“Could it be that Big Brother Wu Jian is truly a remnant of the Diesel Company? No, no, I can't believe how a remnant of the Diesel Company could be related to Big Brother Wu Jian!?”
“Impossible, impossible, this is absolutely impossible. Big Brother Wu Jian has always encouraged us to unite. He was always the first to lead the way in any matter, and he gritted his teeth to help us solve any difficulties. How could Big Brother Wu Jian be related to the Diesel Company?”
“That’s right, we absolutely don’t believe that the Diesel Company’s matters could be linked to Big Brother Wu Jian!”
Among the middle-level managers, such voices also appeared, but most people were silent at this time.
Completely speechless.
They couldn't say anything at all.
Especially many middle-level managers, including the leaders of those middle-level managers, had hesitant expressions on their faces.
Now they didn't know what was really going on, what the true truth was.
Or rather, deep down, they didn't know, weren't sure, and had even begun to suspect that their beloved Big Brother Wu Jian was, in fact, a remnant of the Diesel Company.
Moreover, because of this association, when they now thought back to when Wu Jian helped them before, they felt in their hearts whether there was some conspiracy involved, or some special purpose.
Was he really a remnant of the Diesel Company, wanting to unite them and turn them into remnants of the Diesel Company, or perhaps trying to pull them onto a pirate ship with that intention and purpose?
“That’s right, you guessed correctly, Wu Jian is that remnant of the Diesel Company. Otherwise, why would we demand negotiations with him? Why would we pull him aside to negotiate with his confidants in the alleyway? It was precisely because we didn’t want to harm the innocent. We only wanted to focus our attack on Wu Jian and his relatives, those most deeply involved with the Diesel Company’s remnants, without harming or affecting everyone’s normal lives.”
At this moment, the senior manager was still speaking loudly, holding Wu Jian’s head high, with an expression of anger and frustration on his face.
It was as if he was the one who had been wronged.
And he was still speaking loudly: “Think carefully, think seriously, think with your conscience, why did Wu Jian gather all of you to confront us when we came? How did you know we were coming? Wasn’t it Wu Jian who knew this news in advance, united you, and then used you as shields, which is why we were somewhat helpless and could only use small tricks to eliminate them?”
“Think carefully, think from our perspective. What grievances do we have with you? What enmities? We have no involvement with most of you at all. We only have grievances with Wu Jian and these few key individuals. Why did it have to come to the point where we directly confront each other with weapons?”
“This is Deherim, the territory of Lord Shen Mu. All of us are elite managers chosen from tens of thousands of Blue Star Humans. Our authority is sufficient. Do we really need to fight for power and profit with you, to contend with you for identity and status, and cause things to reach this point? Do you think that’s possible?”
The senior manager continued to loudly state his reasons, and what he said were all great truths, as if he were thinking from the perspective of those middle-level managers.
This was, in fact, sophistry.
It was direct sophistry carried out by them as senior managers to prevent their power from being diluted, to prevent their power from being seized by others, and to protect their identity and status from being replaced by these middle-level managers.
The things he claimed not to care about and not to mind were, in fact, the very things these senior managers cared about and minded.
And they valued them more than their own lives.
It was for these things, for these rights, for these identities and statuses, that these senior managers truly dared to slaughter these middle-level managers.
But these middle-level managers didn't think so. Why were they only middle-level managers? Why were they just ordinary people at the bottom of society before the apocalypse?
It was because they still retained the moral sense and shame of ordinary people.
In essence, there was a fundamental difference between them and the senior managers, who were the true meat-eaters.
That's why these middle-level managers could now be so easily fooled by these senior managers.
“Did we really make a mistake? Did we really trust Wu Jian wrongly? Is Wu Jian truly a remnant of the Diesel Company?”
“Thinking about it carefully, perhaps it’s true. Before, Wu Jian and his group of brothers kept telling us what to do and what not to do, but they never told us why we should do it that way.”
“When these senior managers spoke, they were right. They really had no need to be involved with us. And the conflict with the senior managers only arose after Wu Jian united us. Before, it was at most some minor verbal friction.”
“That’s right, thinking this way, Wu Jian does indeed have a strong suspicion. It’s precisely because he took the lead that we had a huge conflict with these senior managers.”
These middle-level managers were all whispering, having already placed the source of the problem on Wu Jian.
But this made the senior managers, including Zhou Mo, who was behind them, unable to help but laugh inwardly. They exchanged glances, each seeing in the other’s eyes the mockery of these middle-level managers and the excitement of their acting.
After all, being able to fool the other party completely was quite amusing for anyone.
Moreover, for them, these guys being fooled was not regrettable.
Furthermore, their whispers had already reached their ears. When they heard the words of these middle-level managers, they felt even more ridiculous, even feeling that these naive, even foolish, middle-level managers were naive to an extremely adorable degree.
If it weren't for the verbal provocations and suppressions in minor frictions that these senior managers routinely inflicted on these middle-level managers, then why would Wu Jian lead these middle-level managers to unite and resist them?
The problem still lay with these senior managers. The source of everything was their arrogant attitude of being high and mighty, which eventually evolved into conflict.
It was precisely because of these countless small conflicts, accumulated over time, that they could evolve into the conflict that formed after Wu Jian united this group of middle-level managers.
Now these middle-level managers were actually coming up with reasons for themselves.
Isn't this naive foolishness?
“That’s right, that’s how it is. We are very happy that you can understand. You should know that if it weren’t for Wu Jian, we might not have reached this point. Now that you’ve thought about it and understood, if it weren’t for Wu Jian, we wouldn’t have so many problems. You would have been under our management long ago. Do we still need to be like now, being excluded by Wu Jian? That’s definitely impossible. We are also very happy that talented people like you can work under us. Does working under us mean you are no longer middle-level managers? Can you no longer serve as key managers in various departments among the Blue Star Humans?”
The senior manager directly raised his hand and slammed Wu Jian’s twisted head heavily onto the ground. It made a splatting sound like a rotten watermelon, and then he loudly declared: “This is absolutely impossible. It was all because this fellow named Wu Jian misled you, which is why our relationship has deteriorated to such an extent. And here, I, on behalf of all senior managers, swear that we will absolutely not have any conflict with you because of Wu Jian. From now on, as long as you continue to work diligently for Deherim and for Lord Shen Mu, then we will absolutely not hold today’s events against you.”
“That’s right, we absolutely will not hold today’s events against you. We will only execute Wu Jian, the primary culprit. As for everyone else, as long as it is verified that they have no involvement with the Diesel Company and are not remnants of the Diesel Company, we will not pursue any of your actions today or previously.”
“Now, I hope everyone puts down their weapons and stops the bloodshed. We are all Blue Star Humans struggling to survive together in Deherim, compatriots who, under the leadership of Lord Shen Mu, finally have a peaceful place to multiply and thrive. If we continue this bloodshed, it can only be what the remnants of the Diesel Company wish to see. After all, if conflicts and riots are incited within Deherim, then it benefits them, and it is a terrible thing for Lord Shen Mu and Deherim.”
“So, let’s not continue the bloodshed. I would like to ask everyone to put down their weapons, then peacefully accept our inspection and isolation. Finally, when your innocence is proven, let us all continue to work together for the future of Deherim. Do you think that’s acceptable?”
At this moment, Zhou Mo also stepped forward, patting his chest and reassuring everyone.
It was just an oath and a promise. If they didn't abide by this oath and promise, would they really encounter something? Although they were now facing pursuit from Undead Monsters, such a curse or oath would not bring any real retribution.
So, it was just a verbal promise, and it wouldn’t cost him a piece of his flesh, so saying it casually was fine.
As long as these middle-level managers believed his words and put down their weapons, then at that point, no matter what the outcome, it would not be something that these middle-level managers, who had chosen to put down their weapons, could decide.
And Zhou Mo's smile at this moment grew increasingly mocking, because he saw that after he finished speaking, many of the middle-level managers in front of him instinctively put down their weapons. Even if they didn't put them down, everyone slowly lowered their weapons to the ground.
It was clear that they had already chosen to believe Zhou Mo’s words and did not want to continue this violent bloodshed.
After all, looking at it now, it was clear that Zhou Mo, as a senior manager, had gained the upper hand, whether from a moral standpoint, future considerations, or practical considerations.
These middle-level managers had fallen into a disadvantage, and with the death of Wu Jian and his five core cadres, they had been branded with the defamatory label of “Diesel Company remnants.”
And they had completely fallen into a disadvantage.
Even those who were originally very close to Wu Jian were silent at this time. They didn’t want to continue associating with Wu Jian, who was linked to the Diesel Company, especially after Wu Jian’s death and his inability to defend himself, and with everyone starting to say that Wu Jian seemed to be a remnant of the Diesel Company. Even the closest of friends at that time could only choose silence and choose to believe these senior managers.
Therefore, no one began to resist, no one continued to shout for revenge for Wu Jian, and no one said to unite and resist these senior managers in front of them.
Because at this moment, within the game, all of them had lost the ability to think. They had become dazed by the tense, fast pace and stimulating visual scene, turning into unthinking lambs who only knew to blindly follow the words and actions of others.
This led to Wu Jian truly becoming a remnant of the Diesel Company. Wu Jian truly became a traitor who rebelled against Deherim and opposed Shen Mu.
If they continued to seek revenge for Wu Jian, wouldn’t that mean they themselves were also remnants of the Diesel Company?
No one present was a remnant of the Diesel Company.
After all, the Diesel Company’s remnants were just an excuse Zhang Bo casually pulled out. If they really went to Shen Mu to verify, they would find that all of this was fabricated, without any reason. Shen Mu had never even mentioned the existence of any Diesel Company remnants.
They would learn the truth. They would know that the real traitor should be Zhang Bo.
But it was too late. The grand plan was already in motion.
Zhang Bo had successfully incited the conflict between these senior managers and middle-level managers, and now, looking at these middle-level managers who had put down their weapons and were obediently waiting for inspection and search, the senior managers’ sinister smiles and murderous intent in their eyes were no longer concealed.
Next, they would isolate all these middle-level managers.
First, they would kill the leaders of the middle-level managers.
Then, they would kill the core members of the middle-level managers.
Finally, they would kill the senior members of the middle-level managers whom they remembered as having opposed them.
Only a small number of those who had recently joined the middle-level managers would be left alive as witnesses to prove that all those they killed were remnants of the Diesel Company.
That’s what Zhou Mo and his group thought. (End of Chapter)