Jing Jian said, how would fish in a fishbowl jump out? They can't jump out, and they don't want to jump out," Li Xiaoyu said.

"If they can't jump out, we can scoop them out; if they don't want out, it's merely because they don't see the fish outside," Tang Xian replied after a pause, seriously adding,

"The defeat in the battle of the Yuepela Plains will definitely lead to an increased dependency of humans on mechanized units like the judgment knights. There must be great secrets hidden in the manufacturing principles of judgment knights.

These secrets are malevolent. The lords in the Pyramid will increasingly focus on enhancing the combat capabilities of the mining areas, and the proportion between humans and machines will become severely imbalanced.

Be it the efficiency of mining minerals or the efficiency of hunting creatures in the mining areas, how can humans compare with the judgment knights? Once humans lose their value, they will soon become replaceable fish."

Li Xiaoyu, Qiao Shanshan, and the others were stunned; they hadn't thought that far ahead.

"What will become of these replaceable fish? Die in the mines? If, at that time, there is a new choice, not to mine day and night without a future—

But to gain social status based on human intelligence and hard work, unburdened by innate talents, I believe they will make the right choice."

What Tang Xian didn't mention was that, at the end of the war on the Yuepela Plains, the seed of doubt he planted with the words spoken to Song Que was beginning to sprout.

Doubt leads to thought, and once humans begin to think, everything in existence ought to fear, for that is the greatest strength of humanity.

These thoughts would shine through the dark walls like light, guiding them.

Li Xiaoyu inquired,

"Did you plan all this in advance, or is it something you just thought of now?"

"After confirming that survival in this world was possible, I had thought about these things."

Li Xiaoyu felt it was somewhat frightening; if it were anyone else, planning so meticulously for two worlds, she would find it extremely arrogant.

But it was Tang Xian, and Li Xiaoyu believed that he might actually be able to accomplish it.

The Fox Clan, the Snake Clan, and even the remote Leopard Clan from distant islands. There's even a Dragon Clan member here. In the future, more creatures could become human guardians.

As long as Tang Xian doesn't die.

And with her, Dong Ran, and others arriving in this world, the theory of survival outside the fishbowl now had compelling evidence.

Maybe his befriending Song Que... apart from Song Que's character, was also related to becoming the biggest human trafficker in history?

As long as he could persuade Song Que, it would not be hard to bring some people up from the lower levels.

"You're going to be very busy, aren't you?" said Li Xiaoyu.

"Yes, although many things are not yet confirmed, it doesn't hurt to start working on them. You, along with Dong Ran, Qiao Shanshan, and Xiaojiu, don't need to go to the mining area. I'll bring a group of people I trust to meet you," Tang Xian replied.

Rebuilding a civilization inevitably requires more than just one thing.

The reconstruction of the mining area strongholds and the prosperity of the previous Li family business demonstrate Li Xiaoyu's management capabilities.

Tang Xian planned to entrust her with currency establishment, distribution of goods, price resetting, regional planning, and the distribution and reconstruction of secondary and tertiary industries in the city.

His own task was to find more formidable allies for humankind.

Li Xiaoyu realized this and, in a rare display of coquettishness, said,

"Then you'll have to come back and see me every few days. Otherwise, I might start working in a half-hearted fashion."

Qiao Shanshan coughed,

"Are you planning on not cooking and letting us eat dog food instead?"

Dong Ran also covered her mouth and chuckled.

Li Xiaoyu blushed slightly. Her position was directly opposite Qing JiuYu.

Without overthinking it, Tang Xian had already planned to regularly visit Baichuan City, so he nodded in agreement.

Not to be outdone, Qing JiuYu declared,

"If you don't invite me over on a regular basis, I won't agree to help you. The combat ability of my Fox Clan is not weak."

Li Xiaoyu's mouth twitched.

Without giving it much thought, Tang Xian nodded and said,

"As an honored guest, you should certainly visit often."

After saying so, seeing Li Xiaoyu looking somewhat dissatisfied, Tang Xian took her to the kitchen.

It truly was a good place to soften the temper of a black cat girl.

Once in the kitchen, Li Xiaoyu's mood brightened.

Especially these past days, when Tang Xiaojiu had been keeping Qing JiuYu company, it made her feel more like the sole mistress of the house.

Indeed, it felt like, as long as she was not overthrown, all others would merely be concubines.

No, not even concubines are allowed!

...

...

Fortress Thirty-Nine.

Liu Lang's recent days have been miserable.

The kidnapping of Miss Li from the Li family—on that day, far too many people in the lower levels had witnessed it.

The news quickly spread, leaving the Song Family and the Li family unable to save face.

Luo, who had a certain acquaintance with Liu Lang on ordinary days, could not help feeling a little sigh when he saw the blacksmith's forge closed for a long time.

The biggest difference between him and Liu Lang was that Liu Lang had a sense of pride, but Luo had long seen through it. No matter how splendidly you live, you're ultimately serving others like a dog.

When the higher-ups want to make an example out of someone, don't the people at the bottom just have to accept their bad luck?

Although the eldest son of the first Song Family bastion had protected Liu Lang, and indeed Liu Lang had kept the forge open as usual in the past few days, they could not withstand the magnitude of this incident.

The thoughts of those above had suddenly changed.

These days, the lowly people were anxious, and many of the commoners who had witnessed the scene were filled with worry.

But perhaps thanks to that masked stranger,

the number of missing persons from the lower classes had decreased significantly these days.

It wasn't like before when several hundred people would inexplicably disappear.

Now, there were still some missing person cases, but the number had reduced a lot.

…

…

Thirty-ninth bastion, second level, prison.

Liu Lang was covered in injuries as a little girl, small in stature, arrived to visit him with food in tow.

The girl appeared dazed. Song Que initially thought this girl named Buding was silly, but along the way, he found that she was actually very clever; it was just that her expression looked somewhat stupid.

As Liu Lang ate, he expressed his gratitude to Song Que:

"Sir, thank you for your leniency."

Song Que didn't know what to say when he looked at Liu Lang in the cell.

Because he had just received a piece of news not long ago.

"The day after tomorrow, you might be sent to the eighth level."

Liu Lang did not quite understand what he meant, but Liu Buding raised her head and said:

"He's going to die, isn't he."

Song Que was stunned, for the girl had guessed correctly, although the scene seemed somewhat cruel.

In the end, he slowly said:

"I haven't found out much, but these days, many of the lower-class people have gone missing, and all clues point to the eighth level. They probably can never return, and there's a good chance... you will be the same."

Liu Lang bowed his head and chewed the food in his mouth vigorously.

The food was not a nutrient-rich meal but pastries made by Liu Buding for him.

His smile was bitter; he had struggled in the lower levels for half his life, convinced he had not wronged anyone in his lifetime.

Yet this was the outcome he received.

Liu Buding could not accept this result. She looked at Song Que and said:

"You can save him, can't you?"

Song Que shook his head with regret.
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"Ultimately, this is not the Song Family."

"No, you can save him! Since you've protected him these days, you should do it more thoroughly. If he dies, won't your efforts be in vain? Sir, you definitely have the power to save him!"

Song Que unexpectedly looked at the young girl.

Her stubborn expression did bear a resemblance to Li Xiaoyu.

He didn't want to refute such eyes, but what could he do?

In the end, Liu Lang was just an ordinary man. Unlike Tang Xian, even if Liu Lang were sent to the mining area and managed to escape from prison, he would only be able to hide for seven days.

Suddenly, Song Que thought of Tang Xian; after all, the reason he had kept Liu Lang safe was because of a promise to Tang Xian.

"I can't keep you safe. The reason you are suddenly being moved to the eighth level is due to some evil secrets I can't reveal to you. Whether you survive or not will depend on your luck."

"Luck?"

"Yes, even if you flee to the mining area, you won't be able to survive for seven days. The dangers of the mining area are not something you and your sister can handle."

Liu Lang did not deny it.

He rarely went to the mining area; he was just a man without any talent.

And so was Liu Buding. One was a formidable blacksmith; the other, an exceptional tailor.

These skills, within the Pyramid, were expendable.

Song Que whispered:

"But you're not without options; it's just whether you can meet that person will depend on your fate with him."

"Who?"

"Tang Xian."