The coppery scent of freshly spilled blood still hung thickly in the air of the Black Crow Guild warehouse. The sunlight filtering through the gaps in the roof resembled pillars of light, illuminating the remaining dust particles and alcohol smoke. Amidst the mess of human material, prostrate in fear, Yoe Choin sat calmly on a sturdy wooden coffin.
He didn't look at Heuk-Gwang's headless body, which had just been dragged out by trembling thugs. Instead, his glowing blue eyes scanned the remaining living guild members, searching for a single "material" with the right mental density to lead these ruined remains.
"Get up,"
Choin commanded. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a vibe of authority that sent a ringing through everyone's ears.
One by one, the Black Crow members raised their heads. Among the front row, a middle-aged man with graying hair and a burn scar on his right hand stared at Choin with a different gaze. There was no pure hatred there, only deep exhaustion and a hint of curiosity.
"You,"
Choin pointed at the man with his fingertip.
"What's your name?"
The man flinched, then prostrated himself again, his forehead touching the cold floor.
"My name is Gowon, Young Master. I... I'm a logistics supervisor under Heuk-Gwang. But I'm just a useless old man."
"Stand up, Gowon,"
Choin said, rising from his coffin.
"I don't need fighters who only know how to destroy. I need administrators who know how to keep structures from collapsing."
Choin walked toward Gowon, crossing the pool of blood without hesitation. He stopped right in front of the man, forcing him to look the Demon Overseer in the eye.
"Tell me, Gowon,"
Choin said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"All this time, how much of the profits have you really kept from extorting money from the lower villages? Have you become rich, or are you just surviving like rats fighting for crumbs?"
Gowon paused for a moment, his throat moving as he swallowed.
"Honestly, Young Master... Heuk-Gwang takes seventy percent for himself and the tribute to the central government. We're the rest... we only have enough for cheap wine and fresh wounds every week. There's no future under his leadership."
"He's honest, Foreman,"
the real Moen Kang Yo whispered in his mind.
"His energy aura is stable, there are no fluctuations of deceit. He's a material that's long been oppressed by a false burden."
"That's the problem,"
Choin replied, now addressing the entire room.
"Heuk-Gwang's management is a structural failure. He treats you like disposable tools, not as permanent assets. He squeezes the villagers until they have no capital left to trade, which means your income will continue to decline every month. It's a foolish act that is destroying the market."
Choin patted Gowon on the shoulder, a gesture that made the old man flinch due to the aura of Internal Finishing Level 3 that faintly seeped from Choin's palm.
"Gowon, starting today, you are the Project Manager for the Black Crow Guild. Under the auspices of Evernight Gate, this guild will change its function. You are no longer thugs, but Sub-Contractors of the Area Security."
Gowon stared at Choin with wide eyes.
"Project Manager? Sub-Contractor? I don't understand those terms, Young Master."
"The meaning is simple,"
Choin began walking around the room, his voice echoing with an instructive tone.
"You will stop extorting tribute illegally. Instead, you will conduct regular patrols along the Evernight logistics routes. Ensure that no outside bandits harass the merchants. I will pay you a fixed monthly salary from the sect's newly renovated treasury."
Choin stopped in front of the large, now-empty table.
"The villagers will pay a legitimate 'protection tax' to the Liem branch office. That's how you'll be paid. If trade in the village increases, your bonuses will also increase. It's a work incentive. The safer the area, the richer you'll be."
"Young Master... that sounds like... heaven to us,"
whispered one of the members behind Gowon.
"But there's a condition,"
Choon's eyes suddenly turned icy.
"If I hear of any of your members damaging a small person's merchandise or hitting a citizen without a clear operational reason... I will consider that a 'Quality Failure.' And do you know what I do with failed materials?"
Choin glanced at the spot where Heuk-Gwang's head had rolled.
Gowon immediately prostrated himself with renewed vigor.
"I understand, Young Master! I will risk my life to ensure every Black Crow member adheres to your new blueprint! We will be a protective wall, no longer parasites!"
"Good,"
Choin nodded in satisfaction.
"Gowon, quickly compile the data on all your personnel. I want a report on their weapons inventory and combat capabilities on Liem's desk by tomorrow morning. You will work with Liem to restore Naga Teduh Village. Consider the Evernight branch office your 'Field Headquarters.'"
Choin glanced toward the warehouse door, watching the increasingly hot sun.
"Gwi-Hyuk will come by occasionally to conduct surprise audits. Don't let him find any 'loose nuts' in your organization."
"Foreman, you truly built a system from scratch,"
said the real Moen Kang Yo, this time with genuine admiration.
"You didn't just subdue them, you gave them a stable 'home' to keep them from rebelling."
"That's the secret of management, Boss,"
Choin replied as he walked toward the exit.
"People are like the structure of a building. If they feel they play a vital role in the foundation, they will endure any weight to keep it standing."
Choin's steady footsteps left the Black Crow headquarters, which was now busy being cleaned by his new recruits under Gowon's command.
However, as he crossed the central market at the foot of the mountain to return to the top, his ears, now as sharp as ultrasonic sensors, picked up whispers creeping among the piles of merchant crates.
"Have you heard? The bounty on Young Master Moen Kang Yo's head has doubled again,"
whispered a mercenary with a scorpion tattoo to his companion.
"The Demon Empress is truly furious,"
another replied.
"She said she not only wants to kill him, but anyone who aligns with that 'Demon Overseer' will be considered a mortal enemy of the Demon faction. Her target is no longer the Evernight Sect, but him personally."
Choin paused, touching the hilt of his Black Iron Heavy Sword. He could feel the aura of hostility beginning to thicken in the air, as if the entire Jianghu was preparing its "demolition device" to destroy the project he had just begun.
"Overseer, did you hear that?"
The original Moen Kang Yo's voice sharpened, his aura throbbing with bloodlust.
"They're preparing a much bigger death bill for us."
Choin grinned faintly, a smile that held the cold logic of a foreman facing the threat of sabotage.
"Good,"
Choin muttered, gazing at the mountaintop of his sect's headquarters.
"The higher my bounty, the greater the threat I pose to their rotten old structure. Let them come. I will build a 'defense wall' so sturdy that any sword that tries to strike it will shatter into useless scrap."
Physical warfare may be imminent, but for Yoe Choin, this is just another Extreme Load Test to prove that his construction of power is the best in all of Jianghu.