82: Chapter 82 Paid training, base salary of 10,000 for all employees!

The more than ten thousand workers in the back watched as the overseers knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy. No one spoke, but many slowly pulled their hands out of their pockets, where they had been tightly clutching their fifty-yuan notes.

Lu Chen looked at them for two seconds, then turned his head.

"I have already given you a chance," Lu Chen's voice resonated across the entire venue. "At Chenguang Electronics..."

He said, enunciating every word, "I don't care about your background. As long as you work honestly, I will have your back. If anyone bullies the honest folks down there, the people you see today will be your fate."

The entire venue was silent.

But this time, many people stood up straight.

"Supervisor Zhou," the young man with the broken glasses suddenly shouted from the crowd, "I... I don't want compensation. Can I start working tonight? The factory director is giving us money and housing; if I don't do some work, I won't feel at ease."

Someone in the crowd shouted along.

"I can work too! I used to be a foreman!"

"Let me go to the construction site to move bricks, that's fine too!"

Voices emerged one after another, like boiling water, bubbling up from every direction.

System notifications rang densely in Lu Chen's mind:

[Ding! Hidden achievement triggered: Thunderous Methods.]

[Detected 10,742 new employees, average loyalty has exceeded 90%.]

[Warning eliminated! New employees have an extremely high willingness to work, countdown lifted.]

[Current total registered personnel has exceeded 17,000, system daily output funds locked.]

The three-day countdown was lifted.

Lu Chen threw the microphone to Old Zhou.

"Everyone, find a new supervisor to receive your tasks." Lu Chen turned and walked off the stage.

Just as Lu Chen threw the microphone to Old Zhou, Da Biao had already opened the car door.

"Boss, the north side of the city is rushing us," Da Biao said in a low voice.

Lu Chen's foot was already on the pedal, but his movement suddenly froze.

He heard the swarming breathing sounds of the more than ten thousand people behind him.

The young man whose glasses were smashed was shouting to work, and thousands of people followed suit, their voices filled with obvious fear.

They were afraid that after today's incident, Lu Chen would find them troublesome and chase them all away.

Lu Chen withdrew his foot, turned around, walked to Old Zhou's side, and snatched the microphone back.

The square instantly went silent, so quiet that even the sound of the wind blowing across the metal door could be heard.

"Stop shouting," Lu Chen's voice came through the loudspeaker. It lacked the sharp, murderous aura he had when dealing with Baldy Zhao earlier; his tone was surprisingly steady.

The people below all tensed up.

"The parasites have been cleared out. Now, let's talk about your benefits," Lu Chen scanned the crowd.

Sister Liu held her daughter tightly, her heart in her throat. An old worker next to her had palms sweating profusely.

Everyone was wondering, is he going to lower our wages? Or is he looking for an excuse to lay us off?

"Old Zhou," Lu Chen called out, tilting his head without looking at the workers.

"Here!" Old Zhou quickly stood up straight.

"Single mothers whose dorms were snatched, those with elderly family members, and those with physical disabilities," Lu Chen pointed to the newly built apartment building, "Give them all large, south-facing rooms on the first floor. You handle this personally. If it's not arranged well by tonight, you can go tighten screws on the assembly line tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Factory Director Lu! I'll lead the team to register them personally. If there's even the slightest mistake, I'll go scrub the toilets!" Old Zhou replied loudly.

The workers' eyelids twitched. Is he already starting to take care of the vulnerable groups?

Lu Chen turned his head and looked at the crowd below.

"I know what you are afraid of."

Lu Chen curled the corner of his mouth into a smile, "Afraid that I won't pay your wages, afraid that what happened just now was just killing the chicken to warn the monkeys, just acting for you to see. What you are most afraid of now is having no work to do tomorrow, afraid that I will use the excuse of 'no assigned positions' to not pay you."

The young man with glasses moved his lips but didn't dare to make a sound; this was the worry on everyone's mind.

More than ten thousand people—what factory can absorb so much labor overnight? If there's no work, why would the boss pay them?

"But I'll tell you the truth, you really can't get on the assembly line right now," Lu Chen's voice spread across the entire venue, "My production lines are full."

With a buzz, the crowd exploded into an uproar.

"It's over, it's over. This means he doesn't want us."

The old worker's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

"Factory Director Lu, I have a lot of strength, can I go move bricks for you! A hundred a day is enough!" a man shouted until his voice cracked.

"I can do anything! I don't need a ten thousand base salary, two thousand is fine. I still have two mouths at home waiting to be fed!"

Panic spread like a plague. This kind of contrast, seeing the edge of heaven only to be kicked down to hell, was the most torturous thing.

Lu Chen watched their reactions and deliberately paused for three seconds, waiting for their panic to reach its peak.

"Everyone shut up," Lu Chen snorted coldly into the microphone.

The entire venue went deathly silent instantly, tens of thousands of people staring at him with wide eyes.

"I said you don't need to go on the assembly line, but I didn't say I wouldn't pay you."

Lu Chen's tone became as if he were talking about an ordinary, trivial matter, "Starting from eight o'clock tomorrow morning, all staff will enter a paid training phase."

"What?" Old Zhou was stunned.

The more than ten thousand people below were also completely dumbfounded.

"Training? Where are we training?" the young man with glasses blurted out subconsciously.

"Hongxing Vocational and Technical College has dozens of large classrooms empty, and several old warehouses belonging to Tengfei Electronics in the factory area have also been cleared out. Old Zhou, go buy ten thousand folding stools tomorrow."

Lu Chen stared at everyone, "Everyone, go to the classrooms in batches tomorrow to study the new machine operation manuals, memorize the safety regulations, and watch technical videos."

Lu Chen raised his voice, "You don't need to shed a drop of sweat in the workshop, just sit there and listen to the lectures! As long as you clock in for class, a ten thousand base salary and top-tier social insurance and housing fund will be calculated and deposited into your payroll cards, down to the last cent!"

Over ten thousand people were like they had been collectively immobilized; they were all stunned.

"F-Factory Director..." the old worker stuttered, "You mean, let us go to class... and still pay us a ten thousand base salary?"

"Do you have an objection?" Lu Chen asked back.

"No... no objection! But... what kind of boss pays us to listen to lectures?" The old worker's eyes immediately turned red.

"Tengfei Electronics didn't teach you the rules, so I will teach you," Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to say more, "As long as you show up, you get paid. If anyone sleeps in class or sneaks off, you will be fired immediately."

Just at this moment, a crisp system notification popped up in Lu Chen's mind.

[Ding! 10,742 employees have been assigned clear work content (paid theoretical training), substantial labor judgment established!]

[Three-day countdown penalty has been completely eliminated!]

Lu Chen sneered inwardly. This system is rigid; as long as it is nominally work, attending class counts as labor, and that is enough.

The workers had not yet recovered from the ultimate shock of "getting ten thousand yuan for attending class."

Suddenly, a scent of meat so thick it couldn't be dissolved drifted over from the road behind the square.

It was the aroma that erupted after fat was seared by high heat and open flames, mixed with the umami sweetness of scallion oil and seafood.