Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

"Come in." I rubbed my swollen and aching temples. Things have been happening one after another in the past two days, and I am almost breathless.

"Manager Mu, something bad has happened outside..." The man was sweating profusely and spoke in a hurried tone, but under my sharp gaze, his voice became smaller and smaller.

"Speak!" Bai Hanchuan shouted sharply. The visitor was startled and spoke tremblingly: "The rumors about our base's 'seeds are bad' and 'vegetables are poisonous' are spreading more and more fiercely in the market. Many old customers have called to inquire. In addition, today's new order..."

"What's wrong with the order?!" I stood up suddenly, feeling as if a huge rock was pressing on my heart, heavy.

"Today's order volume is less than yesterday... less than one-third."

My eyes went dark and I almost lost my balance. Bai Hanchuan quickly supported me with a terribly gloomy face. This is just the beginning. If the rumors continue to spread, the loss of the base will be immeasurable.

"Also, regarding logistics..." The visitor glanced at us cautiously and continued, "Their trucks have been breaking down frequently recently, and delivery delays are common. Many fresh vegetables in the warehouse have begun to rot..."

"How ridiculous!" I was so angry that I slammed the table. Logistics and distribution have always been the weak point of the base. Problems have occurred before, but I didn't expect it to be so serious this time. It's obvious that someone is deliberately targeting us!

"I understand. You go down first." Bai Hanchuan waved his hand, signaling the person to leave.

We were the only ones left in the office, and the depressing atmosphere was suffocating. I slumped down in my chair helplessly, and the busy figures of the workers in the base appeared in front of me. The vegetables that I had worked so hard to grow were about to rot in the warehouse, and my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.

"Don't worry, we can definitely get through this." Bai Hanchuan walked over to me, gently held me in his arms, trying to give me strength.

I know that he now has a heavier burden on his shoulders than I do. Not only does he have to find out the truth and appease the customers, but he also has to solve the problems of logistics and internal management...

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open, and an angry voice rang out at the door: "Mr. Bai, come out! Why do you..." The angry voice stopped abruptly, and I looked up and saw Wang Dazhuang standing at the door angrily, followed by several old employees of the base, each with a bad look on his face. Wang Dazhuang was one of the earliest employees of the base. He was honest, but also a little stubborn.

"Master Wang, if you have something to say, please talk about it nicely. You are..." I tried to ease the atmosphere, but was rudely interrupted by Wang Dazhuang.

"Manager Mu, ask him why he transferred old guys like us to the warehouse! Doesn't he know how much we have contributed to the base?!" Wang Dazhuang pointed at Bai Hanchuan's nose, spitting everywhere.

I looked at Bai Hanchuan, his face was livid, and he said nothing. I knew that the base had recently been short-staffed due to rumors that orders had dropped drastically, so he had transferred some experienced planting masters to help. But he did not discuss this matter with everyone beforehand, and simply notified the human resources department, which aroused the collective dissatisfaction of the old employees.

"Lao Wang, you misunderstood. Chuanzi is not..."

"We don't need an explanation! We just want an explanation!" Another old employee interrupted me. His name was Li Laosan, and he also had a bad temper. "When the base was recruiting workers, it was agreed that we were only responsible for planting and had nothing else to do!"

"That's right! Now that there are fewer orders, they treat us like animals and transfer us here and there. We won't do it anymore!"

"Get out if you don't want to do it!" Bai Hanchuan finally couldn't stand it anymore, slammed the table and roared, "The base has its own rules. If you don't want to do it, you can leave now!"

"You..." Wang Dazhuang was shocked by Bai Hanchuan's aura and was speechless for a while.

I quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Everyone calm down first, if you have anything to say, talk it out, don't hurt the harmony..."

"Peace? Is there any peace now?" Li Laosan sneered, "I think the base will be destroyed in his hands sooner or later!"

My heart tightened, and just as I was about to speak, I heard Bai Hanchuan's voice, low and dangerous: "What did you say?!"

The atmosphere was tense, and I felt an unprecedented pressure, like the calm before the storm. Just at this moment, my cell phone rang. It was Director Liu from the R&D department.

"Hello, Director Liu..."

"Manager Mu, something bad has happened..." Director Liu's voice was a little flustered, "Our technology... has been cracked..."

I was struck by lightning, and my phone fell to the ground with a "click" sound... Director Liu's words were like a thunder, exploding in my ears, and I was completely stunned. What does it mean that the technology has been cracked? It means that the advantages we have worked hard to build are gone, and it means that those competitors who are eyeing us can unscrupulously divide our market!

I stumbled to my feet, not caring to appease the angry employees, nor paying attention to Bai Hanchuan's livid face, and rushed into the office. I locked the door, took a deep breath, and forced myself to calm down.

"System, open the system panel!" I said to myself.

However, the only response I got was dead silence.

My heart sank, and I tried again, but still no response. My space system seemed to be malfunctioning!

How could this happen? This has never happened before!

I paced back and forth in the room anxiously, my mind in a mess. The difficulties facing the planting base were like a huge net, binding me tightly and making me breathless.

Orders dropped sharply, goods were lost, capital chain was broken, technology was stolen...the successive blows almost brought us down completely!

"Knock Knock Knock-"

There was a knock on the door, and Bai Hanchuan's voice came from outside the door: "Jinli, what happened?"

I took a deep breath, opened the door, and told him the content of Director Liu's call. After listening to it, Bai Hanchuan's face became extremely ugly.

"How could this happen..." He muttered to himself, frowning tightly, "The base is already short of funds, and the technology has been cracked, this..."

I understand his concerns. The base has recently laid off a number of temporary workers due to rumors and a decrease in orders. If they don't get paid, I'm afraid the morale of the people will really be weakened.

"Don't panic yet, let's think of a solution." I forced myself to calm down, comforting him and myself, "There will always be a way."

In the next few days, Bai Hanchuan and I devoted almost all our time to work. We ran around trying to recover the losses and find new orders, but with little success.

The clients who originally cooperated with us chose to terminate the cooperation for various reasons, and the new clients also backed out after hearing the news that our technology had been cracked.

To make matters worse, due to lack of funds, the purchase plan of new equipment had to be shelved and employees' salaries could not be paid on time.

The atmosphere in the base dropped to freezing point. Everyone was in danger and panic.

"boom--"

The office door was pushed open suddenly, and Wang Dazhuang rushed in with an angry face, followed by several old employees.

"Manager Mu, give us a definite answer, when will our salary be paid?" Wang Dazhuang asked in a rough voice. I saw his bloodshot eyes and trembling lips, and I felt mixed emotions. Several other old employees also looked tired and anxious. They had worked with Hanchuan and me from the beginning and had deep feelings for the base.

I took a deep breath and tried to explain in a calm tone: "Brother Wang, uncles, I know everyone is very anxious now. We are also trying to find a way to raise funds. I believe that everyone will be paid soon. Please give us a little more time, okay?"

"Manager Mu, it's not that we don't trust you, but how long has it been delayed? There are elderly people and children at home to support. We can't just keep waiting like this, can we?" An old employee couldn't help but speak up.

I opened my mouth, but I didn't know how to answer. In the past few days, Bai Hanchuan and I have tried every possible way, even shamelessly asking for help from old friends, but to no avail.

"enough!"

Bai Hanchuan stood up suddenly and protected me behind him. He swept his sharp eyes over everyone and said in a cold tone, "I guarantee with my character that I will give you an explanation! If you don't believe me, you can leave now!"

His words were powerful and carried an unquestionable majesty. Everyone was shocked by his powerful aura and fell silent for a moment.

Taking this opportunity, I quickly said, "Don't worry, Hanchuan and I will do our best to solve the problem and will not let your efforts go to waste!"

I tried to sound confident, but only I knew how nervous I was. As I watched everyone leave the office, my heart felt as if it was being weighed down by a huge rock.

"Hanchuan, what should we do now?" I leaned weakly in Bai Hanchuan's arms, with a hint of tears in my voice.

Bai Hanchuan hugged me tightly, resting his chin on the top of my head, and said in a low voice with a hint of fatigue: "Don't be afraid, I'll take care of everything."

I know that now is not the time to be weak. I must cheer up and face the current difficulties with Hanchuan.

"Hanchuan, I suspect..." I raised my head and looked at him firmly, "I suspect someone is behind this!"

Bai Hanchuan's eyes shone, "You mean..."

"That's right. Our technology has always been kept very secret. How could it be cracked all of a sudden? And those customers were clearly cooperating well with us before. How could they suddenly..."

The more I talk, the more I feel that my guess is correct. There must be someone behind all this, manipulating it all and trying to put us to death!

"I will get to the bottom of this matter." A cold light flashed in Bai Hanchuan's eyes, and his tone was icy, "If anyone dares to touch my people, I will never let him go!"

I held his hand tightly, giving him silent support. I know the road ahead will be even more difficult, but I believe that as long as we work together, we will be able to overcome all difficulties!

"You take a rest first, I'll go check some things." Bai Hanchuan patted my shoulder gently, turned and walked out of the office.

I looked at his back, and suddenly a bad feeling came over me...