Homo Sapiens

After leaving the Bamana District, Li Qingye received a report from the Internal Affairs Division. In response, he simply instructed Long Yuanzhi to accelerate the sale of Donghua Group's industrial assets and the relocation of its factories.

The ongoing construction in Hongsawaddy had created a significant demand for chemicals and machine tools.

Although Donghua Machine Tool Factory was only a second-rate facility in Huaguo, and Donghua Chemical Equipment was similarly second-tier, for Qingye Group, it was a matter of having something versus nothing.

While Li Qingye didn't expect to establish a complete industrial chain all at once, he needed at least some components in place.

After leaving Bamana, he planned to travel to an island near Tuwah Port, where a sizable biochemical laboratory was located.

He didn't plan to return to Luzon immediately. Instead, he intended to stay there until around October before returning to his secret base in Luzon.

During this time, he certainly couldn't spend his days on leisure and travel. Relaxation was a rare indulgence; it was time to get back to his research.

After all, Li Qingye knew his own strengths. With a large contingent of loyal Soldiers and Spider Web Managers within the company, he had no need to waste energy on day-to-day administration. Instead, he had to leverage his talents in scientific research to deepen the technological foundations of the Homo Sapiens Company.

He had taken the opportunity presented by his quest for revenge to give his constantly strained nerves a rest.

But Li Qingye knew his time was precious. Now, it was time to return to the routine of his research.

He used his travel time to issue a series of directives to Phil, Chen Jianxiong, Gafei, Liu Zhifan, and others.

These instructions included strategic tasks for the Luzon and Hongsawaddy Branches, and the directive to establish a fully authorized branch in Siam by the end of the year.

He also addressed the food war currently raging across Southeast Asia.

The clash between the Homo Sapiens Company and ABCD in Luzon's agricultural sector had now reached a white-hot intensity.

International rice prices had remained depressed for seven consecutive months, causing a massive wave of bankruptcies among ordinary farmers in Luzon. Under this pressure, many independent farmers and plantation owners also switched to growing cash crops.

This situation led to a decline in the acreage devoted to rice and corn in Luzon during the second quarter, while the acreage for sugarcane, abaca, bananas, oil palm, rubber, and tobacco saw an increase.

...

「Luzon.」

At Neihu Manor in the Manila District.

Gafei, one of the triumvirate heading the Luzon Branch, handled public-facing, legitimate operations, while Xu Yingming was in charge of economic affairs.

The final leader, Zhang Jerry, was responsible for muscle and dirty work. Li Qingye had previously rescued him from a Manila gang, after which he was given a new identity and emerged as the younger brother of Jack Zhang.

Within Neihu Manor,

The three had gathered here in secret, using temporary disguises.

On the surface, the manor had no connection to any of the three; it was officially the property of a minor Manila mogul.

Even within Luzon, they maintained an extremely high level of vigilance in their daily activities. Whether or not the enemy would find them was one matter; maintaining their own guard was another entirely.

In the underground conference room.

Zhang Jerry relayed Li Qingye's orders to the other two, then added a warning, "ABCD has been secretly sending a lot of people over recently. Along with the Converts hiding in Manila, they're investigating our grain reserves."

"What's the status of our grain reserves?" Gafei asked.

Xu Yingming immediately pulled up the database, projecting the figures onto the wall. "At present, through secret shipments from Hongsawaddy and local acquisitions, we have stockpiled 13.27 million tons of paddy rice and 6.25 million tons of corn. Add to that the 1.83 million tons of wheat in our flour mills, and we can basically meet the food consumption needs of Luzon's entire population for one year."

"Additionally, the Hongsawaddy Branch's strategic reserve holds another 8.37 million tons of paddy rice, 2.78 million tons of corn, 660,000 tons of wheat, and 1.53 million tons of soybeans."

Gafei instantly relaxed. "With the second quarter's harvest, we can begin rotating our stock."

"Yes, I plan to replace half of the old stock while increasing our procurement of the new harvest," Xu Yingming confirmed with a nod.

"Are our funds holding up?" Gafei asked, concerned.

Xu Yingming replied with a smile, "It's manageable. The assets the five great families have accumulated over the years, just their hidden overseas funds alone, amount to over forty billion US Dollars. Add in the profits from our various companies, and funding isn't a major issue."

'Although he and Gafei were members of the five great families, in their hearts, Li Qingye came first, followed by the company, and only then their families.'

This enforced "conviction" and "loyalty" fostered a high degree of internal unity within the Homo Sapiens Company. It was as if every Spider Web Manager possessed an "iron will" and a belief in being "utterly selfless."

If this trait were to manifest in just one person, they would simply be ostracized by the world.

But when it appeared in a group of people, a group that also revolved around an absolute core, they were bound to become an exceptionally powerful and terrifying force.

You see, the internal processes of human society have never been efficient.

Why can't human society operate efficiently?

The core reason lies in the inherent greed and selfishness of human nature. When every individual composing a society is filled with self-serving thoughts, the internal operations of that system are inevitably inefficient.

Take, for example, the Soldiers and the natural human employees within the Homo Sapiens Company.

When the company issues a task, a Soldier will execute it meticulously. A natural human, however, will try to shirk their duties, cut corners, and line their own pockets during the process.

For instance, when purchasing a batch of office supplies, a Soldier could get the job done for just 500 dollars. A natural human, without strict supervision, might spend over a thousand to achieve the same quality.

In the course of societal operations, human nature inevitably creates internal friction and waste.

Even the most sophisticated societal models have difficulty eradicating these inherent human flaws.

In systems with inherently poor designs that have long been neglected, this internal friction and waste metastasize like cancer.

Take America, for example. Its societal model is already saddled with intractable problems. The internal friction and waste during the execution of various "initiatives" are exceptionally severe.

The Homo Sapiens Company's model, however, has used technology to revolutionize parts of its operational core. It has suppressed internal friction and waste to the lowest levels in human history, thereby achieving maximum efficiency.

The effect that can be achieved with the same forty-odd billion US Dollars is completely different in the hands of America versus the Homo Sapiens Company.

Even with the Homo Sapiens Company's incomplete industrial chain and deficient local resources, its capital efficiency can still be five to seven times greater than America's.

Right now, ABCD is doing everything in its power to suppress Luzon's agriculture, yet the impact has been minimal.

The reason is that ABCD believes its opponent is Luzon. In reality, their true adversary is the highly disciplined and internally cohesive Homo Sapiens Company.

These are two entirely different concepts.

Luzon is full of diverse people and conflicting voices, whereas the Homo Sapiens Company consists only of a boss and his employees. The former cannot guarantee everyone will fall in line, but the latter can ensure every employee follows company directives to the letter.

The Homo Sapiens Company can allow employees and their families to purchase company products with coupons and at internal prices, which is tantamount to a disguised internal subsidy.

However, this practice doesn't trigger WTO regulations. After all, it's not a government subsidy, but an internal benefit offered by a private company.

This is one of the advantages of a mega-corporation.

Formulating a strategy against a mega-corporation as if it were an ordinary private company is a recipe for disaster.

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