Chapter 505 - Employee Benefits

"You'll be out there alone," Xiao Zishan said. "Solitude is dangerous. Even with a computer, there are only so many games you can play before the walls start closing in."

Xiao Zishan knew the score. While the technical fanatics buried themselves in work, most transmigrators spent their downtime consuming media and nursing their frustrations. The Ministry of Health had already flagged a spike in non-bacterial prostatitis—a direct result of idle hands and unspent hormones. For the Jiazi deployment, a "personal secretary" wasn't a luxury; it was a medical necessity.

"It's not like Guangzhou or Leizhou where you can find distractions," Xiao continued. "Jiazi is wilderness. You won't even see a female monkey. Providing a companion is essential for your mental health."

He slid a form across the desk. "I've handled the approval. Go see Hu Qingbai and pick one out. My advice? Don't pick someone too young. You need a worker, not just a bedwarmer."

Tang Menglong felt a surge of gratitude. "Thank you for the organization's concern!" he stammered, correcting himself. "Thank you to the Executive Committee!"

"Here's your personal enjoyment allowance." Xiao handed him another list. "Batteries, hand-crank charger, extra rations. If you need anything else, ask."

"I have no words," Tang said, genuinely moved.

He arrived at Hu Qingbai’s office with a spring in his step.

"Ah, the mine director," Hu said, unsurprised. "Everything is ready."

"Xiao Zishan said I could choose."

"You can," Hu sighed, "but the pool is shallow."

"Don't give me the leftovers," Tang warned. "I know there are plenty of students."

"Read the directive," Hu presented a document. "Vocational students are off-limits. Nursing students go to doctors, agronomy students to heavy industry. We don't waste specialized training on secretarial duties."

That left the general pool. Subtracting the under-sixteen crowd, the top students destined for middle school, and the physically unfit, the selection was meager.

Hu spread out a few files. "This one is from the administrative track. She's your best bet."

Tang scanned the file. Resistance was futile; Hu had clearly pre-selected the only viable candidate.

"Fine. I'll take her."

"Cheer up. A secretary is primarily for work," Hu encouraged, ringing a bell. "Bring in Jiang Wenli."

A dark-skinned young woman entered. Her file claimed she was sixteen, but hard labor had made her age indeterminate. She was sturdy—a plus for a mining camp. Her face was plain, her figure serviceable, though she suffered from the nutritional deficiency common to the era: a flat chest.

Tang accepted his lot.

Meanwhile, at the quarantine station outside Bairen Fortress, Dugu Qiuhun was recruiting a different kind of support staff. He needed twenty licensed prostitutes for the mining camp.

"One year contract," Dugu announced through a megaphone to the assembled women. "Rations and clothing provided. Private rooms guaranteed. At the end of the term, you can renew or return. It's up to you."

Recruitment was brisk. Life on the mainland was hard, and the Australians paid in silver and full bellies. For the Executive Committee, this was a pragmatic measure. Four hundred robust men isolated in the wilderness needed an outlet. Without it, the cam would either descend into chaos or become a "comrades' barracks"—neither of which was desirable.

The labor force consisted of over four hundred immigrant workers. Wu De had signed them to strict one-year contracts with generous pay, but the terms were draconian.

Once at the mine, they were prisoners of their employment.

Unauthorized departure was desertion, punishable by summary execution. Collective disturbances were mutiny. Weapons were strictly forbidden.

The mine director's power was absolute. Tang Menglong was startled by the authority granted to him in the management manual. He could suspend work, ration food, punish, imprison, and even execute indigenous laborers. He was, in every sense, a local emperor.

Most chilling was the right of self-defense. To protect the mine, he was authorized to kill any local indigenous person—man, woman, or child—and to burn hostile settlements.

"This reads like the diary of a colonial villain," Tang muttered.

"It is," Wu De said bluntly. "This is a prototype for our future colonial outposts. You are the governor. Without thunderbolt methods, you won't last."

"I understand the logic, but casual murder..."

"It grants you the power to kill, not the mandate. But you must be willing. If you show womanly compassion at the wrong moment, you invite disaster," Wu De warned. "Stand firm. If someone needs to die, let them die."

Tang nodded slowly. He hoped he wouldn't have to test his resolve.

Security would be provided by a platoon of thirty regulars under Huang Xiong, reinforced by the miners themselves.

"Four hundred men with pickaxes are a formidable force," Wu De noted. "We’ll issue weapons and drill them. In this region, you will be the strongest warlord around."

The logistics were finalized. A staff of thirty, under Lin Baiguang, would manage the dock. The Qiwei Escort Bureau would handle transit security.

The third voyage of the Qionghai Coal carried the workforce and the army. It also carried a squad of engineers led by Pan Da and over a hundred barrels of gunpowder for blasting.

As the ship plowed through the waves, the miners slept soundly on brand-new duffel bags, blissfully unaware that they were resting their heads on a floating powder magazine.

(End of Chapter)