Homo Sapiens

The September weather was fickle.

After a storm, Kang Nan returned to the company headquarters with Bafate.

The sudden death of Li Jinglan cast a somber and oppressive atmosphere over the emergency meeting.

Following a series of recent internal adjustments, the company’s management team now consisted of seven people. Besides the late Li Jinglan, the remaining six were:

Zhaxi, Head of the Aquaculture and Processing Division;

Lin Qiang, Head of the Transportation and Fishing Division (a former captain from Daya Company);

Phil, Head of the Internal Affairs Department (Soldier No. 8);

Fang Xincheng, Head of the Finance Department;

Chen Jianxiong, Head of the Security Department;

Fami, Head of the Logistics Department (recruited from Manila by Li Jinglan);

Li Jinglan had been the company’s general manager, primarily responsible for matters like business partnerships, human resources, and investments.

”I deeply regret Manager Li’s passing.” Li Qingye’s expression was as placid as still water, and the six managers dared not venture an opinion.

He continued, ”For now, Head Fang Xincheng will serve as acting General Manager. The duties of the Finance Department will be handed over to Jose. Any objections?”

The managers quickly exchanged glances, but no one voiced any dissent.

Fang Xincheng, having been singled out, was completely taken by surprise.

Jose was, in fact, one of the Soldiers, a sleeper agent who had been planted in the Finance Department.

Li Qingye chose Fang Xincheng precisely for his honesty and integrity.

Since becoming Head of the Finance Department, Fang had not embezzled funds or cooked the books. He had simply done his best to legally reduce the company’s tax burden and had on multiple occasions blocked Li Jinglan and others from betraying the company for personal gain.

According to Jose’s observations, Li Jinglan had hinted several times that he wanted Fang Xincheng’s cooperation on certain matters, but Fang Xincheng had refused without hesitation every time, even reporting these incidents directly to Li Qingye.

This helped Li Qingye finally understand why, according to Fang Xincheng’s resume, he had never held a job for long and, at nearly forty, had yet to achieve anything significant.

The man was just too straight-laced.

Clearly, such a person would be unpopular in a company. Unless he jumped straight into a management position, most executives in modern corporations would despise him. Perhaps the chairman of a family business might appreciate someone like him.

Fortunately, he met Li Qingye, who allowed Fang Xincheng to skip the rank-and-file level and become part of the management team while putting together his initial crew.

As a fellow manager, Li Jinglan couldn’t just fire him. And even when he tried to make things difficult for Fang Xincheng on several occasions, Li Qingye saw it all with perfect clarity.

Right now, the company didn’t need someone with overly strong management skills. In Li Qingye’s eyes, the honest and dependable Fang Xincheng was actually a suitable choice.

After all, Homo Sapiens Company was on a technology-driven development path. The demands on its executives’ management abilities were not particularly high; a basic understanding of business logic was sufficient.

Take the artificial eel breeding technology, for example. It was a complete seller’s market, a business unique in the entire world. If they could still manage to screw that up, they might as well go home and plant sweet potatoes.

”Additionally, Kang Nan will be in charge of the Logistics Department. Fami will be transferred to the General Manager’s Office to handle project budgeting,” Li Qingye continued.

Fami, the Head of the Logistics Department, didn’t dare say a word. After all, he had been recruited by Li Jinglan. Now that Li Jinglan was dead, it was best for him to keep his head down.

As for the other small fry from Li Jinglan’s faction, they would be left for Fang Xincheng to handle.

After this series of adjustments, the management structure of Homo Sapiens Company had changed significantly.

Chairman — Li Qingye;

General Manager — Fang Xincheng (from Xiangjiang);

Head of the Aquaculture and Processing Division — Zhaxi Diaz (Luzon native);

Head of the Transportation and Fishing Division — Lin Qiang (Luzon Chinese);

Head of the Finance Department — Jose Sanchez (Luzon native — Soldier);

Head of the Internal Affairs Department — Phil Gonzalez (Luzon native — Soldier);

Head of the Logistics Department — Kang Nan (Luzon Chinese);

Head of the Security Department — Chen Jianxiong (from Xiangjiang);

Head of the Legal Department — Wang Xin Ya (Malaysian Chinese);

Head of the Human Resources Department — Duke Martinez (mixed-heritage Luzon Chinese — Soldier).

The management reshuffle was completed quickly. Apart from the newly added Finance and Human Resources Departments, the other departments continued to operate under the previous framework.

With Soldiers inserted into the middle and upper echelons of Homo Sapiens Company, Li Qingye’s control over its internal affairs increased dramatically.

After all, the Internal Affairs, Finance, and Human Resources Departments were now led by Soldiers. With the honest Fang Xincheng as General Manager, no one else could stir up any trouble.

Li Qingye then gave Fang Xincheng his instructions: reorganize the company internally while continuing with the ongoing Dart Port aquaculture farm construction project.

Those farms would soon be completed one after another. Paired with the eel fry produced on Kalaqua Island, Homo Sapiens Company could sell small quantities of the fry while also farming eels themselves.

After the meeting, Fang Xincheng left the conference room with the others.

Li Qingye remained, sitting in his office chair.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he gazed out at the sparkling surface of Dart Port’s waters. The ebb and flow of the tide seemed to mirror the unpredictable turbulence of the human heart.

He ordered Phil to drive. Escorted by several Soldiers and natural human bodyguards, he arrived at a plantation he owned west of Dart Port.

He had purchased this plantation a few months ago, intending to turn it into a private estate. The renovations had just recently been completed.

The Mango Estate.

The Soldiers who had previously undergone gene modification and biochip implantation were now here, undergoing rehabilitation and memory simulation. This included Soldier—Takasugi Hei and Soldier—Mad.

The purpose of rehabilitation was to eliminate the incisions on their skulls and scalps.

Memory simulation, on the other hand, involved continuously probing the subjects’ original memories, recording them in a database, mapping out their interpersonal relationships, and creating a specialized template database for interacting with acquaintances.

This would reduce the chances of a Soldier’s relatives noticing anything amiss. However, the process was incredibly troublesome, as it required a custom-tailored profile for each Soldier.

Only high-value assets like Takasugi Hei, Mad, and two other members of the Fernando Clan were qualified to receive this exclusive customization.

One was connected to the East Japan intelligence network, while the other three belonged to one of the most powerful local factions on southern Luzon Island.

As long as he controlled these individuals, Li Qingye’s influence could expand rapidly.

After observing the four of them train, Li Qingye mulled over some of the associated problems, such as how to handle the Fernando Clan’s power.

The clan had members in both southern Luzon Island and Manila. Although Mad was one of the core heirs, he was not without rivals.

Mad’s younger brother, as well as his second and third uncles, were no pushovers. As for Mad’s father, Jacques Fernando, anyone capable of becoming Patriarch was certainly no simple man.

Fortunately, the fact that Mad was under his control had not yet been discovered, but it remained a hidden risk.

The Soldiers’ ability to improvise was still too poor.

To prevent any leaks and avoid wasting this pawn, Mad, a major purge of the Fernando Clan was necessary.

Only by making Mad the Patriarch could the stability of the Fernando Clan be guaranteed. Otherwise, his father and brothers could potentially tie Li Qingye’s hands and interfere with his plans.

’Looks like I need to have a good talk with him.’ A figure came to Li Qingye’s mind. He then assigned the next tasks to Mad, Takasugi Hei, and the others before returning to Kalaqua Island with Phil.

As soon as he got back to Kalaqua Island, he notified Chen Jianxiong to come see him tomorrow at noon.