The Human Company's Human Resources Department had greatly expanded its responsibilities.
It had previously handled only recruitment, training, and employee records. Now it also rated employees, inspected positions, evaluated transfers, handled internal complaints, and arbitrated disputes between employees.
The Human Company's internal management regulations were still being refined, but they already covered almost every aspect of the business.
As a soldier, Duke, the head of Human Resources, ensured that the department remained fair and impartial. He neither favored middle- and upper-level employees nor dismissed the concerns of those at the bottom.
The Human Company allowed employees to report their superiors. If they provided solid evidence, they could even receive a reward.
However, anyone who made a false accusation would have to pay the price.
In reality, the Internal Affairs Department's monitoring of the company was nearly all-encompassing. It was practically impossible for an employee to be wrongly accused.
In the more than two months since construction had begun, Human Resources and Internal Affairs had joined forces several times to deal with eight seriously problematic employees, including both ordinary staff and middle managers.
Li Qingye didn't favor surprise crackdowns on the company's workforce. He wanted discipline to be maintained as a matter of course.
After all, in his memories, he had "witnessed" Xin Xin Company go from being united at the beginning to becoming hopelessly mired in problems later on.
It wasn't that his father had never dealt with the problem. He simply hadn't taken it seriously at first. By the time the parasites had formed an interest group, they had become difficult to root out.
He wouldn't allow the Human Company to follow the same path as the Xin Xin Group. He had to take precautions from the very beginning and stamp out those parasites before they could take root.
In fact, soldiers served much the same purpose in the company as highly intelligent computers.
Computers might be rigid, but they followed their programming to the letter.
People had desires, and those desires often distorted instructions as they passed from one person to the next.
For example, General Manager Fang Xin Cheng might issue an instruction saying that he would visit Haitian Agriculture at three o'clock the next afternoon.
When his secretary passed the message along, he might say the general manager would visit at two. By the time it reached Haitian Agriculture, it might become a message that Mr. Fang would arrive at one, so everyone should come in an hour early to prepare.
That was how people were. Every time information passed through another person's hands, it risked becoming distorted.
Soldiers wouldn't make that kind of mistake. Three o'clock meant three o'clock.
That was why Li Qingye needed both soldiers and Natural Persons. They could complement each other and correct one another's shortcomings.
While Li Qingye was busy researching biotechnology and keeping an eye on the company's development,
Chen Jianxiong had spent the past two months getting familiar with the Security Department. He had finally finished a preliminary reorganization of its various teams and begun gradually setting them to work on their previous assignments.
For example, he had the Second Team, the Japan Team, and the Third Team, the Fernando Team, provide suitable test subjects for the Internal Affairs Department.
So far, the Security Department had sent eighty-six test subjects to Internal Affairs.
The soldiers who had completed their modifications were gradually being dispersed throughout Luzon and the countries of Southeast Asia, where they were carefully setting up intelligence stations.
As for the full-scale infiltration of the Fernando family, Chen Jianxiong was directing it personally. They had already brought one of Mada's uncles under their control. Next on the list was Mada's younger brother, Garfield Fernando.
Manila.
In a villa belonging to the Fernando family,
Jacques Fernando listened to the butler's report and raised an eyebrow. "It seems Mada has made quite a bit of money from working with that Human Company!"
"Garfield seems dissatisfied. He wants Mada to hand over some of his profits, since the whole Fernando family contributed to those deals," the butler said, relaying Garfield's words.
Jacques smiled and shook his head. "Let Garfield talk to Mada himself. If he can't handle it, why should I do it for him?"
The butler nodded. "Understood, sir. I'll pass the message on to Garfield."
Clearly, Jacques didn't care that Mada had kept all the profits for himself. He didn't particularly like his eldest son, but the family needed a strong leader if it was going to prosper.
If he favored one son, would that really let the other rest easy? No. It would only lead the Fernando family into decline.
If a man couldn't even defeat his own brothers, what right did he have to inherit the family? And even if he became the heir, would the others accept him?
So Jacques would never interfere in his sons' rivalry. As long as no one was killed, they could use whatever methods they liked.
In Sorsogon, a city in southern Luzon, Garfield heard his subordinate's report and smashed his phone in a fit of rage.
Although he and Mada were brothers, they had different mothers and a terrible relationship.
Just then, one of his men rushed in. "Young Master Garfield, Radis is here."
"What does he want? Didn't he go looking for trouble with Mada a while ago?" Garfield thought it over, then told his subordinate to show Radis in. Radis was his uncle, and even though they weren't on good terms, Garfield couldn't simply refuse to see him.
A moment later, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and a thick gold chain walked into the living room.
"Garfield, it's been a long time." Radis gave Garfield's shoulder a smile that didn't reach his eyes and patted it.
A flash of disgust crossed Garfield's eyes, but he held back and merely asked coldly, "So what brings you here, Uncle Radis? Surely you didn't come to talk about family bonds?"
"Heh. Garfield, you know I went to see Mada a while back, right?"
Garfield said nothing.
"That bastard Mada made a fortune and doesn't want to share a single cent with us. You're not planning to let it go, are you? If you are, you might as well go back to Manila and be a good little second young master." Radis spoke calmly.
Garfield finally couldn't hold back. "What do you have in mind?"
"Simple. We team up, along with the second son's side, and put pressure on Mada together. If he refuses to hand over some of his shares in Haitian Agriculture and a portion of the project work, then there's no reason for us to go easy on him."
"Team up? Fine." Garfield agreed without hesitation, then asked, "Uncle, how do you plan to put pressure on him? Go there in person?"
"Of course. What else would you suggest? Show up with a bunch of men and charge in? We'd just become a laughingstock to the other families. This is a family matter. If Mada has any sense, I'd rather not make a scene. Otherwise, your father won't let us off the hook."
Garfield understood what Radis meant.
It really was a family matter. Even if they went there in person, Mada wouldn't dare kill them. After all, their father had more than two sons.
If Mada killed them, he would have no chance of inheriting the family, either.
They were going there to pressure Mada into giving in. If they made a scene from the outset, they would leave Mada no room to back down, and the two sides would have no choice but to fight it out.
So Garfield agreed with Radis's plan.
Soon, the uncle and nephew each brought five or six bodyguards. They met up with Harry Fernando, who had come from another city with five or six bodyguards of his own.
The group headed straight for Mada's current location: Limanan City.
But when they arrived, Mada's men told the three of them that Mada was in Darte Port, meeting with the Human Company's Chairman. If they wanted to see him, they would have to go to Darte Port themselves.
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