Jiang Deguan died. The official cause of death was an accidental fall from a cliff while inspecting a project. His ashes were buried in North Mountain Cemetery in his hometown. At the funeral, all his relatives, nephews, and nieces came. The local officials delivered a sincere and mournful eulogy, recounting Jiang Deguan's indomitable struggle and praising his immortal contributions to the development of his hometown.
With both Jiang Brothers dead, the Jiang Family suddenly died out, causing relatives and friends to grieve. But what they cared about most was how the rumored hundreds of millions of dollars in inheritance would be distributed. When they heard that Jiang Deguan had not made a will and that non-direct relatives would not receive any, people put away their sorrowful faces and began to gossip about the cause of the brothers' deaths. Finally, after a hearty meal of tofu amidst flying spittle, they scattered like birds and beasts.
In the dead of night, Hou Biao burned paper money alone at Jiang Deguan's grave, placing a jar of aged Shaoxing wine, half a poached chicken, and two pieces of dried grass carp in fermented wine lees—all of which were Jiang Deguan's favorite foods during his lifetime. After three days of this, Hou Biao poured all the Shaoxing wine into the soil and left Mount Kuaiji as the last bit of starlight disappeared into the dawn.
He was carrying a heavy box. Inside the box was all the cash that Jiang Deguan had kept in the cellar of his old house, including both US dollars and RMB. He had originally planned to take it out and distribute it to the elders of his hometown whom Jiang Deguan cared about most, but after seeing their faces at the funeral, he decided to take all the money with him and leave not a single penny behind.
Hou Biao walked into the bar in Liuying Lane, which was still under renovation, went upstairs, put his suitcase on the floor of Divine Crow Studio, and said, "I'm here. From now on, you have to provide me with food and lodging."
Qingmu laughed heartily, "Of course."
Hou Biao asked, "What can I do for the cause of saving humanity?"
Qingmu then shared his idea with Hou Biao. He wanted to establish a security company, with Hou Biao responsible for recruiting and training personnel, focusing on protecting the scientists.
When faced with the invasion of Parasitic Consciousness, external security forces, even the military and police, cannot guarantee their reliability; one can only rely on oneself. Hou Biao is exceptionally skilled, has some Dream Base, and possesses strong Mental Power. With a little training, he can become an excellent Awakened. With him recruiting and training, and with Qingmu occasionally overseeing the process, at least it can be guaranteed that there are no aliens in their team.
Hou Biao then asked when it would start.
Qingmu suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot that starting a security company requires a lot of money, and you can't recruit top-notch people without money." He sighed, "Looks like I'll have to go find Xia Wenyuan again."
Hou Biao opened the box and asked, "Is this enough?"
Qingmu was startled, looking a little dizzy at the Huahua banknotes, and said, "How much money is this?"
Hou Biao said, "I haven't counted them either, but the box weighs about 100 kilograms, and half of it is filled with US dollars."
Qingmu scratched his head and turned to Bi Shenghua for help.
Bi Shenghua did the math and said, "It's definitely enough to start a security company, but dealing with so many US dollars is difficult. You'll have to ask the Xia Family for help."
Hou Biao thought of another problem and said, "I can be a coach, managing a team is no problem, but I can't manage a company. Just the accounts alone would drive a person crazy."
Qingmu then looked at Bi Shenghua.
Bi Shenghua said, "Don't look at me like that, I have a lot of things to take care of at this bar!"
Qingmu had no choice but to call Hu Xing. Hu Xing laughed on the other end of the phone, saying that he was going to upgrade his business and start a company, and then told him not to worry, that she would find him a reliable financial manager right away to ensure that the company's accounts were kept clean and transparent.
The next day, the financial manager surnamed Wang, introduced by Hu Xing, came over with two assistants. After counting the money in front of everyone, he took the boxes away, and Qingmu's account had more than 30 million yuan.
Qingmu consulted Manager Wang about the capital required to open a security company. Manager Wang asked a series of questions regarding the business scope, profit model, company structure, and market resources.
Of course, Qingmu couldn't tell Manager Wang his true purpose; he only gave a vague outline.
Manager Wang frowned after listening, saying that the main operating costs were personnel and premises, and that about ten million yuan in start-up capital would be enough. However, he believed that the company lacked a clear development goal and a good profit model, making it impossible for it to grow and it might even lose money. He admitted that if the Xia Family hadn't sent him, he would never have wanted to work for a company with such unclear goals.
Qingmu asked him how much salary he wanted. Manager Wang, being very professional, said that he was from Changzhou International and was essentially on secondment here. His salary and social security were with Changzhou International, and he wouldn't receive a salary from him. As for how much they needed to pay Changzhou International, that was a matter between the companies, and he had no right to ask.
The security company was quickly established. Qingmu told Hou Biao to recruit more skilled people and not to worry about the cost. Hou Biao had his own channels, and with money, things were easier to do, so the recruitment went smoothly, and he quickly assembled a very professional team.
Manager Wang told Qingmu that he could handle the financial matters, but the company's administration and daily management were not limited to finance. President Hou also in charge of the training and field exercises of security personnel and had no time to attend to the company's internal affairs. He hoped that the company could recruit a senior manager, preferably an internal person who could represent the interests of the shareholders. After all, he was only temporarily seconded here and would have to return to Changzhou International sooner or later.
Qingmu thought it made sense, so he discussed the matter with Hou Biao. Hou Biao said, "I'll only handle recruitment and training; you can decide on everything else." Qingmu then asked Bi Shenghua. Bi Shenghua was focused on the bar business and had no interest in anything else, so she suggested to Qingmu, "Isn't your confidante studying administration? Let her handle it."
Aoki asked doubtfully, "Which confidante?"
Bi Shenghua said irritably, "How many female confidantes does your sister have?" Seeing Qingmu's bewildered and dumbfounded look, she shook her head helplessly, "That pretty flight attendant of yours, wasn't she studying administration before?"
Qingmu suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean her? Isn't she a flight attendant? How did she end up studying administration?"
Bi Shenghua said, "Being a flight attendant is a profession. Before becoming a flight attendant, I majored in administration in college. You're really quite stupid!"
Qingmu asked, "How did you know?"
Bi Shenghua said, "Only a blockhead like you wouldn't know that."
Qingmu chuckled and went to find Yao Jingjing.
The Crow Guagua, saying that Bi Shenghua was a fool. Bi Shenghua sighed and said, "What else can I do but live my life?"
Yao Jingjing was startled when she heard that she was to be the vice president of a company with assets of tens of millions, but she was also a little tempted. She was a capable woman, but she came from an ordinary background and was unwilling to rely on her looks to climb the social ladder. She hadn't found any particularly good opportunities, and becoming a flight attendant was already considered quite outstanding by others. But now, in order to take care of her mother, she had long considered quitting. After all, being a flight attendant meant constantly flying around, which was too restrictive, and she might not even be able to see her mother once a month.
After a brief hesitation, Yao Jingjing accepted Qingmu's invitation, but she set a trial period for herself. If she failed, she would leave on her own initiative even if Qingmu didn't want her to leave.
And so, the security company opened smoothly, providing reassuring security for Mei Yiqiu's experimental building, the bar still under renovation, and Mama Yao at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Professor Mei also obtained preliminary results from the brain examinations of Xia Wenyuan and Mama Yao. A new type of virus, which Professor Mei later named " Gray Brain Virus," was discovered.