Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Without a Ripple
The sudden upheaval within the Fernando Clan went unnoticed by the outside world, as everyone aware of the situation was already under control.
Likewise, the violent internal shake-ups that occurred within numerous gangs in Manila’s Tangdu District did not expose Homo Sapiens Company’s involvement.
After all, these gangs had long been associated with the Fernando and Lopez Clans. With the two principal families remaining silent, the other clans naturally saw no reason to meddle.
For context, of the five great clans of Luzon, the Marcus Clan’s sphere of influence was in northern Luzon Island; the Xu and Aquino families were in the central Luzon Islands and the Manila Region; the Aroyo Clan was in central Luzon Island and the Manila Region.
The Fernando Clan was in southern Luzon Island, and the Lopez Clan was in the Manila Region.
In addition, there were also many powerful mid-sized families, such as the ethnic Chinese Chen Family, the assimilated Chinese Tusun Clan, and the indigenous Du Clan, among others.
Each of these families had its own territory and areas of operation.
The vast majority of Manila’s gangs were affiliated with the Fernando and Lopez Clans, so the other families would not get involved until they had a clear picture of the situation.
This gave Homo Sapiens Company some breathing room.
Li Qingye never fought a battle he wasn’t confident of winning. The surprise attack on the eight gangs in Manila and the capture of Jacques Fernando and Dorotea Lopez were all part of his plan.
He gave the other factions no time to react, launching a direct, blitzkrieg-style decapitation strike.
With the patriarchs of the two great clans under his control, the entire affair could be disguised as internal strife.
「The next morning.」
Many high-level members of the Lopez Clan learned the "truth" of the matter: an internal power struggle had erupted within the Fernando Clan. Gafei had teamed up with his uncle, Harry, to kick his older brother, Mad, out of the Manila Region.
As for why gangs affiliated with the Lopez Clan were also affected, the official story was that the Fuzhou Gang had offended Gafei. The exact nature of their grudge was unknown.
In any case, the Lopez Clan’s patriarch had no intention of pursuing the matter, because Gafei had given the family an offer they couldn’t refuse.
According to the official story, Jade Energy Company, which controlled the power market in southern Luzon Island, would partner with the Lopez-controlled Manila Electric Company, and the two would swap shares.
Jade Energy would give 30% of its shares to Manila Electric, and in return, Manila Electric would give 15% of its shares to Jade Energy.
This was the first layer.
The second layer, which was apparent to many, was that Gafei was using the Jade Energy shares as an apology to the Lopez Clan, placating them and convincing them to let the Tangdu incident slide.
This was why the Lopez Clan’s anger had subsided so quickly.
But within all this, there was a third, secret layer.
The leader of the Lopez Clan had become one of Homo Sapiens Company’s own. The share swap was nothing more than a charade—the left hand trading with the right.
For now, the Lopez Clan was allowed to savor their victory, a move that also stabilized the family’s internal affairs. Once some time had passed and Dorotea Lopez’s "reconditioning" was complete, it would be time for Homo Sapiens Company to fully absorb the Lopez Clan.
With the two major clans having reached an accord, the other families, though greatly disappointed, soon put the Tangdu incident behind them.
「Meanwhile.」
By wiping out the eight gangs in the Manila Region, Li Qingye had acquired a large number of personnel.
For instance, Zhang Hao and the others—107 people in total who had passed the preliminary tests and been injected with bio-chips—were all given the manager program and incorporated into the ranks of the Spider Web.
Some of these individuals would be assigned to various company departments, while others would join the Security Department and be deployed to other regions.
In addition, the mid- and low-level gang members were carefully screened. The most heinous among them were all converted into Soldiers, while the rest were reassigned to various locations.
According to the count provided by Chen Jianxiong and Phil, a total of 1,372 people were singled out. This scum of the earth would be converted into Soldiers, destined to burn brightly for the glory of Homo Sapiens Company.
With so much manpower, many of Li Qingye’s plans began to accelerate.
For example, the infiltration of global intelligence networks. With so many new managers and Soldiers, expansion was naturally much faster.
Then there was the personnel for the Blood Blade Special Team. He separated Blood Blade from the Security Department, placing it under the management of Gurian (codename Wolf Spider), the former Deputy Director of the Security Department. The Blood Blade Special Team was no longer subordinate to the Security Department but answered directly to Li Qingye.
The Blood Blade Special Team’s roster was expanded to 372 members, and Wolf Spider was given full responsibility for their training and management.
More than two weeks had passed since the Tangdu incident.
The date was now January 17, 2019.
This year, with the assistance of the Fernando Clan, Homo Sapiens Company set up even more discreet shell companies for its eel fry sales business.
Many of these front companies had their own fishing vessels and farms, which made the eel fry sales operation much more secure.
Before the Spring Festival, they sold a total of 39,000 portions of eel fry. At an average price of 17,300 US dollars per portion, this generated 670 million US dollars in revenue.
There would be another market surge after the Spring Festival, which could bring in several hundred million more US dollars.
Now *that’s* what you call making money.
It was faster than robbing a bank.
Although the Fernando Clan’s total assets were valued at over forty billion US dollars, a huge portion of that was in fixed assets, such as real estate, plantations, and mineral rights.
The Fernando Clan’s annual profit was only around four to five hundred million US dollars, which paled in comparison to Homo Sapiens Company.
Sometimes, the power of technology was just that absurd.
「During the Spring Festival.」
Li Qingye did not return to his main base in Dart Port, remaining instead at the manor in Manila.
During this time, the Lopez Clan’s patriarch, Dorotea Lopez, along with several other handpicked scoundrels from within the family, were successively converted into Soldiers.
Finding scum in a great clan like this was truly all too easy.
Finding suitable candidates to become managers, however, proved to be more difficult.
Gafei had been chosen, in part, because he was a relatively conventional person compared to his older brother, Mad.
Although he also liked to fool around, he was particular about consent. The gold-diggers and minor celebrities he was with came to him willingly, unlike Mad and Redis, who preferred to use force.
Mad and Redis were thoroughly depraved, and even within the Fernando Clan itself, many held strong objections to the pair.
Gafei and Harry, on the other hand, were at least arguably still human. If they too had been thoroughly depraved, they would have had no choice but to be converted into Soldiers.
Now, as for the Lopez Clan, finding a suitable candidate to join the Spider Web as a manager was proving to be a real headache.
The main problem was that among the members of the Lopez Clan’s main branch, they were either thoroughly depraved or still children.
Selecting someone from a branch family would seem too abrupt.
With no suitable candidates available for the time being, Li Qingye could only select five managers from the current Spider Web. He had them join the Lopez Clan, ostensibly as aides to Dorotea and the others, but in reality, these managers would be the ones controlling the family.
Besides handling these matters, Li Qingye had another reason for staying in Manila over the Spring Festival.
A target he had previously been monitoring was scheduled to visit Manila as a tourist during the Spring Festival.
Li Qingye had originally planned to have Chen Jianxiong send a team to Borneo in Malaysia after the New Year to find an opportunity to lure the person out. He never expected his target to deliver himself right to their doorstep.
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