Butcher Shawn was a man of few words, and John didn't know exactly what position he held within the Blue Army or why he had stayed in the market district for over a decade. Nevertheless, it was clear that he was not an ordinary person.
For someone like Shawn, combat skills were just minor details, completely insignificant.
Shawn stared at John for a long time, while John smiled back at him.
After a while, Shawn sighed, slamming his meat cleaver down on the chopping board. "Alright, save me a shop space. I'll keep selling meat as usual, but when I have free time, I'll train your men as an instructor. Let's see how far you can go."
With Shawn on board, John felt a sense of relief. In this chaotic world, Shawn was the only person John truly trusted. This wasn't just because of Shawn's dedication to the ideals of the Blue Army and his fearless nature, but also because of the care he had shown John over the years.
Back at home, it wasn't long before John received a call from Simon. After a brief conversation, John headed out to meet him at Aunt Wang's food stall.
Simon was brimming with excitement and anticipation, as if he could already see the Renaissance Plaza thriving under his management.
"Boss John, I've thought it through. Considering the current situation in the market district, any business we do must focus on affordability."
"I'm thinking of starting with a discount supermarket for essentials and daily goods, and a reasonably priced restaurant."
John interjected, "Aunt Wang's stall will also move there."
"That's fine. Aunt Wang's place is more like a fast-food joint. The restaurant I'm planning will be more of a diner, primarily for drinks. Of course, the food and drinks will be affordable. I've observed that while many people here are poor, there's still an occasional need to dine out and drink."
"Additionally, we should open a clothing store that sells both new and second-hand clothes and shoes."
With Butcher Shawn's meat shop and Aunt Wang's food stall included, that made five or six shops. Adding the martial arts school, dormitories, and internal canteen, the factory space would be fully utilized.
"Good, that sounds solid. Go ahead and start preparations. Let me know if you need funds."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, John summoned Tiger and Felix from the Renaissance Gang.
"From today, we're recruiting for the gang. Requirements: minimum height of 1.8 meters, physically strong, no illnesses, and honest character. We'll start with 20 recruits, provide food and accommodation, and pay each a monthly salary of $2,000. If they perform well, there'll be bonuses."
"We'll also select 10 from our current members under the same conditions. The rest will continue as usual. The ten who have been guarding me are a good start."
Providing food, lodging, and a $2,000 salary was generous in the market district.
Tiger was excited, "Are we expanding our territory?"
John gave him a sharp look, and Tiger immediately fell silent.
These 30 men would be John's dedicated enforcers. The monthly payroll for them would be $60,000, not including the cost of food, lodging, equipment, and training.
But if it ensured the safety of his covert operations, it was worth every penny. John didn't mind spending a little extra for security.
The preparations for the Renaissance Base, or Renaissance Plaza as it would be publicly known, were in full swing. Simon was tirelessly coordinating all the renovations and setups, working for a month to get everything operational.
The Renaissance Diner, Renaissance Martial Arts School, Aunt Wang's Food Stall, Renaissance Clothing Store, Butcher Shawn's Meat Shop, and several smaller shops like a barbershop and snack shop, along with the dormitories, encircled the core area of the factory.
The 30 enforcers trained daily and also handled security for Renaissance Plaza, while also being ready to assist the rest of the Renaissance Gang's territory when needed.
With everything set up, John knew it was time to move.
He had several large boxes delivered to his courtyard. Personally packing his computers, drones, and robots into the boxes, he then had the gang members move them to the core area of the factory.
John strictly prohibited anyone from entering the core area without his permission, warning that violators would be fed to the wild dogs. In the market district, a few deaths were hardly noteworthy.
John also employed technological measures, installing several access controls. Even the core area's steel plates were thickened to withstand machine gun fire, costing him a significant amount.
After several days of hard work, John had all his equipment set up in the core area.
Each computer and robot was placed at their designated spots. Once powered and connected to the network, the 13 computers resumed their tasks.
The relocation had caused a backlog of orders, and with the growing reputation of his services, the backlog increased daily.
But John wasn't worried. He had a plan.
Besides the 13 computers, there were 87 empty spots in the gaming room, ready to accommodate 87 more computer and robot sets.
If not for the need for maintenance aisles, John could have squeezed in even more.
A total of 100 workstations was more than enough. Even if John upgraded his chip and increased his processing power, it would suffice.
The remaining 150 square meters of the space were reserved for a research lab, where John planned to set up equipment for chip manufacturing and research.
For now, the lab remained mostly empty except for a bed, as John had run out of money to buy the necessary equipment.
"With my current processing power, I can handle 27 high-end gaming orders simultaneously. But high-end orders aren't always available, so I need to take on low-end orders too. A total of 40 computers should be ideal."
One computer was reserved for John's personal use for managing orders and research, leaving 39 for gaming tasks.
John had already ordered 27 computers and robot kits, which would arrive in a couple of days.
Three days later, several large boxes were delivered to the core area. John personally unpacked and set them up, spending half a month assembling everything.
Assembling the robots was time-consuming, but setting up the computers was relatively simple.
Finally, with 40 computers lined up, John issued a command. 39 of the computers logged into games simultaneously, each controlled by a robot, and began their tasks.