Great! I'm surrounded by villains!-Chapter 386 - 305: The Scapegoat

Fu Ling stared at Duan Mingyuan for a long time, feeling that the latter’s sudden question was indeed quite chilling.

Because he had spoken the truth.

According to the rules of the Universe Company, employees holding positions above department directors were assigned at least one Long Branch Guard, and depending on the importance of their department and the risks they faced in their daily work, the authority to mobilize Long Branch Guards could be increased.

This was not only for the protection of their personal safety but also a demonstration of the company’s regard for them.

Therefore, from this perspective, the company didn’t really value her, the newly appointed head of the Department of Life Sciences, very much.

"There is a reason for this,"

Facing the cold reality, Fu Ling chose to make excuses, "Western Wind was originally assigned to the Life Science Department as a Long Branch Guard. After his defection, his position was left vacant. Normally, the company should arrange for a new Long Branch Guard to take over Western Wind’s duties, but too much has been happening recently, and those higher up are probably too busy to handle it."

Whether Duan Mingyuan believed her or not, Fu Ling herself certainly did.

Blaming the cosmic politics, as long as she could deceive herself, her heart would feel much better.

"However, as far as I know, the new director of the Universe Market Relationship Coordination Department does not have these worries. At the beginning of his tenure, the company immediately arranged for new Long Branch Guards, while those who performed tasks on Blue Star have all gone on vacation,"

He Ya casually revealed the truth, inserting a sharp blade into Fu Ling’s heart with his relaxed tone.

"You, I, you!"

Fu Ling faltered.

As a colleague in the company, of course, she knew about the affairs of the Universe Relations Department, but what could she say?

That’s the bloodline favorite.

After Qing Hua made a mistake, the Huagang Consortium immediately changed their preferred candidate, while the Shan Clan from the Mandala Consortium just wanted her to be a puppet director. With no Shan Clan bloodline, even dedicating her life to the Consortium’s mentor, she was only assigned one Long Branch Guard.

Perhaps, in the eyes of the Consortium, there was no need to invest any resources around a puppet.

"But you shouldn’t feel too sad. Saintfield the Sixth didn’t have any Long Branch Guards either, and moreover, he’s dead,"

Duan Mingyuan continued to console Fu Ling.

The reason he asked this was also out of curiosity about the movements of the Long Branch Guards; he already found it unbelievable when Saintfield the Sixth died in his room.

Although he had once stood on opposing sides, Duan Mingyuan still held the Long Branch Guards in high esteem. Among the many opponents he had faced, they were second only to "Cocoon" and could be considered T1 combatants. If they had encountered the witch He Ya mentioned, it would have been an evenly matched battle.

You should know that with just a hint of disturbance on Blue Star, the Long Branch Guards threw out heavy punches, and within a few months, he encountered three waves of Long Branch Guards. According to the Third Prince, the frequency of these appearances was catching up to the company’s encounters on the "Cocoon" frontline battlefield.

However, when internal problems arose within the company, the Long Branch Guards vanished.

The events of the past few days had made Duan Mingyuan emotionally exhausted.

The figures he faced were all highly influential in the universe, but each one was like a newly hatched chick, and he might experience an accident just having dinner with his in-laws.

Duan Mingyuan now suspected that these individuals might not even be able to walk properly on his ship; heaven knows what might happen the moment he took his eyes off them.

"Maybe it’s because... conflicts have arisen between the Long Branch Committee and the Saintfield family?"

Fu Ling pondered thoughtfully.

After all, before the incident on Blue Star was fully investigated, the Saintfield family had publicized Western Wind’s defection, and to this day, whether he is alive or dead remains a mystery, as does the whereabouts of his armor. Yet, his betrayal has been conclusively pronounced.

This had a significant impact on the reputation of the Long Branch Committee, and many within the committee who knew Western Wind still refuse to believe that he would betray the company.

Even so, just for the sake of appearances, the Long Branch Committee should have sent one or two Imperial Guards to keep up the facade.

After all, the Sixth of Saintfield was the leader of the Mandala Consortium and also one of the overt leaders of the Universe Company.

Unless...

Someone within the Consortium had long known that the Sixth of Saintfield would die aboard the Eco-Ship.

Fu Ling couldn’t bear to continue thinking about it any longer. If the death of the Sixth of Saintfield were attributed to internal family strife, or even to their involvement with the Wizard, her future would likely be shrouded in darkness.

It was no longer a matter of whether the company would assign Long Branch Guards to protect her, but as the manager of the Eco-Ship, after the dust had settled on the struggle for the Family Head position, she could very likely be made the scapegoat for all the unrest and follow in Qing Hua’s footsteps to the defendant’s bench, becoming one of the young generation’s duo behind bars.

For a scapegoat set up to take the blame, the Consortium naturally wouldn’t bother to assign a Long Branch Guard by her side.

"You’re warning me."

Finally, Fu Ling heard a hint of care in Mingyuan’s icy words. Although he pierced through the cold reality, he was sincerely reminding her that a crisis was looming.

What was worse, if her deduction was correct, it seemed to also provide a reason why the Wizard hadn’t moved against her.

After all, the new Family Head of the Saintfield family would need to find a scapegoat who could bear all the responsibilities.

"I just remembered there’s some work I need to finish. You guys go ahead."

Fu Ling suddenly said, unwilling to just sit and wait for doom.

Even if being scapegoated was inevitable, she at least wanted to know the identity of the real mastermind behind the scene. She couldn’t just die without knowing how or why.

It wouldn’t be difficult to investigate. Starting with the personnel arrangements when the Sixth of Saintfield came aboard the Eco-Ship could yield some leads.

Mingyuan sized up Fu Ling, convinced that the aura of death enveloped his good friend.

She was like those characters in movies who suddenly uncover a plot and, when they are about to discover the threads alone, meet with a sudden attack.

In the end, they would find Fu Ling covered in blood, with a hole in her chest, collapsed on her own desk, and with her last ounce of strength, pointing her finger at a symbol.

Thus, a new decryption game would begin.

It was his "Reversal Blade Radar" at play once again.

He Ya’s assumption that the Wizard wouldn’t hurt Fu Ling was predicated on her maintaining her current state, blissfully ignorant of the conspiracy about to unfold. As soon as she followed a trail too far, she would unlock the "you know too much" outcome.

"You accompany her."

Mingyuan said to He Ya. Although He Ya claimed she couldn’t carry her strength away from her home planet, she should be able to handle a few well-known Wizards.

Besides, she seemed to understand the Wizard well. Even if she couldn’t overpower them, she could still play the emotional card.

"Understood."

He Ya stretched lazily and said to Fu Ling, "But hiring me as a bodyguard won’t come cheap."

"How much per hour?"

Fu Ling immediately asked. The only good news was that for a company executive, money wasn’t a problem.

"I don’t want money."

He Ya waved her hand. "It’s a favor, and someday you’ll have to repay me."

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