Universe Infinite Canteen

Qiutong's eyes widened, "But just now during dinner, you seemed very confident! I thought you must have some surefire strategies." "No, but as a leader, you have to appear confident even if you're not. Otherwise, the people below you will feel even more uncertain. "And it's not like there's no chance of winning," added Ma Lu, "I'm actually studying how to win right now. Besides, there's still a week's time." "You know it's a week, not a year," said Qiutong, glancing around before lowering her voice. "Hey, do you want me to get some intel on Lingnan for you from a friend of mine, especially about that Luo Hengyi?" "Sure." "The key to victory is knowing your enemies as well as your friends. Ma Lu wouldn't reject intel that was offered on a platter. After a pause, he continued, "If you really can dig up something useful, I'll pay you for the information." "I don't need money," Qiutong replied. "If you really want to thank me, just give me more of... that thing." "Which thing?" "That black sugary drink, it's quite tasty, but I can't find it for sale anywhere in the city. Where did you get it from?" "Secret," Ma Lu did not directly answer, merely saying, "I'll give you two bottles as a deposit. Whether it works out or not, they're yours. If you find out something valuable, I'll give you three more bottles." "Only five bottles?" Qiutong seemed disappointed but quickly perked up and said, ready for the challenge, "Alright, I'll definitely prove my worth. In fact, I don't even need to probe; Shuyi just won't stop talking about Luo Hengyi, I'll call her when I get back." An hour and a half later, the plane landed at Ping City Airport. Ma Lu glanced at the Traveler's Bracelet on his wrist. Between going there, coming back, clearing a catastrophe belt, and eating, it had taken almost seven hours. Not bad, a little later than he'd estimated, but not too late. Ma Lu hadn't forgotten about the recruitment fair that was only halfway done. By the time he got back to the school, it was 4:13 in the morning and all six candidates were still in the classroom. However, each of them had a different expression. The fat man in the blue vest was still looking glum, staring blankly at the answer paper on the table. The woman in the silver-gray jacquard satin tube skirt was writing furiously. The old man with the gray coat and white beard must have finished his test, as he sat in his seat, eyes closed, meditating. There were also two people in the back corner of the classroom, smoking and discussing answers. Ma Lu hadn't said they couldn't help each other, so this didn't break any rules. But the most outrageous was the man with phoenix eyes in a military uniform, who had put several desks together and was lying on top, fast asleep, and even covered his face with a large-brimmed military hat. Cao Youyi followed Ma Lu inside and was about to wake up the sleeping phoenix-eyed man. But Ma Lu stopped her, walked to the desks where phoenix eyes was sleeping, and picked up several scattered pieces of paper from the ground. These must have slipped from his hand after he had fallen asleep. Ma Lu only glanced at them for a moment before becoming interested, "Who is this guy?" "Li Zhengwei, he used to be the brigade commander of the cavalry brigade under the 129th Division." Cao Youyi pulled out Li Zhengwei's resume from a stack of documents and handed it to Ma Lu. "A brigade commander, so young, why didn't he stay in the army instead of coming to Hou De to be a PE teacher?" "Because I'm no longer a brigade commander," Li Zhengwei stretched and rolled off the seat, eyeing Ma Lu. "You're back?" "What kind of question is that? If I weren't back, who would be talking to you right now?" Ma Lu said with a straight face, finding Li Zhengwei's answer sheet pretty good and bold. To win Lingnan, he had prepared dozens of strategies, including some devious and underhanded moves like sending someone to infiltrate Lingnan's cafeteria to poison their food ahead of time. Ma Lu liked him; he was definitely a talent. However, the question remained: why would such a talented person come to an obscure place like Hou De? Ma Lu asked, "I mean, I didn't expect you to really take people to clear a Level 3 Disaster Zone." Li Zhengwei stared at Ma Lu, his gaze burning, "Interesting, why would someone as talented as you take over a mess like Hou De?" "Hou De is not a mess. The first time I heard about it... I felt it had a lot of potential. Besides, I'm the one interviewing you right now, not the other way around. Why aren't you still a brigade commander?" "Because of a woman," Li Zhengwei said nonchalantly, putting on his hat, "I slept with the Thirteenth Concubine of the General Staff." "Excuse me?" Ma Lu raised an eyebrow. "It's not what you think," Li Zhengwei said, "Ai Yi and I have been friends since childhood, we matched well in our hearts; it was that old man who meddled, took Ai Yi away. I was just taking back what was already mine." "When did this happen?" "I've been meeting Ai Yi secretly for about a year and a half." "Who cares how long you've been having an affair; I'm asking when you were chased out of the army?" "About three months ago, pretty much everyone in the 129th Division knows by now, you ask around and you'll find out." "Are you a local from Ping City?" "No, I came here because no one knows me. I wanted to find a quiet place to drown my sorrows. On the way, I was pickpocketed and had my wallet stolen, so I had to see if there was any way to make money." Li Zhengwei continued, "I didn't want to work as a bodyguard, so when I saw a school recruiting for a PE teacher, I tried my luck." He added, "I thought this place was just stagnant water, but it's more interesting than I thought." "I will verify everything you've said," Ma Lu stated, "Currently, I'm quite satisfied with your answer sheet, but there are many details to discuss. For now, you pass the assessment. "Your probation period is one month, and the salary is 15 bucks. After the probation period, if you can still stay, we'll discuss the official salary." "15 is a bit low, isn't it? You chartered a jet to clear the Disaster Zone, you could pay a bit more to the instructors." "I chartered the jet to save time, not because I'm a sucker," Ma Lu responded, "If you want a higher salary, show me the results." "Alright." After reviewing Li Zhengwei's answer sheet, Ma Lu walked over to the old man with white beard, who had already opened his eyes. Ma Lu picked up his answer sheet, glanced at it, and showed a look of disappointment. Just as he was about to put it down, Li Zhengwei suddenly spoke up. "Baji Fist from Yangjia Gully, their training method is quite good. It has been introduced on a small scale in the military, with significant effects, especially in short-range explosiveness and combat, far superior to other martial arts in the military. If you plan to fight ranking battles often, you'll definitely need it."