Homo Sapiens

November 1, 2019.

For the great families and major merchants, the slow rise in food prices might mean nothing more than the cost of an extra day’s worth of gas for their Mercedes each month.

But in the slums of Manila, it was a very serious matter.

As food prices climbed, the cost of fertilizers, pesticides, and farming equipment also rose bit by bit. This forced local farmers to raise the prices of their produce, like vegetables and fruits. For the city’s poor, who were already struggling, this only made their lives worse.

Just then, Gafei brought his team to the streets of Manila’s Fengdu District to deliver a speech.

Standing on a makeshift stage shielded by bulletproof glass, Gafei, brimming with confidence, began to speak:

"My dear fellow countrymen! I, Gafei Fernando, have not come here today to talk about ideals, philosophies, or abstract principles. I am here to bring you 30,000 jobs!"

In the small plaza, the poor residents, who had been forced to attend by local gangs, instantly forgot whatever resentment they had felt.

"That’s right, 30,000 jobs!" Gafei shouted, clenching his fist.

The entire crowd immediately erupted in cheers.

"A million sermons on morality are worth less than a single job! A million news reports are worth less than a single egg! A million documentaries are worth less than a single chance to get an education!"

"I, Gafei Fernando, will do everything in my power for the rise of Luzon! Providing these 30,000 jobs is the first step in putting my beliefs into practice."

"One day in the future, everyone will have a job they are satisfied with! Everyone will be free from the worry of hunger! Everyone will receive a good education!"

By the time he finished, Gafei seemed to believe his own words, his eyes welling with tears. He spread his arms wide and shouted, "Please, believe in me! Please, support me! Thank you!"

CLAP CLAP CLAP...

The crowd burst into thunderous applause. Everyone was filled with hope. It was a hope, however, born of the impulsive atmosphere of the moment—a blind optimism that could only arise from the irrationality of a crowd.

But humans are, by nature, a mob.

People in the dark don’t need so-called rationality. They just need a glimmer of light.

Gafei would be that ray of sunshine.

...

In another manor in Manila.

Old Du sat on his sofa, watching the live broadcast. Feeling a wave of powerlessness, he rubbed his temples. As he watched Gafei’s dangerously charismatic speech, his mind was a whirl of thoughts.

He thought about the recent rumblings within his own clan, which left him feeling indecisive.

He had known from the very beginning that he would have to step down. His daughter, however, was certainly not ready to take his place. His only option was to trade political favors, ensuring his successor would groom her for the future.

Originally, Old Du had favored the heir of the Marcus Clan.

But now the situation had changed. Gafei Fernando’s recent performance had been incredibly strong.

The Fernando Clan and the Lopez Clan had already declared their support for Gafei. The Tusun Clan’s stance was ambiguous, and even a significant portion of his own clan was leaning toward Gafei.

As for the remaining powers, the Aquino-Xu Alliance was not on good terms with the Marcus Clan, while the Ayala Clan would likely support them.

This meant that of the major clans, Marcus had two in his corner, and Gafei had two in his.

The deciding factors now were his own Duterte Clan, the Aquino-Xu Alliance, the Tusun Clan, and the Chen Clan, among others.

The choices made by his clan and the Aquino-Xu Alliance, in particular, would directly determine the outcome. This was the source of Old Du’s intense dilemma.

But then he recalled the Southern Luzon Island Revitalization Plan that Gafei had submitted a few days ago, and a hint of resolve appeared on his face.

The plan was just too tempting.

If it could truly be completed, even if Old Du wasn’t the one who pushed it through, it would have begun during his term. That alone would be enough to secure his place in history.

The entire Southern Luzon Island Revitalization Plan was massive, including the construction of eight sea-crossing bridges to connect Luzon Island, the Mishan Islands, and Cianlan Island.

Although in Old Du’s view, it sounded like pure fantasy.

But at the very least, the projects in the first phase had already been approved, and some were even under construction.

The first phase of the project included the San Bernardino Strait Bridge (37 kilometers long), the Central Negros Island Valley Railway (54 kilometers long), the Samar Island West Coast Railway (236 kilometers long), and five branch lines for the Southern Luzon Island Railway (totaling 273 kilometers).

It also involved upgrading the infrastructure of 15 cities, including waste treatment plants, waterworks, natural gas networks, urban roads, light rail transit, and underground utility tunnels.

Furthermore, it called for the construction of corresponding rural roads, piers, and logistics centers for 75 townships.

The plan seemed insane, but Old Du knew they were serious. At the very least, the Fernando and Lopez Clans were throwing their full support behind it, even liquidating many of their hidden overseas assets.

Moreover, quite a few people from the Tusun Clan, his own Duterte Clan, and even the Xu Clan were also involved.

With such a massive capital investment, it was no wonder Gafei dared to announce the hiring of 30,000 employees in Manila. Clearly, Coral Construction Company could easily absorb such a large workforce.

’It’s not my money, anyway,’ Old Du quickly reasoned. He would give Gafei his full support.

...

After holding five consecutive street speeches in the Fengdu District, Gafei returned home to find the official documents confirming the plan’s approval.

"It seems he made the right choice," said Guo Liyan, the Spider Web Manager assigned to assist Gafei, with a shrug.

"The tide was turning. He couldn’t have changed anything even if he had disagreed. We just didn’t want to embarrass him too much. It seems he’s a smart man after all."

Gafei swirled the red wine in his glass. "We still can’t let our guard down. The Marcus Clan has a lot of connections in America, and our recent actions have made the people behind the ABCD companies very unhappy."

"They’ll soon have their own hands full. Do they really have time to meddle in this? How arrogant," Guo Liyan sneered.

Suddenly, a Soldier walked in and handed an earpiece data storage device to Gafei.

Gafei knew this was a special method headquarters used to transmit information. He quickly inserted the earpiece. Its optical signal connector linked directly with the biochip in his brain.

Gafei closed his eyes to read the information. A moment later, he opened them with a slight smile.

Seeing his expression, Guo Liyan knew it was good news. "What is it?"

"See for yourself." With that, Gafei removed the earpiece and handed it over.

Guo Liyan wiped the earpiece with a tissue before inserting it into his own ear.

To minimize the risk of leaks, Spider Web Managers avoided casually discussing sensitive issues, even in their own homes.

After the information ran through his brain, Guo Liyan also beamed. "This is good news indeed."

Neither of them said anything specific, but the mood grew noticeably lighter.

「The next day.」

The Human Resources department of Homo Sapiens Company moved quickly. A convoy of more than a dozen RVs, converted from shipping containers, rolled into the Fengdu District. Escorted by security from the Internal Affairs Department and assisted by some controlled gang members, they promptly set up a job fair.

The slum population of the entire Fengdu District was around 500,000 to 600,000. An offer of 30,000 jobs was enough to cover the vast majority of families living there.

The job fair was a sea of people. If the Internal Affairs Department hadn’t been prepared, with their own security and the gang members managing the crowd, the scene could have easily descended into chaos.

The subsidiaries under Homo Sapiens Company had no human resources authority. All hiring and firing was managed directly by the parent company’s HR department.

It was somewhat similar to a temporary staffing agency; all employees were assigned and deployed centrally by the parent company’s HR department.