Chapter 77 - 69: Love Trap

"I’m not, I didn’t, you’re just making that up."

Zhou Chen instinctively denied everything, his eyes wide. "How can you slander an innocent man out of thin air!"

"Do you want me to pull up the files from your last few missions?" Jiang Che asked, leisurely stirring her coffee.

"Uh..."

He hesitated, then sighed. "Fine, I admit my methods were a little... intense. But just a little. They were either Illegal Ascenders or vicious smugglers..."

Jiang Che held out her coffee-coated spoon, cutting him off. "I’m not saying you did poorly. On the contrary, you did very well. If you were timid and hesitant, *that* would have been a problem."

"Huh?"

"What do you think the Extraordinary World is like?" Jiang Che asked.

Zhou Chen thought for a moment. "Dangerous?"

"Exactly. Dangerous. And you’re well aware of that, aren’t you?" Jiang Che calmly took a sip of her coffee. "Every mission carries the risk of the unexpected. The slightest negligence can get you killed. In situations like these, being decisive and ruthless is actually the optimal style.

At worst, your methods are a little crude, but that’s a minor issue. Besides, how many Ascenders have never killed someone?"

"The most important question, really, is just one thing."

Jiang Che looked into Zhou Chen’s eyes and asked him:

"—In your heart, do you have any reverence for life?"

"Reverence for life?" Zhou Chen said, exasperated. "Please don’t quiz me on something I learned in middle school. I’ve completely forgotten all that."

"You know what I mean," Jiang Che said, her tone calm.

After a long silence, Zhou Chen sighed. "To be honest, I don’t like killing. I really don’t. I don’t like death, either. Death is cruel, and life is precious. The feeling of taking a life with my own hands is not a good one, especially when the person didn’t have it coming.

It’s just that life has left me no other choice."

’If he had a choice, who would want to spend all their time dealing with corpses and blood?’

’He would much rather just slack off and live a comfortable, easy life.’

"Then, as long as you understand that, what’s wrong with violence? It’s just a means to an end," Jiang Che said. "Or do you simply not like being called a psycho killer?"

"I don’t think any normal person would want to be called that..."

Zhou Chen scratched his head and sighed softly. "I’m just... a little scared. I’ve lived all these years without ever even killing a fish, and yet in the past month, I’ve killed more people than I had classmates in college. To be honest, I’m terrified I might actually be a psychopath."

"No, you’ve just been repressed for too long, so you’ve developed violent tendencies."

Jiang Che couldn’t help but recall her conversation with the Star Association’s psychologist just a few minutes earlier—

"Miss Jiang Che, your employee... uh, is actually in very good psychological health. He just has some slight violent and repressive tendencies, but it’s nothing too serious."

On the projection screen, the young female psychologist, Lin Sui, said, "The inner void caused by a fragmented Soul is an extremely painful form of torment. He has to endure this sense of emptiness every single moment, and over time, that repression builds into violent tendencies that need an outlet.

This violence is perhaps also mixed with a Fear of death and the unknown future.

But he has excellent self-control. Even the C-220 Bloodthirsty Chainsaw Sword can’t truly influence his consciousness. His Willpower is a testament to his extreme restraint.

Compared to his file from his initial physical, his personality has become more extroverted, and his sense of humor has improved dramatically. He made me laugh several times during our session. He seems to like making witty remarks to relax when he’s nervous.

Secondly, your worst fear has not come to pass. He isn’t some naturally cold-hearted person who can kill without batting an eye. On the contrary, he understands the value of life and knows why he has to kill. That’s why he becomes so cruel when he does it—it’s how he unleashes that pent-up violence.

Barring some major trauma, he won’t betray humanity and join the Abyss Church. If faced with a life-or-death situation, hmm... given his personality, he’d probably surrender on the spot, go undercover as a double agent, and wait for an opportunity to defect back?

All in all, your employee’s psychological profile is normal. He just needs a bit more care and attention from his superior."

"Oh, and one more thing," Lin Sui added at the end. "You should be mindful of the side effects of the D-394 Concentration Necklace. Desire is a fundamental human emotion; it’s what separates people from cold machines. If his desires are suppressed for too long, he could very well become a genuine psychopath."

On this point, Jiang Che actually felt it was the least of her worries.

Although invading his privacy was nothing to be proud of, she had, for various reasons, collected Zhou Chen’s browsing history and chat logs from all his apps.

Even she was profoundly shocked.

’To be such a saint on the internet... no matter how rough his life gets, he probably won’t become that depraved, right?’

"So, I’m really not a psychopath?" At this, Zhou Chen patted his chest in relief, letting out a long sigh.

’I knew it. How could I, a model student, a pillar of society, a progressive youth of the new era, possibly be a psychopath?’

’Those people were just making a mountain out of a molehill.’

"Alright, that’s enough about mental health. Has Li Xiaoxiao contacted you?"

Jiang Che casually tossed the psychological evaluation report into a drawer and got down to business.

"She sent me a barrage of thank-you messages after she got back yesterday. I played it cool and kept my replies short. After all, in the eyes of the Eternal Fire, I’m supposed to be a cold-blooded Killing Maniac..."

Zhou Chen took out his phone, scrolling through his chat history with Li Xiaoxiao.

"She took the initiative to send me a ’good morning’ text this morning. You know what that means, right?"

Jiang Che nodded. "And?"

"She chatted with me for a long time at lunch and sent a picture of what she was eating... She’s not fat, though, so why is she on a diet?"

Zhou Chen scrolled down.

"In the afternoon, she recommended a new show, then went shopping to get her nails done. She also sent a picture of her roommate’s cat, along with a few photos of herself.

An hour ago, she told me there’s an event at her school tonight and invited me to go, offering to treat me to dinner afterward. But I refused, telling her I was busy."

’If he didn’t know she was a zealous follower of the Eternal Fire, Zhou Chen would probably be shouting for joy. To have such a beautiful girl throwing herself at him... he’d probably fall for it in a matter of days.’

And this was precisely the romantic trap Li Xiaoxiao was weaving for him.

Jiang Che tapped the table and mused for a moment. "Ask her out in two or three days. See what she’s planning."

Just then, a scarlet message popped up on the computer screen.

After seeing the details, she suddenly changed her tune. "No, don’t wait two or three days. If she asks you out tomorrow, accept."

"What’s wrong?" Zhou Chen was confused, not understanding why her attitude had changed so quickly.

Jiang Che beckoned him over with her finger.

"If nothing unexpected happens, they’re going to put you through a final test. And the test is..."