Chapter 179: The System Is Getting More and More Creative!

Chapter 179: The System Is Getting More and More Creative!

Zhang Lin felt his head spinning when he saw the trending news. After all, the employee he had just hired from the game had ended up in the hospital after being hit by a car. What kind of joke was this?

However, he quickly recalled the game's notification that the employee was recovering and would report to Liyuan Farm once he was better.

Something wasn't right. The news reported that Ma Jun had been hit by a car, but it didn't specify when it happened. It could have been before last night, not necessarily after he was hired from the game.

After all, such news doesn't usually go viral overnight; it takes some time to investigate and spread.

So, he decided to read the trending news carefully.

The news was a long video, detailing a lengthy accident.

But when he finished watching it, he was still dumbfounded.

The Ma Jun in the news seemed to be the unluckiest guy ever.

According to the news, Ma Jun was about to graduate with a master's degree and had already received an invitation from a top-tier agricultural research lab. He also had a beautiful girlfriend, and they were planning to get married after he graduated.

It was the perfect script for a successful life after graduation.

But everything changed when two young women appeared. Ma Jun's thesis was about a difficult-to-grow mutant flower. At the most critical moment, these two women were attracted by the flowers he was cultivating, ignoring the warning signs he had posted and taking photos of the flowers.

Worse still, they thought the flowers were beautiful enough to take and break off, taking them away. This left Ma Jun without the subject of his research, rendering his thesis useless. All his hard work went to waste. Not only did he lose the lab invitation, but his graduation was also in jeopardy.

Zhang Lin was stunned as he read on.

He had often seen news stories online about agricultural students setting up tents to guard their plants during their final year. He never thought Ma Jun would face such a situation.

Some people's lack of respect was truly concerning.

If that was all that had happened, it would just be a matter of poor behavior, and he could only condemn the two women.

But that alone wouldn't have made it to the trending news.

What followed was even more nauseating.

Because Ma Jun couldn't graduate, the top-tier lab revoked his invitation and gave the spot to another student from the same school. This student was also very talented but had lost to Ma Jun in the lab's interview. Now, he was the perfect substitute.

Just as Ma Jun was about to accept his fate, someone revealed that the women who had taken the flowers were the girlfriend and sister of the substitute student.

Ma Jun couldn't let this go. He immediately wrote a letter of complaint, but it turned out that the student who replaced him was the son of the university president, and his uncle was a high-ranking education official. One of the top leaders at the research lab was also a friend of his uncle.

In the end, Ma Jun was labeled as a troublemaker, accused of defaming the school's reputation, and expelled.

In simpler terms, they had given Ma Jun a chance to accept his fate and continue for another year. But since he refused and became a problem, they had to "solve" his problem.

That was the gist of it.

To make matters worse, the top-tier lab also released a statement claiming that Ma Jun had cheated during the interview.

With this, Ma Jun's situation became even more dire.

His girlfriend also broke up with him and left. When Ma Jun tried to chase after her, he was hit by a car and ended up in the hospital.

The video was posted by a journalist who had coincidentally taken Ma Jun to the hospital.

This journalist had also faced similar unfair treatment in her family, which was why she became a journalist—to use her skills to fight for justice for those in need. After learning about Ma Jun's situation, she investigated and exposed the truth.

Zhang Lin couldn't help but sigh after watching the news.

Although their country was generally good, there were still dark corners where the light didn't reach.

This was a classic case of the upper echelons manipulating the lower ranks.

If Ma Jun hadn't competed for the top lab's position, he might have graduated smoothly and joined a regular lab, avoiding all this trouble.

But to Ma Jun, joining the top lab was a way for a common family's child to achieve success and bring honor to his family.

He hadn't done anything wrong; his mistake was competing against the president's son.

Zhang Lin understood why this story had made it to the trending list. Such incidents were bound to draw attention.

Now, Huannong University, the city's education system, and the South China Agricultural Science and Technology Research Institute must be under intense scrutiny. They wouldn't just sit idly by.

Sure enough, a quick search revealed many videos online discrediting Ma Jun.

Some claimed he was antisocial and didn't get along with others. Others said he never respected his teachers. There were even claims that he was unrealistic and delusional, wanting to research fruits that could grow in the desert, without considering his own capabilities.

Even Ma Jun's classmates and roommates, including students from Huannong University, seemed to believe that discrediting Ma Jun was the politically correct thing to do.

...

One by one, videos from teachers, students, and even Ma Jun's girlfriend emerged, discrediting him. She even released a recording, allegedly proving that Ma Jun had cheated during the lab's interview.

The voice in the recording did sound like Ma Jun's.

It seemed everything was being painted in a dark light. With Ma Jun in a coma and unable to defend himself, even the journalist's efforts to seek justice were being doubted, with some accusing her of seeking attention.

Zhang Lin was now curious about one thing.

He had recruited a special agricultural expert from the game, a man named Ma Jun. Was this the original Ma Jun, or had Ma Jun passed away, and the game had simply borrowed his identity, much like how the panda Yuan Yuan had been altered?

...

A hospital in the South City.

The young man lying in the hospital bed, his face pale, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, gasping for air. His mind felt swollen, and memories of the Liyuan Farm seemed to be bursting to the surface, threatening to overwhelm him.

Beside the bed, an elderly couple’s faces lit up with joy as they rushed to his side.

"Jun, you’re finally awake."

"Ma Jun, it’s good to see you awake."

Ma Jun looked at his gaunt parents, his face filled with guilt. "Dad, Mom, I’m sorry!"

The couple quickly shook their heads. "We all know it’s not your fault!"

"It’s all their fault, and Ling Ling’s too. She’s heartless!"

Hearing his parents’ words, a surge of hatred welled up inside Ma Jun. The recent events had kindled a blazing fire in his heart.

Those bastards!

His father quickly said, "Son, if you can’t get your master’s degree, then let it go. Let’s go back to our hometown; we can’t fight them!"

Ma Jun shook his head. "I will fight them to the end. I won’t let this slide."

His father grew anxious. "Son, don’t do anything foolish. Journalist Zhuang is in a very difficult situation because she tried to help you."

Ma Jun quickly explained, "Dad, I won’t do anything foolish. I’ve thought it through. I won’t confront them head-on. I’ll prove myself with my abilities and expose their hypocritical faces. Dad, Mom, you’ve heard of Liyuan Farm, right?"

The couple nodded. "They’re so popular online; of course, I know about them!"

"Yes, their bamboo maze is all the rage, everyone’s talking about it."

Ma Jun continued, "I know their boss. They all thought my idea of developing fruits that can grow in the desert was a pipe dream, an overreach. But I once sent some seeds to Mr. Zhang, the CEO of Liyuan Farm. He told me they had some success, and he believes in me. He’s offered me a position at Liyuan Farm with a monthly salary of 100,000 yuan."

"Ah??"

"Ah??"

The couple couldn’t believe their ears. Their son’s situation had been dire, and now he was saying Liyuan Farm was willing to take him on and pay him such a high salary.

It seemed like a dream, but they knew their son wouldn’t lie.

After reassuring his parents, Ma Jun opened WeChat and found the contact for Mr. Zhang, the CEO of Liyuan Farm. He sent a message: "Mr. Zhang, I’ll be discharged from the hospital in a couple of days and will head to Liyuan Farm. Thank you for helping me during the worst time of my life. I’m willing to dedicate my life to you."

At Liyuan Farm, Zhang Lin was utterly bewildered when he saw the sudden WeChat message.

What’s going on?

Seeing that the contact was Ma Jun and that they had a chat history spanning over a hundred pages, he couldn’t help but swear.

Damn!

After reading some of the messages, he had to admit that the game was impressive. This made everything much more plausible and easier to explain.

Ever since the panda Yuan Yuan, the game was getting more and more creative.

In other words, the person was still the same person in reality, with verifiable records. The only difference was that they had additional memories, and the game’s attributes had been attached to them, including loyalty.

Thinking this over, he replied in WeChat, "Welcome!"

At the hospital, Ma Jun breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Zhang Lin’s message. He then instructed his parents to arrange his discharge, feeling that his body was fine.

The couple, naturally worried about their son, had the doctor examine him again. Only after confirming he was fine did they complete the discharge procedures.

After leaving the hospital, Ma Jun checked the news online. Liyuan Farm was indeed making waves, and the bamboo maze had embarrassed the Americans, which made him feel vindicated.

This made him very happy for Liyuan Farm, even feeling a sense of pride.

He didn’t seem to notice that this pride was misplaced, but he felt it nonetheless.

He also saw news about himself and the journalist Zhuang, who was indeed in a difficult situation, with no one believing her.

Thinking about it, Ma Jun called the journalist. A clear voice answered, "Ma Jun, you’re awake? Are you okay now?"

"Journalist Zhuang, thank you for your concern. Do you have time? I’ll be leaving South City in a couple of days, and I’d like to buy you a coffee and share some big news!" Ma Jun said, stating his purpose.

Given how popular Liyuan Farm was, and how he was currently in the spotlight, albeit for negative reasons, the news of him joining Liyuan Farm with a 100,000 yuan monthly salary would cause a huge stir.

It would be explosive news, and the journalist who broke it would receive significant benefits.

"Sure, let’s meet at the Black Deer Cafe near Huazhong Agricultural University. See you there," the voice on the other end replied.

After making the arrangements, Ma Jun headed to the Black Deer Cafe. However, his face fell when he saw a familiar and hated face: his ex-girlfriend, Zhao Ling, who had helped defame him.

"Mark Jun, you came with me. What are you doing here?" Zhao Ling immediately said when she saw Mark Jun. "I’ve seen enough of your true colors. We’re done."

Mark Jun glanced at Zhao Ling, a woman he once knew well but now found strange. He was about to say something when a voice from behind him spoke up, "Don’t flatter yourself. Mark Jun invited me."

A woman appeared from behind, and it was none other than journalist Zhuang Fei.

Mark Jun, his mood soured by Zhao Ling, turned to Zhuang Fei and said, "Reporter Zhuang, I’ve been hired by Liyuan Farm and will be heading over soon. They’re offering me a salary of 100,000 yuan a month. That’s big news for you, right?"

"What?" Zhuang Fei exclaimed.

"How is that possible?" Zhao Ling gasped.

Both women were incredulous, and the mention of Liyuan Farm drew attention from the surrounding crowd. After all, Liyuan Farm’s bamboo maze had been the talk of the town for the past two days. It featured an ancient Bagua pattern and even saw the so-called best maze in the United States return in tears.

"Mark Jun, is this true?" Zhuang Fei couldn’t believe it. She had thought justice would never be served in this matter, but now it seemed Liyuan Farm was stepping in to support Mark Jun.

"Reporter Zhuang, if you don’t believe me, you can come with me to Liyuan Farm," Mark Jun invited.

"Mark Jun, can I come with you too? Everything I said before was under duress!" Zhao Ling’s voice rang out, filled with hope.

Mark Jun frowned at her, feeling a deep sense of disgust. After all, they had been together for two years, and now he realized she had only been with him because he had won the Chu Ying Award for agricultural research.

He walked away without looking back.

Soon, a major news story stunned everyone online. The hottest news items over the past two days had been the Liyuan Farm bamboo maze and the Mark Jun scandal. No one could have predicted that the protagonists of these two big stories would suddenly merge. News broke that Mark Jun had been hired by Liyuan Farm, with a salary of 100,000 yuan per month.

It was like something out of a novel, completely unexpected.

The news hadn’t been confirmed, and no one knew if it was true. But if it was, it would be intriguing. After all, Mark Jun had been severely blacklisted and was now despised by everyone. Yet, Liyuan Farm had hired him and offered him a high salary.

This news caused real concern, as Liyuan Farm had a significant reputation. With Mark Jun on board, there was an element of uncertainty.

In the office of the president of Huannong University, a young man frowned at a balding man. "Dad, this news was posted by that Zhuang woman. I also received information that Mark Jun himself confirmed it. He’s heading to Liyuan Farm, so it’s probably true."

The balding man was the president of Huannong University, Jin Zhengkang. He frowned and asked, "Is Mark Jun’s confirmation reliable?"

The young man nodded. "It was his girlfriend who leaked the information to me."

Jin Zhengkang rubbed his bald head and frowned. "What is Liyuan Farm getting involved in? An agricultural company trying to oppose Huannong University? How many of our graduates are in the agricultural sector? I’ll contact them and give them a warning not to meddle in this."

...

At Liyuan Farm, Zhang Lin had been waiting for Mark Jun ever since he replied to his application. He was increasingly curious about Mark Jun’s situation.

The key was that Mark Jun had special abilities. His presence wouldn’t just increase the success rate of projects by 20%; his absolute loyalty would ensure that Liyuan Farm’s future products would be credible and reasonable.

Zhang Lin had just finished a meeting with Daoist Zixu, discussing the Bagua array. The other Daoists had left, but Daoist Zixu stayed, agreeing to join the Brainiest Minds show to promote Daoist culture.

Just as he finished talking with Daoist Zixu, Lin Muxue rushed in. "Boss Zhang, there’s a bad situation. The news says we hired a man named Mark Jun, and his situation seems dire. The president of Huannong University has called to speak with you, and his tone was not good."

"Then I’ll talk to him and see what he has to say," Zhang Lin said, knowing it was about Mark Jun.

Lin Muxue, unaware of the details, immediately followed his instructions and dialed the number provided. After a moment, she handed the phone to Zhang Lin.

As soon as Zhang Lin took the phone, a voice came through. "The person in charge of Liyuan Farm?"

"Yes, it’s me!" Zhang Lin confirmed.

Upon receiving confirmation, Jin Zhengkang began, "Sir, let me introduce myself. I am the president of Huannong University. Our school has a long and rich history, and many of our graduates have excelled in various fields of agriculture. Many have also entered the agricultural system and made significant contributions. However, we have also seen many negative examples, especially students like Mark Jun. I hope Liyuan Farm doesn’t fall for his lies."

In simpler terms, it was a threat: "Don’t overreach, don’t meddle in matters that don’t concern you. We have many connections in the agricultural sector, and Liyuan Farm is an agricultural company."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end