Chapter Thirty-Nine: Given Too Much

Zhuang Yong'an, having received Zhou Shu's consent, stood up and went to open the door to fetch some things delivered by his teammates.
Though it was also takeout, the dishes were far more varied than the spicy hotpot Zhou Shu had been eating.
Even from the packaging, it was clear these were high-end meals.
By chance, Zhou Shu recognized the logo on the bag—it was from a nearby star-rated restaurant, reputed for its delicious food, but also famously expensive.
It truly was a case of "waste not, want not."
The three quickly set everything out, with Zhou Shu contributing his own hotpot to the spread, and they began to eat and chat.
Both parties had played their opening hands, but were still holding back their trump cards. Zhou Shu had made the first move earlier, so now it was Zhuang Yong'an's turn.
He took a sip of his drink, exhaled, and said, "Zhou Shu, we can answer many of your questions, but what you saw yesterday already touches upon matters of national secrecy. We don’t have full authority ourselves, so by procedure, we need to ask you one or two questions first. What do you think?"
"That’s fine."
Zhou Shu had already decided to lay his cards on the table, so he remained calm.
"Good," Zhuang Yong'an nodded at his reply. "Perhaps you’ve already guessed our purpose in coming here, so our first question is: last night, in the demolition zone, that man-eating... creature—were you the one who killed it?"
"I—"
Zhou Shu was just about to play a tentative "two," but before he could speak, Zhuang Yong'an suddenly cut him off.
"Please wait, Zhou Shu, may I say a few more words? This is important, and it’s not a question."
Zhou Shu raised his hand in exasperation, signaling for him to continue.
"Thank you. Here’s the thing—this is a serious matter, so please consider carefully," Zhuang Yong'an said. "According to our regulations, if you acknowledge that you killed that monster, the state will reward you with a minimum bonus of 100,000 yuan, paid in one lump sum."
Zhou Shu: "What?!"
"More importantly, this deed will be recorded in your personal contribution system, counted as military merit, which means you can be awarded the first-level 'Gongshi' title."
"As a citizen of Great Qin, you should know the benefits of military merit and this title. I won’t elaborate further, but you can check the official website for details."
Zhou Shu: "!!"
"Also, if you really did kill the monster, would you be willing to share the method you used? If it involves any 'special abilities,' as long as you register them with us, you won’t have to do anything else—every month you’ll receive a special subsidy of 2,000 yuan."
"Wait, there’s more. If, after registering, you’re willing to cooperate with some research—we’re just talking about collecting some cells, blood, or other fluids—we’ll provide additional compensation in the tens of thousands, of course, only if you’re willing."

Zhou Shu: "!!!"
"If your special ability is combat-related, would you consider working with us? The starting salary is also in the tens of thousands, and don’t worry—even if you’re under eighteen, that’s not a problem. We’re not an ordinary organization..."
The more Zhou Shu listened, the more stunned he became.
He knew that admitting to the matter would bring benefits—after all, he’d gotten a sense of it from Zhang Peng’s attitude last night. But he hadn’t expected the benefits to be so... abundant!
Unbelievable!
Seeing Zhou Shu’s composure start to crack, Zhuang Yong'an knew their plan had succeeded.
They had conducted a thorough investigation on Zhou Shu. Although this time Zhou Shu had made the first move and dealt them a heavy blow, their groundwork hadn’t been wasted.
Money and the like—99% of people would want it.
And although Zhou Shu’s parents were well-known paleontologists, their income wasn’t as high as outsiders imagined.
Coupled with their personalities, they preferred paleontology research over money, so their finances were quite limited.
According to the records, Zhou Shu was a sensible and diligent child.
He hadn’t been particularly bright as a child—his grades had always been poor—but through hard work, he’d steadily improved.
Only his English grades had always remained... consistently low.
This boy had clear plans for his future: he wanted to get into the Imperial University of Science and Technology’s industrial design program. His parents gave him some pocket money, but he never squandered it, always buying useful things.
Even when it came to buying models, most people bought them to play with, but he mostly bought blank kits, which he’d assemble and then modify.
That way, he could have fun and also practice his modeling or mechanical design skills in advance.
They even had access to his online shopping history and cart.
There were lots of things in his cart, all things Zhou Shu liked, but he hadn’t bought them due to lack of money—they just sat there.
Given all this, leading with talk of bonuses and benefits was definitely the right move.
Then came the "Gongshi" title. As citizens of Great Qin, no one understood better what this title meant.
This title originated from the twenty-rank nobility system of the First Qin Dynasty. Though the system had since been reformed and the government no longer officially used titles, the term was still common among the populace.
Once you earned a title—even the lowest "Gongshi"—it proved you’d made a special contribution to the country, whether in the military, scientific research, invention, culture, or any other field that benefited Great Qin. It would be recorded in both the national and personal contribution systems.
Although its influence wasn’t as strict as when it was first established—for example, daily rations were no longer assigned according to rank—thanks to advances in social productivity, its impact on modern life seemed reduced, but in reality was greater.
Because these titles were earned through special contributions, a whole array of unique social benefits had been designed specifically for them.

This system was the foundation of Great Qin’s power, just like in the earliest days of the Qin Empire. If you wanted to catch up with the developed nations in a short time, you needed something attractive to motivate development.
He had expected some benefits from admitting to the events of yesterday—but he hadn’t imagined anything like this.
For a super soldier to slay a single monster and be granted the title of Gongshi—it was practically the same as the original standard: "As long as you behead an enemy armored soldier, you can become a Gongshi."
He was tempted.
If he could quickly become a "Gongshi," even without considering anything else, the ability to apply for the purchase of sensitive materials and equipment was already highly enticing.
There was plenty of black technology in the virtual battlefield. If he wanted to replicate any of it, ordinary materials available to the public probably wouldn’t cut it.
And to get his hands on high-end or sensitive items, money alone wasn’t enough—you also needed the state’s endorsement.
But there was no rush; he would see how things played out.
No need to drop a "bomb" yet, and the "trump card" should be kept for later.
First, he would play a weighty card to continue probing.
………………
"Here, Zhou Shu, try this—this is really good."
"Thank you, Brother Zhuang, but I can help myself."
"This one’s great too. With your intense study schedule, you should eat more nutritious food."
"Thank you, Sister Ling, but don’t worry about me. You all should eat too, since you paid for this."
"It’s fine; we’re on assignment, so it’s all reimbursed! Want us to order dinner for you as well?"
"Uh, is that... appropriate?"
"Of course it is, why wouldn’t it be?"
The reason they could chat so freely while eating was naturally because some matters had already been settled.
Not to mention that Zhou Shu had intended to play a few smaller cards in exchange for real information, even someone originally unwilling to cooperate would likely be swayed by such generous terms.
After all, the offer was simply too good!