Chapter 11
Chapter 11: A Subordinate's Awareness
【I told you to use your ability to polish my shoes!】
【Why are you pulling down my pants?!!】
Seeing those 3 bolded exclamation marks, Yu Shishi finally realized what idiotic thing she had done.
Her face turned red as a ripe tomato, and the top of her head was practically steaming.
"S-sorry! Boss, I was wrong!"
"I...misunderstood what you meant."
Jiang Nan's face was dark. If looks could kill, this silly girl would have reincarnated 800 times over.
He pulled his pants back on and coldly pointed at his shoes, which were still caked in mud.
‘I'm giving you one last chance.’
Yu Shishi was so startled her whole body jolted. This time she didn't dare let her mind wander.
She held her breath and focused, pressing both hands in the air above the shoes, carefully controlling the faint energy within her.
"Cleanse!"
Hum!
The next second, the previously filthy shoes were instantly transformed—brand new!
They shone even brighter than new shoes in a boutique display window, so glossy they could serve as a mirror.
"Phew..."
Yu Shishi wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked toward Jiang Nan with a flattering smile. "Boss, is...is this good enough?"
Jiang Nan looked down at the gleaming shoes, and his brow lifted slightly.
‘Interesting.’
This ability had no offensive power, yet it actually carried a faint "renovation" and "repair" effect?
It seemed this silly girl wasn't entirely useless after all.
He picked up his pen and wrote Yu Shishi's final verdict on the Notepad.
【Barely passable.】
【Starting today, you are the convoy's 'Head of Sanitation.'】
【Responsible for cleanliness, laundry, cooking, and general assistance.】
Yu Shishi not only felt no grievance—she was practically pardoned, nodding her head furiously.
"Thank you, Boss! I guarantee I'll get the job done!"
As long as she could stay in this luxury motorhome, never mind doing housework—she'd do it even if it killed her!
……
With the misunderstanding resolved, everyone returned to their positions.
Wang Meng got moving again, and the convoy set off once more.
However, just a few kilometers down the road, something astonishing happened.
As the trees thinned out, a few Corpse Wolves with rotting bodies appeared, along with several stray Mutated Boars.
Under normal circumstances, these monsters would leap at a human vehicle like rabid dogs, tearing into it without hesitation.
Wang Meng had already braced himself to ram straight through them.
But the instant the bus drew close—
"Awoo?!"
Those Corpse Wolves instantly scrambled and tumbled into the roadside undergrowth!
Even the notoriously thick-skulled Mutated Boars turned tail and fled in terror, as though a single second's delay would cost them their lives.
"What the—?"
Wang Meng stared through the windshield at the scene, jaw hanging open.
"That's insane! Does this motorhome come with some kind of built-in 'Conqueror's Haki'?"
"It's not the vehicle's aura."
At that moment, Liu Yuqing, seated on the sofa, pushed up her glasses.
She glanced at Yu Shishi in the corner, who was diligently scrubbing the floor with a rag, and said quietly:
"That's the Head of Sanitation's doing."
"Huh?" Wang Meng didn't follow.
Liu Yuqing explained: "Ever heard of a fox borrowing a tiger's might?"
"The Scarecrow's Gaze on Shishi—while it's a kill mark—also radiates an immensely powerful aura."
"To these low-tier monsters, what's sitting in this vehicle isn't a group of humans. It's a terrifying Overlord patrolling its territory!"
"She's essentially a living, human-shaped monster repellent."
Wang Meng listened, then gave a thumbs up.
"Incredible! Looks like we didn't just pick up a cleaner—we picked up a living ward-off charm too!"
Yu Shishi scratched her head. "What ward-off charm? I have no idea what you're all talking about?"
Chen Tong suddenly realized something. "Wait! If that's the case, then isn't the Wheat Field we're heading to exactly where the terrifying Scarecrow is located?"
The moment those words landed, Wang Meng immediately brought the vehicle to a stop.
The group launched into another discussion.
Liu Yuqing asked: "Shishi, have you ever seen a scarecrow?"
"A scarecrow...let me think. I saw one last night!"
"That was when Yang Wei and the others were chased by crows into the Wheat Field's safe area—the crows stopped pursuing once we crossed in."
"After that, I got into a fight with Bai Lianhua and left the group."
"On my way out, it suddenly appeared and tripped me."
"But I was in a rage at the time, so I grabbed my shoe and smacked it right across the head—knocked its head clean sideways."
"As for what it actually looked like...it had 3 arms and stood nearly 2 and a half meters tall!"
"Its face—well, its head was lowered, so I never got a good look."
Inside the cabin, after listening to Yu Shishi's scattered account, Liu Yuqing pushed up her glasses.
"Case solved."
"That terrifying Scarecrow is in the Wheat Field. And it has an extremely strong territorial instinct."
Liu Yuqing looked out the window at the Mutated Crows that dared only to watch from a distance, and analyzed:
"The reason those Mutated Crows didn't pursue into the Wheat Field isn't because it's a safe zone!"
"It's because that place is a more powerful monster's hunting ground!"
"The aura clinging to Yu Shishi, to those crows, is like tiger's urine—a natural deterrent."
"She is a living warning sign."
Hearing this, Yu Shishi only now belatedly covered her mouth, her face going pale.
"Oh god...so that battered wreck I smacked across the face with the sole of my shoe last night..."
"Was actually a monster...stronger than the crows?"
"......"
One had to admit—fools really do have fool's luck. The fact that she survived was nothing short of a miracle.
Jiang Nan sat on the sofa, listening to this analysis, and nodded thoughtfully.
‘Since this 'Scarecrow Aura' is so effective...’
He wrote a line on the Smart Control Panel.
【Kill it and skin it.】
【Use it as camouflage coating for the vehicle.】
If Yu Shishi alone could scare off a flock of crows, then what if the entire bus were coated in that Scarecrow's aura?
Wouldn't they be able to stomp through this entire region without opposition?
In the cab, Wang Meng saw those words and his hand jerked—he nearly ripped the steering wheel right off.
"Holy—a true boss is a true boss!"
"Everyone else is scrambling to avoid monsters, and the boss wants to strip one apart and use it as paint?!"
Crazy as it sounded, when he really thought about it...it was absolutely badass!
"Alright then! Buckle up, everyone! We're going to make that bastard's day a living hell!"
Wang Meng wrenched the wheel hard and floored it toward that golden Wheat Field.
Inside the cabin.
Learning they were going back for revenge, Yu Shishi felt no fear whatsoever—she was pumping her fists in excitement.
"Finally! If I get the chance, I want to tear that Bai Lianhua to shreds right now! She tricked me and used me against my own interests!"
With that, she threw her arms open and lunged toward Liu Yuqing beside her.
"Yuqing! Let's go wreck them!"
"Stop!"
Liu Yuqing's face twisted with distaste as she extended a hand to block her forehead, shoving her back at arm's length.
"Shishi, calm down. Also...you're absolutely filthy—can you Cleanse yourself first?"
Only then did Yu Shishi register her own state.
Bare feet, covered in mud and blood, hair a tangled mess like a bird's nest.
With a look like that, even a beggar would pity her enough to toss her 2 cents.
At that moment, Jiang Nan also stood up.
After a night of intense combat, he was covered in dried black blood and sweat, sticky and deeply uncomfortable.
Without any hesitation, right in front of all 3 girls, he pulled off his blood-stained shirt.
What, you ask why he wouldn't let Yu Shishi undress him instead?
Is that even a comparison?
It's like the difference between relieving yourself and having a stranger you barely know help you do it.
Could you honestly trust that they were genuinely there to help?
"Hiss..."
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the cabin.
Beneath Jiang Nan's seemingly slender frame was an impossibly powerful physique!
The muscle definition was razor-sharp, 8 distinct abdominal muscles carved as though chiseled by blade and axe.
Even more striking were the numerous small, old scars across his back and arms.
Those were the medals he had earned over 18 years—hauling bricks and carrying cement on construction sites to save money for travelling to check-in locations across the country.
After all, for an underage orphan, that was the only legitimate side job that let him earn fast cash.
"What a...what a body..."
Chen Tong's face flushed, her gaze going slightly unfocused.
Who would have guessed that this usually quiet, mild-mannered student had the body of a powerhouse under those clothes?
Jiang Nan paid it no mind.
He knew his body well—still within the bounds of an ordinary person, just slightly more durable and capable in a fight than most.
And after an entire night of intense, sustained mental strain,
all he wanted now was a shower and sleep. He had absolutely no interest in those burning gazes fixed on him.
He walked to the bathroom door and stuck a note on it.
【Do not enter.】
Then—bang—the door swung shut.
After the upgrade, the motorhome came equipped with a massive water storage tank. Water supply was more than sufficient for a thorough wash.
Staring at the closed bathroom door, Chen Tong let out a slightly wistful sigh.
She had been thinking...about whether she might be able to slip in and help scrub his back.
After all, she had no ability. If she didn't seize every opportunity to prove her 'value,' the anxiety never quite left her.
"Alright, stop staring."
Liu Yuqing patted Yu Shishi, who was still daydreaming.
"Get to work! Wash the boss's clothes, and help Cleanse the rest of us while you're at it."
"Oh, oh! Got it!"
Yu Shishi was currently in redemption mode and brimming with motivation.
She activated her Cleanse ability—a flash of white light, and the dirty clothes Jiang Nan had left on the floor were instantly pristine, even the wrinkles smoothed out.
Then, one by one, she ran a 'Cleanse' pass over herself, Liu Yuqing, and Chen Tong.
The previously grimy little group of survivors now looked immaculate and radiant, as though they'd just stepped out of a spa.
"Wang Meng, do you want a Cleanse?"
Yu Shishi called toward the cab.
"No need!"
Wang Meng refused without even turning his head. "I'm a grown man—a bit of grease and grime is exactly how I should look! Besides..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
As a man, he understood boundaries perfectly well.
These women shared a roof with Jiang Nan.
As a subordinate, it was best not even to get close—keeping his distance and staying out of it was how you survived.
……