Liu Hui’s super-seasoning workshop had officially begun production. The first batch of one hundred tons of super seasoning had been refined and packaged.

Driven by his grand plan for profit, Liu Hui immediately embarked on the next phase of expansion for the Starlight Gourmet Company. He projected that within a year, the number of gourmet restaurants under the company would balloon to ten thousand. Supported by the devastating advantage of the super seasoning, the business at these ten thousand establishments would become phenomenally successful. Liu Hui could already visualize the long queues forming outside these restaurants, eager patrons waiting for a table.

However, planning for ten thousand restaurants immediately was impractical. Therefore, Liu Hui strategically summoned the chefs from the three thousand existing restaurants in batches for intensive retraining. The core of this training focused on leveraging the super seasoning to create extraordinarily delicious food, alongside stringent instruction on maintaining the absolute secrecy of the super seasoning itself.

During this training period, Liu Hui secretly tasked Starlight Eye to conduct another round of vetting on these chefs. As a result, Starlight Eye flagged several dozen individuals as suspicious. Liu Hui fabricated excuses and smoothly reassigned these suspect personnel away from their culinary posts, introducing a batch of new chefs to fill the gaps. After the phased training concluded, the chefs had fully mastered the application of the super seasoning and understood the critical necessity of its secrecy.

To ensure absolute security, Liu Hui personally enacted a rigorous seasoning management protocol, establishing a tiered distribution system flowing from Headquarters down through the Nation, the City, and finally to the individual Restaurant. Specific restaurants were permitted to hold a two-day inventory of the seasoning. City-level management depots could hold a two-day supply, as could National-level depots. Headquarters would then issue seasoning allotments to the various National depots based strictly on real-time market demand, adjusting inventory levels accordingly. Finally, Headquarters significantly tightened its inspection regime over the usage of the seasoning. This multi-layered control mechanism was designed to prevent any mass leakage of the super seasoning; even if a small quantity were to slip out, it would not significantly impact the company’s market share.

Accompanying the retrained chefs back to their respective restaurants was, naturally, the super seasoning itself. Once all preparations were meticulously in place, the entire network of Starlight Gourmet Company restaurants suddenly announced a price hike—the scale of the increase was simply unbelievable.

Lewis was a senior white-collar professional in the New York metropolitan area who had recently taken to frequenting a gourmet restaurant near his office. This establishment was rumored to be affiliated with the Starlight Group, though Lewis couldn't fathom why such a lofty, successful corporation would suddenly pivot into the restaurant business.

Despite his perplexity, Lewis enjoyed dining there. The service staff were exceptionally polite, the portions were generous, and the prices, until now, had been quite fair. The menu featured not only Western fare but also various exotic, strange Chinese dishes. Lewis had sampled the strange Chinese offerings; while the taste was good, he didn't particularly care for them. He still preferred the Western food.

This preference stemmed partly from the perceived greater nutritional value of the Western cuisine, but mostly from ingrained habit. Decades of lifestyle choices weren't easily discarded. Yet, Lewis often harbored a quiet regret: why couldn't the Western food be as tantalizingly delicious as the Chinese? Why did the flavors always seem so monotonous, especially after experiencing the depth of flavor in the Chinese dishes?

Today, Lewis returned to the Starlight Gourmet Restaurant only to notice it was surprisingly empty. At this usual hour, traffic was never light, but never had it been this sparse. He walked in suspiciously and quickly spotted a large notice board near the entrance. Posted there was a stark announcement: Prices for all menu items have been increased. We ask for your understanding, followed by a comparison of old and new prices.

Lewis froze. His eyes immediately locked onto the price of his favorite dish, the Pan-Seared Steak. The price had skyrocketed from ten dollars to thirty dollars.

"Oh my god, are you robbing us? What restaurant in New York sells a steak for thirty dollars?" Lewis exclaimed in shock.

Standing nearby, a Chinese waiter with whom Lewis usually had friendly chats leaned in and whispered, "Mr. Lewis, this steak is completely different from the old one. You really must try it. I’m not kidding you; the flavor is absolutely incredible." The waiter instinctively licked the corner of his mouth, though there was nothing there.

Lewis trusted the waiter’s judgment. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "My friend, is it really that good?"

The waiter smiled broadly. "It’s absolutely worth every penny."

Intrigued, Lewis decided to sit down and ordered a steak. Even if it turned out not to be worth the price, the maximum loss would be thirty dollars, and he simply wouldn't return.

While Lewis waited for his steak, a few other customers arrived. Upon seeing the drastically increased prices, they all left with expressions of regret, unwilling to risk such an expense. For the same money, they could eat three meals elsewhere.

Soon, Lewis’s steak was served. He looked at the steaming cut on the plate; outwardly, it looked exactly like the steak he had always ordered, even the aroma was identical. If it was the same dish, why the massive price hike?

Lewis cautiously cut a small piece with his knife and fork and placed it in his mouth to sample the flavor. Suddenly, Lewis’s eyes shot wide open. His mouth worked rapidly, opening and closing as he swallowed the small piece in just a few bites.

"How can this be so good? Is this even the steak I usually like?" Lewis cried out in amazement, while rapidly slicing at the rest of the steak with his utensils. He couldn't comprehend how a visually identical steak could possess such an astonishing flavor, one that surpassed even the delicious Chinese food he had tasted.

"Shoot, these knives and forks are so inconvenient!" Lewis frantically tried to cut the steak, but in his haste, he couldn't manage clean cuts. Growing impatient, he dropped the cutlery, grabbed the steak directly with his hands, ignored the juices, and shoved the meat into his mouth.

It was as if Lewis had never tasted steak before. He devoured every last scrap of the cut, even crunching and swallowing the bone. In that moment, Lewis felt an urge to weep. He had just eaten the single greatest steak of his entire life—a steak so magnificent that thirty dollars seemed cheap; it would have been worth three hundred!

When Lewis finally composed himself, he realized the entire restaurant was staring at him, stunned into silence by the sheer ferocity with which he had attacked the steak with his bare hands. Lewis awkwardly wiped his hands and mouth, then stated calmly, "I'll have another steak."

The other patrons who had been silently amused by Lewis, upon receiving their own dishes and tasting that divine flavor, reacted no less dramatically. They were all utterly lost in the sheer ecstasy of the food.

While waiting for his second steak, Lewis flagged down a server and asked for the restaurant's telephone number. He decided he would dine here every day from now on, regardless of the higher cost. The thought of suddenly losing access to such deliciousness would be sheer agony. Suddenly remembering something, he quickly made a call. Into the phone, he said, "Mary, I’ve found a gourmet restaurant—are you free to join me? I’ll wait for you here. I swear, you have never tasted anything like the deliciousness here. Seriously, if I’m lying to you, I’ll come over and clean your house."

Events identical to Lewis's unfolded in Starlight Gourmet Restaurants worldwide. Soon, the fame of the incredibly delicious food served at the Starlight Gourmet Company establishments spread like wildfire. Driven by intense consumer testimonials, a segment of the population came to try the restaurants. Once conquered by the culinary experience, they, in turn, called their friends to spread the word. Thus, the word-of-mouth effect, initiated by a small group, amplified infinitely. Eventually, nearly everyone knew the fact that Starlight Gourmet Restaurants served food of unparalleled deliciousness—though, correspondingly, their prices were outrageously high.

Consequently, the Starlight Gourmet Restaurants transitioned from being nearly deserted post-price-hike to being absolutely swamped, achieving a bustling atmosphere in a mere week. Within seven days, securing a reservation required booking at least two days in advance. The Starlight Gourmet Restaurants had truly arrived, not just one branch, but the entire network was now thriving.

Upon learning of the explosive success of the Starlight Gourmet Restaurants, Liu Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief. While he trusted his own judgment that Westerners would appreciate exquisitely prepared Western cuisine, he had worried about their acceptance of such a sudden shift in flavor profile. Now, it seemed, Westerners indeed possessed a profound pursuit of quality flavor; they simply lacked the means before. Now that the means were available, their terrifyingly potent demand for exquisite taste had erupted.

Liu Hui had successfully navigated this critical juncture. Earlier, his insistence on aggressively expanding the restaurant count had met with incomprehension; some had accused him of neglecting his core business, diverting massive resources toward gastronomy instead of the lucrative medical sector. The current restaurant boom finally vindicated Liu Hui’s foresight. Those who had doubted him were now completely silenced, forced to admit his innate commercial talent and intuition—qualities they lacked. After all, a mosquito could hardly comprehend the life ambitions of a whale.

While adjusting the supply volume of the super seasoning, Liu Hui aggressively opened new gourmet restaurants across Western nations. With the preceding glorious performance as proof, his decisions were now implemented flawlessly. Five hundred new site locations were quickly selected, preparing for the establishment of five hundred new gourmet restaurants. The personnel for these new branches were already undergoing training.

One month later, the turnover for the three thousand gourmet restaurants reached an astonishing ten billion US dollars. If not for limitations in physical seating capacity, their revenue could have potentially doubled. The executives within the company, upon seeing this staggering figure, were filled with awe and admiration for Liu Hui.

Liu Hui, however, did not linger in the glow of success. He summoned Wu Yuanjia from Starlight Security Company. Wu Yuanjia had spent the recent period training newly recruited security personnel, resulting in him being heavily tanned, looking almost African.

Wu Yuanjia arrived at Liu Hui’s office and greeted him, "Boss, hello."

Liu Hui smiled. "Director Wu, welcome. Please, sit. Li Lian, please brew Director Wu a pot of my pre-Qingming Longjing tea."

Li Lian acknowledged the instruction and left to prepare the tea.

Wu Yuanjia asked, "May I know why the boss requested my presence?"

Liu Hui smiled. "Director Wu, I wanted to ask how many security personnel our security company currently employs?"

Wu Yuanjia responded fluently without hesitation, "Our Starlight Security Company currently has one thousand five hundred fully trained personnel. Three thousand are currently in training, and they should graduate in about half a month." As the company head, he naturally had these figures memorized and accessible at a moment’s notice.

Liu Hui inquired, "How many personnel are immediately available for deployment?"

Wu Yuanjia quickly calculated in his head. "Boss, our Starlight Security Company has established a considerable reputation in the security sector and has never had a single incident. Consequently, many companies, organizations, and individuals hire our personnel for protection duties. After retaining the three hundred personnel necessary to guard our corporate assets, we currently have one hundred personnel immediately available for direct deployment. The others are on assignments and cannot be recalled quickly. Of course, in half a month, that number will increase to three thousand one hundred."

Liu Hui asked, "What is the individual capability level of these security personnel?"

Wu Yuanjia replied, "When training our personnel, we utilize diluted Body Evolution Fluid, so their strength far surpasses that of standard corporate security staff. Learning from the previous lesson involving Wang Liu, we are extremely cautious about administering the full dose of Body Evolution Fluid. Therefore, only fifty personnel have received the complete injection. The strength of these fifty individuals has reached the peak of the Houtian realm. However, the loyalty of these fifty can withstand any test; there will be absolutely no issues with them."

Liu Hui paused in thought and then asked, "Director Wu, do you know why I requested you train so many security personnel?"

Wu Yuanjia was momentarily taken aback. He genuinely didn't understand Liu Hui's sudden directive to train three thousand security guards. Given the current market demand, once these three thousand were trained, there wouldn't be enough active posts to occupy them, as the market simply couldn't absorb that many operatives. He honestly shook his head. "Boss, I don't know."

Liu Hui smiled. "You must know that the company has opened many new gourmet restaurants recently, right?"

Wu Yuanjia startled. "Could it be that the boss is preparing security personnel for those gourmet restaurants?"

Liu Hui nodded. "Exactly. My objective is to train security personnel specifically for those restaurants. Previously, with three thousand restaurants, we trained three thousand security guards. But now, that is clearly not enough. In the future, we anticipate opening ten thousand restaurants, which means there will be a massive shortfall in necessary security personnel."

Wu Yuanjia exclaimed in surprise, "But the countries where we open restaurants generally have excellent public safety records; why would we need so many security guards?"

Liu Hui chuckled. "Director Wu, we cannot place our faith in the public safety situation of foreign nations. Our gourmet restaurants are incredibly profitable right now, meaning plenty of greedy elements will inevitably target them. They will collude with local underworld elements and cause trouble at our establishments every few days. And in such situations, even calling the police would be useless. Therefore, we must embed our own security personnel within these restaurants. When it comes to protecting our assets, our own people are far more reliable."

Wu Yuanjia finally understood. He nodded. "Boss, I think I grasp your meaning. How many security personnel do you think our security company should aim to recruit next?"

Liu Hui held up a single finger. "Ten thousand."

"Ten thousand?" Wu Yuanjia sucked in a sharp breath.

Liu Hui smiled. "Yes, exactly ten thousand. Right now, we are a large target, and we require formidable strength to protect ourselves. We cannot rely on the benevolence of others. Faced with staggering wealth, nobody maintains benevolence. These thirteen thousand personnel will be our deterrent force. I have no objection to making our strength known."

Wu Yuanjia affirmed, "Understood, Boss. I will personally oversee this matter."

Liu Hui continued, "Director Wu, have all our security personnel undergone firearms training?"

Wu Yuanjia confirmed, "Our security company has obtained firearm licenses issued by the Hong Kong government, so all our personnel have received weapons training."

Liu Hui nodded. "First, compile a deployment list for your current personnel and have them all dispatched to our established gourmet restaurants for security duty in twenty days. Then, consult with our legal consultant, Liu Wenqi, to determine which countries legally permit the ownership of firearms. In any nation where possession is legal, our security personnel must be armed. As long as we possess the visible strength of firearms as a deterrent, the greedy will exercise caution."

At that moment, Li Lian returned with the tea, setting the steaming cup before Wu Yuanjia.

Liu Hui smiled warmly. "Director Wu, please enjoy. This is premium pre-Qingming Longjing."

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