Pretending To Be A Boss

Life on the lower levels was harsh.

Tang Xian always managed to live well, but compared to the comfortable lives of those on the higher levels, his existence could only be considered making the best of a hard lot.

No matter the circumstances, one must strive to live on in the best way possible.

"Just this?" Qiao Shanshan raised an eyebrow.

After all, she was not only the team leader of the Scorched Blood Group but also a well-known hunter. In these times, hunters debuting in the "C" position were common, but those debuting in the "S" position were quite rare.

"Just this."

Tang Xian was unyielding and continued:

"I'm not joking with you. If you're hungry, I can share some food with you because I think it's tasty and can remind one of the days when we had the right to eat meat. But if you're dying, I won't save you. We're strangers, and if you want me to save you, you'll have to accept my demand."

"You're taking advantage of the situation!" Qiao Shanshan said angrily.

"You can't imagine the benefits you're missing. But never mind, death can push people to their limits. As you wait to die and keep thinking, maybe it will make your mind sharper."

Qiao Shanshan felt uneasy.

She had never encountered such an approach to recruitment, completely void of sentiment. As the brightest core member of the Scorched Blood Group, Qiao Shanshan had been targeted for recruitment many times, with most people laying the groundwork early, trying to make contact and curry favor with her.

But this man in front of her, he did nothing of the sort; he simply said, "Join me or die."

Yet his calm expression seemed casual but not dismissive.

If she did not agree, this man would truly watch her die here.

Speaking of which... she had been here for over six days already. The portable transport fissure recorded the time of entry into the mining area, turning red after exceeding five days.

Qiao Shanshan could feel that with each passing second, death crept one step closer.

"As for the seven-day death rule, I need to tell you that it will be excruciating when the time comes."

"Your heart will pound as if it's about to burst, the blood vessels around the ventricles will rupture, and at the same time, the brain will lose control over the body. All you'll be able to do is blink your eyes, but you won't be able to make a sound."

"Then your consciousness will blur more and more, but you won't die peacefully in the chaos. You'll feel a bone-chilling cold, as if walking through ice and snow. Theoretically, you shouldn't make it that far; your body will already be dead before your consciousness enters the realm of cold."

"But if such consciousness persists after death, then you're doomed to be trapped in the cold forever. It's quite an uncomfortable thought."

"If you could commit suicide in your consciousness, I would suggest you try to end yourself. I'm not fooling you, or you could try to kill yourself now, otherwise, dying by the mysterious rules of this mining area will be exceptionally painful."

Tang Xian always spoke in a tone that suggested the moon was bright tonight, yet it sent chills down the spine of Qiao Shanshan, who was also a doctor.

Was this man a devil?

After a long silence, she said, "If I really agree to your terms, and then return to the Pyramid, how would you know I'll keep my promise?"

"I show the proper respect and trust to my team members," he said.

That was the truth, but Tang Xian had only told half of it. What he truly believed in was the data he saw before his eyes.

Gender: Female.

Morality value: 61.

Greed and sensuality index: 17.

Affection level: 5 (strangers).

Financial assessment: 27 (small savings).

Liked things: Delicious food.

Disliked things: Nvwa Snake.
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Feared things: Nvwa Snake.

Current honesty level: 20 (superficial).

Charm value: 67 (pretty as a picture).

Current luck value: 45 (minor luck).

Current needs analysis:

[Kill the Nvwa Snake (40%)]

[Gain Tang Xian's trust through deceit (30%)]

[Leave the mining area (25%)]

[Other (5%)].

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Current demand analysis refers to the degree of desire for something and also affects the probability of doing that thing, the desire to kill the Nvwa Snake is the greatest, but Qiao Shanshan is incapable of that.

Tang Xian had also conducted a study wherein people with higher morality scores are more likely to turn a lie into truth in the future, even when they tell a lie at a time when their honesty is very low.

Especially since the two shared common interests, Tang Xian wasn't too worried about being deceived.

Just like when Dong Ran joined his team, he didn't mind being lied to and could even play along with the act, but the premise was that the lie had to be one that everyone could accept.

And some thoughts need to take flight for a while.

"I promise you," she said.

Qiao Shanshan was not good at lying, so the tone and demeanor with which she spoke made even Dong Ran feel the falsity.

Tang Xian nodded and said,

"Okay. Congratulations on surviving. From today, you will be the doctor in our team. My team is called Shengtang, and your codename is Tang Busi. This is a portable teleportation fracture, set to the coordinates of the fortress where you are. But the mine's coordinates are in the forest."

It's always good to be able to save someone, so Dong Ran decided not to tell Tang that he had been deceived.

Qiao Shanshan was also surprised, this man was very smart, she could feel that, but wasn't he agreeing too readily?

"After you arrive in the forest, you will see a cabin. If I'm there, you don't need to pay attention to anything, but if I'm not, just tell the dumb bird that can talk that you are my friend."

Tang Xian handed the portable teleportation fracture over to Qiao Shanshan. Liu Lang's blacksmith shop also sold teleportation fractures.

The portable teleportation fracture was not cheap; even for a formal employee, it was a significant expense. Tang Xian had bought a lot of them.

Mainly for the convenience of travel.

Qiao Shanshan found that the return coordinate was indeed set to her own fortress.

The man seemed to have everything calculated, everything just needed to develop step by step.

The premise is that one keeps their promise.

"You would not want to experience what it's like to stay in the mines for seven full days, so you can leave now," he said.

Tang Xian handed the plate with the braised pig's ears to Tang Xiaojiu, who happily went off to eat them.

Qiao Shanshan took a deep look at Tang Xian, silent as she activated the portable teleportation fracture.

…

…

The next morning, as the sun could not penetrate Waning Time Valley, the frequency of bird calls had already picked up.

When Dong Ran awoke, Tang Xian was already starting to make breakfast.

The unfortunate animals in Waning Time Valley had waited six days, thinking they could feast on humans, only to find the scent of that weak woman had suddenly vanished.

And to this rare human-visited place, two ferocious stars had come.

Waking up early and scouring the valley, Tang Xian had not found anything tasty, as the creatures here mostly smelled foul, which required pickling to remove.

Breakfast was simple; Tang Xian caught a few pine birds.

Pine bird soup was delicious and suitable for breakfast.

Tang Gazi had already eaten the bat-eared birds, which belonged to the losers among birds. It was a pity it wasn't there; otherwise, giving it a chance to taste pine birds would surely make it prefer them even more.

Breakfast was prepared under the silent urging of Tang Xiaojiu, and the little girl was eating with her mouth all messy. Dong Ran also ate quite a bit.

Following Tang Xian, she realized she had to increase her daily exercise, or else she would put on weight.

"Tang, are we going to catch Yi Niu next?" she asked.

"Continuing north from Waning Time Valley is the Scorched Wilderness. The leader of the wild bulls there is Yi Niu. After we finish eating, we will go directly to catch Yi Niu. Oh, and make sure you keep this safe," he said.

Tang Xian's prop bag was rather messy, so he handed over two iron-can pig Soul Crystals to Dong Ran.

Dong Ran was at a loss for words.

She had witnessed how Tang Xian dealt with the hellhound, but what about those two iron-can pigs from yesterday? Implementing a tactic needed time, too.

How exactly had Tang killed the two iron-can pigs?

Tang Xian noticed her perplexity but offered no explanation.

Dong Ran didn't ask, thinking that with the skills Tang had shown, he was already worthy of being rated as a top hunter. Out of curiosity, she asked,

"Tang, the hunting festival is coming up. Are we participating?"

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