306 On-the-Spot Damage Control

As Li Aoz's body was taken away, the Civil Aviation passengers held captive by the pirates were plunged into a state of panic. They were strictly confined to a narrow space, crouching down with their hands behind their heads. The pirates, armed with guns, kept an eye on them and did not forget to rummage through their bodies for valuables.

"Tsk, what bad luck."

A snake-man, hissing, pulled an earring from a young girl's ear and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

"I thought it was mithril, but it's just ordinary metal. What's with the show of being rich?"

My companion complained, "Be content. It's just an ordinary flight route. Do you expect to find any nobles, bureaucrats, or oligarchs on board? They travel with their own private armies and guards. We won't get any benefits."

The pirate sullenly stuffed the blood-stained earring into his bag. "Ugh, these poor bastards, they don't work hard to earn money, even pirates look down on them."

In reality, after entering the Interstellar Era, most people's assets have already been stored virtually. Moreover, these were just ordinary Civil Aviation, not high-end interstellar yachts. The pirates didn't get much after searching around.

However, the pirates didn't care about these things. The commissions from those mysterious big clients were the key factor that made them dare to take the risks.

Several pirates stared at a beautiful woman, their eyes darting around, and began to chat amongst themselves.

"Hey bro, what do you think of that blue-haired chick? She's got some hot stuff... Look at those legs, those arms, so smooth."

The bystander chuckled, revealing a mouthful of crooked teeth:

"Exciting, isn't it? Too bad you can't move. That short Half-Dragon Girl girl said you absolutely can't touch her."

"Tch, so many trivial matters, you can at least look at them if you can't touch them."

"It doesn't matter, but there's no rule that says 'visual invasion' is also an invasion."

Because the client explicitly demanded restraint and that the hostages not be harmed, the passengers on board were still able to communicate in hushed tones.

"Did you sense that aura? That's Zeta-rank (6), right?"

The Steel Elf said to the person next to him, "He seemed harmless when he sat next to me. I thought he was just a learned young man, but I didn't expect him to have already reached the level of a god."

People around them started discussing it.

"The aura of the Zeta-rank is unmistakable, but if it really is the Zeta-rank, our entire ship would have been destroyed long ago if they went all out."

"What a good man! By Lioz above, may the soul of the Lord protect him."

"The women who fight him are also terrifying. When she moves, it's like a meteorite falling to earth. Her mere presence is enough to make people tremble all over, and the chill is bone-chilling..."

"It's a pity, oh, did you just see that young man's head being cut off? Was he murdered?"

"Ugh, it's all those bad guys' fault..."

The sighs of those around her made the woman holding the baby in the crowd lower her head in shame. She clutched the blanket in her hands tightly, feeling deeply guilty.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't switched seats with him, he definitely wouldn't have had this problem..."

However, no matter how much guilt one feels, it's no use.

The people are already dead, they are now kidnapped by pirates, their signals are blocked, they cannot call for help, their spaceship is under control, and they are in this unfamiliar star system.

In this situation, the possibility of escaping alive has essentially been eliminated.

It should be said that the people in the group have always been very cautious. As people who have dealt with the monster of capital for many years, they naturally know how to be calm, patient and decisive.

This is a quality that citizens of other Narrative-level Civilization do not possess.

The group members would prepare for the worst. They would usually come up with a general plan and then take into account every factor for different cases. Under this formulaic approach, basically anyone who encounters these Red King followers will be at a disadvantage.

But as a decision-maker, Nalia also knew what qualities the group's people lacked.

As people who chase capital, they are too easily swayed by the tide. With the slightest change, they will be destroyed and crushed. They can either quickly eliminate the root of the problem and stop the loss in time by cutting ties, or adopt shock therapy and let things fall apart completely.

To put it bluntly, they lack the ability to react to unexpected events.

Narrative-level Civilization are still just civilizations, not monsters like "society." As a massive organizational structure, the types of personnel and factions under its umbrella are far too numerous. Therefore, in terms of decision-making efficiency, it is inevitable that, like ordinary civilizations, important figures will need to debate and argue among themselves.

While waiting for Lioz's body to be transported, Nalia also discussed the matter with her subordinates.

"Miss Nalia, this accident is not your fault. The best course of action is to report it to Young Master Andrew."

Zeta-rank [Gambler] Dundee was a middle-aged man wearing an old-fashioned linen suit. He had a full beard, and three green gems were embedded in the lower eyelid of his left eye. Holding the divination results, he solemnly said to Nalia:

"I can no longer divine the future. This situation means that either Lioz, the subject of the divination, possesses a treasure that shields him from seeing his fate, or his physical body has already died, making it impossible to predict for the time being."

"I know... but I can't lose face."

Nalia pondered for a moment and said, "Lioz cannot die, at least not at my hands. We have planned such a massive operation. If something goes wrong, people within the company will definitely question me, and all our efforts so far will be in vain."

"But have you considered that if we send Lioz back to his Fixed Time Domain, the entry record alone cannot be erased, which would confirm that we kidnapped Lioz?"

Dundee countered:

"I understand that you want to achieve your goals perfectly and flawlessly in order to win unanimous praise within the company—but sometimes you have to understand that even if something unexpected happens, as long as you handle the crisis communication properly, it can actually enhance your image."

Nalia:

"You mean if I demonstrate talent in handling Lioz's problem, then people in the company will speak highly of me?"

"Executing according to plan is something anyone can do, even the bots that have just sworn to carry out Grand Narrative can do it—the only difference is how well they do it. Capitalists are good at execution and opportunism, and in this company, everyone can do that."

Dundee gave Nalia a new idea:

"But in our narrative, the ability to adapt to changing circumstances is an invaluable quality. If you demonstrate this, you can impress the board members—look at young Master Andrew, isn't that how he rose to power?"

"... After Verrazzi withdrew from the Vanlenkov Autonomous State, Andrew quickly changed his strategy, not only cutting losses in time but also adjusting the business direction, streamlining the department size, and simultaneously laying off and hiring new employees, which actually increased the company's revenue by 3%, which is indeed a rare quality."

After a moment of contemplation, Nalia also began to quickly consider her own situation.

It was practically a foregone conclusion that Lioz was dead. Under her all-encompassing control, especially the Higgs Field, Lioz was mistakenly killed—a highly probable event. It was just unexpected that the usually calm and ruthless Gabros would malfunction.

This wasn't part of the planned scheme, but as Dundee said, this situation allows him to better showcase his abilities.

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