Chapter 332: Mercy and Austerity

There were 32 people in total in the security division’s middle and upper management. Thirty of them were present in the hall at that moment. The two who couldn’t make it had been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. Most of those present in the hall also seemed to be injured in some way.

Of course, a few of them had dressed up for the occasion, as if they hadn’t recently experienced a terrible war.

Eyes flickered towards the members of the security division when Gao Peng began praising them.

Some of the audience squirmed in their seats as if they were sitting on pincushions.

“I’ve already said this before. Those who have contributed the most will be rewarded, while those who have erred will be punished,” said Gao Peng, a faint smile playing on his face.

“Let’s start with your reward.”

As soon as he finished his sentence, a gray-suited Hou Mu climbed up the platform and briskly strode towards Gao Peng. He handed a stack of papers to the latter.

“Young master, here are the documents that you wanted,” said Hou Mu in a low voice.

Gao Peng took the documents from Hou Mu and nodded at him.

“I’m now going to reassign some of the security division’s manpower to two new divisions: the combat and reconnaissance divisions,” he said flatly.

“The combat division will be handling combat operations and other emergencies on the field, while the reconnaissance division will be in charge of reconnaissance missions in the wild. The security division will still be in charge of security matters in the company,” continued Gao Peng.

Combat and reconnaissance missions were originally part of the security division’s responsibilities. Now, Gao Peng had decided to assign two new divisions to both aspects of fieldwork.

“I’ll reassign existing personnel to both divisions. Zheng Tiezhuang will now be head of the combat division, while Liu Changhao will be in charge of the reconnaissance division,” said Gao Peng firmly.

Zheng Tiezhuang and Liu Changhao were originally high-ranking members of the security division. Both had made stellar contributions on the battlefield, which had attracted Gao Peng’s attention. Also, during his conversation with both men, Gao Peng had sensed a certain closeness between them.

While Zheng Tiezhuang had a ruthless way of doing things, Liu Changhao was more methodical and had a talent for leadership roles. Under his leadership, the surge of monsters from the southern gate was kept at bay without fail.

Under Liu Changhao’s leadership, even the Golden-Pincered Spotted Prawns hadn’t had a chance to make a move back then.

Members of the security division would receive a promotion in accordance with their contribution on the battlefield.

This was also an acknowledgment of their bravery on the field.

Employees in other divisions would also be given a raise according to how well they had handled the urgency of the situation.

As there were currently no high-level positions available in the Southern Sky Group’s Yang Cheng branch, said employees would have to make do with a nice bonus instead of a promotion.

After listing out all the bonuses he would be giving out, Gao Peng suddenly stopped in the middle of his speech.

He flipped his script to another page and frowned, his eyelids slanted downward like a pair of guillotine shears.

“Zhang Yue, Han Fu, Chen Zhang, Li Jiaxian,” said Gao Peng. “These men are high-ranking members of the security division. They’re also currently among us right now.”

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Upon hearing Gao Peng say their names, all four men stiffened in their seats and looked up at Gao Peng.

Their hearts were now thumping hard against their chests.

“All four have been found guilty of desertion on the eve of battle,” said Gao Peng calmly. “Your actions severely affected the troops’ morale back then. As none of you have shown any signs of remorse for your actions, your familiars will be locked away in the basement laboratory, and all four of you will be relieved of your positions in the Southern Sky Group, effective immediately.”

“I don’t care if you fire me, but you can’t take away my familiars. You have no right to lock them away,” shouted Li Jiaxian. “The Allied Government has clearly stated that a familiar is one’s personal property and belongs to no one else!”

He then looked around and saw that everyone else was looking at him with a bemused expression. The other three who had been called out by Gao Peng simply sat there without a word, their faces pale.

“Why aren’t you three saying anything? Get up! He’s going to take away our familiars. He has no right to do that to us!” said Li Jiaxian angrily, grabbing Han Fu by the collar.

Han Fu’s pale face grew red as a clearly agitated Li Jiaxian shook him around. He pushed Li Jiaxian away and said, “Enough.”

“God damn it. Man up, you—” Before Li Jiaxian could finish his sentence, Zheng Tiezhuang came up from behind him and lifted him up by the neck with his right hand, then threw Li JIaxian to the ground!

Li Jiaxian fell to the ground with a bang. The impact nearly rendered him unconscious.

Without waiting for him to recover, Zheng Tiezhuang went up to Li Jiaxian, his bushy-browed, dark-skinned face filling his line of vision.

“Shut. Your. God. Damn. Mouth.” Zheng Tiezhuang growled each word through gritted teeth.

One of Zheng Tiezhuang’s childhood friends had lost a leg in the aftermath of the battle and was now receiving treatment in the hospital. Even if he completed his treatment, there would be no way to reattach his leg, as it was currently sitting in the stomach of a kelpie.

Right now, Zheng Tiezhuang had no qualms over beating up the piece of garbage named Li Jiaxian to within an inch of his life.

“Your familiars were issued to you by the company in the first place. Your actions have violated the terms of your contracts. That gives us the right to take back your familiars,” said Gao Peng, gazing at Li Jiaxian’s pitiful form impassively.

“Also, you’ll be fined a hefty sum for violating our code of conduct. You will receive a letter shortly from the company’s lawyer.

“Wang Liang,” said Gao Peng. A middle-aged man suddenly stood up and answered his call.

“Present.”

“Have human resources spread the word about the decisions I’ve made around the company later.”

“Understood,” said Wang Liang.

Gao Peng closed his eyes. He still needed to handle some of the employees whose performances hadn’t been up to his standard. However, he wouldn’t punish them the same way he had Li Jiaxian and the others.

Moderation in all things, he thought. Punishment is only a means to an end, not the other way around.

Inappropriately punishing someone for what seemed like a minor offense would only serve to demoralize everyone else. Gao Peng only needed to look back in history to learn that nothing good had ever come from excessively punishing one’s subordinates. Mercy and restraint was the right way to go.

“Those who didn’t perform well on the battlefield this time will receive a pay cut for three months. This will be put on your personal records,” announced Gao Peng solemnly. “Those who were injured on the battlefield will receive half a year’s salary in advance. As for the three who lost their lives in battle… Their families will be taken care of by the company. Their family members will be offered positions in the company, and their children’s education and accommodation costs will also be covered by the company.”

When he was finished, Gao Peng closed his file. “Meeting adjourned. That will be all.”

Everyone began walking out of the meeting hall. Only Zhang Yue, Han Fu, Chen Zhang, and Li Jiaxian remained seated in the room, ashen-faced.