Lin Mo did not blink. He unscrewed his stainless thermos and took a quiet sip of warm tea.
“A labor blacklist only works when workers have no choice,” Lin Mo said. “Master Lu, how much does a certified master mason earn in Jiangcheng right now?”
Master Lu wiped wood dust from his sleeve. “Three hundred yuan a day on a good site. But contractors withhold wages for months. When winter comes, bosses vanish and leave families to starve.”
“Then we will break their game completely,” Lin Mo said. “Starting tomorrow, Taichu Heavenly Construction pays fifteen hundred yuan a day. Paid in crisp cash at five o’clock every single afternoon. We provide air-conditioned capsule dorms with hot showers, plus three free meals a day from Grandma Chen’s kitchen.”
Master Lu stared in shock. The twenty apprentices froze at their drafting tables.
“Fifteen hundred a day?” Master Lu stammered. “Chairman Lin, that is five times the market rate! For two thousand men, labor alone will cost three million yuan every day!”
Three million a day is pocket change, Lin Mo thought deadpan. When every honest dollar spent on righteous workers returns a hundredfold, underpaying them is terrible business. Fair wages are the easiest profit engine in the world.
“Good craftsmanship deserves dignified pay,” Lin Mo said, capping his thermos. “Chief Architect Lu, print the banners. Commander Tie, bring thirty armored guards and two cash trucks to North City Labor Market. Tomorrow, we break their blacklist.”
***
At dawn, thick mist hung over the North City Labor Market.
Over three thousand migrant workers huddled in worn coats against the cold, clutching dented hard hats and rusty trowels. Around the gravel square, a dozen thugs in leather jackets tapped lead pipes against their palms.
“Listen up!” a scarred thug barked through a megaphone. “Zhao Real Estate and Boss Lei Bao run this city! Anyone who works for anyone else is blacklisted for life! Take two hundred a day on Zhao sites or starve!”
The workers stood in bitter silence. No one dared to cross Lei Bao’s thugs.
Twin diesel engines roared in the distance.
Two dark-blue armored transport trucks rolled into the square, followed by five black SUVs. The tailgates dropped with a heavy thud.
Commander Tie Niu stepped out, his broad frame clad in dark tactical Kevlar. Behind him, thirty veterans of the Righteous Iron Guard set up crowd barriers in seconds.
Master Lu Jian walked down the ramp. His back was straight, his healed leg stepping firmly without a cane.
A massive crimson banner unfurled across the lead truck:
[TAICHU HEAVENLY CONSTRUCTION: 2,000 MASTER CRAFTSMEN WANTED]
[WAGE: ¥1,500/DAY — PAID IN CASH AT 5:00 PM SHARP EVERY DAY]
[FREE AIR-CONDITIONED CAPSULE DORMS & GRANDMA CHEN'S WAGYU CANTEEN]
[REQUIREMENT: 80+ MORALITY & CRAFTSMANSHIP SCORE ON SCANNER]
The entire gravel square fell silent.
A burly mason rubbed his eyes. “Fifteen hundred a day? Cash at five? Is this real?”
“It is real!” Master Lu Jian called through a megaphone. “I am Lu Jian! You know I never cut corners, and I never lie to builders! Chairman Lin Mo of Taichu Group backs every word with cash!”
Lin Mo stepped forward in a plain black jacket. Beside him stood the glowing pedestal of the [Morality & Skill Scanner]. On the steel table behind him rested open cases packed with neat stacks of red hundred-yuan banknotes.
The scarred thug spat on the gravel and marched forward with eight men.
“Lu Ban’er, you cripple!” the thug snarled. “Boss Lei broke your leg once. Did you forget? Pack this circus up before we smash your trucks to scrap!”
He swung his lead pipe toward the scanner.
Tie Niu did not shift his stance. He caught the swinging pipe in mid-air and squeezed.
CRUNCH.
The iron pipe crumpled. Tie Niu twisted his wrist, ripped the weapon away, and planted his palm into the thug’s chest.
The thug flew back six yards, crashing hard into wooden pallets.
“Taichu sites do not tolerate trash,” Tie Niu said coldly.
The other seven thugs dragged their gasping leader away and sped off in a van.
A loud cheer swept through the crowd.
An older mason with graying hair pushed forward from the front row. It was Old Zhang, one of the eighty honest bricklayers whom Shen Qiaoqiao had saved from contractor wage theft days earlier.
“Chairman Lin!” Old Zhang called out, tears in his eyes. “You saved our wages before! Are you really hiring?”
“We need the best builders in the city, Old Zhang,” Lin Mo said. “Step up and press your right hand to the glass.”
Old Zhang pressed his rough palm onto the glowing glass.
A crisp chime rang out, and emerald light bathed the square:
[SCANNING CANDIDATE: ZHANG DEFU]
[GOODNESS SCORE: 91/100 — LIFELONG HONEST CRAFTSMAN, NEVER CUT CORNERS]
[SKILL LEVEL: LEVEL-4 MASTER STRUCTURAL MASON & TILE ARTISAN]
[VERDICT: HIGHLY QUALIFIED RIGHTEOUS BUILDER!]
Lin Mo counted out fifteen crisp red bills.
“Old Zhang, you are Masonry Team Leader,” Lin Mo said, handing him the cash. “Here is your first day’s wage in advance. Take your badge, dorm key, and meal pass. Grandma Chen’s food truck is serving beef dumplings on the south corner.”
Old Zhang looked at the bills in his trembling hands.
“Paid in advance?” Old Zhang choked out. “Brothers, this is real! Line up!”
The crowd surged forward in four neat lines.
[CANDIDATE: TOWER CRANE OPERATOR — GOODNESS: 88/100 — APPROVED!]
[CANDIDATE: PRECISION WELDER — GOODNESS: 86/100 — APPROVED!]
[CANDIDATE: REINFORCED CONCRETE SPECIALIST — GOODNESS: 90/100 — APPROVED!]
A few shady thieves tried to slip through, but the scanner flashed red, rejecting them instantly:
[CANDIDATE: SITE THIEF & GAMBLER — GOODNESS: 14/100 — REJECTED!]
By ten that morning, two thousand certified master masons, crane operators, and welders had signed contracts. Each carried advance cash, a dorm key, and a meal voucher.
Two thousand honest workers recruited in four hours, Lin Mo thought, watching them board the shuttle buses. Zhao Kai thought fear could control this city. He forgot that dignity and prompt cash win every time.
Master Lu walked over, his eyes bright with joy. “Chairman Lin, we have the finest workforce in the province. But men cannot pour concrete without materials. What about our steel and cement?”
Lin Mo looked at Su Wan, who was reviewing supplier files on her tablet.
“What is the status of the local mills?” Lin Mo asked.
“Lei Bao and Zhao Real Estate locked down every major distributor at dawn,” Su Wan said. “They signed exclusive agreements with heavy penalties. No commercial batching plant will sell us a single bag of cement.”
“Is there no independent producer in Jiangcheng?” Lin Mo asked.
Master Lu paused, remembering something. “There is one. Director Tie Wanshan. He runs Jiangcheng Specialty Alloy Steel Mill and Eco-Cement Works in the west district. People call him Director Iron.”
“Tell me about him,” Lin Mo said.
“He is an old metallurgical genius,” Master Lu explained. “He holds twelve national patents for high-tensile earthquake-resistant rebar and green volcanic slag-cement. His steel has three times the shear strength of regular rebar. But he has an iron temper. Last year, Lei Bao tried to force him to mix slag into his steel. Director Iron chased Lei Bao out with an iron bar.”
Master Lu sighed. “Lei Bao retaliated. The cartel cut off his raw ore, pressured banks to call in his loans, and blocked all his buyers. His mill owes fifty million yuan in defaulted notes. If he cannot pay by four this afternoon, the court will seize his equipment and auction his patents to Lei Bao for scrap!”
Lin Mo tapped his fingers against his knee.
“A master metallurgist who would rather go broke than forge unsafe steel,” Lin Mo said. “Su Wan, ready the car. We are buying a steel mill.”
***
Thirty minutes later, the Maybach pulled up outside the rusted iron gates of Jiangcheng Specialty Alloy Steel Mill.
The yard was spotless, but quiet. Rows of overhead gantry cranes stood idle over stacks of deep-blue alloy rebar, each bundle stamped with quality seals.
Upstairs in the brick office building, harsh shouting echoed down the hall.
“Old Tie, sign the papers!” a greasy lawyer yelled, slamming a contract onto a scarred wooden desk. “Zhao Real Estate is offering five million for your whole yard! If you refuse, the bailiffs lock these gates at four. You will spend your retirement in debtor detention!”
Behind the desk sat a broad-shouldered man in his late fifties. His hair was iron-gray, and his forearms carried scars from molten steel. He wore a faded blue worker’s jacket.
“Get out,” Director Tie Wanshan said in a deep voice. “My titanium rebar can take a magnitude-eight quake. My eco-cement will not crack for a century. I will burn this plant down before I sell my life’s work to Zhao Tianxiong’s hyenas!”
“You stubborn mule!” the lawyer snarled, pointing a finger. “You think you can—”
The heavy oak door swung open.
Lin Mo stepped inside, flanked by Master Lu and Tie Niu.
“He does not have to sell to them,” Lin Mo said evenly.
The lawyer spun around. “Who are you? This is a private meeting!”
“Tie Niu,” Lin Mo said softly. “Throw this insect onto the gravel.”
“Understood.”
Tie Niu grabbed the lawyer by his collar and belt, carried him out like an empty sack, and tossed him down the corridor. A muffled yelp sounded from the stairs.
Director Tie Wanshan looked up, his sharp eyes squinting behind metal-rimmed glasses.
“Lu Jian?” Director Iron asked. “What are you doing here? Who is this young man?”
“Old Tie, this is Chairman Lin Mo of Taichu Group,” Master Lu said with deep respect. “He is building the eighty-eight-story Sanctuary Sky-Tower. He needs real steel, and he pays real money.”
Lin Mo stepped forward, inspecting the proud metallurgist.
[TARGET: DIRECTOR TIE WANSHAN]
[GOODNESS SCORE: 90/100 — HONEST METALLURGIST, ZERO CORRUPTION, PROTECTED INDUSTRIAL SAFETY STANDARDS]
[FINANCIAL DISTRESS: ¥50,000,000 OVERDUE DEBT DUE AT 4:00 PM]
Ninety points of goodness, Lin Mo noted. A man who starved rather than make dangerous steel. Another pure pillar who deserves full support.
“Director Tie,” Lin Mo said. “How much alloy rebar and eco-cement do you have ready in these warehouses?”
“Thirty thousand tons of alloy rebar,” Director Iron answered proudly. “And forty thousand tons of ultra-pure volcanic cement. Enough to build a fortress. But nobody in this rotten city dares to touch it.”
“Taichu Group buys all of it,” Lin Mo said. “And we are buying your plant. Not to strip it, but to expand it.”
Director Iron let out a dry laugh. “Kid, do you know what we owe? Fifty million yuan in defaulted bank loans. The court freezes everything in three hours. Empty talk will not save this yard.”
Lin Mo turned to Su Wan. “Su Wan, transfer fifty million yuan to the bankruptcy court and the mill’s account right now.”
Su Wan tapped her tablet.
Three seconds later, the desk phone rang loudly.
Director Iron picked it up with a frown. “Hello?”
“Director Tie!” his accountant screamed through the line. “The court called! All fifty million in debt has been cleared in full! The freeze is canceled! Our accounts are clear! The mill is completely debt-free!”
Director Iron’s hand went numb. The plastic receiver slipped from his grip, swinging against the desk.
He stared at Lin Mo in total disbelief.
A bright chime resonated directly inside Lin Mo’s consciousness:
[Ding! Detected spending of ¥50,000,000.00 RMB on Director Tie Wanshan (Goodness: 90/100) and the Taichu Specialty Metallurgy & Eco-Cement Works!]
[Target Integrity Verified: Lifelong defense of industrial safety standards.]
[Triggered 100x Pure Benevolence System Refund!]
[Received Cash Refund: +¥5,000,000,000.00 RMB!]
[Personal Liquid Vault: ¥24,152,180,000.50 RMB!]
[Benevolence Merit Points: +5,000,000 BMP!]
[Good People Network Expanded: 6,823 verified righteous allies (+2,001: Director Tie Wanshan & 2,000 righteous builders)!]
Five billion cash refund, Lin Mo thought, feeling the surge in his account. Twenty-four point two billion in liquid capital. Backing an honest builder and an honest steelmaker is the cleanest trade in the world.
Director Iron rose slowly from his seat, his weathered face trembling with emotion.
“Fifty million...” Director Iron whispered. “You cleared fifty million without even walking the shop floor?”
“Your ninety points of integrity is all the proof I need,” Lin Mo said calmly. “Director Tie, starting today, this plant is Taichu Specialty Metallurgy Works. You remain General Manager and Chief Metallurgist with full authority and a ten percent equity stake. Your first task is shipping all thirty thousand tons of rebar and cement to our Sky-Tower site.”
Director Iron gripped Lin Mo’s hand with iron-like strength.
“Chairman Lin,” Director Iron said, blinking back tears. “People told me honesty would ruin me. Today, you proved them wrong. Every bar of steel that leaves this yard will carry the honor of my family and Taichu!”
Two hours later, a massive convoy of sixty flatbed trucks loaded with gleaming blue alloy rebar and sealed cement tankers rolled toward the riverfront site.
At the Sky-Tower lot, two thousand newly hired builders cheered as the convoy arrived.
Lin Mo stood on the observation platform, watching the humming hive of organized labor.
Suddenly, Su Wan’s phone chimed. She listened for a few seconds, her expression turning sharp.
“Chairman Lin,” Su Wan said, stepping forward. “Our scouts at the Jiangcheng Construction Machinery Expo just called. Zhao Kai and Black-Sand Boss Lei Bao heard about our workers and steel.”
“What are they doing?” Lin Mo asked.
Su Wan tapped her tablet grimly.
“They just bought out the six largest crane rental firms in the province,” Su Wan reported. “Lei Bao signed an exclusive lockout on every heavy tower crane, crawler rig, and automated concrete pump at the Expo! Zhao Kai posted online that without heavy cranes, Master Lu will have to dig our eighty-eight-story foundation with plastic spoons!”