He didn't make it to the head of a Level One department at Mengya Group, and he looked down on Level Two departments, so he settled for a position at Tie Shou's mining company. However, he understood his duties: to remain with the Unification Department until a replacement was found.

Tie Shou's mining company was currently languishing, occasionally getting a few orders but mostly just selling off scraps. Tie Shou had been off-planet for over a year, mapping out the minerals on various worlds, but he lacked business acumen and could only manage to break even.

Mining was one of the lifebloods of a legion; it had to be established.

Hong Fa struck a deal with Tie Shou: "You run the mining company. Just focus on what you're good at, and hire people to manage the rest. How about that?"

This way, the company wouldn't fall into outside hands.

Tie Shou scratched his head dumbly, then grabbed Zi Ye and asked, "A Chou, what do you think?"

Zi Ye was speechless. "That's for you to decide."

Tie Shou replied, "But you're the one who taught me about mining before."

Zi Ye shrugged innocently at Hong Fa.

Hong Fa shook her head and chuckled. "Good, another one settled."

The only one left was the perverted Rose Garden.

Following the same formula, the pervert would be the boss.

The pervert had his own ideas for this profitable and easy company: "The roses will all be managed by robots; I just need to find a professional sales team. Once things are developed, I'll recruit a few kids from my hometown to train."

Since he had his own plans, no one argued; they let him fiddle with it.

He lightly nudged Zi Ye beside him and whispered, "Want to be the Vice Boss here?"

Zi Ye shot him a sideways glance and enunciated every word, "My main job is being a student!"

The pervert looked intoxicated. "Don't you think being the Vice Boss of the Rose Garden would be leisurely—just kicking back and eating? You could smell the roses every day, how romantic, right? You could treat it as a side gig."

Zi Ye retorted, "You might as well cultivate a clone of the Boss's wife; she could manage everything for you."

The pervert considered this seriously for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't like Boss's wives; I like lolis."

Xiao Xiao looked at the pervert with contempt. "He's the boss of Mengya Group; he wouldn't waste his time on your vice-boss position."

The pervert snapped back irritably, "Damn Xiao Xiao, go away!"

By this time, the competition for positions in the Wolf Den had already begun.

Zi Ye ignored their banter and kept her focus on the large screen.

The two most crucial positions in the Wolf Den—Commander and Vice-Commander—were proving tricky.

Every clear-sighted person thought Hong Fa was suitable to be Commander. She had previously led the 'Unruly Suppressor' unit, and managing the legion should be stress-free for her. But precisely because she was the former leader of the 'Unruly Suppressor,' half the people objected.

'Unruly Suppressor' was a pirate gang specializing in arson, murder, and plunder. The Wolf Den could not be a pirate gang. What if Hong Fa led them astray by accident?

Secondly, the Commander was the symbol of the legion and needed to attend external meetings and socializing frequently. Hong Fa's history was too notorious; if it were dug up, the entire Wolf Den would be finished.

The hall buzzed with noisy discussions that hurt the eardrums.

Black history—who didn't have some of that after being tossed into Silver Talisman? Hong Fa had it, Old Dog had it, Big Head had it... everyone did. Someone remarked, "If we require a Commander without any black history, then no one here can take the position!"

Hong Fa rubbed her forehead. "If we need someone without a black history to be Commander, there is only one suitable person!"

Everyone asked in unison, "Who?"

Hong Fa pointed at Zi Ye. "That brat!"

Zi Ye, who had been mentally considering who would be suitable for Commander, was startled by the sudden nomination. "No, I'm completely unsuitable, truly unsuitable."

She understood nothing about management, nothing about entertaining dignitaries, and nothing about socializing. Wouldn't appointing her as Commander be harming people?

Everyone shook their heads.

On Silver Talisman Star, there were only two clean people: one was An Junlie, currently the Commander of the Angel Legion, and the other was Zi Ye, currently a student at Lingsi University.

Hong Fa had a headache. "The brat isn't suitable to be Commander, and neither am I. So, let's stick to the original plan: she manages the Strategic Weapons department, and I oversee combat. We'll select a different Commander, how about that?"

A legion that was recognized and had the strength to avoid being swallowed up needed two conditions: first, economic power, and second, combat capability.

Hong Fa controlling combat meant she controlled the army, meaning she held the lifeblood of the Wolf Den.

As soon as she finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.

Zi Ye was the first to raise her hand. "I agree."

Old Dog pondered for a moment. "I agree too."

Seeing that they agreed, everyone else thought about it. Since they couldn't control the army themselves, having Hong Fa in control would at least ensure their personal safety. Hong Fa had a fierce personality, and most importantly, she was fiercely protective of her own. She wouldn't let anyone bully them.

So, the debate over the Commander and Vice-Commander selections continued.

The group argued for a long time without reaching a conclusion. Luckily, the cruiser was well-stocked; robots efficiently set up tables, served food, and the debate resumed after everyone ate.

As the argument dragged on, Hong Fa lost her patience. Since everyone was hung up on the Commander choice, she activated the broadcast. "If you agree to Big Head as Vice-Commander, press 1 on your Silver Comms."

Most people had lost patience and pressed 1. Data on the virtual light screen shot up rapidly. Seeing the data exceed half the people, Hong Fa finally revealed a long-absent smile. "Congratulations, Big Head, you are the Vice-Commander of the Wolf Den!"

In truth, there was some logic to everyone accepting Big Head as Vice-Commander.

Big Head was very capable of navigating complex situations; he could bend or stand firm. He got along wonderfully with everyone, rarely caused friction, was slightly smooth, and had connections across all walks of life. If trouble arose, he had the capacity to handle it. Making him Vice-Commander was the best compromise they could manage.

A small faction was still arguing, but their voices were immediately drowned out by congratulations.

With the Vice-Commander settled, only the Commander position remained. Hong Fa broadcast again: "Everyone, type the name of the person you wish to nominate for Commander into your Silver Comms. We will select the top three with the most votes for a final ballot."

The pervert nudged Zi Ye. "Who should we choose?"

Zi Ye whispered, "Brother Dog, of course."

The pervert thought for a moment. "Old Dog is a real man; let's go with him."

A list of candidates' names appeared on the screen, and their numbers grew.

Zi Ye happily noticed that Brother Dog had the most nominations. She couldn't help but flash the pervert a rather silly peace sign.

Xiao Xiao heard this and voiced suspicion, "Can Old Dog really do it?"

Zi Ye replied, "Don't you think Brother Dog looks majestic and imposing? And he handles things very cleanly. He can join Hong Fa in plundering and pillaging, or he can quietly feed dogs next to the Rose Garden."

In her eyes, Old Dog was the type of person who could play the game of power politics exceptionally well, but usually didn't bother, always remaining so upright and kind... while hawking his 'Ji Hu' dried meat.

The pervert interjected, "Old man, I've been eyeing his Doberman for a long time! After being raised for so many years, it must taste pretty good."

Xiao Xiao's face darkened; these two beside him were clearly not from his world.

The top three vote-getters were put forward for a final vote, and Old Dog, without question, received the most votes, becoming the Commander of the Wolf Den Legion. After being elected, Old Dog spoke concisely: "I thank my brothers, sisters, and fellow dogs for thinking highly of me. I am not a gentleman, but I will be a good Commander."

The cruiser shuddered instantly.

That kind of opening statement was terrifying.

The meeting concluded, and everyone went their separate ways.

The Wolf Den contingent returned to the Shui Yun star system to prepare for the commissioning ceremony. The Mengya people went to Ke Lai to continue reorganizing the Group. Zi Ye thought for a moment and decided to follow the Mengya Group, as her position in the Wolf Den was merely nominal anyway.

Three days seemed like a lot of time, but it passed quickly.

Upon returning, Old Dog held a brief meeting, primarily addressing the headquarters issue for Mengya Group.

Previously, Mengya didn't have a true office, only two storefronts and a studio in Ke Lai. Now that standardization was necessary, everyone unanimously agreed to lease two buildings on the newly completed Space Station No. 36 in Ke Lai for offices.

Zi Ye secretly hoped for an entire space station belonging solely to Mengya Group, but that was too heavy a burden for Mengya at the moment, so she kept the thought tucked away.

The most important task currently was recruitment.

The people they needed to hire ranged across various levels.

Black Beard and Zi Ye interviewed together for key positions like Deputy Executive Officer.

Level One department directors interviewed for Level Two positions.

Whoever had time interviewed for Level Three positions.

Recently, Mengya Group’s reputation was so loud that once the recruitment notice went out, crowds surged in.

After one day, they were almost ready to vomit blood.

The truly frustrating part was that they couldn't find suitable people!

The interviewees fell into three categories: one, recent graduates who thought they could conquer the universe with just their own efforts but were terrible at execution and were overly arrogant; another, those who had always held high positions, possessed sharp market insight, and had methods for problem-solving, but didn't understand robotics; the third group had fought their way up from the bottom to reach their current level.

Zi Ye personally leaned toward the third group. However, after interviewing them, she felt the third group shared a common issue: they prioritized avoiding mistakes over achieving significant success.

Mengya Group was in an upward phase; stability was needed, but bold, decisive progress was even more crucial.

After the interviews, the two looked at each other wordlessly.

The situation remained the same on the second and third days, making Zi Ye consider giving up.

Why was hiring one person so difficult these days?

During afternoon tea, they called in all the Level One department directors, laid out all the candidates' files, and scrutinized them one by one. Finally, they selected a person named Jin Boli.

While they discussed, Zi Ye quickly looked up his resume.

This man was eighty years old.

In an era where cellular repair had reached its zenith, a thirty-year-old and an eighty-year-old were indistinguishable in appearance; the only difference was that the thirty-year-old was considered young, while the eighty-year-old was middle-aged...

Furthermore, at the age of fifty, he started a robotics company from scratch, which his son bankrupted twenty-eight years later.

In the subsequent two years, he served as the General Manager of a large machinery corporation.

Reason for leaving: the company was acquired.

After a brief discussion, the group decided to give him a trial run.

Zi Ye looked at the resume pulled up by Little Sprout; it showed no particular political leanings, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Finding a suitable person was not easy!

-RS