Yangcheng.
"Boss, you weren't kidnapped, were you? Why would you choose to go to a godforsaken place like Mingzhu City?"
"Yeah, if it weren't for you telling us, we wouldn't have even heard of this city's name."
"Boss, is the work pressure here too much? How about we all sign a petition to get you a long vacation so you can properly relax?"
"Did some headhunter trick you with a ridiculously high salary? It's a trap, it's all a trap! Boss, you absolutely cannot fall for it!"
"..."
Zhang Dalong was in charge of the research and development work here in Yangcheng, with about thirty people under him. With their boss suddenly leaving, his subordinates were naturally surprised and even a bit in disbelief.
"Stop making wild guesses, this is my own choice." Zhang Dalong silently added in his heart, "Yeah, right!"
To be honest, having worked at Big Goose Company for a few years, he didn't really want to change his environment. Pony Ma thought highly of him, and it wasn't like he wouldn't have the chance to take over better projects in the future.
The problem was, he had somehow inexplicably become a member of the Wanlong Society. Those people were so gangster-like; he really didn't dare to cross them.
Zhang Tao had dropped such obvious hints before. Although he believed the other party wouldn't actually do anything to him, what if they did?
Besides, that new boss truly had an extraordinary bearing. In some aspects, he even felt that the man's charisma was far stronger than that of his own boss, Pony Ma.
"My flight is at three o'clock the day after tomorrow. You guys can come visit me in Mingzhu City in the future, and I'll definitely show you a good time."
"Boss, do you really have to go?" the crowd asked, still not ready to give up.
Zhang Dalong nodded. "Yes, I have to go. If you are willing to come with me, that works too. I can arrange jobs for you with incomes no lower than what you make now."
At these words, the entire R&D department fell silent.
After all, in the internet industry, the environment and prospects were undoubtedly better in big cities. Going to a city they had never even heard of before, unless it was for retirement, was something an average person simply wouldn't consider.
In their eyes, their boss Zhang Dalong had likely been duped by some small company.
Of course, not everyone thought this way; some were tempted.
This temptation wasn't because the new company attracted them, but because Zhang Dalong had mentioned the extremely low cost of living there. If their income remained the same, they would definitely live much more comfortably than in Yangcheng.
For example, a salary of ten thousand a month was completely different in a tier-one city compared to a tier-three city.
In a tier-one city, that kind of income still made you a corporate slave, but in a tier-three city, you might just live like an emperor.
Although this example was a bit exaggerated, the fact remained that the same income truly allowed for a much more comfortable life in a smaller city.
Over the next two days, Zhang Dalong acted extremely calm, even a bit heartless. No matter how much his superiors tried to make him stay, he just listened politely, not explaining, not arguing, and not yielding.
In short, he was determined to leave.
In the end, he even took twelve subordinates who had been with him for a long time. This was truly unexpected, as it accounted for nearly half the manpower of the Yangcheng R&D department.
However, this was also understandable. The latest news from Mingzhu City had arrived: the benefits offered were even better than what they had here, with a 20% increase in base salary. Coupled with the lower cost of living compared to Yangcheng, it was indeed enough to attract some employees whose hometowns were in the north.
Plus, following a familiar boss like Zhang Dalong wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
The news of Zhang Dalong's resignation naturally reached Big Goose's boss, Pony Ma. It was also through this that he learned the unfamiliar name of the Wanlong Society Group.
"Did you find anything?"
Pony Ma asked the assistant standing beside him without looking up from the report in his hands.
The assistant hurriedly handed over a document. "Mr. Ma, I found it. The Wanlong Society Group is registered in a small city called Mingzhu City. The businesses they're involved in are basically all in the real economy, such as retail supermarkets, food and beverage, entertainment, and so on, leaning towards local industrial investments. It should be a local comprehensive enterprise group."
Pony Ma took the document, quickly scanned through it, and frowned slightly.
Zhang Dalong was a technical talent. The guy's understanding of distributed systems and user experience was top-tier in the country.
To be honest, he really couldn't bear to see this kind of person leave.
However, everyone has their own ambitions, and he couldn't force him to stay. Moreover, the email business was basically mature now, so Zhang Dalong's departure wouldn't have any impact on it.
It was just that the enterprise the other party was going to was a traditional industry company, which surprised him greatly.
What a waste of talent!
"Everyone has their own ambitions. Since he chose this path, we can only wish him well. What a pity..."
In Pony Ma's eyes, Zhang Dalong's departure was tantamount to a fierce tiger returning to the mountains... no, it was a whale stranded in the shallows; he was destined to achieve little in the future.
.............
A few days later, at Great Nancheng Airport.
Led by Zhang Dalong, the twelve former Big Goose employees, along with some of their family members, walked out of the airport behind him, their hearts filled with longing for their future lives.
Originally, they imagined that the airport pickup would, at most, consist of the company sending a minibus. But when they saw the scene outside the airport, they instantly stood frozen on the spot.
In the temporary parking area outside the airport, there was a uniform fleet of over twenty brand-new black Mercedes-Benz cars, and standing next to each car was a young man dressed in a black suit.
In addition to that, there were over twenty more young men in black suits lined up in two rows at the exit, waiting as if expecting some VIP.
This formation and this level of ostentation were no less impressive than a mafia godfather's entourage in the movies.
"Oh my goodness, Boss! Look over there! What's going on? Are they shooting a movie? Is the Godfather sequel filming here?"
"It doesn't look like they're filming a movie; I don't see any cameras. And look at how straight those guys are standing and how fierce their eyes are. With that kind of aura, they're definitely real gangsters."
"An entire fleet of black Mercedes-Benz, all S-Class too. How much money must that cost? What a huge flex!"
"Why don't we leave through a different exit? It might be some big boss coming out, and it wouldn't be good if we accidentally blocked their way."
"Huh, they're looking over at us..."
Just as these former Big Goose employees were trembling with fear and preparing to get out of the way.
Suddenly!
The dozens of men in black waiting in line uniformly turned their gazes toward Zhang Dalong and shouted in unison.
"Respectfully welcoming Brother Long's return!!"
The employees and family members behind Zhang Dalong were instantly dumbfounded.
When they finally snapped out of it, they all looked at Zhang Dalong.
"Brother... Brother Long? Are they calling you? Boss, since when did you become a mob brother?"
"Boss, didn't you say the company you were joining was a legitimate business? How did you end up in the underworld?"
"Um... is it still possible to go back now? I don't want to go to Mingzhu City anymore."
Originally, they had followed Zhang Dalong because of the great benefits, but no one said anything about joining the mafia!
What's more, they were all programmers; they weren't good at fighting at all!
It's over! We're doomed! The boss dragged us straight into a ditch!
Zhang Dalong was actually quite startled by the grand display himself. Not knowing how to explain it, he could only mumble a vague excuse, "Uh, it's just the company culture. When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Just then, a young man in a casual suit with a bright smile walked over. It was Zhang Tao.
"Brother, you must be tired from the trip!"
Zhang Tao stepped forward and gave Zhang Dalong a warm hug. Then, looking at the somewhat nervous group of former Big Goose employees behind him, he greeted them with a friendly smile.
"You all must be the elites Brother Zhang brought along, right? Welcome, welcome! You must be exhausted from the journey! I'm Zhang Tao, and I'll be taking care of your reception today as well as your upcoming arrangements."
"Please get in the cars, everyone. The Young Lady has prepared a welcome banquet for you at Pearl City."
