The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Having resolved the major problem of Yu Guiyi, Yu Qing finally felt half at ease. But even bigger troubles were yet to come.
His fingertips unconsciously tapped the back of the chair. There was no time to delay; the two major problems of conquering Heaven and conquering Earth must be resolved as soon as possible before the focus could truly be placed on the development of their own people.

He knew better than anyone that the possibility of a peaceful succession was extremely slim. Even if it were possible, it would take years, even decades, to gradually achieve—but he couldn't afford to wait that long. He had many other things to do and no energy to waste on these matters.

But acting recklessly would be tantamount to suicide. Yu Qing rubbed his temples; he still had too few bargaining chips. Even if he succeeded by chance, if this internal strife damaged Shengtian's foundation, the ever-watchful Shengdi Group would surely seize the opportunity to attack.

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits, and all his plans will come to naught.

Outsmart him. As the word flashed through his mind, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

His recent victory over Yu Guiyi further convinced him that, at times, wisdom truly can overcome any army. And now, he was about to make the first move in this war without gunfire.

Chang Sheng. The name rolled across Yu Qing's tongue, carrying a chilling undertone. This interim president of Shengtian Group now clearly considered the company his own.

The relationship between Yu Qing and him is similar to that between young emperors who have not yet assumed power in ancient times and powerful ministers who hold real power—one is the emperor in name, and the other is the emperor in reality.

His first step was to make sure that all the lower and middle-level employees of Shengtian Group knew that the true legal heir had returned.

Yu Qing was almost certain that Chang Sheng had kept the news of his return a closely guarded secret, and that probably only the senior management of Shengtian knew of his existence.

A plan gradually took shape in his mind. He wanted to emulate the "general amnesty" granted to new emperors upon their ascension to the throne in ancient times, giving all employees an unexpected and generous gift. Thinking of this, Yu Qing could almost picture Chang Sheng's ashen face when he received the news.

Despite being the heir, his power is actually limited: he can appoint and dismiss company executives and issue executive orders; his core powers are to veto the annual budget and to intercept the use of funds exceeding 10 billion RB.

However, these powers are full of loopholes: for example, while he can dismiss Chang Sheng, if there is no suitable replacement, the dismissal order will be greatly undermined.

Chang Sheng could easily bypass the administrative system to issue orders, and large sums of money could be split into several smaller sums to evade supervision. Not to mention that Chang Sheng's confidants also controlled various key departments.

However, Yu Qing has one advantage that Chang Sheng cannot take away: he can issue announcements and first-level administrative orders through the administrative system at any time. Normally, first-level administrative orders are only sent to senior management, but Yu Qing has the authority to make them public to all employees.

Yu Qing tapped his watch and summoned his assistant: "Immediately draft a first-level executive order and send it to every node in the company in my name."

The assistant asked hesitantly, "Master, should we issue this to a lower-level administrator...?"

“Yes, immediately.” Yu Qing’s tone left no room for argument.

Ten minutes later, every employee of Shengtian Group received an administrative order from the highest level of authority on the company bulletin board. When people opened the document marked with an expedited notification, they could hardly believe their eyes. It read:
"Thanks to the hard work and cooperation of the vast number of employees of Shengtian Group for more than 100 years, the company has continued to grow and prosper. Today, the newly appointed legal heir, Yu Qing, in order to thank the employees for their hard work, has ordered the interim president, Chang Sheng, to distribute a reward of 2 million RB to each employee starting tomorrow."

This sum, a personal donation of 28 billion RB, was transferred to the company account at 10:30 AM today. My gratitude is insignificant; I humbly request your continued support and encouragement.

This unexpected document, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up a huge wave throughout the entire Shengtian Group.

From the top-level CEO's office to the open-plan workspaces at the grassroots level, from the break room to every corner of the corridor, almost everyone was whispering, their faces filled with shock and curiosity.

The company community, internal communication platforms, and almost all work groups were buzzing with discussion about this executive order from the mysterious successor.

"Two million RB per person!" A young employee in the finance department almost jumped out of his chair. "How much money is that?"

An older employee next to him pushed up his glasses and muttered, "Based on the group's 10,000 employees, that's at least 20 billion, etc. The document says 28 billion was transferred? That's not right..."

Someone quickly realized, "They must have included the outsourced and subsidiary staff! My God, this new boss is really going all out!"

At the same time, some senior employees began to mention the mysterious legend that had been circulating within the company—that in addition to the Shengtian Group, the founder had also established an extremely large foundation that controlled unimaginable wealth.

A marketing manager confidently declared, "I told you long ago that the legend wasn't unfounded! The new boss must have inherited a huge fortune from the foundation!"

This rumor quickly spread among the employees, becoming increasingly exaggerated. By afternoon tea time, some were confidently claiming that the new boss had taken over assets worth "several trillions of RB," although no one truly understood what that figure meant.

Many people spoke highly of their new boss, whom they had never met. Although no one had ever seen him, many talked about him with great enthusiasm, as if they had just had lunch with him.

This almost blind worship was partly due to information that Yu Qing had his assistant gradually release through carefully designed channels.

This information was cleverly packaged to demonstrate Yu Qing's legitimacy as the heir and to highlight his personal charisma.

What's most eye-catching is that in this era where everyone advocates remaining single, the new boss is actually a handsome, unmarried young man. This news made the vast majority of unmarried women in the Shengtian Group fall in love overnight, and even many married women couldn't help but inquire further.

"I heard he has an indestructible body and can fly," several female employees chattered together during lunch. "And he independently ran a company in the eastern region, earning ten times the annual profit of Shengtian in just a few months!"

Most of the younger male employees became fans of Yu Qing. They not only envied his wealth and status but also saw him as a hope for breaking the old order. These young people had long been dissatisfied with their older colleagues occupying high positions in the company, and now they finally saw the possibility of change. "Maybe we really have a chance," a young engineer in the R&D department told his colleagues. "The new boss seems to value talent and doesn't care about seniority."

At this moment, however, the atmosphere in the CEO's office was as cold as winter. Chang Sheng stared at the administrative order on the screen, his electronic pen snapping in two with a "snap." His face was ashen, and his eyes were practically spitting fire.

This move was incredibly clever. The money had already been deposited into the company account; he had no reason not to comply. Even a single day's delay would have made everyone in the company want to tear him apart or gossip that he was trying to embezzle this huge sum of money.

However, if he complied, it would be tantamount to explicitly acknowledging Yu Qing's absolute authority to the entire company, leaving him with no choice but to obey orders from then on.

This will be a pivotal moment in weakening his authority. Overnight, he went from being a revered CEO to the "second-in-command."

Those who have always been at odds with him will surely think the time to challenge him has come, and may already be secretly plotting to do so.

However, what was even more impressive was the second administrative order that Yu Qing issued immediately afterward.

The order required Chang Sheng to submit a list of 100 candidates within 30 days to participate in the "Shengtian Company Outstanding Employee Selection Activity Commemorating the 300th Anniversary of Yu Yunshan's Birth". Ultimately, 10 outstanding employees will be selected, each receiving a reward of 1 billion RB.

This selection event, seemingly ordinary, is actually fraught with hidden dangers. Everyone wants the 10 billion RB prize, but there are only 10 spots available, and every decision Chang Sheng makes will be scrutinized under a magnifying glass. Just drafting the list of 100 candidates is enough to give him a headache for a long time.

If the list is full of his trusted confidants, it would be tantamount to revealing his factional affiliations to Yu Qing; if he doesn't include his own people, his loyal subordinates will resent him and become disloyal. No matter what he chooses, he will be doomed.

Chang Sheng leaned back in his leather chair and let out a long sigh. For the first time, he truly felt the threat posed by this young heir—not a ruthless power struggle, but a masterful display of political maneuvering. This game had only just begun.

Less than two days later, Yu Qing's third administrative order, like a carefully crafted soft sword, was drawn silently, pointing directly at the core lifeline of the Shengtian Group's vast structure—talent.

This administrative order made Chang Sheng, who was already restless, even more uneasy, as if he were sitting on a volcano about to erupt.

This time, Yu Qing did not choose a direct confrontation. Through his assistant, he opened a previously exclusive, encrypted "Chairman's Direct Access" file link on the internal work platform for all employees of the company.

The executive order was delivered in the form of a beautifully designed and sincere electronic letter, with the title: "Listen to your voice, jointly envision a brighter future – Opinion Solicitation Plan".

In the letter, Yu Qing wrote in a very approachable tone that every employee of Shengtian is the company's most valuable asset, and he longs to hear the real voices from the front lines and the grassroots.

Whether it's strategic visions for the company's long-term research direction, refined suggestions for improving management process efficiency, or optimization plans for the operation of the existing administrative system, they are all included.

Any suggestion that is adopted will be generously rewarded, ranging from paid leave and extra bonuses to valuable project resources and fast-track promotion opportunities.

What truly ignited the company's excitement was the ultimate, extravagant reward: ten "best ideas" would be selected from all suggestions, and the person who made each suggestion would receive a super prize of 30 million RB!
The news caused an immediate uproar on Shengtian Group's internal forum. Employees were no longer whispering; they were excitedly discussing it at their workstations and in meeting rooms. Thirty million RB was an astronomical figure for most people, enough to completely change their lives.

It's easy to imagine that, driven by such a huge temptation, almost all employees who consider themselves to have ideas and talents will flock to this platform like a tide, racking their brains and sharing their knowledge.

Chang Sheng angrily shut down the internal forum page, his face so dark it seemed to drip water. He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, looking down at the quiet street below, his heart boiling like a pot of water.

He saw it all clearly: This was no "soliciting opinions" at all; it was clearly a conspiracy, an open and blatant "selection competition for loyal talents"!
When Yu Qing first arrived, he knew almost nothing about the intricate web of interpersonal relationships within the group and the hidden talents among its various members. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken him several years to figure things out.

But this move is like throwing the most tempting bait into a deep pool of water, instantly attracting all the largest and most active fish from underwater, making them completely visible.

Through this activity, Yu Qing can easily identify those elites who truly have independent thinking ability, strategic vision, and practical talent—many of whom are often people who may be buried or unsuccessful in the existing system.

In this back-and-forth process of "receiving advice," Yu Qing could naturally bestow favors upon them and bring them under his control. Those who had previously harbored resentment towards Chang Sheng might also use this opportunity to establish connections with Yu Qing…

It is conceivable that when a suggestion is adopted, a generous bonus is awarded, or an opportunity is "seen" and valued by the top leader, these talented individuals would feel recognized and quickly establish their loyalty to Yu Qing personally.

Chang Sheng felt a strong sense of powerlessness. At this moment, he was unable to stop it, or even show any intention to object.

On the surface, this appears to be a perfectly legitimate and beneficial management measure for the company. Moreover, almost everyone genuinely supports the plan! It's difficult to disobey the will of the people.

He could only watch helplessly as Yu Qing, with his glittering wealth and primal thirst for knowledge, easily dismantled the power barriers he had built up over many years, and precisely targeted his most valuable assets—the true core talents who supported the operation of Shengtian Group.

Yu Qing's chess moves became more and more precise and ruthless with each step. Of course, this wasn't something he came up with out of thin air while sitting there.

Donghao had millions of strategic stories from human history in his mind, from which he summarized a dozen or so similar cases and presented them to him. However, he was only inspired by some of these cases.

Chang Sheng wasn't stupid. He also sensed the approaching danger. Clearly, if things continued this way, it wouldn't be long before he was gradually marginalized. The most terrifying thing was that he still had a bunch of financial loopholes that he hadn't had time to fix. If they were exposed to the public, he would be truly finished.

"At worst, we'll both perish," he thought bitterly. (End of Chapter)