77: A gilded resume

"So, this is your answer?" Reno's voice carried a trace of imperceptible disappointment. He looked at the light curtain flashing with countless names and resumes in front of Chen Feng, as if staring into a multicolored abyss.

Chen Feng didn't look back, his voice raspy. "I need someone who can get this machine running again, Reno. A real... manager."

His fingertips brushed across the interface of the [Interdimensional Talent Market], the various titles making his head spin.

"'Former Stellar-class Conglomerate chief operating officer,' starting bid, three million credits..." Irene gasped from the side. "This... this is enough for us to buy another small fleet."

"'Star Sector Development Expert, successfully incubated seventeen resource planets'... hiring fee negotiable." Chen Feng's voice was flat, but his knuckles were slightly white. "We can't afford them. These people aren't here to work; they're here to be emperors."

"Then what do we do?" Irene's voice was tinged with despair. "Boss, the Administration Department really can't hold on anymore. We can't even produce an accurate resource consumption report."

"If the auction doesn't work, we'll take another path." Chen Feng shifted his gaze from the expensive "High-End Recruitment" section to a more chaotic and information-dense section below.

[Freelancer Market].

"This is more like a... junkyard for galactic talent," Irene said, frowning.

"Gold can be found in junkyards too." Chen Feng's voice regained a hint of composure. "Irene, help me draft a recruitment notice. Remember, don't mention Hanhai Trade or Ashen Earth Star. Just say, 'A high-potential startup resource development company is seeking an Operations Director with a mining background to build a future together.'"

"Understood, Boss."

The moment the notice was posted, hundreds of applications flooded in like a tide. But as Irene expected, the vast majority were formatted spam or low-level personnel with mediocre resumes, still struggling for a few hundred credits.

Chen Feng and Irene filtered through them for three full hours. Just as their patience was about to run out, a resume made them both stop.

"Boss, look at this!"

"Karen, forty-seven years old. Former Operations Director of 'Silver Rock Mining Group,' served for fifteen years." Chen Feng read word by word. "Silver Rock Mining... I think I saw it in The Exchange news. It was maliciously acquired by the Omni-Dimensional Trade Alliance last month and declared bankruptcy."

"The resume is too perfect... it's as if it was tailored specifically for us," Irene murmured.

"Contact him immediately." Chen Feng didn't hesitate for a second. "Conduct a video interview right away."

In the next second, a holographic image unfolded in the command center. A well-dressed middle-aged man with meticulously combed hair appeared before them. He didn't look down-and-out despite his predicament; instead, he carried a weathered composure.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Chen." He nodded slightly, his voice warm and resonant.

"Mr. Karen." Chen Feng got straight to the point. "We've seen your resume; it's excellent. I want to know why you would choose an obscure startup like ours?"

"Because in your recruitment notice, I saw the same ambition as my former boss, and... the same naivety." A bitter smile played at the corners of Karen's mouth. "You only mentioned 'potential' and 'future,' but not 'risk management' or 'cost accounting.' This shows that your leader is an idealist, not a qualified businessman."

His words struck a nerve with Chen Feng.

"Please continue." Chen Feng's expression became serious.

"Based on your description of 'resource development,' I suspect your cash flow must be tight, your personnel structure complex, and you're desperately lacking a set of standardized management processes. What you need most right now isn't market expansion, but internal integration. Otherwise, the greater your 'potential,' the faster you'll collapse."

Every word of Karen's dissected Hanhai Trade's predicament with the precision of a scalpel. He even deduced several highly constructive suggestions for improvement based on the wording of the recruitment notice.

In just ten minutes, Chen Feng was almost certain that this man was the answer he was looking for.

"Mr. Karen, what are your salary requirements?"

"Money isn't the most important thing." Karen appeared reasonable. "I just want to find a place where I can realize my ambitions and prove to the Omni-Dimensional Trade Alliance that what they destroyed was a company, not a man."

He paused, a look of difficulty appearing on his face. "However... I do have a problem. Because the company went bankrupt, all my personal assets have been frozen by the Alliance. I'm currently stranded at the 'Tassa' Neutral Space Station and can't even afford a ticket to leave. According to the rules there, I also need to pay a substantial 'detention deposit' and clear the flight path to regain my freedom."

He looked at Chen Feng with sincere eyes. "I know this request is presumptuous, but I hope this fee... can be advanced by your company."

"No!" Reno, who had been listening in silence, suddenly spoke up, his eyes sharp as a hawk's. "Boss, this is against the rules! The Exchange's employment regulations clearly state that any form of advance payment is a high-risk behavior!"

Chen Feng frowned.

Karen's image turned to Reno and smiled. "This gentleman is right; it is indeed against the rules. If you have concerns, you can certainly give up. It's just... I regret missing out on what could have been a great beginning."

His words were full of regret, as if he were pained by Chen Feng's missed opportunity.

"How much do you need?" Chen Feng ignored Reno and looked directly at Karen.

"Boss!" Reno stepped forward, his voice filled with anxiety.

"This is an investment, Reno. A necessary risk for the future." Chen Feng interrupted him in a tone that brooked no argument. "Tell me the amount."

Karen stated a figure—not a penny more, not a penny less—exactly one-tenth of Chen Feng's current liquid assets.

"Send me your encrypted account."

Reno looked at Chen Feng, his eyes filled with confusion and a hint of... a rift. He wanted to say something but ultimately retreated to the side in silence, his entire being radiating a cold aura of resistance.

Chen Feng didn't care. At this moment, his mind was filled with the management blueprint Karen had described. He needed a victory too badly; he needed to escape the current quagmire too much.

He transferred the credits through an encrypted channel.

With a soft "ding," the transaction was complete.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Chen." Karen's holographic image flickered, and a near-perfect smile appeared on his face. "Believe me, this is the wisest investment you've ever made."

As soon as he finished speaking, his image vanished instantly.

Immediately after, his personal profile on The Exchange, chat logs, and even that perfect resume were wiped clean within a second, as if they had evaporated, leaving no trace behind.

In the command center, only the empty light curtain and a deathly silence remained.

Reno said nothing; he just glanced at Chen Feng, whose face had turned ashen, and silently turned to walk out.

That single glance was more hurtful than any accusation.