After leaving the coffee shop, Lu Liang and his group headed to the South District in search of the Building Lin Deqing had mentioned.
To give credit where it’s due, Lin Deqing was a man of integrity—when he found something good, he truly shared it.
The Building, though a bit remote, stood alone amidst the ruins of demolished structures, sticking out from the barren land like a plow thrust upright in a field.
Yet in terms of appearance, it was imposing and majestic.
It had five floors in total. Inside, it was empty and barren, with not much left behind.
By the entrance, a large “Demolish” character was painted in bright red lacquer.
Lu Liang strode in openly, unlocked the door with the key Lin Deqing had given him, and waved for Lu Ansheng and the others to follow him inside.
Lu Ansheng and his group, accustomed to drifting through life, always felt a natural sense of defeat around those suited office workers coming and going from their companies.
But now, stepping into their own Building for the first time, even their usually hunched backs unconsciously straightened.
Though what Lu Ansheng and his lot did wasn’t any different from the Scavenger—they all mixed in the Dark World—having an office made all the difference.
Without a base, you were just a stray dog in the Dark World; but with an office, you had a home.
From now on, if they met relatives or friends, they could straighten up and say, “I’ve started working at a company.”
“From now on, this will be our base of operations.”
Lu Liang tossed the key to Lu Ansheng.
“Ansheng, fill out a Registration Form and write down everyone’s name. From now on, you’ll be the first to arrive at the company to handle attendance. Record anyone who’s late or leaves early—at the end of each month, we’ll settle accounts with them.”
“Yes, bro.”
Lu Ansheng nodded excitedly. In truth, it wasn’t just him—everyone was thrilled.
They could see that Lu Liang was no ordinary man.
A whole Building, even if abandoned, was beyond their wildest dreams.
And what happened? Lu Liang had just spoken a word, and he’d gotten the Building for free from the Police Department!
Follow Commander Lu, and life would surely be good!
Lu Liang took stock of the assets they’d gained.
In just one morning, they’d gotten a total of 2,300 yuan in stolen goods from the Scavenger.
They still had 13 Monster Bugs left.
If they sold those Monster Bugs to an Information Broker, they could easily get nearly ten thousand more.
Counting it up, their income was already over ten thousand.
Even after splitting half for daily expenses, the money left over was nearly Lu Liang’s old monthly editor’s salary.
And this was only the result of a single morning.
There’s real money in the Dark World!
Of course, Commander Lu wouldn’t swallow all the money himself; he’d have to share some with his subordinates.
As for how to split it, Lu Liang didn’t plan to go with a monthly wage.
He wanted to motivate his people as much as possible.
So, when Lu Ansheng finished the Registration Form and handed it over, Lu Liang read out the names, memorized everyone’s faces, and then wrote some numbers next to a few of them.
Everyone was puzzled by this, so Lu Liang explained:
“These few put in extra effort today. As a reward, I’ll give them a share of today’s earnings as a bonus. The money will be distributed at the end of the month.”
“Is… is this a salary?”
One of the boys whose name had a number beside it asked excitedly.
The others looked on with envy and jealousy.
If they’d known there was a benefit like this, they would have swung their sticks three times a second in the sewer this morning, just to show Commander Lu their loyalty!
But Lu Liang’s next words stunned everyone on the spot:
“No, this isn’t a salary—it’s a bonus.”
“In the future, I won’t always lead you down the drains to earn merits. I’ll divide you into smaller groups.” Lu Liang addressed the astonished boys.
“You’ll operate as teams—groups a, b, and c—working in the sewers to clear out Scavengers.
All Monster Bugs you find must be turned in. As for any stolen goods you confiscate, you can keep one-third as wages. At the end of each month, there’ll be a performance assessment for each group, with rewards for good performance and penalties for poor results. Of course, there’ll be a minimum target: unless something unexpected happens, each group needs to make at least thirty thousand a month.”
Lu Liang knew he couldn’t keep taking just the old group down the drains to block people—too inefficient, and too time-consuming.
But letting too many people act independently wasn’t good, either.
History taught many lessons: there would always be those who, instead of contributing to the group, sought to profit under its name.
Lu Liang, as a man well-versed in the ways of society, understood human greed all too well.
He knew that even if none of Lu Ansheng’s current crew had such ideas, the more subordinates they recruited, the more likely Individual Operators would appear who wanted to keep the profits for themselves.
Most bosses couldn’t manage that far, and even if they tried, overreaching would only breed resentment.
So, he simply applied the sales model to the Dujing Group—if someone wanted to be greedy, let them.
How much they could take was up to their own abilities.
At this point, another boy raised his hand and asked:
“Boss, if we split into several groups, won’t we be short on manpower?”
That was a common concern.
Scavengers were desperate folks; when you had enough numbers, they weren’t too dangerous.
But if your numbers fell, especially when facing lone-wolf Scavengers, and you lost your numerical advantage, things could turn deadly fast.
Lu Liang had considered this:
“If we’re short-handed, we’ll recruit. For now, divide into three groups, eight people each. Go find reliable, tough folks to join. Ansheng, you’ll be in charge of the assessment.”
Lu Liang made Lu Ansheng responsible for HR.
He’d seen that Ansheng, though a social butterfly, could read people like a mirror—he knew who would be useful and who wouldn’t.
With Ansheng as HR, Lu Liang was at ease.
Of course, if Lu Liang ever caught Ansheng playing favorites or bending the rules, he’d replace him without hesitation.
“Any more questions?”
After laying down the future rules for the Dujing Group, Lu Liang’s calm gaze swept across the original core members.
“Boss!” Another boy raised his hand:
“When do we start work every day?”
“Hmm… How about clocking in at 6:50 a.m.?”
Lu Liang didn’t want to be too harsh on these still-young boys, so he suggested it tentatively.
But who would’ve thought his words would trigger an uproar and strong protests from the employees:
“Huh? Six-fifty is too late!”
“Boss, make it earlier! I want to start work sooner! How about 5:30?”
“Five-thirty? You’re still half-asleep! Young people should be tough! Boss! Four a.m.! I can handle it!”
After all, when you started work affected how much money you could make. When it came to money, everyone was fired up, begging Commander Lu to let them start as early as possible.
“All right, then, four-thirty it is.”
In the end, work hours were set at 4:30 a.m.
With the rules mostly set, Lu Liang waved his hand and set aside some funds, telling his people to go buy supplies and fix up the office space.
But at the mention of “company,” everyone protested that Boss shouldn’t spend a penny—this was their home!
So, one after another, they went home to bring things to decorate the company.
Lu Liang’s approach—combining performance, commissions, and team honor—had taken root in everyone’s hearts, filling these young men with boundless hope and drive for the future.
Standing in the gradually bustling Building, Lu Liang watched as Lu Ansheng and the others busied themselves, slowly filling the empty space.
This grassroots group, named the “Dujing Group,” had, in no time, begun to take on the shape of a real organization.
Still, it felt like something was missing.
Commander Lu stroked his chin and gazed at the sunset beyond the horizon.
Suddenly, the image of a beautiful girl with peach blossom eyes and a goofy expression surfaced in his mind.
Hadn’t he been thinking of helping Bai Hanhang if the chance arose?
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