Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 695 - 306. Okay, okay, okay, so this is how you play, huh?

Chapter 695: 306. Okay, okay, okay, so this is how you play, huh?

As Li Aozi’s body was taken away, the hijacked civil aviation passengers also fell into a state of panic. They were strictly confined to a narrow space, crouching with their hands over their heads, while the gun-toting pirates watched over them, taking the opportunity to rifle through their possessions for anything valuable.

"Tch, such bad luck,"

a Snake Person hissed, yanking an earring from a young girl’s ear and couldn’t help but click his tongue:

"Thought it was mithril, but it’s just an ordinary metal. Pretending to be rich or what."

His companion heckled:

"Be content, it’s just an ordinary route. You really think there’ll be nobles, bureaucrats, or oligarch tycoons on board? They travel with private guards; we can’t reap any real rewards from them."

The pirate sullenly stuffed the bloody earring into his pouch:

"Ah, these poor sods, not working properly to earn money, they even look down on pirates."

In fact, entering the Interstellar Era, most people had long since stored their assets virtually, and moreover, they were just ordinary civil aviation passengers, not some high-end star yachts, so the pirates didn’t gain much after looting.

However, the pirates didn’t care about that—the commissions from those mysterious big clients were the key factors they dared to take the risk.

A few pirates stared at a gorgeous lady, their eyes rolling, and whispered amongst themselves.

"Hey, bro, see that blue-haired chick? How about that? She’s quite something... Look at those legs, those arms, so delicate."

A sidekick snickered, revealing a mouthful of crooked teeth:

"Quite something, huh? Too bad we can’t touch her. That petite half-dragon lady has said, we absolutely must not lay a hand on them."

"Tch, freaking nonsense. Can’t touch, but we can look all we want, right?"

"Doesn’t matter, no rule says ’eye invasion’ counts as an invasion."

As the clients had clearly requested restraint and forbade harming the hostages, the passengers were still able to whisper to each other.

"Did you feel that presence? That’s Zeta Rank, isn’t it?"

the Steel Elf guy said to the person next to him:

"When he sat beside me, he seemed harmless, just a young man with vast knowledge. I never imagined that he had already reached the level of Ascend to Godhood."

People around also started discussing.

"There’s no mistaking the aura of the Zeta Rank, but if he truly was Zeta Rank, a full-force strike would have destroyed all of us on the ship long ago."

"What a good person, by Sovereign Li Aozi, may the soul of the Sovereign protect him."

"The woman who fought him was also scary. When she moved, it was like a meteor falling, and her mere presence was oppressive enough to make one’s whole body shiver with cold..."

"It’s just too bad, woah, I just saw that young man’s head get chopped off. Was he killed?"

"Ah, it’s all because of these scoundrels..."

The sighs of those around made a woman holding a baby in the crowd lower her head in shame, tightening her grip on the blanket in her hands, feeling a profound sense of guilt:

"It’s all my fault, if I hadn’t swapped seats with him, he definitely wouldn’t have had any trouble..."

However, no matter how guilty she felt, it was useless now.

The person was already dead, and now they were being held hostage by pirates, their signals were being blocked, unable to signal for help, and the spaceship was under control, especially since they were in this unfamiliar starfield.

In such a situation, the possibility of escaping unscathed was basically gone.

It should be said that the people from the conglomerate were always careful and prudent, as those who perennially dealt with the capitalist monster naturally understood the need for calm, patience, and decisiveness.

This was a quality not possessed by citizens of other narrative-level civilizations.

The conglomerate’s people would prepare for the worst; they always came up with a universal plan, and then took each element into consideration for different case targets. Under this formulaic strategy, basically anyone who encountered Redd Gold’s believers would be at a disadvantage.

But as a decision-maker, Nariya also understood what the conglomerate’s people lacked.

As pursuers of capital, they were too easily swept along by the current: a mere disturbance could destroy and break them down, either by quickly cutting off the root of disaster to minimize losses or by adopting a shock therapy approach, letting things rot completely.

Plainly put, they inherently lacked the capacity to respond to unexpected events.

A narrative-level civilization was a civilization after all, not the kind of monster that Society is; as a vast organizational structure, with too many categories of personnel and an array of factions, the decision-making efficiency inevitably suffered, similar to that of an ordinary civilization, requiring extensive discussion and debate among the big shots.

While waiting for the transportation of Leozi’s corpse, Nariya was also discussing this issue with her subordinates.

"Miss Nariya, such an accident is not your fault, and the best choice is still to report it to Young Master Andrew,"

Zeta Rank Gambler, Dunzton, a middle-aged man in an old-fashioned linen suit, sporting a goatee and with three green gemstones inlaid at the corner of his left eye, firmly said to Nariya, holding a divination result:

"I’m no longer able to divine information about the future, this situation means: Leozi either has in his possession an object that shields against fate scrutiny or his physical body has died, making predictions temporarily impossible."

"I know... but I can’t afford to lose this person."

After a moment of contemplation, Nariya said:

"Leozi cannot die, at least not on my watch. We’ve planned such a grand operation; if anything goes wrong, the people within the company will surely question me, and all I’ve achieved so far will be squandered."

"But have you considered that if we send Leozi back within the Inherent Temporal Domain, just the record of his entry cannot be erased, wouldn’t that confirm we kidnapped Leozi?"

Dunzton countered:

"I understand you want to accomplish your goal neatly and without any loose ends, to gain unanimous praise within the company — but sometimes, you have to realize that even if there’s an accident, as long as your crisis PR is handled properly, it can even enhance your image."

Nariya pondered:

"What you’re saying is, if I show my capabilities in dealing with Leozi’s issue, the people at the company will still hold me in high regard."

"Executing the plan as prescribed, anyone can do that, even chickens who have just sworn to follow the Grand Narrative — the difference is just how well it’s done. Capitalists excel at execution and steering by the wind; here at the company, anyone can do that."

Dunzton offered Nariya a new perspective:

"But in our narrative, the ability to adapt to changing circumstances is a rare quality. If you demonstrate this, you will impress the board members — isn’t that how Young Master Andrew climbed the ranks?"

"...After Velazquez withdrew from Valenkov Autonomy, Andrew quickly shifted strategy, not only stopping the losses in time but also adjusting the business direction, downsizing departments, and cutting recruitments, which actually increased the company’s profits by 3%. That is indeed a rare quality."

Nariya fell into contemplation, quickly assessing her own situation.

The death of Leozi was all but certain; under the web she had woven, especially the enveloping Higgs Field, Leozi was accidentally killed — a high probability event, but she did not expect Gabros, always so composed and ruthless, to malfunction.

This was not within the planned scenarios, but as Dunzton said, this situation provided an even greater opportunity to display her capabilities.