Straw Dogs, the Big Picture, and a Passing Grade

A person does not die immediately after being shot.

From birth to death, there is a process. 《Biology》 in Gefra once conducted an experiment in which they promised death row inmates some benefits in order to get them to participate in their research.

The most famous example is the decapitation experiment.

Generally speaking, after a beheading, the head of the condemned person will roll a few times. If this were a myth or legend, a black dog might carry the head away.

However, this is a research story. People fix the head of the death row inmate to a support, and then a blade quickly severs the connection between their head and body. At this point, scientists will ask questions, and the death row inmate will answer the questions in any way they can, such as by looking to the left and right.

The purpose of this experiment was to prove that a person does not die immediately after their head is cut off. It may sound boring and cruel, but it has indeed provided a lot of necessary information for the field of 《Biology》.

Ultimately, most death row inmates retain some cognitive ability after their bodies are decapitated; they can answer two or three questions before truly entering a state of death as blood flow to their brains is depleted.

So after being shot, Mishe Haye did not die immediately. He clutched his chest and fell to the ground, looking at the Police Chief with a pained expression, at the man who had once fawned over him.

Gunshots were heard from other parts of the basement, along with a woman's scream, but all of this fell silent within a few seconds.

"His Governor-General knows that you have made things difficult for Mr. Lin Qi. For the sake of the friendship between Nagaril and the Federal, and for the sake of the friendship between His Governor-General and Mr. Lin Qi, he asked me to convey his apologies to you."

The Police Chief tugged at his clothes, trying to make them fit better. He then adjusted his belt, making himself look sharp at all times.

With each breath, Mishe Haye could feel his breathing becoming weaker and weaker. He said in a strained voice, "But that was... Drag's son made me do it, not my own idea."

"Mr. Lin Qi doesn't know!" The Police Chief raised his gun and pointed it at him. "Is there anything else you need me to pass on? If not, I'll send you back to God's embrace right now."

Mishe Haye never thought he could survive. He could feel blood rushing into one of his lungs, and he could only breathe through the other. With such a terrible amount of bleeding, he simply couldn't survive in Nagaril, where medical facilities and technology were underdeveloped.

He gave a smug smile, perhaps out of schadenfreude, and looked at the Police Chief, saying, "Now it's me, and you're next!"

The Police Chief paused for a moment, then pulled the trigger without hesitation. Bullets pierced Mayor Mishe Haye's once arrogant face one after another, smashing it to pieces. It wasn't until the sound of the firing pin hitting empty air that the Police Chief realized he had emptied a magazine.

His expression was somewhat sluggish. After a moment, he put away his pistol, looked at the unrecognizable Mishe Haye, and shook his head. "I am not you. You have value to be used, but I am just a dog."

With an expression that was hard to tell whether it was regret or relief, he left.

The stench of blood had already filled the air; everyone in the basement was dead beyond any doubt.

Seeing his subordinates holding guns, the Police Chief straightened his belt once more. "I've checked. Mayor Mishe Haye has been attacked and killed by thugs. This is the most serious case in the history of the Mengwu Province. I swear to God, I will catch those murderers!"

The police officers, their faces still stained with blood, their pockets bulging, and the muzzles of their guns still burning hot, straightened their backs excitedly and loudly echoed the Police Chief's vow to solve the case as soon as possible.

Sunlight streaming in from the basement shone on their Wide-brimmed Hat, making their badges shine brilliantly.

The news of Mishe Haye's death in the attack was not released immediately, and neither Drag nor Lin Qi began to quell the unrest outside; they were still waiting.

In fact, both Drag and Lin Qi were well aware that their push for the local lower classes to fight against the middle and upper classes and the Ruling Class was actually aimed at a complete reshuffling of the power structure.

The arrival of the Federal is not just a casual greeting describing something new happening around them; it's a real phenomenon.

The Federal people arrived with an overwhelming force that most people in Nagaril could not comprehend. Their first step was to reshuffle the deck. Those in the Upper Class classes who already controlled numerous resources would be purged if they were not prepared, just like they are now.

The city outside is ablaze with flames, and the riots have begun to spread to other places. Those from the lower classes who have not gained anything here are starting to go to other cities in search of opportunities. It is possible that the turmoil caused by the riots will affect the entire Nagaril.

This is perhaps what some people want, and Lin Qi lit the fire before they even knew how to do it.

Back in his room, Lin Qi took off his clothes with the help of a maid and went into the bathroom.

It must be said that Drag knows how to enjoy life, which is certainly related to the local traditional culture.

The 40-50 square meter bath was filled with hot water that smelled faintly of sulfur. This was Hot Spring water drawn from underground. The comfortable design gave Lin Qi a recessed area where he could lie down without sinking. He lay in it, enjoying the cool breeze. The tropical jungle at night was not far away. Apart from some annoying mosquitoes that occasionally flew by, it was perfect.

He closed his eyes slightly, feeling the warmth and comfort brought by the hot water flowing over his body, which made him want to take a nap.

He was considering the situation here, and breaking down the local established ruling structure and Ruling Class was a plan he and the United Development Company had decided on before they came.

If these former Ruling Class who did not join the United Development Company are not eliminated, they are likely to waste a lot of time and energy on local factional struggles in the future.

The best course of action now would be to ignite the conflict right away and force the locals to take sides.

Those who are willing to cooperate will be granted the status of Federal citizens, which is actually crucial. Once they become Federal citizens, there is no need to worry about them abandoning their cooperative relationship with the United Development Company for various reasons.

Know that when people realize that their rulers have also abandoned them, abandoned their faith and their gods, their rule will come to an end.

What remains is to eliminate those who stand on the opposite side. These people may have known nothing from the beginning, unaware that they had been forced to take sides, unaware that they didn't even have a choice, unaware of many, many things.

But that's not important. What's important is the space, the new space that's been released. A new group of Nagaril People will replace these people, becoming a new Privileged Class, even Ruling Class, with the help of the Federal. The Federal will...

hiss...

Lin Qi's muscles suddenly tensed up, but quickly relaxed again.

He didn't open his eyes; he was so preoccupied with his work that he didn't notice a second person entering the bath.

The ripples created by the movement of her body caused waves to spread across the calm surface of the bath. The maids standing outside the bath watched everything with blushing faces, feeling both shy and curious.

Lin Qi's breathing was somewhat heavy, and after a while, the ripples on the water gradually subsided.

"How much did Little Fox pay you?" Lin Qi asked, his voice a little hoarse. "Is there any water?"

Soon, a maid came to his side carrying a tray containing four kinds of drinks: wine, fruit wine, fruit juice, and Flower Tea.

He hesitated for a moment and then chose Flower Tea. Alcohol was not a good thing, even though many people liked him; he had seen people who had been poisoned by alcohol.

Many people think that alcohol poisoning is just a trembling hand, but that's not true. It's just a side effect. Ultimately, alcohol will kill a person because it damages brain cells in large numbers! Fruit juice is too sweet, which young people may like, but Lin Qi, as an "old man," prefers a milder taste.

A slightly tired Penny lay down beside him, her face flushed as if the sunset had left its mark on her cheeks. She was breathing heavily, slightly out of breath. "Thirty thousand dollars. The agency will take two-thirds, and the rest is mine."

Lin Qi's voice returned, and he looked at the girl with some surprise, "They care about you a lot and are willing to give you so much. I thought it would be less."

Turning an ordinary person with no experience in the entertainment industry into a star requires a lot of investment from the management company.

Time, money, and connections are all factors that need to be considered. Not everyone can succeed and allow their Agent Company to recoup its investment. Therefore, a large portion of an artist's initial income is taken by the Agent Company.

As artists rise to fame, the revenue sharing is constantly revised, eventually resulting in them receiving only five to ten percent. Given Penny's current influence, she probably won't receive even a third of that.

Penny pursed her lips, turned around and took a tropical fruit from the fruit basket by the bathtub, took a bite, and juice splattered everywhere. "Because they thought I could become a big star, they gave me a higher-level contract from the start."

As she spoke, she leaned closer, tilting her head and gazing absently at Lin Qi's handsome face lying in the water.

But she quickly came to her senses, biting her lip as she asked, "How was it this time? I didn't mess it up, did I?"

Lin Qi thought for a moment and gave his evaluation, "To be honest, you weren't very skilled at first, but you got better later. I can give you a passing grade."

"What?"

"Is a passing grade the only option?"

I think I did a good job this time!