Security Department

"This morning, the Mande United Army attacked our company headquarters and shot and wounded an employee. General Lu Wenbo of the Mande United Army even declared that you must go to the military camp to meet him."

Liu Yingying quickly recounted everything that had happened at Jieko Company.

It was easy to hear her anxiety from her hurried tone.

After doing business in Mande City for over a month, who hadn't heard of the Mande United Army and Lu Wenbo's notorious reputation?

"He wants me to go meet him? Interesting."

After hearing Liu Yingying out, Su Jie remained remarkably calm.

"Su Jie, that warlord wants to seize our business. It looks like they won't let this go."

Seeing that Su Jie was still smiling, Liu Yingying thought he didn't understand how serious the situation was.

"I know."

Su Jie nodded and said calmly, "After all, we've touched their interests. I'm not surprised in the slightest by this reaction."

"Boss Su, Lu Wenbo is making trouble for you."

Miao Lun, who had been standing nearby, had also heard Liu Yingying because he was close by. His eyes turned fierce.

Su Jie glanced at him. "You have a grudge against him?"

"It's not just me. A lot of people have a grudge against him. How many people have suffered because of the opium he grows? He also controls the city's grain companies. Every year, he sells fertilizer and pesticides at sky-high prices, then forces down the purchase price of grain until we can barely make any money all year, and sometimes even lose money."

Gritting his teeth, Miao Lun shouted to the villagers around him, "Everyone, Jieko Company is going to be ruined by that bastard Lu Wenbo. We absolutely can't just stand by and watch."

"What? They're going to destroy Jieko Company? No, absolutely not."

"We still need to sell our insects! We can't let that bastard ruin everything!"

"But that's Lu Wenbo. He has an army. What can we do?"

As soon as those words were spoken, many nearby villagers responded in unison. Of course, some were afraid: they lowered their heads and dared not speak, or silently hid back in their homes.

"See that? The people's support can be put to use!"

Su Jie smiled at Liu Yingying. These villagers might only have been doing it for Jieko Company's promises, for the improved lives brought by those long-term insect-purchasing contracts.

But the fact that they were willing to stand up at a time like this represented the weight Jieko Company carried in their hearts. They were willing to work for it, and Su Jie already felt deeply gratified.

"I've seen everyone's loyalty. Anyone who's willing can join Jieko Company's newly established Security Department and protect Jieko Company from unlawful attacks."

Seeing the villagers' reaction, Su Jie announced the news.

"The Security Department? Can we sign up right now?"

It was still Miao Lun speaking. His support for Jieko Company was genuine.

Without Jieko Company, his mother would still be bedridden, and his younger sister would never have been able to attend school. Of everyone, he was the one who least wanted to see Jieko Company destroyed.

Quite a few villagers were in the same situation as Miao Lun. Jieko Company had given them entirely new lives, so they all spoke up in agreement.

"Yingying, arrange for people to prepare the registration. Write down everyone who signs up."

Su Jie gave the order, then walked onto a raised platform. He surveyed the surroundings and said, "Think about what this land has given you. Other than poverty and chaos, all the rulers here have ever wanted is for you to be obedient farming machines, selling your blood and sweat for their glory and wealth. Now that they see Jieko Company leading you toward prosperity, they're anxious. They're afraid. They're terrified. They're afraid that you people will stop obeying their orders and stop obediently making money for them."

Su Jie slowly raised his right hand, his calm voice carrying a hint of seduction.

"What kind of wages did you earn in the past? Three or four hundred Hua Yuan a month, living from one meal to the next. How many people fell ill but couldn't afford to see a doctor? Children who didn't recognize a single character. Mud houses at home, old and dilapidated.

"Now look at things. Since Jieko Company came here, we've built roads for your villages, put up a primary school, and multiplied your incomes several times over. Just last week, we even brought doctors into the countryside free of charge to examine and treat the villagers."

Su Jie's tone gradually grew more impassioned. The sincerity in his eyes made many villagers recall their former lives, deepening their sense of how good Jieko Company had been to them.

"I'm Chinese. I haven't been in Mande City for long, but I've heard of Lu Wenbo's reputation. This warlord has monopolized transportation and electricity here, and runs illegal mining, gambling, brothels, opium, and all kinds of other businesses. Your poverty was brought about by him.

"And Jieko Company, which is leading you toward prosperity, has naturally become a thorn in his side, a thorn in his flesh.

"Some of you may ask: you're only Chinese. What does any of this have to do with you?

"I'll tell you. It's because I've been poor and suffered hardship too. Like you, I've endured brutal authoritarian rule. I sympathize with you, so I traveled thousands of miles to establish Jieko Company here. Everything I've done has been to lead everyone out of poverty.

"Now someone doesn't want you to live good lives. They want to destroy everything you have. Tell me, what should we do?"

His final sentence became a furious roar.

"Kill them!"

"If they drive Jieko Company away, won't we have to return to the hard lives we had before? Whoever dares touch Jieko Company, I'll fight him to the death."

"I have five children. The fact that they can eat their fill now is all thanks to Jieko Company. If Jieko Company is gone, who's going to feed my children?"

Incited by Su Jie's words, the villagers instantly grew agitated. They raised sickles and hoes, and some even brought homemade hunting rifles from their homes. Shouts rose and fell one after another.

Liu Yingying's body trembled slightly as she looked at the villagers who had been stirred up around her. Their faces were so unfamiliar.

Those pairs of bloodshot eyes and those distorted faces twisted by anger were a sight she had never seen before.

Chen Yaoguang sucked in a cold breath. Things he had only ever seen in history books seemed to be playing out before his eyes. He couldn't help feeling that Su Jie's actions would likely unleash a massive upheaval in Mande City.

Seeing the fiery scene below, Su Jie's lips curved into a smile.

Zen was a poor and chaotic country to begin with. Since its founding, it had never truly escaped civil war, and news of warlords fighting each other could be heard from time to time.

Such a country was fragile, especially the areas surrounding Mande City. Lu Wenbo controlled most of the profitable businesses and operated all kinds of illegal enterprises without the slightest regard for human life, exploiting the impoverished local farmers.

This had also made the local class conflict exceptionally fierce. All it needed was a tiny spark to explode, and Jieko Company was the key that had lit this powder keg.

People were like that. Once they had experienced something beautiful, returning to their former lives of poverty and backwardness became an unbearable contrast.

After experiencing Lu Wenbo's rule and the comfortable life brought by Jieko Company, the villagers' choice between the two was self-evident.