noveltune Chapter 22 I'm not kidding, this is called a dimensional reduction attack.
Chapter 22 I'm not kidding, this is called a dimensional reduction attack.
Chu Jiang's words, "Who among you is greater than the King?" struck the hearts of every priest like an invisible hammer.
Inside the main hall, even the crackling sound of the will-o'-the-wisps had stopped.
The old master of the Medicine King Hall, Yao Lao, had a face that turned a deep purplish-red, and his hand pointing at Chu Jiang trembled uncontrollably.
"You, you're using the emperor to command the feudal lords!"
Chu Jiang didn't even bother to glance at him, still looking at King Qin Guang above.
The meaning was clear: at this moment, you middle-level managers are not qualified to talk to me; you need the big boss's approval.
Just then, a fat man wearing an official robe embroidered with copper coins rolled out of the queue.
He carried a gleaming abacus in his hand, and with each step he took, his fat jiggled.
"Cough cough."
The Deputy Head of the Temple of the God of Wealth, the Golden Abacus.
"Chu Jiang, is that right? I've heard the gist of your report." Jin Suanpan flicked the abacus beads, making a crisp sound.
"Your set of rules sounds fancy, but there's a fundamental problem with it."
"You said you'd charge a fee, what fee? Ghost money?"
He had a mocking look on his face.
"The issuance of underworld currency is overseen by my Temple of the God of Wealth. Your unauthorized collection of fees constitutes a disruption of the underworld's financial order, a serious crime."
"I propose that your fee collection rights be placed under the unified management of my God of Wealth Temple. We'll pay you a salary, what do you think?"
Upon hearing this, many ghost officials nodded in agreement.
This is a ruthless move, cutting off the enemy's supply lines at the root.
If we cut off your source of income, let's see how you manage to cause trouble.
After listening, Chu Jiang suddenly burst out laughing.
He looked at the abacus as if he were looking at a primitive man who had just come out of a cave.
"Vice Hall Master Jin, what era are we living in? Still using ghost money?"
"What?" The sound of the abacus stopped.
"Ghost money is heavy, takes up a lot of space, and is easy to counterfeit, so it's very inefficient."
Chu Jiang stood up from his folding chair and began his "roadshow" again.
"I ask you, what is the most valuable thing about a ghost?"
Jin Suanpan was taken aback.
"Is it...is it a soul?"
"wrong!"
Chu Jiang snapped his fingers.
"These are his deeds during his lifetime! His good and his evil!"
"I propose a new concept called 'Virtue Credit Points'."
As he spoke, he gestured with his finger in the air, as if operating an invisible screen.
"For every ghost, from the moment of their death, we can trace back their entire life through big data. Murder, deduct 10,000 points. Help an old lady cross the street, add 10 points. Spitting on the ground, deduct 1 point."
"All good and evil deeds are quantified into data to generate a unique 'virtue credit score'."
"This score is his only and most valuable currency in the underworld!"
Chu Jiang's voice echoed in the empty hall.
"Those with high credit scores can choose their reincarnation priority, and may even be able to redeem a 'wealthy family' experience card. Those with low credit scores, sorry, how about a luxurious single room in the animal realm?"
"With this system, is it still necessary for judges to conduct trials one by one? That's too inefficient and makes it easy to accept bribes!"
Chu Jiang's gaze swept over the ranks of judges, and one by one, they lowered their heads.
"Let's go straight for the 'automated judgment algorithm'! Once the ghost passes by, the system automatically scans the credit score, generates a result in one second, and moves on to the next person!"
"From passing the test to judgment, and then to reincarnation, it forms a perfect 'closed loop of rules'!"
Jin Suanpan was so stunned that he forgot to turn the abacus in his hand.
"Closed-loop?"
"Yes, a closed loop." Chu Jiang nodded, then introduced a new term, "Our Santu Ferry is the first 'lever' in this closed loop. We empower the entire system through our ferry service!"
"Your Temple of Wealth should forget about ghost money. You should transform into the 'Underworld Credit Management Center,' maintaining the stable operation of the entire 'credit chain.' That's your 'underlying logic'!"
"Empowerment?"
"link?"
"Underlying logic?"
The ghosts and spirits in the main hall looked at each other, their minds buzzing.
They couldn't understand any of these words.
But for some reason, they felt that what Chu Jiang said seemed to contain some kind of heavenly secret that they could not understand.
This kid has mastered the rules they don't know!
Above, on the throne of the Ten Kings of Hell.
On King Qin Guang's perpetually icy face, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He glanced at King Chujiang beside him, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Finally, a catfish that can stir up the stagnant waters has arrived.
"Nonsense!"
Just as all the ghosts and gods were completely bewildered by Chu Jiang's deception, a thunderous shout exploded.
An old, venerable general, clad in heavy armor, wielding a long halberd, and exuding a menacing aura, strode out from the ranks of military officers.
Ao Zhan, a powerful general who guards the prison, was at the peak of his Ghost Commander status and once tore apart an ancient demon king with his bare hands.
"In the end, it's nothing but a bunch of smooth talk and tricks!" Ao Zhan slammed his halberd heavily on the ground, causing the entire hall to shake three times.
"In the underworld, strength is everything! It's all about power!"
He pointed his halberd straight at the Chu River.
"Kid, stop with the talk. How about a real fight with me?"
"If you can withstand one strike from my halberd, I, Ao Zhan, will acknowledge your bullshit rules!"
The atmosphere in the main hall instantly shifted from business negotiations to a battlefield standoff.
All the ghost officials became excited; it was finally time to make their move!
They wanted to see just how capable this kid, who stirred up trouble with his words, really was.
Chu Jiang looked at the murderous Ao Zhan and sighed.
He slowly sat back in his folding chair, even adjusting his posture to make himself more comfortable.
"Sigh, there are always treacherous subjects trying to harm me," he muttered.
"What are you saying!" Ao Zhan roared.
"I said I originally wanted to get along with you as ordinary colleagues, but instead I've been met with estrangement."
Chu Jiang stood up and slowly stretched.
"I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean."
With a flick of his wrist, the unremarkable, even slightly chipped black baseball bat appeared in his hand.
"Is it that broken stick again?" one of the ghost officials recognized the "murder weapon."
"Come on, I'll let you go first." Chu Jiang, carrying a baseball bat, beckoned to Ao Zhan with his finger. "I'm afraid if I make my move, you won't have a chance."
"court death!"
Ao Zhan was completely enraged.
He roared, unleashing the full power of a Ghost General at his peak. The halberd in his hand transformed into a black lightning bolt that tore through space, piercing straight for Chu Jiang's heart.
This single halberd strike is enough to split a mountain in two!
Just when all the ghosts thought Chu Jiang was about to be instantly killed.
Chujiang moved.
His expression didn't even change; he just casually swung the baseball bat in his hand, as if he were playing golf.
There was no fluctuation of magical power, no earth-shattering aura.
It was just a simple, unadorned wave.
"A heart-shaped home run."
He murmured to himself.
"clang!"
A crisp, almost unbelievable metallic clang rang out.
Then, to the astonishment of all the ghosts and gods.
Ao Zhan and his halberd flew backward like a baseball hit by a bat, ten times faster than when they came.
"Boom—!"
A loud bang.
In a corner of the main hall, a colossal pillar that required ten people to encircle shook violently.
The smoke and dust cleared.
On the pillar covered with runes, there was a new human-shaped dent.
Ao Zhan, the Ghost General at his peak, was slammed into the pillar in a "big" shape, his halberd broken into several pieces and scattered on the ground.
He struggled, making "hoarse" sounds, but he couldn't move at all.
The entire Yama's Palace was completely silent.
Chu Jiang put away the baseball bat, blew on it, and dusted off non-existent dust.
He glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the frozen faces of the priests.
Finally, he looked back at the Ten Kings of Hell high above him and gave them a kind smile.
"Alright, now no one's bothering us."
"Distinguished leaders, shall we continue discussing our company's investment proposal in the Underworld?"