Chapter 57: What Part of Me is a Scumbag Exactly?
Hong Que pushed open the door, only to find Sen Ji and Cang Jiu kneeling on the floor, both of them clutching one side of their faces.
Sen Ji gazed at Xie Qiang with a stunned expression, his eyes filled with an indescribable complexity and confusion.
Cang Jiu, on the other hand, had a faint glint of excitement in his eyes. His hands were resting on his knees, and his silver fox tail was wagging so fast it was dizzying.
In front of them, Xie Qiang held a new water cup and took a sip. Her voice was hauntingly calm. “Next time, it won’t just be a couple of slaps.”
Treating her so blatantly as a toy to flaunt or fight over was a complete lack of respect for her as a person.
She turned to look at Hong Que as he walked in, her beautiful cat-like eyes narrowing slowly. “And what are you here for now?”
The girl before him was clearly smiling, but the aura she gave off was one of displeasure. She was like a kitten that had been teased into annoyance, suddenly turning cold and refusing to be touched. The arrogant fire Hong Que had brought with him when he burst in instantly withered away.
He whispered, “I… I just came to see you.”
“Are you here to see me, or to slander me?” Xie Qiang huffed, looking at him with displeasure. “What part of me is a ‘scumbag woman’ exactly, to make Chief Prosecutor Hong so… very… angry?”
“Uh…” Hong Que looked at the kneeling Sen Ji and Cang Jiu, his voice growing even smaller. “I thought you and those two were in here doing that… while leaving Mo Yin outside all alone.”
Luckily that wasn’t the case. Otherwise, his brother liked her so much—he would have been heartbroken to hear it.
“What exactly is ‘that’?” Xie Qiang really disliked how he always hid half of what he wanted to say.
“Just… sleeping together.” Hong Que’s face turned bright red. Why did she have to force him to be so blunt!
Xie Qiang laughed from sheer anger. Putting aside why she would even give Sen Ji and Cang Jiu temporary marks, did a simple bite even require hiding from others?
She turned and asked Sen Ji, “How exactly did he become a prosecutor? Did he go through the back door?”
Sen Ji snapped out of his daze from being slapped. He remained silent for a moment before saying, “His Majesty felt his temperament was too impulsive, so he sent him to the war zone to be tempered as a prosecutor.”
Xie Qiang put down her water cup, speechless. “Well, it seems it hasn’t been very effective.”
Sen Ji glanced at the awkward and guilty-looking Hong Que, his eyes lowering slightly. It’s not that it’s ineffective; it’s just that he only acts like this whenever he encounters you.
Sen Ji did not say these words out loud.
“You two get up as well. Don’t do that again next time.” Xie Qiang sat back in her seat. “Go back to whatever you’re supposed to be doing. I won’t see you out.”
Sen Ji and Cang Jiu stood up but didn’t leave. Hong Que also stood his ground, having no intention of departing.
Seeing this, Xie Qiang looked up suspiciously. “What? Is there something else?”
Sen Ji felt embarrassed to bring up the matter of purification again. He quickly searched for another excuse and finally found one. “The A-class sentinels just approached me. They said they want to seek purification from you. I wanted to discuss this matter with you.”
“Oh.” Xie Qiang had long expected the sentinels to act this way and wasn’t surprised. She turned to look at Cang Jiu. “And you?”
Cang Jiu immediately gave a squinting smile. “Your Highness, I’ll stay and listen as well, lest the sentinels go on strike and I’m unable to adjust our tactics against the Zerg in time.”
Xie Qiang then looked at Hong Que.
Hong Que also spoke up immediately. “I am the prosecutor. I have the right to know who the leaders of this latest disturbance are.”
They all had legitimate reasons. Xie Qiang shook her head helplessly and gestured with her chin. “Then sit down.”
The four of them each took a side of the table.
Sen Ji briefly explained what had happened before he arrived. He glanced at Xie Qiang’s expression and, seeing no sign of anger, finally asked, “Do you still plan to continue purifying them?”
Xie Qiang pondered for a moment.
“I will, but they must exchange military merits for it.”
In the novel, the nobles and ministers of the Starsea Empire refused to recognize the original host’s right of inheritance on the grounds that she had no achievements. They claimed they would only recognize her if she could produce convincing results.
Clearly, the Emperor didn’t believe his daughter could achieve such a feat, which was why he settled for the second-best option: having her win over a sufficient number of S-class sentinels.
However, after spending time with them, Xie Qiang couldn’t guarantee that these fickle S-class sentinels—whose thoughts were as deep as needles in the ocean—would remain loyal to her in just a few months, or if they would defect at the last moment, causing her efforts to fail.
Furthermore, Jiang Qingwan’s current situation had allowed her to see the true nature of A-class sentinels: they were profit-driven and followed whoever fed them.
Her adoptive father once said that while one should treat others with sincerity to receive sincerity in return, when it came to management and power, interest was the simplest driver for everything.
Compared to winning over S-class sentinels, utilizing these A-class sentinels to achieve military success might be purer and simpler.
Therefore, “I have a three-step plan.”
Step one: Encourage A-class sentinels to fight actively and refuse to slack off by implementing a “more work, more reward” system.
[“Hey, have you heard? The Princess issued a decree for exchanging military merit for purification. You can get 20% purification from her first, and as long as you kill 10 high-level Insect Generals in one battle, you can have all your increased mania levels purified, plus an extra 5%!”]
[“Ten high-level Insect Generals… it seems doable if we work hard?”]
[“But I think it’s a bit difficult… what if the Zerg send fewer high-level generals? Wouldn’t the ones we killed before be for nothing?”]
[“Hey, I’m not finished yet! If you hunt in a group, as long as three people can collect 15 high-level Insect Generals, you can get the same purification treatment!”]
[“Doesn’t that mean an average of 5 generals per person gets you 5% purification?!”]
[“Exactly! The key is that there’s no cap on this purification mechanism! If we kill 30 high-level Insect Generals as a group, each person can directly purify an extra 10% of their mania!”]
[“Hiss—then isn’t that a huge profit! Grouping up really saves effort and is more cost-effective!”]
Step two: Through grouping, foster unity among the A-class sentinels and unleash greater combat power.
“This is interesting.” At the table, Cang Jiu curled a silk hairband around his finger, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. “Commoner A-class sentinels often have stronger combat power, but in terms of tactics, they are far inferior to noble sentinels who have received elite education. To obtain the greater benefit of purification, noble sentinels will inevitably try to win over commoner sentinels, and commoner sentinels will covet their elite tactics. Once the two are united, their combat effectiveness will surely double.”
He looked at Xie Qiang with a face full of pleasant surprise. “I didn’t expect Her Highness to be so proficient in the art of leadership.”
Hong Que also said incredulously, “No wonder you don’t go to inheritance classes. Even the lecturers aren’t as capable as you.”
Xie Qiang rubbed the tip of her nose and unceremoniously accepted this wonderful misunderstanding. “It’s good that you know.”
“Then what about the third step?” Sen Ji asked.
The third step was to change the working mechanism of the Guides.
The prerequisite for the Guide work reform plan was to free up the workload of A-class Guides. Since she was now taking over the purification of A-class sentinels, what would the freed A-class Guides do?
Shu Fenghua rushed into the rest area with excitement, shouting to the A-class Guides who were slumped on their beds, too tired to get up, “Great news! Our work tasks have changed. We don’t have to be so exhausted anymore!”
Recommended Reads
