Chapter 848 - 867: Dean Zhu Gets Cold Feet, Premium Trolls Sing in Triumph
Chapter 848: Chapter 867: Dean Zhu Gets Cold Feet, Premium Trolls Sing in Triumph
Hot water steamed, curling into wisps of vapor. The fragrant scent of tea assailed the nostrils. Q3 Star’s Captain Wen pushed the teacup forward. "Aren’t you going to drink, Dean Zhu? This tea is quite rare. It’s all we have on the entire planet, and we only brew it for our most esteemed guests."
Dean Zhu did not move.
"You’re really being quite unaccommodating, Dean Zhu." The smile on Wen Jun’s face gradually faded.
"I’m afraid it’s not my place to drink Captain Wen’s tea." Zhu Tiansheng stared at him.
He chuckled. "How could that be? It was brewed specifically for you, Dean."
"I don’t like drinking tea, Captain Wen. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave."
"How could there be nothing else? There is." Wen Jun felt this old man was truly stubborn and impervious to reason. Since reasoning wouldn’t work, he’d have to play hardball. "I heard that all these years, Dean Zhu has strongly disliked dealing with interviews and cameras. I think that’s a good habit. I hope Dean Zhu can maintain it."
They were both old foxes who had been around the block. Zhu Tiansheng had lived for many years. "What do you mean by that?"
"It means I hope Dean Zhu doesn’t get involved in... your disciple’s affairs."
"There must be a limit to everything." Dean Zhu’s expression turned cold. He stood up, preparing to leave directly.
But just as he turned around, Wen Jun’s light, airy voice drifted from behind. "Dean Zhu, don’t forget, who spearheaded this healing assembly on Q3?
"If you don’t get involved, these are just rumors on the internet.
"But if you insist on getting involved..."
"Secretary Wang." As Wen Jun’s voice fell, a male secretary walked into the office with his head lowered. Soon, a projection screen lit up in the room, broadcasting news directly about those who had left the Q3 Planet.
On August 13, 5297, Person X reported Q3’s Matter X at Unit X. Three days later, this citizen was found dead at home. The cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest, officially certified as: extreme overwork and over-excitement.
On September 10 of the same year, someone else refused to believe in the jinx and wrote a whistle-blowing letter. That afternoon, their hovercar malfunctioned, and the citizen unfortunately passed away.
In ’98...
In 5301, ’07...
People constantly spoke out for Q3, and people constantly died because of Q3.
As Dean Zhu watched, his fists clenched tight. He turned sideways and looked back at Wen Jun.
"I wasn’t the one who did it. In a small place like this, I don’t have that kind of power," Wen Jun said. "But... the people at the top, as you know.
"They were willing to spare Student Jiang’s precious life, actually out of respect for you, Dean Zhu." Wen Jun spread his hands. "I’ve said my piece. If you want to speak out, Dean, then go ahead.
"However, I can’t guarantee what will happen when you speak out, or what the consequences will be. Oh, right, you’re still considered a member of the Wen Family on the Federation Star, aren’t you?
"It’s a pity. Not everyone in the Wen Family has become a Mecha Soldier or a Spirit Healing Master. I heard your youngest daughter married a planet captain?"
The silence lasted for a very long time.
Eventually, Zhu Tiansheng left the room.
The secretary asked Wen Jun, "Boss, will he—"
"Don’t worry, he won’t say a word," Wen Jun replied. "Heh, why do you think he was chosen as the head of the academy in the first place? Wasn’t it precisely because there was plenty of blackmail material against him?
"It’s hard enough for a man to shoulder the burden of a family."
"What about the internet?" the secretary asked.
"Let it post. This Student Jiang really has to thank her own capabilities, which are strong enough to make even the higher-ups covet her." Wen Jun took a sip of tea. "Otherwise, she’d be dealing with last words instead of rumors.
"That’s why lower-class people still need to be a bit capable. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even have the chance to be someone’s dog."
His voice was gentle. If one didn’t listen to the content, they would never imagine he could utter such words.
***
Everything came like the wind.
It had clearly only been a single morning.
Much like yesterday’s viral post about the Q3 Planet, another exposé surfaced. This post was also published in the Scum circle, using a similar tone.
The title read: [Got curious and did some digging too! Unbelievable. Are they completely playing us for fools?]
[I truly believe there are heroes in this world. Seriously. The generals guarding the borders, the garrison troops defending the territories, the Mecha Soldiers serving in remote areas, and the embedded Spirit Healing Masters—in my eyes, they are all heroes.]
[There are also heroes in everyday life who dedicate themselves to helping others. But I disagree with the @MicroscopeNetizen in the previous post who claimed Jiang Qiuqiu is a hero too. How old is she? And she’s already a hero?]
[As for the various data points she brought up—let’s start with Q3’s financial report. As everyone knows, the financial reports of Numbered Planets are always bizarre. Because they are singular labor planets, some data conversions are inherently inaccurate. This isn’t just an issue with one planet; many planets are like this.]
[Now let’s talk about the base salary issue that everyone discusses the most. They all say mining pays well, but let’s look at what kind of mines Q3 actually has. They aren’t all high-risk mines; there are relatively ordinary ones too. Only the dangerous ones offer high rewards. The pay for ordinary mines is simply lower.]
The poster deliberately didn’t mention specific amounts, choosing to blur the concepts instead. This was to make passing readers think that income naturally varied, and perhaps the segment captured in the photos just represented the low-income bracket.
[And regarding the hospital’s tax issues... Are you guys on Q3? To say such things... Many medical instruments on Q3 are heavily discounted and very cheap. How can they pay taxes if they aren’t turning a profit?]
[As for so many people lining up—didn’t Q3 have an interview about this a few years ago?]
The most inflammatory part was this so-called interview.
In the slightly blurry footage, a yellow-skinned host holding a microphone stood in front of a dark-skinned Q3 Star Person with a somewhat hunched posture.
The man was holding Star Coins in his hands. Because the terminal coverage on the Q3 Star was incomplete, it was still a paper-based society that circulated physical currency.
The host asked him, "You got paid today. How much did you make?"
"Over ten thousand." A smile appeared on his face.
"And how long did you work this month?"
"Twenty-four days."
"So, that means you work four days and rest one? Are all the mines here on a four-on, one-off schedule?"
"I don’t understand... Everyone usually works twenty-four days. Some people work a few extra days to earn a bit more money."
The host smiled and continued asking, "So what do you plan to do after getting the money? I noticed you seem to have some underlying health issues. Are you planning to go to the hospital for treatment?"
"No. I don’t want to go to the hospital. I have to save all my money."
"Save it?"
"I have a son. I want to send my son to another planet."
After that, the host continued to ask questions, inquiring about how many people were in the middle-aged man’s family, how many Star Coins they spent a month, and how many Star Coins they could save.
In specific terms, they were stingy.
Incredibly stingy.
Even hunched and weakened to such a degree, he still refused to see a doctor because he needed to support his son in leaving Q3.
...
[See that? Saving money is a tradition on this planet.]
[Don’t project your own perspectives, thoughts, and experiences onto others. Isn’t it perfectly normal not to want to see a doctor? There are so many people on a planet; if hundreds of thousands of sick people want to see a doctor for free, that’s completely normal too. I don’t even understand why yesterday’s public opinion turned out the way it did.]
[Of course, all the confusion found its answer once this @MicroscopeNetizen kept bringing up that Jiang Qiuqiu.]
[Oh, an internet celebrity. A streamer.]
[No wonder.]