It was a long way from Songhai city to Baowan province’s Crow County, but it only took two hours traveling via the special passage.
Although the Old Devil trio was currently atoning for their crimes by performing meritorious service, their actions were still restricted, such as when it came to space travel. Even when they were charged with carrying out missions, they weren’t allowed to open space tunnels or use spatial spells to teleport without permission.
They all had location trackers on them which, after being improved by Wang Ming, were an enhanced class of Spirit Shackles that acted as a seal to contain their power from a computer terminal. Thus, their true realms were suppressed. However, their mission this time was mainly an online information war, which would depend on their intelligence.
Inside the familiar prison van, Huang Youliang sat between two people. He was drenched in cold sweat and had no idea what he should do.
“When we get there, you should know what to do.” The Old Devil patted Huang Youliang’s thigh.
“I know; if I disobey, my mind will be blown apart.” Huang Youliang swallowed and didn’t dare resist.
“Why did you want to become the group leader of a water army back then?” Cheng Yu asked curiously.
“I opened a game studio but the games we designed always made losses, and I had to earn extra income. Later, I heard about this alternative from a friend of mine. But I hadn’t held the group leader position for long and I hadn’t even gone to the designated Internet cafe when you caught me,” Huang Youliang said with fear.
“This transaction is quite a lucrative one. So once you invest into becoming group leader, you can make money?” The Old Devil smiled.
“Not exactly…”
Huang Youliang asked, “Have any of you been a group leader before?”
“No.” The Old Devil and the others shook their heads.
“After taking up this position, we need to dress up in women’s clothes, rope in administrators, and reach our targets. Only after the administrators fulfill their quota of online posts can group members act as keyboard warriors and start cursing or scolding online. When there are enough posts which have obtained a certain number of views, the Governor will pay us.”
Huang Youliang said, “With a large sum of money, it’s split 30-70 between the group leader and the Governor.”
“Group leaders only get seventy percent?”
“Seventy percent is the Governor’s; for group leaders to even be able to get thirty percent depends on how he feels!” said Huang Youliang.
“Hang on, isn’t this money from the Governor?” The Old Devil was confused.
“The Governor issues the money, but it isn’t his. I heard that there’s still someone a level higher than the Governor. An Internet water army is managed using a hierarchical system. Actually, group members don’t get any money at all, and only the group leaders and administrators get a share…”
Huang Youliang said with a sigh, “There are countless people in an online water army; the Governor oversees fifty million. We group leaders just work for him, and we can’t disobey the Governor at all. If we do, the group will be dissolved at best, and or we’ll be killed at worst.”
After hearing this, the prison trio had some idea of the situation.
The management of this online water army was a little like a pyramid scheme, which expanded downward from the administrative levels.
Although this Governor was ranked seventh in the Dark Network and held an important position, he wasn’t the big boss behind the scenes; there was still someone pulling the strings and supplying the funds behind him, and it was very likely that the other party was hiding overseas.
But investigating that wasn’t their job; even if they knew who it was, it wasn’t any concern of theirs. Right now, the task which the prison trio had been assigned was to follow the clues to track down this “Governor” and arrest him.
Catching the Governor was their number one priority.
As for whether there was someone else behind him whom they should also catch or not, this would depend on how many points for shortening their sentences General Bai could offer…
In the prison van, the Old Devil reflected on Huang Youliang’s words just then.
The water army group leaders under this Governor were strictly managed; they even had to log into their group leader accounts at designated Internet cafes.
He realized that going to Crow County to become group leader this time might not be easy.
“From what you said earlier, you have to crossdress in particular in order to become a group leader and earn money?”
“Of course…”
“Then isn’t a group leader just a beggar?”
“In this world, isn’t working for someone just like being a beggar anyway? But not many people can become a group leader of a water army.”
The Old Devil frowned. “If a group leader has to crossdress, why is it that the group members have never before seen that former group leader who died suddenly?”
“Simple: most of the members in this group are fans of attractive voices and the former group leader’s voice was very nice.” Huang Youliang said, “When I bought the group leader position, the person who sold it to me gave me a special voice changer so that I would sound just like the former group leader, and no one would hear the difference.”
So that was it.
The prison trio understood.
“But since you want to catch the Governor, it’s very important to win over the administrators and the people in the group. Going to Crow County this time to take up the role of group leader, crossdressing is a must… But of the three big shots here…” Huang Youliang swept his gaze over the Old Devil, Cheng Yu and Evil Sword God.
After looking at them over and over again, he found that the only one who would be able to crossdress convincingly was actually Evil Sword God.
But he didn’t dare directly say it, for fear that Evil Sword God would beat him up.
The shock Evil Sword God had inspired back then was no less compared with the Old Devil. He even had the guts to kill his own shifu; it could be said that he was an utterly cold-blooded figure.
Huang Youliang knew that if he offended this big shot, he would come to a tragic end
“I know what you’re thinking.”
The Old Devil put an arm around Huang Youliang’s shoulder. “Want to see Old Evil crossdress?”
Huang Youliang: “No… no, I don’t.”
“A man needs to be honest. Tell me the truth, do you want to see it or not? Be honest, or there will be serious consequences.”
Huang Youliang looked weakly at that delicate-looking Evil Sword God, and somehow felt that he was different from the reports about him.
He didn’t know what Evil Sword God’s situation was, but he still said what he was thinking in a very low voice, “I do…”
“So, you’re honest after all.”
The Old Devil laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to see it.”
Huang Youliang: “…”
The Old Devil: “Because Old Cheng and I also want to see it.”
Huang Youliang: “…”
Since a crossdressing group leader could quickly win over administrators and group members, they naturally didn’t have a reason to reject it. To the Old Devil, this was like kneeling and begging for food, but the point was that the person doing the kneeling wouldn’t be him.
Only one of the three of them needed to crossdress and reveal his face.
And it now looked like it would be none other than Evil Sword God.
“Old Evil?” The Old Devil called his name and turned to Evil Sword God, who didn’t know where to put his hands.
Apart from playing cards or manual labor, Evil Sword God was thrashed practically every day in prison. Now that the Old Devil was talking to him in such an indulgent tone, Evil Sword God quivered.
Evil Sword God: “What do you want…”
“You’ll be dressing in women’s clothes later.”
“No…”
“If you do it, Old Cheng and I won’t beat you up for the next three days.”
“A week and it’s a deal…”
“Deal.”
“…”
