The next morning, Jiang Ye was awakened by a rumbling sound.
He sat up and looked out the window. More than a dozen massive white ships, like battleships, were slowly descending, spewing blue flames.
The side of the ships bore a logo shaped like an ant, along with the words "Baiyi Real Estate."
Jiang Ye checked the sky; it was only around six o'clock. The agreed-upon time was eight, but the construction team had arrived two hours early!
Holy crap, that was fast!
He was instantly wide awake, jumping out of bed and fumbling to get dressed.
Just as he finished, there was a knock on the base's door.
Jiang Ye hurried downstairs, opened the door, and froze.
Standing at the entrance was a "Queen in a Suit." That was the first thought that popped into Jiang Ye's mind, and the more he looked, the more fitting it seemed.
She wore a deep black pinstripe suit that fit her perfectly, giving her a rigid, almost armored royal robe-like feel. It was clearly an expensive custom piece. Her collar revealed a snow-white shirt, with a thin, shiny gold chain peeking out, possibly for a pocket watch. She wore gold-rimmed round glasses, her expression icy, her gaze even colder, as if arrogance were written all over her face. Yet, she was quite beautiful, with a delicate face, fair skin, and a fine complexion.
If her suit were replaced with an imperial robe and she were to play an empress, her demeanor would be perfectly suited. Bai Feng Novel Network.
"Mr. Jiang Ye? I am Xu Yan, the project manager from Ant Group, whom you contacted previously." She smiled and extended her right hand.
"It's me. You're really early," Jiang Ye said, shaking her hand.
"I hope we haven't disturbed your rest. I noticed you've already completed the road network, so we can proceed with construction according to the road network's locations, correct?" Xu Yan spoke quickly, her words crisp and sharp, as if she had said them hundreds of times.
"Yes, yes, that's fine," Jiang Ye nodded. He didn't really understand the details anyway; it was all up to the construction team.
"There will be considerable noise during construction. If you wish to rest, you can contact me at any time to request a halt. The construction team will not approach your base. You are welcome to inspect the construction site, but please be careful for your safety. If you are not resting now, may we have the construction team begin immediately?" Xu Yan said, pulling out a walkie-talkie from her pocket.
"Alright, please start as soon as possible," Jiang Ye nodded.
Xu Yan immediately activated the walkie-talkie, her tone as stern as a military officer's: "All teams prepare, commencement in five minutes!"
The ships parked in the distance opened their cargo bays, and a large number of personnel and equipment poured out. Each team was basically configured with one worker leading a large group of robots, along with dozens of tracked machinery. Xu Yan was right; the noise was indeed immense, a continuous roar that sounded like a tank brigade on a training exercise.
"There are some other matters I'd like to discuss with you in detail. May I come inside?" Xu Yan turned her head, her smile polite.
"Please, come in!" Jiang Ye immediately stepped aside.
Xu Yan elegantly boarded the base vehicle, her high heels making a clacking sound. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, her back straight, her eyes scanning the entire first floor of the vehicle before she sat down in a chair by the window.
Jiang Ye closed the door, shutting out the rumble of the machinery outside. The base vehicle's soundproofing was good, and it became much quieter.
"According to our company's database, this is a new planet developed less than a year ago," Xu Yan stated, looking at Jiang Ye. "You are the first colonial governor to commence construction on this entire planet."
"That's right," Jiang Ye nodded. "I came last autumn, so it's been less than half a year in total."
"You are indeed very capable. I've been working for ten years and have met over a thousand colonial governors. However, you are only the second one to commence construction within half a year," Xu Yan said, glancing out the window as if recalling something.
"How is the first one doing now?"
"He's already the planetary governor of Planet No. 6 in the adjacent star system. It has a population of forty-seven million and primarily develops tourism. During peak season, it receives fifty million visitors per month," Xu Yan smiled. "He's a bit older than you, and I suspect your future achievements will surpass his."
Jiang Ye gasped. A planetary governor, forty-seven million people?
He couldn't even imagine it; it was too incredible. If it reached that level, his daily income would likely be billions.
"You flatter me. I'm just lucky; I don't really have any special abilities," Jiang Ye chuckled.
Xu Yan shook her head gently but didn't dwell on the topic, moving on to business:
"Our Ant Group is also a company that has developed rapidly in the last five years and is still in a phase of rapid expansion. To be honest, we have too many orders and not enough personnel. Besides your order, I have twenty-six construction teams working simultaneously on sixteen planets."
"As you saw, the construction teams are comprised of humans and robots. Robots handle the specific operations, while humans are quality inspectors and foremen. Our company doesn't lack robots, but we have a deficit of about 300,000 foremen."
Jiang Ye understood: "You want me to recruit a group of people from this planet to be foremen?"
"Precisely!" Xu Yan smiled, perhaps finding it efficient to talk to someone intelligent. "For every person you recruit, I will give you a reward of 500,000."
Jiang Ye's eyes lit up. This was a good deal!
"That's feasible. I estimate I can recruit quite a few. Most of the colonial governors on this planet are still struggling to make ends meet. They'll jump at the chance for a job. How should I send them to your company after I contact them through the chat channel and they agree?" Jiang Ye asked.
"It's very simple. Have them come to your express center first, and then have the couriers send them to us by spaceship," Xu Yan replied.
Jiang Ye nodded. Having an express center would indeed make things much easier.
"There's one thing I need to confirm: what are the specific benefits for foremen who go to your company? The better the benefits, the easier it will be for me to recruit," Jiang Ye asked again.
"Those who are willing to become foremen will need to sign a labor contract. The shortest contract is one month, and the longest is one year. The longer the duration, the higher their salary. For the shortest one-month contract, the monthly salary is 100,000, with room and board included. The accommodation is a single room dormitory on a space station, measuring 30 square meters. Meals consist of three dishes and one soup plus staple food, three meals a day," Xu Yan paused and added, "They work ten hours a day and thirty days a month."
"That's quite good," Jiang Ye nodded. "Once the express center is built, I'll start recruiting."
"Thank you very much. Then this matter is settled. I'll go supervise the construction. You are free to move around. Once the project is completed, I will contact you for acceptance," Xu Yan said, standing up.
"You've worked hard. I'll see you out."
Jiang Ye stood up and politely escorted her out of the base.
Xu Yan elegantly proceeded to the construction site, where several assistants immediately stepped forward to hand her a white hard hat. She began inspecting the construction progress.
Various machines roared to life, excavating foundations, and specialized water sprayers continuously misted the air to suppress construction dust. Thus, despite the immense scale of the operation, there was no dust pollution.
Jiang Ye watched from a distance for a while but couldn't understand anything.
He turned and headed towards the dock, ready to go out to sea and earn some money!