Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

After Hanchuan left, I sat alone in the office for a long time. Outside the window, the sun was setting, and the clouds in the sky were dyed blood red, just like my anxious mood at the moment.

I forced myself to calm down. Hanchuan went to investigate, and I couldn't sit idle here. The conflict between the new and old employees in the base had reached a point where it had to be resolved. If it continued like this, it would only make the situation worse.

I took a deep breath, stood up and called a meeting of all the employees. The atmosphere in the meeting room was terribly depressing, and everyone's face was full of anxiety and uneasiness.

"I called everyone here today to discuss with you the difficulties the base is currently facing and how we can solve them." I looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice.

As soon as I finished speaking, an old employee stood up and asked in a bad tone, "Manager Mu, you still have the nerve to say that? Since you came here, the base has become what it is now. How can you make us believe that you can still solve the problem?"

"That's right. When Master Liu was here, we never encountered such a thing!" another old employee echoed.

"Enough!" I slammed the table, interrupting their complaints. "I know you are very unhappy with me now, but please understand that everything I do is for the good of the base!"

"For the good of the base? I think you're doing it for yourself!" a new employee said sarcastically, "You started with some technological innovation, but what happened? The technology was stolen, the customers were gone, and now the base is going bankrupt. You still have the nerve to say that you're doing it for the good of the base?"

The conflict between the old and new employees broke out completely, and the conference room suddenly became a mess. Everyone was talking back and forth, and no one was willing to give in. I tried hard to control the situation, but it was no use. My voice was drowned out by the noisy quarrel.

At this moment, the door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open, and Hanchuan walked in with a tired look on his face. He frowned when he saw the chaotic scene in front of him.

"What happened?" He walked over to me and asked in a low voice.

I shook my head helplessly. Before I could open my mouth, I heard a harsh voice: "Boss Bai, you're finally back! You need to take care of this. If this continues, the base will really be ruined!"

Hanchuan's expression became even gloomier. He looked around at everyone and said in a cold tone, "Shut up!"

The conference room suddenly became quiet, and everyone held their breath, waiting for Hanchuan's next instruction.

"I will give everyone an explanation for this matter." Hanchuan's eyes fell on me, with a hint of worry in his eyes, "You go and have a rest first, leave this to me."

I nodded and turned to leave the meeting room. I knew Hanchuan still had a lot of things to deal with, and I couldn't cause him any more trouble.

I returned to the office and forced myself not to think about the base, but the chaotic scene in the conference room and the resentful eyes of those employees kept appearing in my mind.

At this moment, the phone on the desk suddenly rang. I took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Hello, how are you? May I ask who you are?"

"It's me." A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, and my heart suddenly rose to my throat.

"How is it? Any progress?" I asked anxiously.

"No." The voice on the other end of the phone was full of fatigue. "The other party is very cunning. I checked for a long time and didn't find any useful clues."

My heart sank immediately. Is there really no way out?

"But..." The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly paused, "I found something that may be helpful to us."

"What's the matter?" I demanded.

"I found out..." The voice on the other end of the phone lowered a few notes, "They seem to be in close contact with a logistics company recently..."

"Logistics company?" I repeated these words, and suddenly an idea flashed in my mind. "You mean, they are likely to use logistics companies to transport the stolen technical data?"

"I'm just guessing. There's no solid evidence yet." The person on the other end of the phone said cautiously, "However, I've investigated this logistics company before. Its background is not clean. It's very likely that they were involved in their activities."

My fingers tightened slightly around the phone. If this was true, then things would become even more difficult. Since those people dared to steal technology so blatantly, there must be a powerful force behind them.

"I see. I'll find a way to investigate this as soon as possible." I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. "You should also be careful over there. Contact me if there is any situation."

After I hung up the phone, I felt even more depressed. The base issue had not been resolved yet, and now a logistics company with a complicated background was involved. The development of the matter was getting more and more out of my control.

I rubbed my aching temples, stood up and walked to the window, looking at the sky gradually darkening outside, my heart filled with powerlessness.

"What's wrong? You look so ugly?"

I heard Hanchuan's voice behind me. I turned around and saw him walking towards me with a cup of steaming milk in his hand.

"Nothing, just a little tired." I took the milk and forced a smile. "How are things at the base?"

Hanchuan sat down next to me and gently put his arm around my shoulders. "I have already calmed down the employees, but..."

He paused, as if hesitant about whether to continue.

"Just what?" I asked, with a sense of foreboding rising in my heart.

"It's just that the problem of logistics and distribution has not been solved yet." Hanchuan sighed, "I contacted several logistics companies, but their quotes were too high. Given the current financial situation of our base, we simply cannot afford it."

My heart sank immediately. Logistics and distribution are the lifeblood of the base. If I can't find a suitable logistics company in time, the base will be finished.

"Is there no other way?" I murmured to myself, my tone full of despair.

Hanchuan didn't say anything, but just patted my shoulder gently, indicating that I shouldn't worry too much.

I knew he was comforting me, but I felt even worse.

I put down the milk, walked to my desk and turned on my computer. I had to find a solution as soon as possible, otherwise it would be too late.

I remembered the problem with the space system before, maybe I can try to fix it. If the space system can be restored to normal, then I can use the supplies in the space to solve the urgent needs of the base.

I opened the operating interface of the space system and began to carefully check each functional module, trying to find out where the problem lies.

Time passed minute by minute, and beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, but the space system still did not respond.

Just when I was about to give up, I suddenly found an abnormal record in the system log.

"The system has detected an unknown error and is trying to repair it..."

A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. Could it be that the space system can really be repaired?

I stared at the screen closely, afraid of missing any details.

However, the next second, my hope turned into despair.

The prompt message in the system log suddenly turned into a glaring red:

"Warning! The system has detected an unknown hidden danger and repair has failed! Please contact the system administrator as soon as possible!"

My head buzzed, I felt dizzy, and almost fainted.

Not only did the space system fail to be repaired successfully, but even more serious unknown hidden dangers emerged!

I slumped in the chair helplessly, my heart feeling cold.

It's over, it's over...

At this moment, someone suddenly knocked on the office door, and then an anxious voice came from outside the door:

"Manager Mu, something bad has happened..." Xiao Liu from Finance rushed into the office in a panic, sweating profusely and his face was pale.

My heart tightened. Before I could ask, he spoke incoherently: "The bank called and said that our loan..."

"What's wrong with the loan?" I forced myself to calm down, but a sense of uneasiness rose in my heart.

"They, they said that we were overdue and asked us... asked us to pay back the loan as soon as possible, otherwise... otherwise they would sue us!" Xiao Liu's voice was obviously trembling, and he was obviously frightened by the call from the bank.

I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm. The base's capital turnover has been tight for a long time, and the bank's loan demand was also expected. I just didn't expect them to take action so quickly.

"Don't panic. Just tell me what happened in detail." I motioned Xiao Liu to sit down, poured him a glass of water, and signaled him to calm down.

Xiao Liu took the water cup, gulped down a few big gulps, and calmed down a little before speaking incoherently: "The bank said that the loan we borrowed before has been overdue for more than a month. According to the contract, they have the right to require us to repay all loans in advance. If we can't pay off all the debts within a month, they will sue us in court, and then..."

"I see." I interrupted him and signaled him not to continue. I was already very clear about the seriousness of the matter, and the most important thing now was to find a way to solve the problem instead of getting confused here.

I turned to look at Hanchuan, but saw that he was also frowning, obviously worried about this matter.

"What should we do now? There is simply not that much money in the base's account. If the bank really sues us, then the base will be really finished..." I muttered to myself, my tone full of despair.

"If it really doesn't work, just sell some of the unripe crops at a low price." Hanchuan was silent for a moment, and suddenly spoke with a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"No!" I refused without even thinking about it. Although doing so could temporarily ease the financial pressure, it would seriously damage the reputation of the base, which would not be worth the cost.

"I know what you're worried about, but there's no other way now." Hanchuan walked over to me, gently held my hand, and said in a heavy tone, "If we don't do this, we can only watch the base collapse. By then, all our previous efforts will be in vain."

I understood what he meant and knew that what he said was right, but I really couldn't bear to watch those unripe crops being sold at low prices.

"Is there really no other way?" I leaned weakly on the chair, closed my eyes, and my mind was in a mess.

Hanchuan didn't say anything, but just held my hand tightly, giving me silent comfort.

After a long while, I opened my eyes, looked at Hanchuan firmly, and said, "Let's think of other ways. There must be other ways..."

I opened the drawer and looked through the materials I had sorted out earlier, trying to find a glimmer of hope.

"Found it!" My eyes lit up, and I pulled out a document from a pile of documents and said excitedly, "We can try to apply for government support funds!"

"But..." Hanchuan did not show a happy expression on his face, but became more solemn. "It takes a long time to apply for government support funds, and it may not be approved. Now..."

"I know, but we have to give it a try!" I interrupted him and said firmly, "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we can't give up!"

I picked up the phone and started contacting relevant departments...

Outside the window, the night is getting darker and darker, but the lights in the office are still bright. We are like two boats struggling in a storm, not knowing when we will see the light of dawn...

Hanchuan's concerns were not without reason. The application process for government support funds was complicated and the success rate was extremely low. I went back and forth and submitted a thick stack of information, but I still didn't get a clear answer.

"Jinli, don't lose heart, let's think of another way." Seeing my increasingly haggard face, Hanchuan felt distressed. I knew he was trying his best to comfort me, but seeing the situation at the base getting worse and worse, my heart felt like it was being pressed down by a huge rock, and I couldn't breathe.

"Do I really have to give up?" I murmured to myself, my tone filled with reluctance.

"Of course not!" Hanchuan held my shoulders with a firm look in his eyes, "We can't give up, nor can we sit and wait for death!"

He began to take the initiative to share my pressure, going out early and returning late every day, running around, contacting potential partners, hoping to win new orders for the base. However, since the last incident, the reputation of the base has been damaged, and many partners have avoided us. Hanchuan has encountered obstacles everywhere, but he has never given up.

Looking at his exhausted figure, my heart was filled with guilt and emotion. I knew that all this was because of his love for me and for this base.

"Hanchuan, thank you for your hard work." Late at night, I brought him a cup of hot tea and said with heartache.

"Silly, we are a family, there is no need to talk about hardship or not." He took the teacup, took a sip gently, and a tired smile appeared on his face, "As long as I can get through the difficulties with you, I am willing to endure any hardship or fatigue."

I knew we couldn't just sit there and wait for death. I began to re-examine the situation at the base, looking for any possible turnaround. I read a lot of information, visited nearby growers, and even asked someone to go to other places to study advanced planting techniques.

"Jinli, what are you busy with?" One day, I was sorting out documents when Hanchuan suddenly pushed the door and walked in.

"I'm trying to find ways to improve our planting techniques and increase crop yield and quality," I said without raising my head.

"Well, that's a good idea." Hanchuan walked over to me, picked up the information on my desk and looked through it. "However, when I was investigating my competitors recently, I found some very interesting things..."

His tone was a little mysterious, and I suddenly had an inexplicable premonition in my heart. Could it be...