Evolution - Chapter 117
Chapter 117
The surrounding area was a barren and desolate mountain forest, but it was far from being rich in resources. In the past few days, the number of people they had cleared out—who had been hiding in the mountains trying to survive—far exceeded the number of prey.
This suggested one of two things: either so many people had hidden in the mountains over the years that they had nearly eaten all the prey, or this particular forest simply lacked any fierce beasts. Because it was relatively safe, many had chosen to hide here.
Ji Changqing actually leaned toward a third possibility—someone had cleared out the fierce beasts in advance for some specific purpose.
Right now, she just wanted to lay low and had no intention of stirring up trouble. She figured hunting a beast in the forest was a normal activity, nothing to worry about.
If this beast, now a pile of meat, had been truly important, it probably wouldn't have been able to escape all the way here.
She still remembered the image from Saiweiyala's detector last night. From the area where signal points were distributed to their current location, it would have taken even her three or four days to run.
It had a chip and could be tracked. If it was important, how incompetent would its pursuers have to be to fail to kill a single fleeing beast over such a long period?
Well, even if they did track them down and were foolish enough to cause trouble, they would first need to have the ability to do so!
Despite her various speculations, Ji Changqing showed nothing, instead focusing with great diligence and boldness on training the people under her command. She was both putting what she had learned at the military academy into practice and using this group as a training exercise.
According to her years of experience as a corporate drone, no matter how well you learn something, applying it always involves detours and hidden pitfalls along the way. She had no intention of becoming an armchair general of the interstellar age.
If she were in the Alliance, graduating and entering the military to lead and train troops step-by-step, she would certainly be full of apprehension, racking her brain to ensure her plans were comprehensive enough not to hinder everyone's growth. She would worry she couldn't bring out their full potential.
But now, using this group of people—each of whom would be serving a life sentence under Alliance law—to test the waters was a different story. She could be bold in her ideas and courageous in her execution, experimenting as she pleased and constantly refining her methods without a shred of apology or guilt.
For the first time, she was experiencing the joy of a rich kid's startup! Winning or losing didn't matter; she could experiment as much as she wanted!
Another half a month passed. The short-cycle vegetables were ready to be served, with enough surplus to sell in the city for money, finally ending the pioneering team's state of constant expenditure with no income.
Having an income, even if it was just a drop in the bucket, made a world of difference. The tense, oppressive atmosphere finally began to ease.
Their lives consisted of clearing land, farming, and training troops in their spare time—a poor and monotonous existence. For Ji Changqing, who had spent four years at a military academy, three years in prison, and then nearly half a year as a captive without freedom, it was nothing. It even gave her a slight, mistaken sense of peaceful years passing by.
But for the space pirates and mercenaries, it was agonizing.
They had no money on them. Currencies from either side were usable on Wendeli, albeit at different exchange rates. All their cash had been forcibly confiscated earlier to purchase supplies and get settled.
However, who among those who lived by the sword didn't have some spoils of war? They all possessed valuable items, some more than others.
There was an auction house right here. If they sold a few good items, they could instantly transform from penniless beggars into prodigal sons ready for a life of debauchery!
Feasting on meat, downing bowls of wine, gambling fortunes away at the casino for the thrill of it, or squandering money in the arms of beautiful women, lost in a world of pleasure.
This was their normal way of taking leave when not on a mission! Not this monotonous, day-after-day routine of clearing land, patrolling, and training…
The only obstacle on their path to becoming prodigals was the duty roster! Each person only had four days off a month, two days at a time. But a trip to the pleasure district in the safe zone required at least two or three days to truly let loose!
The three thousand of them were currently responsible for guard duty and patrols. Sentry duty and patrols were separate, and after their shifts, they had to go to the training grounds. They could only leave the camp during their designated leave time.
So, from time to time, they would let out long sighs, yearning for the wonderful life in the commercial district. The more they yearned, the more some couldn't hold it in, secretly arranging shift swaps with people they were on good terms with.
Ji Changqing naturally couldn't recognize every single person, nor did she micromanage to that extent. The reason she found out about these private shift swaps was that someone from the other two teams had been forced to cover a shift for free. Resentful, they had complained about it to her subordinates during a patrol.
"Does this happen a lot?" Ji Changqing thought to herself. Isn't this just common workplace bullying? Senior employees or those with powerful backing love to make new employees work for free and then take credit for their labor.
The person who had been gossiping, only to be overheard by their boss, was speechless.
They immediately tried to salvage the situation. "Our team wouldn't dare! It happens a lot over there, though. They're actually quite jealous of us, saying you're a super nice boss!"
Faced with this sudden flattery, Ji Changqing was stunned for a few seconds, though she felt quite pleased. She pondered for a moment. "Would you cover shifts for money? You could earn a bit to go have fun in the commercial district."
The broke soldiers nodded furiously!
Of course they would! In this godforsaken place, there was no way to earn money. Without money, they couldn't rent a hovercar for transportation, which meant their safety was not guaranteed. The moment they left the camp, they could be kidnapped and sold for cash.
Who didn't love the glittering world of pleasure and indulgence? It was only poverty that made them hold back, forcing them to be self-disciplined, self-respecting, and exceptionally principled.
As the leader of the poorest team, Ji Changqing naturally had some ideas. Since so many people loved forcing others to cover their shifts, it meant the demand was quite high.
The practice of buying your way out of service has existed from ancient times to the interstellar age and has never been eradicated. It just goes to show that the human gene for loving leisure and hating work is exceptionally stable.
She discreetly sent her subordinates to investigate the situation—not just the frequency of shift coverage, but also the spending habits of those who went out to carouse.
This kind of thing was never hidden from subordinates, only from superiors. Moreover, most people treated it as a way to brag about their own prowess, so Ji Changqing quickly got a clear picture of the situation.
Rather than letting these under-the-table dealings fester and fill the ranks with resentment, it was better to bring it all out into the open. Covering shifts for others would have a clear price. It could be done at most once a month, for no more than two days. It wouldn't make them rich, but she had to find some way to help everyone escape poverty!
With this exclusive business in hand, Ji Changqing shamelessly demanded a 70/30 split from her subordinates for the income from covering shifts—70% for the one doing the work, 30% for her. After settling the commission, she was ready to discuss opening up this revenue stream with the other two leaders.
What could her people do but accept?
They couldn't stay poor forever.
Ji Changqing then paid forceful visits to Jixin and Ming Zixing respectively.
"Hey, shall we meet in the training ground or the meeting hall?!"
The corners of their mouths twitched, and they quickly made their choice. "The meeting hall!"
Who wanted to be a training partner for a psycho? Especially when medical facilities were so abysmal.
Ever since they had fought Ji Changqing, neither of them wanted to face her again. It was supposed to be a friendly spar, but she could turn it into a life-or-death battle in minutes, making them feel like she was just looking for an excuse to kill them openly!
Previously, on some issues of camp management, no one would yield to the other. When words failed, they settled things with their fists.
One fight, winner takes all!
Because they had heard she had injured her left hand, ruining her original dual-blade style and forcing her to switch to a zhanmadao, they had been secretly delighted. An injury and a last-minute change of weapon would surely mean a great loss of strength.
The result was that they got thrashed.
It made them so angry they cursed the eighteen generations of ancestors of the unknown person who had spread the rumor about the psycho being injured!
The three of them each had a small, independent house in the camp, which also served as their office. With three independent teams, none was willing to be seen as subordinate to another, but many matters required their joint coordination to resolve.
Due to a certain subtle psychology, no one was willing to go to another's territory for meetings. The result was the construction of a separate building just for discussions.
It was just a matter of some materials and labor, which was far better than implicitly accepting a lower status.
The two leaders, having been forcefully visited by Ji Changqing, soon gathered in the meeting hall.
"What's going on?"
They felt that things had been as peaceful as retirement lately and had no idea what madness had possessed Ji Changqing.
Ji Changqing glanced up and handed each of them a document. "There's been too much forced, unpaid shift coverage lately. If this continues, it might cause trouble."
Jixin and Ming Zixing were unconcerned. They took the documents and glanced at the data, and their expressions immediately soured. "Is this accurate?"
"Not entirely."
The two men's expressions relaxed slightly.
Then they heard Ji Changqing add, as if catching her breath, "This data is only what everyone already knows about. There are surely more cunning instances that have been well-concealed by the parties involved."
In other words, the situation was even more serious than the report suggested.
Jixin and Ming Zixing didn't beat around the bush. "What's your take on it?"
"You can't forbid this sort of thing, so why not bring it out into the open?" Ji Changqing's face was impassive, but inwardly she was thrilled as she pitched her plan for paid shift coverage. She even added, "Because covering shifts will require reporting up the chain of command, it increases everyone's workload. So, for those who pay for coverage, ninety percent will go to the person covering the shift, and ten percent will go into the public account. That should give you two a little more financial flexibility."
Ah, at the mention of benefits, both men's eyes lit up. They were no longer resentful men coerced by force, but had transformed into business partners even more enthusiastic than Ji Changqing.
"Yes, yes, that's a good idea. The way they're deceiving superiors and forcing others to cover shifts now could easily lead to problems. It would be hard to assign blame when something goes wrong."
"Exactly. If something happens, it's hard to know who to punish."
Ji Changqing smiled faintly. The power of money was truly unbeatable. With self-interest leading the way, implementation would be much easier.
"The price for covering shifts in different posts should naturally be different. Otherwise, how can we reflect the importance of everyone's position? Don't you agree?"
"The higher the rank, the greater the responsibility. Coverage can only be done by someone of equal rank; even a deputy won't do. What do you think?"
…
Yes, yes, everything you say is right!
What do we think? What else could we possibly think?!
Of course: "As it should be!"
Since they had reached an agreement and the matter wasn't particularly complex, the three of them discussed it once more and drafted the detailed regulations.
For the security zones they were each responsible for, sentry posts and the like could only be covered internally. However, the camp-wide patrols could be covered collaboratively by all three parties.
On this matter, Jixin and Ming Zixing were particularly envious of Ji Changqing. Within her team, her word was law; no one dared to oppose her. Besides, for her team of paupers, this was a particularly safe way to earn money, so they didn't mind the commission being taken.
But if they disagreed with the paid coverage plan, those who wanted to go out and have fun couldn't, and those who wanted to earn money would have their path blocked. All the resentment would be focused on them.
Besides, they knew very well that if they didn't implement paid coverage, all the benefits would fall into the hands of the lower-level leaders. They would get the favors, while everyone shared the risks. Bringing this matter into the open with clear pricing meant the benefits would come to them, and it would eliminate the hidden dangers. What could be better?
Moreover, they wanted to go out and have fun too!
The rule that only someone of the same rank could provide coverage was simply torturous!
Mainly because Ji Changqing's price for covering a shift was exceptionally high!
But then, the thought of ten percent of that money ending up in their own pockets made them feel giddy.
With this income, maybe they could sell a few fewer of their precious treasures!
As more and more people frequented the commercial district, they would gather upon their return to boast about what they had seen and heard.
Ji Changqing had all this information collected, summarized, and analyzed. Gradually, a picture of Wendeli Planet, completely different from the rumors, began to take shape.
To outsiders, the undefended planet of Wendeli was like a paradise.
Space pirates could easily sell their plundered goods here and also get resupplied.
For those seeking thrills through unspeakable, taboo games, the pleasure dens here could satisfy their every desire, as long as they had the money.
Weapons, ammunition, drugs, slaves, and all sorts of contraband could be purchased here, as long as you had the right connections and knew the way in…
But for ordinary people who actually entered the planet to live, needing to pass through it to reach the Empire and become its citizens, this place was likely a living purgatory from which few escaped alive.
Once implanted with a chip and entering Wendeli, the wealthy who could afford to stay in the commercial district for half a year had it easy. They just had to eat, drink, and wait out the six months.
Those with considerable power were also fine. With guns, cannons, and manpower, they could generally pass the six months safely.
But for smaller, weaker groups, most would be robbed and then sold off like slaves.
After all, most people who took this path were desperate refugees fleeing their homelands, and it was tacitly understood that they would change their names and start new lives in the Empire. Who would notice if these people vanished without a trace here?
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