John merely wanted to avoid entanglement with the Blue Army behind Butcher Shawn for the time being. He felt that keeping his interaction limited to Shawn himself was a manageable risk.
Upon hearing John's decision to restructure, everyone in the meeting room, except for Butcher Shawn who remained calm, was filled with excitement.
"Renaissance Group? Just the name sounds prestigious. With John's immense resources, following him will surely lead to a promising future. Didn't he just build a multimillion-dollar factory without breaking a sweat?" they thought.
No one wanted to stay in a gang when there was an opportunity to join a legitimate and potentially lucrative business. Under Black Three, they had put on a façade of power, but their annual income was only a few thousand dollars, not even comparable to a well-paid white-collar worker in the city.
Tiger, Felix, and Simon were all rubbing their hands together in excitement. "Boss Han, rest assured, we will remain loyal to the Group and do our jobs well," they promised.
John raised his hand to stop them. "From now on, don't call me Boss Han. With the establishment of Renaissance Group, I'm now the President. You should address me as President Han. The old gang ways are too lowbrow and don't fit our new image."
"Yes, President Han," they quickly agreed.
"You three are in charge of security, finance, operations, and procurement — all positions with significant responsibility and opportunity. Keep your hands clean. I'll be keeping a close eye on you."
Their excitement dimmed considerably upon hearing this.
They had experienced John's methods before. It was like dealing with a deity who could see through their every move. Both Tiger and Felix had been punished in the past for their actions.
"Rest assured, President Han," they responded solemnly.
"Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang, I don't need to say much to you. Aunt Wang, continue running your food stall while also managing the company canteen. Uncle Wang, you'll handle maintenance around the mall. If you need help, hire a few repairmen."
"Yes, yes, Xiao Yang, don't worry. We'll do a good job," Aunt Wang replied.
"There's no need for me to say anything about Butcher Shawn. Everyone knows him. He will oversee the martial arts school and train the 30 security personnel. Well, we should now call them security officers."
Butcher Shawn nodded seriously.
"I will now outline our Group's organizational structure. Our company will have three tiers: core, internal, and external members.
"Core members have official positions, receive company salaries, and get bonuses or year-end dividends. All formal positions within the mall, like department heads and store managers, must be filled by core members.
"Internal members are those who are not yet formally recognized but are being considered for core positions. I will establish a dedicated HR department to manage and assess personnel.
"Internal members also receive salaries but no bonuses or dividends.
"External members are purely on an employment or cooperative basis.
"Everyone here today is part of the first batch of core members, eligible for dividends or bonuses at year-end.
"The remaining brothers from the Renaissance Gang and new recruits, totaling about 100 people, will be internal members.
"Everyone else is an external member.
"I will distribute lists of core and internal members, as well as employee guidelines and obligations for each tier. Adhere to them strictly. Anyone who violates the rules will face consequences."
John smiled as he looked around the room. Though he spoke gently, everyone, except Butcher Shawn, felt a sense of awe and remembered the various legends and mysterious methods associated with John.
As for Butcher Shawn, his special status as a representative of the Blue Army placed him in a cooperative relationship with John. Their personal trust allowed John to include him as a core member.
After the core member meeting, John gathered all internal members, including the 20 new recruits, at the martial arts school to announce the Group's decisions.
Standing before over a hundred people, John beamed warmly, "Don't be disheartened if you're not a core member yet. I will observe your future performance. If you work diligently for the Group, you will have the opportunity to join the core.
"Another thing to clarify is that we are a legitimate Group, not a gang. You are no longer gang members but company security officers.
"What are the duties of a security officer? To protect the interests of the company.
"For the company to operate smoothly, the Renaissance Mall and the surrounding three streets must be well-maintained. This responsibility falls to you.
"Additionally, I require that no internal or core member gets involved with gambling, drugs, or prostitution. Anyone who does will be expelled immediately. If you have such habits, you need to quit them now.
"If you can't quit, let me know, and I'll give you severance pay, and we'll part on good terms. But if you neither quit nor leave and are caught by the company, you know the consequences."
Faced with John's words, everyone felt a sense of foreboding.
"Did you all hear that clearly?!"
"Yes, we did!"
"Louder!"
"YES, WE DID!"
"Good, meeting adjourned!"
With the company structure sorted out, John left satisfied. The rest dispersed, leaving Butcher Shawn and the 30 security trainees in the martial arts school.
Looking at the stern face of Training Department Head Shawn , David felt both nervous and excited.
David used to carry heavy loads at the market, earning around 4,000 yuan a month. This was not a bad income, but the market was chaotic, with frequent gang conflicts, making every day nerve-wracking.
Moreover, he had no place to stay and had to spend money on food.
Carrying heavy loads required a lot of physical strength. David was big and strong, but his food expenses alone were over 1,500 yuan a month.
He couldn't cut down on food expenses because he needed the strength to carry loads and to fight if necessary.
Combined with other expenses, he barely managed to survive.
So when he heard that Renaissance Mall was hiring security officers with free meals and accommodation, David immediately applied.
The pay was lower, but the free meals and accommodation made it a more stable option than constantly being on edge at the market.
Now, after hearing John's speech and realizing the Group's formal structure and potential for future core membership with bonuses, he felt even more hopeful.
"If I work hard and become a core member, I might save enough money to buy a small house and find a wife..." David dreamed.
He didn't notice the cruel smile creeping onto Shawn's face.
"To be a qualified security officer, you must have good physical fitness. Let's start with some warm-up exercises, and then run a 10K," Shawn announced.