From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 757 Golden Finger

Norton II's expectant gaze made Amber feel a little pressured, but that was all.

"future?"

Amber repeated it, then the corners of her mouth curved up and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Lord Regent, do you have any misunderstanding about me? I, Amber, am just a pure businessman."

Amber spread out her hands, her posture looking extremely casual, even a little lazy.

"My goal in establishing the Atlas Group may disappoint you because it is too common and simple. It is to simply expand and strengthen the company and watch the company's performance grow day by day. As for what kind of future to build, to be frank, that seems to be beyond the business scope of a businessman."

After hearing Amber's words, Norton II snorted in obvious disbelief and with a strong sense of disdain.

"Businessman? Mr. Amber, don't mistake me for one of those fat-bellied fools. In order to understand you, Atlas, I have mobilized a lot of resources from the Imperial Intelligence Department to investigate your daily operations and what you do on those remote planets in the Federation."

He leaned forward slightly, and the fire of inquiry rekindled in his pupils, which had seemed a little cloudy, as if he wanted to see through Amber.

"You have established those huge industrial zones, efficient agricultural clusters, and a management model that is completely different from the existing systems of the Federation and the Empire. Mr. Amber, don't tell me that it is just for the sake of making money. I have seen that in the areas that Atlas actually controls, something is quietly taking root - fairness, a kind of almost absolute, cruel fairness."

"fair?"

Amber shrugged and smiled playfully. "Maybe. But in my opinion, it's just a byproduct of the pursuit of 'corporate efficiency'. In other words, if you want to maintain stable efficiency, 'fairness' is absolutely necessary. I can't accept that the people below let the long-term planning of the group be hindered for a little profit."

Amber left Norton II and sat down on a chair nearby. He looked very relaxed. He had thought that this meeting with the Regent would be as confrontational as Kira Yamato's meeting with the Speaker.
"If a company wants to continue to make profits and gain a larger market share and benefits, what is the most important thing? It is efficiency, sir. Reduce all unnecessary internal friction, optimize all cumbersome processes, and make every part and every person in the most appropriate position to maximize their value. Atlas Group is just more thorough and more inhumane than others in this regard."

"I do not believe."

Norton II shook his head, his tone firm and unquestionable.

Amber curled her lips: "Why don't you believe it?"

"This high-sounding rhetoric may be able to fool those stupid and short-sighted nobles outside, but don't try to fool me. Tell me the truth, Mr. Amber, what exactly do you and Atlas behind you want to do?"

"the truth?"

Amber glanced at the closed entrance of the command room and deliberately dragged out her voice: "Lord Regent, if we continue to talk like this, I'm afraid those loyal guards outside will be completely disarmed by my troops and become prisoners~"

Norton II waved his hand, showing no sign of concern on his face.

"Let them surrender. I have already lost. From the moment I ordered their surrender, their fate is no longer in my control. Avoiding unnecessary bloodshed is the last thing I can do for them. Now, I have plenty of time. I want to hear the real Atlas model, the secret that supports your rise."

Amber was silent for a moment, as if she was carefully weighing the pros and cons, or as if she was admiring the desperate posture of the hero in front of her.

Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind and spoke again: "It's very simple. The core principle can be summed up in eight words - let the right people do the right things and then, within our ability, ensure that the results are absolutely fair."

Norton II frowned, his face full of confusion and undisguised disappointment: "Is it that simple?"

He couldn't help but ask, leaning forward again, his tone almost pleading: "Mr. Amber, I will soon be a prisoner. Maybe in a few days, I will be sent to the gallows by Agnes. If I can really figure out how you led Atlas to rise in such a short time and created such amazing efficiency and power before I die, I, Norton II, will die without regrets!"

Amber carefully observed every subtle expression on Norton II's face, the eagerness and inquiry mixed with the calmness and unwillingness of being at the end of the road. It didn't seem to be completely pretended?

"Okay." Amber spoke again, her tone flat. "Atlas Group is essentially no different from any other large enterprise. It also breaks down macro-strategic goals layer by layer, and finally implements them to every specific position and every specific person. The key is that we have a performance evaluation and internal monitoring system that is far beyond your imagination, extremely strict, and even cruel. Every employee, from senior executives to grassroots workers, will get a corresponding return after actuarial calculation for how much contribution they have made and how much responsibility they have assumed. And any attempt to exploit loopholes in the rules, especially the use of power to embezzle, cheat, and harm the public for personal gain..."

Amber paused when she said this, her eyes suddenly turned cold, and some bad memories flashed through her mind.

"Once discovered, they will be fired without any warning, demotion or chance to make corrections. Their information will be blacklisted and they will never be hired again! If there is any violation of the law, no matter how big or small the amount is, it will be handed over to the local judicial authorities for handling. Atlas's legal department will ensure that they pay the price they deserve. If the local judicial authorities are unwilling to handle it, we are also happy to help them 'handle' it.

On our planet controlled by Atlas, the same logic is implemented in industrial zones, agricultural clusters, and administrative management. All those involved in production and management must follow the same set of derived detailed rules.

We have significantly cut down on those bloated and inefficient administrative management levels, delegated power to those who really do things, and used advanced technical means to conduct all-round and all-round supervision. In this case, the efficiency ratio will naturally go up. "

Seeing Norton II listening to him carefully and thinking silently, Amber added the last sentence:
"Those who remain after the brutal screening of this system are all people who are truly capable and willing to work! As for those who are cunning and just want to get by with a high salary, they have long been ruthlessly eliminated because of their failure to meet KPI assessment standards. Atlas does not support idlers. Every employee of the Atlas Group is a gear in this huge machine."

Norton II listened very attentively, his brows sometimes furrowed as if he was thinking about the loopholes, and sometimes relaxed as if he had glimpsed the door to a new world. He was completely immersed in the cold and efficient operating logic described by Amber.

Amber narrated calmly, and did not hesitate to expose Atlas's operating logic, which was almost a social engineering experiment, nakedly in front of the former imperial regent.

However, his narration, which is like the "Spring and Autumn style", also conceals the most core element that makes all this possible - the existence of Lilith.

Without Lilith's capabilities that cannot be replicated by other AIs, her ubiquitous monitoring network, her absolute loyalty to Amber, and her ability to make fair judgments, it would be a fantasy and a foolish dream to achieve this level of task decomposition, performance evaluation, and absolute supervision to eliminate corruption in such a large and complex human organization.

Human society is full of variables, and humans themselves are extremely complex creatures that are difficult to predict.

Without Lilith as the internal monitor, the invisible yet omnipresent sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's head, any sophisticated institutional design will eventually breed difficult-to-eradicate infestations due to the weaknesses of human nature.

Amber was convinced of this.

He believed that there were saints in this world, but he also knew that this world was made up of ordinary people, and ordinary people had weaknesses and soft spots and were more easily tempted.

Therefore, Lilith is the ultimate insurance for the huge machine of Atlas to run efficiently and always remain honest.

It is also Amber's real "golden finger" in this world.

At least at this stage, no one or any force can do anything under her nose without being noticed.

After a long while, Norton II slowly and long exhaled, as if he had just digested a huge amount of information.

He raised his head again, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Amber had undergone some subtle and profound changes. It was no longer a simple scrutiny and inquiry, but instead had a bit more recognition?

He said calmly, "Mr. Amber, you haven't told me how you did all of the things you mentioned above. I know very well that it is absolutely impossible to do it with human power alone."

"Sorry, that's a trade secret~"

The Regent was speechless for a moment. After a moment, he smiled softly and continued:
"I understand. Mr. Amber, you, or Atlas behind you, do have the power to bring real change to this corrupt empire."

But he suddenly changed the subject, his eyes became sharp, with a hint of warning.

"But you chose to cooperate with Princess Agnes. You must be aware that this princess and the old aristocratic forces around her will become the biggest obstacle for you to implement this system! They have enjoyed privileges for centuries and are deeply rooted. They will never give up their interests easily, let alone willingly accept this top-down reform that almost touches their souls!"

(End of this chapter)