Chapter 177: Saving Money

“There are over a hundred copies here, right?”

Carl Holton looked at the thick stack of resume files Li Mochen handed over, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly: “Are you building an army, A-Mo?”

“I don’t plan to hire that many; recruiting fifty people will be enough.”

Li Mochen shook his head slightly: “I doubt all of them will be willing to work for me, right?”

Carl Holton thought to himself that even fifty people was plenty! Even the security force of the Nathan’s Gate Building only had a hundred Level 9 warriors.

“A-Mo, can you tell me what you’re thinking? I’m completely confused. Or do you just plan to hire fifty Level 10s and call it done? I think the eleven unopened stores of the Rising Sun Company don’t need that many people. What do you take Atlanta for? A battlefield? We have to rely on the police and community security companies. Once the Blood Hand Gang stirs up trouble, they won’t just sit by.”

“What am I thinking? Since I intend to rely on my own strength to solve the problem, naturally the goal is to completely defeat the Blood Hand Gang.”

As Li Mochen spoke, he fell into deep thought. In fact, he had also been pondering Carl’s question: did he really need to spend so much money to build such a private armed force all at once?

But after just three seconds, his gaze gradually hardened.

—Whether out of morality, emotion, or interest, he could not allow Hazel to encounter any mishap or be led back to her original fate.

No matter what, he had to bring Hazel back to him whole and complete!

“Six outlaws, about fifty people at Level 9 or 10, about a hundred at Level 7 or 8. Form twenty-four security teams, fourteen combat teams, and three outlaw squads. Half will belong to the security company, and half will be privately hired by me.”

“I’ll have to spend this money sooner or later, Carl. Same logic as before: sooner is better than later. I think it’s better to build the private armed force I need now than to scramble later when facing stronger opponents. Besides, the best way to reduce casualties is to bully the weak with strength and outnumber the few with many. I can’t achieve that, but I must ensure that when facing the Blood Hand, we’re not outgunned. I have to consider the worst-case scenario; this number is the minimum.”

“Damn, I feel like you spend money as recklessly as a black guy. No matter how much you earn, it’s never enough.”

Carl Holton gave a bitter laugh, then unceremoniously said to the Red Finch Human Resources agency manager across the desk: “Mr. Wiseman, do you understand my friend’s needs? Please don’t fob us off with these resumes. You should know what he wants.”

The manager named Wiseman shrugged, then pulled another thick stack of resume files from his drawer and placed them in front of Li Mochen.

“For the twenty-four security teams, you must choose Americans with clean backgrounds; otherwise, you’ll be at a disadvantage. If something happens and there’s an exchange of fire, it’ll be hard to get them out of the police station or the FBI. But for the remaining fourteen combat teams and the outlaw squads, there’s no need to be so aboveboard. I guess A-Mo won’t just stay on the defensive; you might take the initiative to attack, right? So these guys with records, even illegal immigrants, are cheaper and much more useful. You don’t have to pay them extra wages, and they have no qualms about crime. Even if you ask them to kill—”

Carl Holton suddenly covered his mouth and looked around.

Across from him, Wiseman put on a helpless expression: “Gentlemen, the Red Finch Club does not advocate or support any illegal activities on your part, but within the club, none of your conversations will be leaked. This is a neutral force and the safe house of all Atlanta. The Red Finch has no bugs or recording devices.”

“I’m an upright, law-abiding citizen. Shouldn’t I be horrified and regretful for saying such things?”

Carl snorted, then turned to Li Mochen, who was silently flipping through the resumes again: “For the outlaws, two American citizens with clean records will do; the remaining four can also be found among illegal immigrants. Actually, there’s an even better option: you can hire mercenaries. That’s much cheaper, and you won’t have to cover their extra expenses.”

This was indeed a very good suggestion, but Li Mochen pretended not to hear it.

He couldn't do that; if he used mercenaries, they wouldn't count as his own power.

Only personnel with a personal dependency relationship with him would be calculated into his own 'luck' by the 'Divine Firmament Purple Gold Pagoda of Fortune.'

"Then there's equipment. You can buy from the Nathan Military-Industrial Complex. We can use our connections to supply you at about 14% below market price. Since it's a large-scale purchase, some discounts can be given. You can also buy well-maintained second-hand equipment from Red Sparrow, which should save you about five million gold shields. By the way, I heard that Red Sparrow recently received a batch of retired equipment from the military—its service life hasn't exceeded thirty years, right?"

"I've heard about that, but I'm not clear on the specifics."

The supervisor, Weissman, replied expressionlessly, "You can inquire at our self-operated Red Sparrow second-hand equipment store."

By now, Li Mochen's expression had gradually softened. These few words from Carl had saved him at least twelve million gold shields.

Half an hour later, he pulled out sixty of the new stack of résumés and placed them before Supervisor Weissman.

"Then please help me inquire about these people. Increase the commission by 20%. Be sure to make it clear to them that the employer requires absolute obedience to commands. Any illegal acts beyond the employer's orders are strictly prohibited here, and they must endure certain dangers. If they agree, I need to sign an infernal contract regarding the relevant terms."

This time, he had selected all Level 10s, each with fairly good talents.

The magic-energy professionals among these illegal immigrants not only outnumbered those native to America but also had overall strength that was half a notch higher.

And their commissions were often only two-thirds of those of native American citizens. So even with a 20% increase in commission, it was still below the average wage level in America.

"But I can promise to work hard to get them American citizenship. Also, for all the spoils of war, after the overall sale, I will return 30% of them as a reward."

...

Soon after, Li Mochen walked out of Supervisor Weissman's office holding a stack of résumés for Outlaw-level personnel, and under the guidance of a server, stepped into a bar on the other side.

At the Outlaw level, Li Mochen dared not rely solely on the materials provided by the Red Sparrow Club to make his choice. He had to see for himself and then decide.

This time, he had initially selected 28 people, but half of them hadn't come to Red Sparrow, meaning they couldn't be interviewed.

However, Li Mochen's recruitment process went very smoothly. An annual salary of 1.2 million and 13A-level equipment were very attractive even to native American Outlaws.

After Li Mochen confirmed two of them and signed the employment contracts and infernal contracts under the witness of the Red Sparrow Club, he returned the remaining résumés to the server.

There were still two final candidates. Li Mochen already had two people in mind, whom he would secure no matter the cost.

One was named Sampson Brut. Five years ago, he had served in the Marine Corps and the Red Scorpion unit. He was not only a promising lieutenant colonel but also a powerful magic-energy shooter with a dual profession. However, a sudden crime had ruined his prospects.

The other was also a military veteran, an old fellow. But this man had a rich résumé, having served as a captain in the army and later as a security supervisor in two companies, with quite impressive records.

But just as Li Mochen was walking toward Sampson Brut under the server's guidance, he suddenly paused, his gaze falling on a disheveled figure at a nearby table.