"I ✘ your mother!"
"I'll beat the crap out of you, you dumb ✘!"
Liu Xing roared inside the room, frightening the trembling Li Xiaodong who stood on the side, not uttering a word.
"You useless waste! Are you with me just to get free ✘ women?"
"What the hell can you achieve?"
"Go ✘ yourself."
Smack A loud slap resounded on the unlucky guy's face, "Worthless."
"Indeed, a waste in that world remains a waste in this one."
Li Xiaodong, struck by the blow, dared not whimper. He knew his master's temperament – the more you whimper, the harder he hits.
Liu Xing delivered two more hard slaps, "Kneel!"
Li Xiaodong was so frightened that he raised his head. Liu Xing only demanded this when he considered giving up on a servant.
But he dared not disobey. He lacked skills. Relying on Liu Xing, he could become a member of the management, could shout and bully, could torment the great individuals he used to be afraid to look at. Whether they were former scientists, technicians, or administrators, unless they also sided with Liu Xing, all the tough characters had to be locked away and bullied by him. Anyone who dared to be angry but couldn't speak had to gauge his mood because, to varying degrees, they all had loved ones or important people who were held captive by him and his lackeys.
Li Xiaodong's type was not rare, and Liu Xing didn't care. He only needed someone despicable enough to help him subjugate those who resisted him. Whoever was the most servile, shameless, and cowardly would be used. However, this one was clearly not suitable. His abilities were far too inadequate, to the point of being negative. Perhaps he followed Liu Xing just to pursue those married women. Those women weren't virtuous either.
"Even an obedient dog, if useless and hindering, needs to be replaced." Liu Xing looked at the cowering lackey on the ground. "But even if you're a piece of rotten meat, you have your uses. Perhaps I should use you to shock my other servants."
"No, no, no! I'm still useful. I can do anything for you. I can be a dog or a servant. I'll kneel; you're my father, my lord. I swear I'll follow you my whole life. I..."
"Hush, hush," Liu Xing put his finger to his lips, making a shushing motion. "Don't talk."
"Yes, yes, I won't speak. I'll obey my master," Li Xiaodong smacked himself hard.
"Good. I'm not after your life," looking at the increasingly pleased Li Xiaodong, Liu Xing's tone turned chilling. "I just want you to serve me better, as a forever loyal servant. Not the kind that knows betrayal, a kind that doesn't care about life and death."
Liu Xing's tone grew increasingly sinister, and the kneeling lackey could sense the difference, feeling a certain fear and shivering all over. He wanted to speak but didn't dare, staring fearfully at his master.
"Rest assured, you'll stay alive. Moreover, you'll witness my greatest secret." Liu Xing looked down at the terrified servant on the ground, his face a mix of malevolence and divinity.
"I expect you to uphold your oath and become my faithful disciple. However, you'll need to make a small sacrifice, forget who you are. You won't mind, will you?" Li Xiaodong turned and crawled on his hands and knees. Several tall, masked figures nearby were about to take action, but Liu Xing gestured to stop them.
He followed behind the scrambling lackey, suddenly kicking him over with a foot, then violently stomping on him, the force oddly surpassing his build. Liu Xing kicked Li Xiaodong until he coughed up blood, then delivered a ruthless blow to his groin.
"Swear that you'll dedicate your life to me."
Li Xiaodong, lying on the ground, barely alive, managed, "I swear, I'll dedicate my entire life to you, for you, all for you."
"Kowtow, kowtow to me!" Liu Xing yelled frantically.
"Thud, thud, thud!" The lackey knelt and knocked his head on the ground.
A masked figure emerged from the shadows, a clearly petite figure. She glanced at Liu Xing, holding an object resembling an insect egg in her hand. Suddenly, she viciously grabbed Li Xiaodong's hair, forced the egg into his mouth, and swiftly struck his throat. The egg slid into his mouth. Just as Li Xiaodong looked bewildered, she forcefully hit the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.
The masked woman crouched down, using a needle-like object to prick his neck. The half-dead Li Xiaodong's face immediately turned dark and bruised. When the masked woman stood up, Liu Xing impatiently waved his hand, and the other masked figures swiftly dragged the heavily injured Li Xiaodong away.
"In a few days, you'll have another."
"Hmph, it's so troublesome," Liu Xing's face was filled with resentment.
"You're too eager for results. Rome wasn't built in a day. Don't you think your expansion is happening too fast?"
The masked woman's tone was disdainful.
"Is that so? How many lackeys have I sacrificed, how many have been loyal to me?"
"They're all useless lackeys who have turned into your warlocks. You'll have to reckon with that balance."
Liu Xing's expression softened. "It's just too troublesome. Can't the requirements be simpler? Must they be wholeheartedly devoted servants for the transformation?"
"Troublesome? Do you think this is magic or cultivating immortality? Have you been reading too many cultivation novels from your past life? There's no scientific basis for just waving a finger or chanting an incantation to manipulate the heavens and the earth, sitting there chanting words to lay foundations, reach the distraction stage, or fly on a sword? This is science, the result of theories and practices from countless people."
"This fellow, what's the probability of his loyalty to me?"
"Rest assured, in his final moments, his thoughts will be aligned with you. The success rate is quite high, at least fifty percent. You'll see when he hatches. If not, just crush him. He won't grow any bigger. Don't forget our agreement!" The masked woman turned away without looking at Liu Xing.
"Hmph!" Liu Xing snorted.
Liu Xing stood in place, suddenly becoming irritable towards the lackeys standing at the door. "Tell those women that Li Xiaodong is gone. I don't care what despicable and shameless methods they use, find me more lackeys quickly, or I'll turn them into lackeys themselves."
"Why have you come to see me?" After a while, another person was ushered in. Liu Xing smiled as he looked at the middle-aged couple entering. "Haven't you visited me before?"
"Yes, yes, Chairman, your memory is impeccable. I'm Lu Zhichao, and this is my wife, Hou Wenzhi." The man fawningly introduced.
"Lu Monkey?" Liu Xing suddenly recalled a character from a Jin Yong novel. It happened to be this pair of lively names. His lips curved slightly upwards.
Seeing Chairman Liu's amused expression, Mr. Lu thought he was being favorably received. He promptly began to chatter. "I've been living in a good place, grateful for the conditions provided by Chairman Liu. I've realized that I can't utilize my skills effectively at the garment factory. Previously, I was with the steel mill, uh, as a manager."
Upon hearing 'steel mill,' Liu Xing assumed he might know something about steel production. His eyes lit up. Could he have discovered a kind of ore suitable for steel-making? But what followed differed greatly from his expectations.
"I'm somewhat adept at management, particularly at improving workers' productivity and using various assessments to motivate them." Mr. Lu prattled on, while his wife beside him kept nodding.
At this moment, someone handed a note to Liu Xing. He motioned for Mr. Lu to step aside, unfolded the note, and read, "This man is a 'Phoenix Son-in-law,' worked at a steel mill. His neighbors resented him for extorting money due to water leakage issues after rain. Later, he was fired for over-reporting travel expenses on a business trip and taking bribes. Having lost face, he swindled his way into becoming the manager of a residential property management department in town. Unfair parking fees annoyed the residents. He lacks skills, and now he's not well-regarded at the garment factory. His wife is no different."
"Your surname is Lu, right?" Liu Xing glanced at the man, dismissing the woman as unattractive.
Liu Xing was rather annoyed with such individuals, sycophants without competence. He smiled at the man, listening to his flattery and waiting for the inevitable self-recommendation.
"Isn't he exactly what we're looking for?" Liu Xing stood up, approached the masked woman, and whispered, "Your conversion requirements are too high. Those who are too straightforward tend to backfire. They may gain enemies after conversion. Such people are more suited for being lackeys after transformation."
The masked woman glanced at him and stepped away without changing her expression. "I'll take these people with me."
"Go ahead, we have two more today." Liu Xing smiled at the masked woman.
"Both of you, come with me!" The masked woman beckoned.
"Lu Monkey, why are you dawdling? Follow her," Liu Xing chuckled as he watched the couple walk away, wearing skeptical expressions.
"Bring Cao Zhiwei in!" After a few people left, Liu Xing's anger flared again.
"Chairman, Chairman," a man in his thirties, tall and lean, entered. He wore glasses with one lens broken. In this world, there was almost no metal, and eyeglass production hadn't advanced enough to repair or manufacture lenses. So, glasses had become a scarce and irreplaceable resource. If they broke, people simply had to manage. Many with broken glasses went about life with a blurred view. If someone had severe myopia, they simply had to cope with blindness.
"Why did you want to see me?" Cao Zhiwei, noticeably taller than Liu Xing, bent his knees slightly and hunched his back to avoid appearing taller than Chairman Liu.
"The group of people that escaped, what did they see?" Liu Xing glanced at this diminutive figure, then turned his back to him. "You have three minutes to honestly tell me what happened inside. I remind you, don't leave out anything crucial, don't lie or conceal anything. After you leave this room, don't mention it to anyone. If there's even a hint of discrepancy when you speak to the next person, whether it's you or him, you won't be speaking anymore."