6 The Campaign Team is Formed!
As soon as those words were spoken, André, who had been secretly observing Zhi Wei, suddenly froze. His deep blue eyes shifted slightly as he tilted his head, fixating on her with wide-open eyes, as if encountering something extraordinary.
Zhi Wei wiped her mouth after finishing her meal, resting her elbow on the table, and looked at André with a serious expression. Though her heart was scheming, her face appeared genuinely sincere.
“I don’t have a campaign team, nor a deputy. Right now, it’s just me. You’ve seen my situation—I’m an independent candidate without any organization,” she summarized, using terms she had just learned from the star network in André’s light brain.
After analyzing, she nodded to herself. Indeed, from this perspective, she was full of vulnerabilities! Any tiny flaw could easily lead to immediate disqualification—how splendid!
If she could bring over the clear but naive André to strive together, only to end up back at square one, each going their own way, wouldn’t that be just perfect?
With this thought, she sincerely invited the blue-eyed man sitting opposite her, “If you join me, that makes two of us. That way, we’d have a team.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “Would you be willing to be my deputy?”
André pressed his lips together. Tugging at his tie, Zhi Wei followed his fingers and noticed he was wearing a tight black uniform. No wonder she had subconsciously felt he looked bulky—it was because he was dressed formally, with every button on his collar and cuffs fastened tightly.
A silver shoulder strap ran across his chest, winding down to the pocket on the front.
André hesitated, shrinking back, no longer looking so confident.
He muttered to himself, “I… my previous work performance was really terrible.”
“I couldn’t come up with any useful policy directions, couldn’t estimate the size of gatherings. The campaign teams I joined before didn’t give me any position. When interacting with voters, they said I was pretentious…”
Strong, Zhi Wei noticed. As for ‘pretentious,’ she thought that was just ridiculous.
Compared to the rotten colleagues and awful clients she’d encountered during endless 996 shifts at a major tech company, André was hardly pretentious.
Did he ever come on aggressively, asking stupid questions like “Why did you go to the restroom, is your workload insufficient?” or “Young people going to bed at 1 a.m. is too early,” or “You ask about project progress just to learn from me”?
No! Absolutely not!
He was even more presentable than those colleagues and clients. He didn’t complain or whine, just a little confident.
So what if he was a bit proud?
If Zhi Wei were to grow up looking like him, a young master to boot, she’d be even prouder and more boastful.
So what if his abilities were poor? That’s exactly who she wanted—the weak ones! The capable ones wouldn’t want to join; only the weak ones!
Her heart stirred, and she softened her tone, “That’s wonderful.”
“You don’t mind that I’m from a backwater star, and I don’t mind your lack of ability. Then we are a team.” She turned the question back to him. “Isn’t that so?”
André blinked. His upper and lower lashes curled long, fluttering like butterflies when he blinked.
He smiled slightly, narrowing his gaze just a bit but puffing out his chest, as if he had found support and confidence.
“I’m willing,” André said immediately. “I’ll work hard to be your deputy!”
His chest muscles rose and fell with excitement, eyes bright, as if he had accomplished something remarkable.
But Zhi Wei thought, just do your job normally.
She took a sip of her drink, grimaced at the unpleasant taste, relaxed a bit, then suddenly realized something.
She hurriedly asked André, “Is there a hospital here with vaccines? I need a booster shot!”
Having crossed over to an unknown world, there might be infectious diseases here! Since she had already crossed over and wasn’t dead, she might as well stay alive.
She had no intention of falling ill and dying.
André was a bit dazed but obediently took her to find the hospital.
---
As the newly appointed deputy, André acted like a dedicated tour guide, driving his hovercraft and running around with Zhi Wei.
Zhi Wei counted the “donations” she had received, then went with André to a trading post to buy herself a low-end light brain. High-end ones were too expensive, and she wasn’t willing to splurge.
They also got some basic injections and drank some anti-disease potions before returning to the hotel.
Since they had just met and weren’t very familiar, André was immersed in his role as deputy.
He excitedly contacted the hotel staff to move his room next to Zhi Wei’s.
Zhi Wei thought it was a good idea—easy to stay in contact.
More importantly, this immediate proximity might come in handy!
When returning to their rooms, she covered her face and hid behind André, who was like a sturdy little bear.
She quietly peeked around, trying not to attract the attention of the reporters waiting outside her door to interview the savior.
She slipped into the next room and finally relaxed.
Turning back, André was there, fuming, “These people have no manners, blocking you so late!”
Zhi Wei shrugged, not really bothered.
She understood them. No one wanted to wait around late at night, but it was work.
When she worked to chase hot topics, she stood watch online, staying up late into the night.
If she could block the door to a trending hotspot, she would.
Who truly loved their work? Everyone worked with complaints. She had her share of grievances too.
Thinking this over, Zhi Wei stopped climbing over the terrace railing and sat down on the sofa in André’s room.
She said, “I still have plenty of money. Take some to the hotel restaurant and order drinks to give them.”
“But not that kind I had before—that was awful,” André’s face twisted, crumpled like a messy sheep’s tail.
“Huh?!”
He muttered, “Your donations are for rallies, voter outreach, and winning the district! What are you spending money on drinks for?”
Zhi Wei coaxed him, “They don’t want to be here waiting either. One word from the higher-ups and they’d have no food or sleep. Giving them something to drink is our goodwill.”
“Anyway, my money came from who knows where. If it’s all given out as drinks, that counts as spending on voters, right?”
André thought it over and suddenly said, “Right, that’s right! That’s how it should be!”
“Media opinion is important to us! Treating them well now might pay off in future news coverage!”
André wholeheartedly agreed, “Your idea is brilliant, very forward-thinking! I get it—it’s a ‘positive strategy’!”
Zhi Wei raised her hands and covered her face in exasperation.
She buried her face in her palms, muffling a voice, “Uh, I don’t know what you’re thinking. I just meant to give them some drinks.”
Calming herself, she looked up at André, “You go. If I go, they’ll block me again.”
She stared at his meticulously tailored uniform, “... You know how to order drinks, right?”
André snorted, “Of course!”
He turned and left.
Zhi Wei sank onto the sofa, feeling awkward and uneasy as she touched the back of her neck.
Behind her ear, about a finger’s width toward her spine, a tiny chip was glued to her skin.
—This was the light brain.
She gently tapped it with her fingertip, able to operate it in her mind and summon an extended virtual screen before her eyes.
A crystal-blue screen appeared by her hand.
She stretched the frame, zooming the virtual screen in and out, trying several times, still finding it fun.
---
Zhi Wei began browsing the star network for news and gathering information.
Soon, André returned, triumphant and feeling he had done a great deed under Zhi Wei’s leadership.
“They were simply honored! They praised you for being kind, compassionate, empathic, and thanked you for understanding and not driving them away.”
After his pride, André wasn’t satisfied and began to mutter.
“To be honest, we want to drive them off, but our campaign team doesn’t even have a security officer. How can we expel them, maintain order, and ensure safety? I think we need to find one or two security officers... Why aren’t you answering me?”
He came over and saw Zhi Wei focusing intently on her light brain, then encouraged her, “You should activate the quick donation function! From now on, whenever you appear, people can transfer donations to you remotely.”
Zhi Wei’s fingers trembled.
Absolutely not!
Sure, she had been given some scattered cash, which she had used sparingly since it was a small amount and she couldn’t return it.
But if she really opened a direct transfer channel to receive so many donations, wouldn’t that force her onto the throne—wearing the yellow robe?!
Ignoring his suggestion, she deliberately changed the subject.
“I thought the light brain was embedded in the body—it’s more convenient.”
André, not very bright, was easily distracted by her topic.
He answered, “It used to be. Later, people thought it wasn’t safe, so they stopped making that type.”
Zhi Wei pondered, “When technology reaches a certain point, it causes unease in humans. Even here, that’s true…”
She used to worry about AI replacing her in the internet giant’s factory. Now, in interstellar divine elections, she hoped to be replaced.
Ah, humans are such complicated creatures.
“Don’t think about that now. Let’s decide our plan!” André perked up again.
Just becoming deputy, he was in an excited phase, enthusiastic as an intern.
Zhi Wei was a bit sleepy. Hearing André talk about plans, she was half-dazed and didn’t think much, but went along.
“All right, first add work schedules, then do market research, discuss resource exchange. Remember to study user needs, innovate disruptively, and focus on new blue oceans…”
André’s eyes widened in horror.
Zhi Wei jolted upright, realizing this wasn’t a time to slack off during weekly meetings.
Clearing her throat, she tried to take charge.
“Come on, André, let me hear your ideas.”
André rubbed his face, then buried himself in the virtual screen, drawing and sketching. He pulled the timeline, wanting to pinpoint every minute.
“Today is January 1, 3270.”
Zhi Wei raised an eyebrow.
The calendar began on the day the god fell—clearly, they deeply respected that fallen deity.
Indeed, that was the true beginning.
Without the god’s fall, there’d be no scattered divine essences, no continuous divine elections lasting 3,270 years.
André continued mumbling as he wrote, “Today is the first day of this divine election. January is the open selection. After that, on the first of every month, the temple will broadcast holographic elimination rounds.”
He muttered, “Candidates ranked at the bottom will lose their eligibility.”
Zhi Wei couldn’t help but exclaim, “What? That’s great!”
Seeing André’s furrowed brows and puzzled look, she quickly shifted gears, “Great… such a fair system. We must implement it well!”
We must implement it well!
Those at the bottom must lose their eligibility!