It was great to have a rich second-generation entrepreneur for a boss!
Everyone kept reading with glee. Some had already decided that they'd be fine with anything from a 996 to a 007 work schedule!
But the next clauses left them dumbfounded.
"Am I seeing this wrong, or was my copy of the contract printed incorrectly?"
In a daze, they exchanged contracts and confirmed that every copy contained the exact same terms. They'd worked for years, but they'd never seen a contract like this!
"This... This isn't just an overbearing contract! It's outright coercion!"
"Memory Erasure? Whether or not they can actually do it, that's still illegal, isn't it?"
"And causing damage to or reducing the population of cities and the world? What kind of dangerous job is this? Are we building fighter jets?"
"Does the new boss want to manufacture gas canisters, steel pipes, fertilizer, and tractors?"
"There's energy and transportation, and who knows if it's clean. But it sure sounds intense."
"Manager Ji, was there a mistake in the contract?"
"I'm the supervisor, not the manager. Forget it." Ji Wu had corrected them several times, but his employees still called him that, so he gave up. "There's no mistake. Sign if you accept the terms. If you don't, you can leave, and the company will pay you what it owes you."
Xu Zhou sat in a chair off to the side. He was just a kid and had no say in the company's affairs, so he ate his instant noodles while watching the employees' expressions change.
"What kind of garbage contract is this? Do you think this is a game?"
"This contract is completely unreasonable! I'm reporting you to the Labor Bureau!"
"Is this a contract or an indenture contract? It even says they can erase the person!"
Some employees couldn't accept the terms. They tossed their contracts aside and stormed out, cursing.
"I... I accept! At my age, no other company would hire me anyway. If I stay, at least I'll get a raise."
"As long as you don't violate the regulations, you don't have to worry about paying damages. And with a 50% raise, you might not find another job that pays this well."
Some of the employees were older, and finding another job after quitting would be difficult. They also didn't want to give up the higher pay, so after weighing their options, they signed.
"I want to see what this company is up to!"
"Are they really going to make something that can't be shown in public? Exciting!"
Some employees sensed something fishy in the strange contract. Curious, they wanted to stay and see what happened.
In the end, only seventeen employees stayed.
There were two technicians, two salespeople, three telemarketers, six general workers, two logistics staff, one cleaner, and one assistant.
Most of those who stayed were rank-and-file employees.
Ji Wu collected the seventeen contracts. He checked the signatures, confirmed they were all in order, then put the contracts in a folder.
"Good. I'm sure those of you who stayed have high hopes for the company's future. I won't waste time on pleasantries. Let's get your work assignments sorted out first."
Ji Wu asked, "Who are the technicians?"
Two programmers raised their hands.
"Your job is to build software for the company's internal staff. Keep it simple. It only needs to support chatting, registration, and posting and accepting tasks. We can add anything else we need later."
The two programmers looked as if they were wearing masks of despair. They could practically feel their already sparse hair thinning further.
"As for the five salespeople, you'll help the assistant organize the company's internal affairs for now. One of you will work as the receptionist in the lobby."
"The cleaner can go back to the job they were doing before."
Ji Wu hadn't assigned them much work. There were a few changes, but everything was within their abilities.
"Now for the main thing. The two logistics staff will take the six general workers under their wing. All of you will be transferred to logistics. Then you'll split into two groups: two people will handle the company's purchasing, and the remaining six will take care of the Execution Department's logistical needs."
The two logistics employees who had stayed were named Yang Su and Deng Xiaorui.
Deng Xiaorui took out a notebook and began recording the key points of the meeting. When she heard Ji Wu mention her department, she immediately asked, "Manager Ji, what is the Execution Department? Who are its members?"
Ji Wu walked behind Xu Zhou and tapped the back of his chair. "Let me introduce you. This is Xu Zhou, a member of our company's Execution Department. The other members are still at Headquarters and haven't arrived yet. For now, you only need to take care of him. Do your best to get him whatever he wants. The company will cover the cost."
Contract Anomalists had a high-risk profession, and they could face death at any time.
That was why the Aberration Association offered them the most benefits.
Some Contract Anomalists also had eccentric temperaments and needed to be coaxed, pampered, respected, and catered to.
At the Aberration Association's Headquarters, there had even been a case where a hundred people were assigned to serve a single Contract Anomalist.
Xu Zhou slurped up a noodle. At Ji Wu's words, he choked and coughed several times before waving his hands in alarm. "Cough, cough, cough! Mr. Ji, how could I possibly accept that?"
Ji Wu patted his back to make sure the new kid didn't choke himself unconscious. "You deserve these benefits. You're C-Class, so you get a monthly reimbursement allowance of one million. Don't be shy, kid. Spend as much as you want! That little brat spends the organization's money on everything he eats, drinks, and uses. His expenses alone come to fifty million a month."
"F-fifty million! That's amazing!" Xu Zhou exclaimed. He'd never seen that much money in his life. To him, even one million was an enormous sum he could never spend all of.
"Can I really spend as much as I want?"
Xu Zhou was rather introverted and insecure, and he was used to doubting himself. That had a lot to do with what he'd been through in the past.
When he heard that he could use such a huge sum of money every month, his first reaction wasn't joy. Instead, he was overcome by anxiety and unease.
Ji Wu assured him, "Of course. It's an employee benefit."
While Xu Zhou was still panicking, Deng Xiaorui nearly snapped her pen in half. What did he mean, do your best to get him whatever he wanted? Was this guy some kind of heir to the throne?
Yang Su, meanwhile, looked thoughtful. The Execution Department seemed to be a very special department, with some sort of hierarchy. The higher a member's rank, the larger their reimbursement allowance?
That was no way for a normal company to operate.
Just what did the Execution Department do?
She watched Xu Zhou covertly.
Xu Zhou wore a newly changed-down jacket, with a light-colored scarf around his neck. He looked like a college student. The only unusual thing was the sword on his back, which looked as if it was for cosplay.
Was he a sword enthusiast?
He looked young and reserved, even a little shy. He seemed perfectly ordinary. What made him special?
And what did any of this have to do with the terms in the contracts they'd signed?
Yang Su was patient. If she stayed at the company long enough, she'd find out sooner or later.
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