Chapter 246

Chapter 246 Skewers of Two Sides 27

Scalpel was stunned.

Was this an illusion? He said he was a Remover, and after gaining some combat abilities, he didn’t receive much attention, yet claiming to be the boss of a startup company suddenly made him valuable. Wasn’t the Shadowless Organization the kind that had its leader lead their members through harsh conditions, akin to walking through fire and sword, bloodshed at the tip of the knife?

“Y—You… which talent do you see in me?” Scalpel asked uncertainly.

The mysterious interviewer from the Shadowless Organization replied, “Of course, your management skills.”

Kui Xin’s words confirmed Scalpel’s suspicions, and he fell silent.

“Does the organization need me to start a business?” Scalpel mulled over for a moment before asking, “This is an organization for players. The first batch of beta testers have only been here for a few dozen days. We don’t have a base here, and the Shadowless Organization only started recruiting a couple of weeks ago. So, I assume you don’t want me to manage what already exists but something new.”

Kui Xin agreed, saying, “That’s right. You’re very clear on this.”

“So, that’s how it is. I understand.” Scalpel nodded. “We’re still laying the foundation, isn’t that right?”

“That’s correct.” Kui Xin continued. “The Shadowless needs a legitimate company to stand publicly. This company should provide continuous financial support for the organization, be a bridge between the organization and various social strata in the Second World, and filter talents.”

It was evident that Scalpel was careful and level-headed, and he also had traits of a businessman. For example, he was good at seizing opportunities and taking calculated risks.

“To establish such a company, we must prepare a lot. There are many things we need to consider.” Scalpel said after a moment of deep thought. “First, a regular company requires a legal representative, who needs a legitimate identity. My face can transform into many people’s appearances, but I can’t create a legal identity for myself. Secondly, we need to clearly think about the direction our company will take. If we were to form a technology company, what would be our technological support? Do we have the technical talent? If we were going to set up a trading company, do we have suitable channels for procurement and sales, connections… Above all, thirdly, we need seed capital.”

“The third point is not an issue,” Kui Xin responded. “The first point is an issue, but not a significant one.”

Scalpel stated, “Then we should focus on the second point… Does the organization have any specific strategies in mind?”

Kui Xin thought, ‘Good question. I know nothing about business.’

“It won’t be easy to breach technical barriers. Behind a successful research project lies a mature scientific team, not merely one or two technical talents. Developing a tech-based company at this stage is unrealistic, but it might be possible in the future.” Kui Xin analyzed the specific issue. “As for connections… You know the current survival situation of players; there’s no need for unrealistic expectations. Let’s look at other areas like advertising marketing, media operations…”

“Not bad. That has a lot of room for development.” Scalpel mulled it over. “Coincidentally, my college major relates to this area, so I can apply it effectively. In fact, the overlap between this world and ours is significant… Many people in both worlds are living a life that eventually leads to their death. They are controlled by rumors, confined within information bubbles, they self-eradicate and indulge in their emotions… However, in the Second World, the sense of impending death due to entertainment is more pronounced. From a purely commercial perspective, the Second World is very suitable for media development. As long as the products we release are eye-catching and continuously attract audiences, someone will invest.”

“You have quite a few ideas,” Kui Xin remarked. “Please write a business plan and submit it as soon as possible.”

Upon hearing these words, Scalpel’s expression froze. For a split second, he experienced hallucinations, momentarily believing he was back at his college graduation, when the interviewer kindly requested, “Write a plan; it tests your capabilities.”

Back then, innocent Scalpel diligently submitted the plan, only to have the company he pitched for white-wrapped it. Eventually, he turned around and founded his business, successfully becoming a small boss.

Now times had changed, and unexpectedly, he had become even busier as a boss, starting afresh in another world. He felt a bitter irony.

“How much start-up capital do you expect to need?” Kui Xin asked.

“In this place, the registration capital of a company starts at a million. Adding the cost of early advertising and manpower expenses, the initial funds required will be at least two million… And there’s no guarantee of profitability in the beginning…” Scalpel said carefully.

“Okay,” Kui Xin replied without a change in tone.

At this moment, Scalpel returned to reality. Since the interviewer answered so readily, it seemed that the Shadowless Organization wasn’t short of money… He distinctly remembered that recently, the Shadowless had kidnapped a member of the Popov Clan and caused a wave of advertisements to spread and the public’s uproar to be sparked.

“Maotoufu,” Scalpel said with hope. “Is our organization rich? Loan interest rates in this world are not cheap, and if we can’t get the money, we may have to take out a loan, and it could take centuries to pay back…”

Kui Xin glanced at him calmly. “We have enough money to help you start. No need for loans.”

Scalpel’s heart instantly calmed down. He felt elated.

Back when he started from scratch, he had gone through countless procedures to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in start-up money through loans. His current situation was far better; millions could be acquired with ease! With such favorable conditions, Scalpel felt his confidence reignite immediately.

“I’ll go write the proposal,” Scalpel said.

“Alright.” Kui Xin replied, “In the future, you can team up with Wei Li and the Golden Ring. Your strengths complement each other well. Take time to understand them more, but don’t pry too much and don’t reveal too much about yourself.”

“I understand.”

The spatial vortex opened, and Scalpel walked into it.

Now, the meeting room was left with Kui Xin alone.

She sat in her chair for a while in thought. Wei Li had the ability to read minds, effortlessly reading regular people’s thoughts; she could accompany Scalpel during negotiations. Scalpel himself lacked powerful offensive abilities; the extraordinary ability of the Golden Ring was strong, allowing her to make up for his weaknesses as a bodyguard.

A perfectly balanced trio.

Very well, they managed to hire capable people… Kui Xin was very satisfied with the outcome of this interview.

But just one person to manage the company was insufficient, and those who could do management were hard to find.

For technical talent, Kui Xin’s current candidate was the faraway Xi Liang. Due to technical reasons, the Shadowless couldn’t establish a tech-focused company now, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t do it later.

Everything needed time and accumulation.

Setting up a media company was a promising route, and Kui Xin proposed it because, like Scalpel, she recognized certain characteristics of the Second World—its entertainment-heavy environment.

Control media, control entertainment, control public opinion, control channels of expression… Then manipulate people’s minds, their rationality, and influence their actions and words.

That’s frightening.

From the chaos stirred up by the Popov Clan kidnapping incident in the Second World network, Kui Xin had vaguely seen these attributes, and even in this event, Kui Xin had herself manipulated public opinion several times.

“Yet there aren’t enough hands…” Kui Xin focused. She began to recall the application information from the first-world players wanting to join the Black Snake faction. Most player details had a cursory glance, she had carefully noted those with potential.

Management talent was scarce, but Kui Xin had a ready candidate—Xie Gankqing, who belonged to the hacker group.

He was the son of Jingchu’s richest man and managed several companies, truly possessing abundant management experience and a touch of business acumen. Members joining the Black Snake faction would inform Kui Xin of their activities in the Second World, so she knew about Xie Gangqing’s current location inland and relative stability.

Opportunity could arise to recruit Xie Gangqing.

Also, Xi Liang’s recruitment plan should be put on the agenda, although he was far away in Hei Hai City…

Kui Xin’s mind flashed. She suddenly had an excellent idea for a starting entrepreneurial location—Hei Hai City.

She was familiar with the city, and more importantly, under the