Homo Sapiens

「June 15, 2022.」

Thonburi.

The new district in the north.

After more than a month of urgent renovations, the area had been completely transformed.

The former Chiang Mai Grand Hotel had actually been designed in advance for this purpose, with a large plaza in front of it and three main avenues connecting to the plaza.

Now, the Chiang Mai Grand Hotel had been renamed the Star River Hotel. The entire hotel covered an area of 360,000 square meters, measuring 1,200 meters long, 300 meters wide, and 300 meters high.

The Star River Hotel had a very simple and clear design: an isosceles right triangle, with its large slanted face overlooking the Star River Plaza.

The observation deck on this slanted face offered a direct, unobstructed view of the entire Star River Plaza.

Li Qingye stood on the observation deck on the third floor, his gaze calm as he looked down upon the entire Star River Plaza, which was currently teeming with a massive crowd.

In the plaza under the blazing sun, Southeast Asia in June was at the peak of its hottest season, and many people could feel the scorching sunlight.

However, no one felt too uncomfortable, because the plaza’s underground drainage channels were connected to a massive subterranean air conditioning system. It was currently blowing cool air across the entire square, keeping the surface temperature down to a pleasant 23–25 degrees Celsius.

As a result, instead of feeling the sweltering heat, everyone felt refreshingly cool.

The Star River Plaza also spanned 360,000 square meters. Aside from a few roads and large fountains, it could hold approximately 300,000 people. However, the Internal Affairs Department didn’t pack it to capacity, instead issuing only 75,000 entry tickets.

However, there were also many vantage points available inside and on the rooftops of the buildings surrounding Star River Plaza.

The employees who had come from places like Luzon, Hongsawaddy, Ceylon, Malaysia, Java, and Xing Island were all fanatical supporters of the Homo Sapiens Company. They had long since snatched up all 75,000 entry tickets, as well as the 36,000 viewing seats in the surrounding area.

The Homo Sapiens Company had not invited any other factions to participate in its founding ceremony.

Nevertheless, quite a few factions showed up uninvited. They were all arranged in the triangular restaurant on the slanted face of the Star River Hotel’s first floor. From there, they could see the plaza across the main road, as well as the small, protruding observation deck on the third floor.

By now, many of them had already taken their seats.

This included Xie Zheng and Xie Bin of the Xie Clan, Lee Fuzhen of the Samsung Group, Zhang Zhongmou of TSMC, Masayoshi Son of SoftBank Investment, and Akio Toyota of the Toyota Clan. In addition, there were representatives from the various major families of Xiangjiang.

Also present were Andrew Mendeleev from Lucia, the Grand Duke of Windsor from Britain, Prince Jipu of Saudia Arabia, and Adasi from the Persian International Trade Company.

Jessica, the head of the Goldman Sachs Xiangjiang Branch from America, sat at her table with several people from Black Ship.

Not far away were Li Xingchen from the Huaguo Petroleum Company, and the bespectacled Team Leader Qin.

Essentially, every influential power in the world had, as if by unspoken agreement, sent representatives to Thonburi to attend the Homo Sapiens Company’s founding ceremony.

After all, this was one of the few rising superpowers on Earth today that dared to go head-to-head with America and had even forced it to withdraw from Southeast Asia.

Regardless of whether they liked the Homo Sapiens Company or not, they had to at least show the proper attitude—especially the small fry.

An Nan, Lancang, Kampuchea, and Boni, for instance, were now trembling with fear and had also sent high-level representatives today.

These guys didn’t even dare to openly oppose the Homo Sapiens Company’s previous investments within their borders; they could only be wary in secret.

After all, it was still an open question whether the new patron they had just latched onto would dare to go head-to-head with the Homo Sapiens Company for their sake.

But if they dared to openly resist the Homo Sapiens Company’s investments and subsidiaries, the company would absolutely meet them with an iron fist.

This was the power of the fist. It was simply too naive to talk about ideals and morality with these types.

Beasts only recognize strength. Only after they’ve been beaten into submission will they dare not act recklessly.

...

「10:20 AM.」

It was a bright, sunny day, with the sun blazing high in the sky.

Under the watchful eyes of the massive crowd in Star River Plaza and on the live broadcasts of major news media outlets, Li Qingye stood on the observation deck. His image was simultaneously projected onto a massive screen above via an internal projection system.

His gaze was as still as water in an old well, his expression mature and steady.

”To all employees of the Homo Sapiens Company, I, Li Qingye, am deeply honored to be able to stand here today and witness this moment with all of you.”

”I hereby declare: the Homo Sapiens Company is officially founded today! From this day forward, we will share a common name: Homo sapiens!”

Loudspeakers carried Li Qingye’s voice throughout the entire plaza, and everyone heard his words with perfect clarity.

Instantly, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.

This scene was also broadcast live to cities and towns across Luzon, Hongsawaddy, Ceylon, Malaysia, Xing Island, and Java.

A vast number of Homo Sapiens Company employees, along with their families, cheered and celebrated wildly.

Many of the foreigners still within the Homo Sapiens Company couldn’t help but feel shocked and incredulous as they witnessed the deafening cheers echoing through the streets and alleys.

Fang Xinwu, who had returned to Hongsawaddy under the guise of a Xiangjiang jeweler, was currently in the Dongzhi City District with his younger cousin Fang Xinxin and Mao Shuihe.

He was sitting by a restaurant window.

”The company is incredible.”

”The Chairman is so handsome! I want to have his babies!”

”Long live the company!”

”Even though I have some regrets, I still wish the company smooth sailing ahead.”

”Long live the Chairman!”

”Homo sapiens! Homo sapiens...!”

Listening to these cheers, Fang Xinwu felt completely out of place among the crowd.

Even his younger cousin Fang Xinxin and Mao Shuihe were shouting excitedly as they watched the live broadcast on television.

It was clear that the joys and sorrows of humanity were not all shared.

Meanwhile, people all over the world were also watching Li Qingye announce the founding of the Homo Sapiens Company, either online or on live television.

There were no television stations broadcasting the event live in East Asia, but that didn’t stop many young people from using VPNs to secretly watch the livestream on the international internet.

Many of these young people even showed expressions of adoration for the Li Qingye they saw on screen.

Even in East Japan, a nation derided as a bootlicker for America, the attitudes of dissatisfied young people were changing, almost without them realizing it.

And that was to say nothing of other places where the internal competition was even more severe.

As for audiences in Europe and America, while they were also hotly debating the event, the Homo Sapiens Company’s image was not positive in the eyes of the public there, thanks to the constant smear campaigns by Western capital.

...

On screen, Li Qingye waited for the cheers and applause to subside slightly before continuing:

”The Homo Sapiens Company is an enterprise dedicated to technology and the humanities. Our company’s philosophy is to create an era where everyone has a job and everyone can live a good life.”

”The Homo Sapiens Company welcomes all people of the world to join us. If you feel pain, confusion, powerlessness, or poverty, then come to the Homo Sapiens Company! Here, you will find a suitable job and work for yourselves.”

”The future of humanity is in our own hands. If you believe in the philosophy of the Homo Sapiens Company, then let us use our own two hands to build the ideal world we envision.”

”Perhaps one day, I will turn to dust, but I will have no regrets. Perhaps one day, the Homo sapiens will vanish like smoke, but that is a matter for the future. Perhaps one day, humanity will set foot among the stars, but we must not forget to remain grounded in the present.”

Li Qingye clenched his fist, his resonant voice echoing in everyone’s ears:

”Together, let us advance toward that ever-changing future! Forward!”

In an instant.

The entire Star River Plaza erupted in a cacophony of voices as everyone shouted in unison.

”Forward! Homo Sapiens Company!”

”Forward! Homo Sapiens Company!”

”Forward! Homo Sapiens Company!”