Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest-Chapter 499 - 95: Psychological Investigator

Chapter 499 -95: Psychological Investigator

Zhang Jin was affiliated with the Rebellion Analysis Department under the Intelligence Command Section of the Privy Council.

This was a rather obscure department. Simply put, it was responsible for gathering a substantial amount of personal intelligence on military leaders who posed a risk and then analyzing said information to assess their loyalty and the potential points at which they might defect.

Or, as the department head would say, “to see through the surface disguise and into the hearts of others.”

To analyze this intelligence, psychology was naturally an essential foundation, and interrogation studies were also of paramount importance. The majority of the department’s staff had been transferred in from the Military Police Corps, but Zhang Jin had previously worked in the criminal investigation section of a local public security unit and was brought in through a special talent recruitment channel, also known as “exceptional admission.”

She had been in the department for less than a year when she was suddenly informed by the department head that she had been assigned a major task.

To conduct psychological analysis on the members of the Zhenhai Team.

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The Zhenhai Team, once a hot topic known as the “harem team” due to the prevalence of female members, was subject to all kinds of speculations by various sectors of society. The department had discussed this and concluded it was unlikely, due to the presence of the deputy team leader Chen Lingyun—in the common societal structure of harems, there was typically a “one male to many females” ratio with a “strong male to weak females” dynamic, the classic example being male bosses with a team of female secretaries. The utterly unequal job statuses allowed the former to easily make demands of the latter.

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As the sole daughter of the Jianghai Governor, Chen Lingyun’s social status was not much inferior to Yan Yu’s, making it highly improbable that she would “lower herself” to “serve a single husband.” Reversing the thought process, if Yan Yu really entertained the idea of keeping a harem, he should not have included Chen Lingyun in the team.

Zhang Jin had once believed this too, until the department head handed her the task materials and she suddenly realized something was amiss.

What was going on with all the team members liking the captain?

She had studied the organization form of the battle team. At the current stage, battle team captains were typically the strongest cultivators, serving as a figurehead, but real power often resided with the deputy captains, for example in personnel arrangements or tactical planning—in essence, captains could be less intelligent, unskilled in management, or even entirely incompetent as long as their combat strength was sufficient, since all practical matters within the team were handled by the deputies.

In such circumstances, the power core of a battle team was actually bifurcated. Members might trust and admire the captain, but they were unlikely to ingratiate themselves with the captain for practical benefits; sycophants would find it more useful to cozy up to the deputy captain.

Obviously, the real situation in the Zhenhai Team was more complex. It wasn’t like the usual projects she handled, where she could see through everything at a glance just by looking at the data.

A face-to-face investigation was now essential.

After flying to Jinling Airport, Zhang Jin met Yan Yu, who had come to pick her up.

Out of professional habit, she sized up his appearance at first sight and concurrently profiled him psychologically.

His looks were decent and handsome, the kind that any demanding aesthetic association member would give a passing grade. But it was just “decent and handsome,” not “devilishly beautiful,” and certainly not captivating enough to ensnare a girl’s heart at a glance.

His demeanor and posture were quite casual, showing no hint of restraint when meeting a stranger, indicating a man with strong self-confidence. Not overly groomed, he did not seem particularly concerned about his appearance, wearing clothes that were very everyday.

“Researcher Zhang Jin, right?” Yan Yu also noticed the lady wearing sunglasses.

“Hello, Captain Yan,” Zhang Jin shook his hand and said, “Let’s get going, or it’ll be bad if you’re recognized once the economy class passengers come out.”

“Alright,” Yan Yu led her away from the terminal building, then directly ascended to the sky with the flying sword.

Amidst the sword light, Zhang Jin curiously surveyed her surroundings for a moment but soon, out of professional habit, began to get down to work:

“Captain Yan, may I ask about the members of your team?”

“Sure, what would you like to know?” Yan Yu asked.

“Anything will do, just casual talk.” Zhang Jin knew that it was only in the context of casual conversation that one could easily extract information. If she approached with a strictly business attitude, the other party would subconsciously consider what to say and what not to say, making it difficult to get the information.

“Hmm,” Yan Yu said with a smile, “then let me give you a brief introduction to the basics.”

“I am the team captain, the deputy captain is Chen Lingyun, the sole daughter of Jianghai Governor Chen Tianming; you must be aware of her.”

“I know,” Zhang Jin nodded.

“Since you know, do you still want to inquire about her situation?” Yan Yu asked.

Zhang Jin was startled before realizing and laughed,

“It’s nothing, just work. I think the Governor won’t mind such things.”

“That’s good.” Yan Yu showed a relieved expression and said, “Actually, the reason this situation arose, I’m not saying it’s 100% her fault, but at least 70% of the blame should be attributed to Chen Lingyun.”

“Ah, why’s that?” Zhang Jin immediately feigned curiosity.

“Because it’s this worthless woman who has always wanted to open a harem for me,” Yan Yu said earnestly, “I suspect others like me because she’s behind them, fanning the flames and igniting the fire.”

Zhang Jin: ………

I understand every word you’re saying, but when you put them together, I’m a bit lost. She wants to open a harem for you? What do you mean?

“Why would she do that?” Zhang Jin asked with a frown, her mind quickly conjuring up various rare cases she knew of.

For instance, wives finding mistresses for their husbands, in most cases, it’s about control effect; due to a low status in the family, satisfying the husband becomes her duty, leading her to do things that even harm her own interests… But that’s not right, because Yan Yu and Chen Lingyun are not in a marital relationship, and the latter couldn’t possibly be under the former’s long-term mental control.

Next to the control effect is interest-driven behavior, meaning the woman has vested interests in the man, so she deliberately tries to please him… Also unlikely, judging by Yan Yu’s dissatisfaction with Chen Lingyun’s actions.

Could it be the even rarer masochistic tendency?

Zhang Jin was rapidly thinking when she heard Yan Yu answer:

“Because she’s just a Pleasure Seeker, she enjoys watching girls fight and get jealous over me, and seeing me harassed is the most amusing thing for her.”

Zhang Jin: …………

The last thing she can stand is Pleasure Seekers, because they act solely on instinct and emotion, without any reason or vested interests, making it impossible to reason and analyze—a bit like the vindictive indiscriminate murder cases she handled before, with victims selected at random, making it impossible to even start looking for suspects.

Of course, Yan Yu’s words couldn’t be entirely trusted; it was better to first chat with other members to gather enough information, and finally confront Chen Lingyun.

“What about the others?” Zhang Jin asked, “Since Chen Lingyun wants to… um, open a harem for you, didn’t anyone else object to this?”

“They probably don’t know about it right now,” Yan Yu sighed and said, “Because I’m still single without any intention to date. So rather than eliminating rivals, they probably prefer to win me over first… Oh, we’ve arrived.”

The two landed in the courtyard of the Zhenhai Team villa, where they saw Chen Lingyun welcoming them at the villa’s entrance.

“Hi, I’m Deputy Captain Chen Lingyun.” She shook hands with Zhang Jin with a smiling face.

Zhang Jin felt a bit helpless and was about to speak when she heard Chen Lingyun secretly transmit a message to her:

“Yan Yu must have said bad things about me to you, right? Don’t believe him. The girls in our team fell for him on their own; it has nothing to do with me.”

“In fact, the problem that has arisen now is because Yan Yu refuses to respond to their feelings. You’ll come to this conclusion after your investigation.”

Zhang Jin: ………

Let’s set everything else aside; you’re definitely a Pleasure Seeker. I can already tell.