The Chief Strategist stood up in anger and snatched the hamster from Zero's hand.
He had decided to vent his fury on his boss's pet.
Zero, "...?"
He stopped mid-sentence, hesitating, staring at the strategist's twisted expression.
The man was feeding the pet nuts.
Was the pressure really that great…? Then what about the subordinates?
Zero went down the list, checking the subordinate status panels one by one. They were either "Hungry" or "Drowsy."
Thanks to the fruits Aha had delivered, all the subordinates were "immortal." No matter how long the overtime, they wouldn't keel over.
They were heaven-chosen workers that would make any capitalist weep with joy.
Their bodies could take the abuse, but their spirits might not hold up.
After all, these were NPCs who'd get so excited about rain that they forgot to get out of the rain. They were fragile, like hamsters.
As a player, he had to be more tolerant.
Forcing people to work in a bad state, how could efficiency be high?
He temporarily suspended the meeting, urging his subordinates to eat if they needed to eat, rest if they needed to rest.
"At worst, we'll just hold the meeting tomorrow. Once you're recovered, then we'll talk."
'He's so real, I'm crying.'
Family, who understands this. Their boss was kind and approachable, without any of the usual bossy airs.
Not only did he take care of all the tough problems at work for them, he even cared about their condition.
Truthfully, the Marshal had absolutely no need to consider the problems of each Xianzhou person, that was what his generals and subordinates should be thinking about.
But the Marshal never dumped a mess on them.
When problems came up, they didn't need to think at all, just copy the solution the Marshal had given.
Not even their own parents were this…
When they were little, if they spilled something or tripped and fell, they'd be scolded by their elders. But the Marshal was totally different.
He felt like the type of parent who fiercely shielded his kids.
Even if the child made a mistake, he'd first care about the child's feelings.
Like the type who, if you knocked over your bowl and spilled food all over the floor, would still ask if you were hungry.
Do you understand the sheer gold content of having Marshal as your boss?
Even if they followed his orders and messed something up, his first reaction wasn't to blame them, but to reflect on himself, thinking it was his decision that had been wrong.
A boss this emotionally stable and reasonable… you couldn't find one even with a lantern.
Even when they went behind his back, stirred up trouble, and took down the entire Alliance, the Marshal hadn't scolded them.
He even gave them triple overtime pay…
Without the Marshal, who would ever treat them like children again?
The subordinates exchanged glances across the distance. No one wanted to back down. They strongly demanded that Zero continue the meeting.
Zero helplessly pressed his forehead.
"Then let's do as before, eat while we talk. Rest for a while first, wait until the food arrives, then we'll continue."
At those words, the strategist held the hamster close, turned off his boss's mic, and said sternly, "You can't spoil them like this, or it'll cause big problems later."
Zero dismissed it, raising his hand to take back the pet.
What big problems could they cause?
Even though his subordinates had once pissed him off into turning into the Devil's Shadow, it had still added a strong debuff, hadn't it?
It was just like a pet at home. They'd try their hardest to bring you what were the most precious treasures.
They'd strut proudly, holding a little fish or bug, looking up at you, begging you to praise them.
Even if they brought things you didn't need, you had to accept them all.
After all, it was one of the few things they could do.
They just wanted to make you happy, how could that be wrong?
Even if they knocked over cups or clawed up the curtains, those were just trivial matters.
And anyway, who said cups and curtains weren't at fault too?
At the root, the problem was with those people in Luofu.
Exaggerating Lan's actions, saying he was destroying the Arbor.
What a joke. If those high-level NPCs' artifacts were really that easy to wreck, he'd have long since dragged Lan to find Fuli and "Erudition."
Seeing his boss unmoved, the strategist had no choice but to change the subject, "About Lan, what do you plan to do?"
"What else can I do?" Zero couldn't help sighing.
The very first thing his subordinates had done upon reaching Luofu was try to rescue the prince they'd recognized.
But before they could act, all sorts of accidents kept happening in Luofu, blocking their every move.
As if some unseen pair of eyes were watching their every action.
At the same time, secretly guiding their moves.
When his subordinates told him this, they'd been on the verge of tears.
It wasn't that they weren't working. It was that Luofu was just too cursed.
Zero had hurriedly comforted them, then opened the map. Sure enough, both "Erudition" and "Remembrance" had people gathered in Luofu, hindering his subordinates' work.
Just to be safe, he checked the entire Xianzhou Alliance, and found they had agents in Zhuming too.
And what's more, the Suìhuang he'd thought long dead had inexplicably appeared in Zhuming as well.
This forced him to take Lan's matter seriously.
Luofu and Fuli had mentioned special materials, so for now they couldn't be touched.
Fuli had sent an envoy. His stats weren't as good as Lan's, but his looks were top-notch, clearly a perfect fit for diplomacy.
Of course, no core secrets would be given to him.
After all, as Fuli's envoy, Zero didn't even need to pay his salary. Even if he worked nonstop for centuries, he wouldn't die of exhaustion.
And since Zero was a man of his word, once he promised Fuli something, he had to follow through.
He could only wait until he'd built up enough weapons to destroy galaxies, then resolve matters with those two high-level NPCs.
Once Fuli keeled over, he wouldn't need to keep his promise anymore.
Aside from Lan, there was another headache, Lan's mother.
After all, his own UR had once fought for him. And now, the situation they were in was entirely created by him, their boss…
Of course, he had to look after his UR's family, to resolve the aftermath of her slumber.
Zero, 'This time I really have to "raise your mother for you"…'
He cautiously told the strategist, "I think… I need to take responsibility for his mother. After all, she's the prince's mother."
The strategist, "…Maybe go back to elementary school and review your studies, yeah? One sentence from you, and her decades-long reputation is ruined."
Zero humbly asked, "Then does the strategist have any good ideas?"
The strategist knew his boss well. No matter if something was doable or not, the man would stubbornly try it.
Like fleecing rich businessmen, or picking fights with Aha…
He was basically insane. For him to hesitate on Lan's matter only showed how hard this one was.
After much thought, he came up with an idea, "Imitate Lan's handwriting, write letters regularly to his mother."
Zero had boundless energy. Glancing at his still-worn-out subordinates, he immediately picked up a pen to draft something.
The strategist leaned over to look, and instantly fell silent at what he saw.
If it weren't for Zero's lackeys being present, he would've snatched it away on the spot.
'What the hell was with lines like, "Mother, don't worry, I've entrusted you to the Marshal"?'
'And, "The Marshal is of excellent character and worth trusting"?!'
'You, [Xianzhou curse words] absolute genius! Send you as a diplomat and two nations would be at war in a day!'
The strategist took a deep breath, slapped his hand over the letter, and snapped, "I'll do it."
The boss cooperatively handed over the pen and the letter, making the strategist suspect he'd been set up.
Zero watched the strategist go write the letter, then turned his gaze back to the phantom subordinates, who were eating their meal. He opened voice chat, speaking one by one to the generals of each Xianzhou, stressing the issues they needed to watch.
"Finally, about the colossus project."
The subordinates and the strategist all held their breath, waiting for the Marshal's order.
Zero thought for a moment. "On the premise of securing food, clothing, housing, priority goes to building colossus project. Oh, except for Luofu and Zhuming."
The two named generals wilted like frost-struck eggplants, their faces full of dejection, clearly feeling there was no point in staying in Luofu and Zhuming.
Facing the glares of their colleagues, they said they wanted to return to the Marshal's side.
Zero had to soothe them for a while, promising they could visit Yaoqing during downtime, before they finally settled down.
"We have two problems to solve, the Swarm Disaster and the Abundance Abominations."
"The Swarm Disaster is the calamity brought to the universe by the Aeon of Propagation, invading countless planets, killing untold lives."
"The Abundance Abominations, they harmed countless Xianzhou citizens. At the root, it's all because of that machine claiming to be the 'Emperor.' It's extreme, paranoid, believes machines are the most perfect lifeform, and views humans as a flawed species."
"There will inevitably be a battle between us. But instead of passive counterattacks, I prefer to take the initiative."
"Don't worry. I've got this."
He focused his gaze on his subordinates.
"Go ahead and do it."
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