"Wait for me. Let me arrange the follow-up work," Xie Yufei said.
Watching Xie Yufei efficiently assign tasks to the crowd, Wang Yan felt a surge of emotion. It had only been a little over ten hours!
Yet he felt as if his own "child" had been taken away by Xie Yufei!
Still, to be fair, Xie Yufei was doing a better job than he ever did.
Now everyone in the Caesar tribe was actively at work—and clearly enjoying it.
They were working hard and feeling happy!
Wasn't that exactly what Wang Yan had always wanted?
He recalled how, at the very start, when he was in charge, the Caesar tribe was nearly raised into a pack of slackers.
Was that the difference in their IQs?
Wang Yan rubbed his nose, unable to suppress the thought that perhaps he had been a bit incompetent, though he disliked admitting it.
After Xie Yufei finished assigning tasks, she came back and said, "Now we can go, Boss!"
Boss?
That single word was like a flash of lightning piercing through a thick fog, instantly dissolving Wang Yan's worries!
Yes!
He was the boss!
Liu Bei wasn't necessarily smarter than Zhuge Liang. Zhu Yuanzhang lacked Liu Bowen's brilliance. Even closer to home, the boss of his old advertising agency couldn't use Photoshop at all, yet he was still the boss!
By identity alone, as the master of an entire planet, Wang Yan's status was far above any of them. An emperor might fear his subordinates would rebel, but he never had to worry about that here.
On this planet, whether he was smart or foolish, he was still the ultimate authority.
All the power and abilities his people possessed had been given by him, and they were all loyal to him.
Whether it was the highly intelligent Xie Yufei, the bootlicker Li Zhan, the formidable Liu Wanjun, or the physics expert Luo Mingde, weren't they all, in essence, his employees?
The smarter his employees, the better!
He didn't need to be jealous of their talents, fear their skills, or even worry that they might leave for another job!
Is there a more carefree boss anywhere under the heavens?
Realizing this, a sense of superiority rose in Wang Yan's heart; the clouds parted, and everything seemed wonderful!
From now on, he had to get used to looking at problems from the perspective of a superior.
A superior doesn't have to do everything himself; he just needs to assign the right tasks to the right people.
After sending Xie Yufei off to find Luo Mingde, Wang Yan returned to the rehabilitation hospital's ward area. He wanted to gather the patients and arrange new jobs for them.
But when Wang Yan returned, he found the atmosphere among the crowd even stranger than before!
All the elderly men and women looked at him as if they were staring at some terrifying demon. No one dared say a word!
What was going on?
He had already removed the raincoat and mask!
Now he looked just like any average young man on Earth, yet these patients seemed more afraid of him than ever!
"You bastard! Even if I'm an old man on the brink of death, I won't be at your mercy!"
A man in his sixties glared at Wang Yan. He reached out, grabbed a stone from the ground, and threw it at him.
But the old man was too weak and his aim was off, so the stone landed more than a meter in front of Wang Yan.
Wang Yan didn't take offense. He just smiled and said, "Sir, at your age, you're quite bold. I did kidnap you from the hospital, that's true. But how do you know I won't do something good for you?"
"What good could possibly come of this?" the old man snapped, glaring at him. "Lao Luo was taken away to 'enjoy a meal' with you, wasn't he? I bet you threw him into the sea to feed the fish!"
Ah!
So that's what they were worried about!
Wang Yan laughed. "All right, old man. Since you're so courageous, why don't we go feed the fish together? Old Man Luo probably isn't done yet. You can keep him company!"
Having said that, he moved in a flash and whisked the petrified old man away!
"Look, he took another one away, laughing as he did it… This devil is too cruel!"
"Quiet! Lao Zhang, do you want to be fish food too? It's better to stay alive than risk that!"
"Let's not provoke him. Who knows what he's really after? No one would drag a bunch of old, disabled people all the way here just to feed the fish... right?"
The remaining patients were terrified!
Ten minutes later, all the patients reappeared in the materials distribution area, safe and sound.
Their shock turned into joyful surprise.
They all knew their own physical conditions—nearly crippled or at death's door. Who would have imagined they would one day be fully restored to health?
"This is amazing! I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Sister Jiang, would you pinch me just to check?"
"Young man, that wasn't very nice of you! We're practically your grandparents' age, and you scared the life out of us old folks! My goodness, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I knew there was no way you brought a bunch of old and disabled people here just to feed the fish!"
"Who would've thought? I was half paralyzed, and now I can stand! My son will be so happy when he finds out!"
"Yes, yes, I have to share this wonderful news with my wife!"
"Is there somewhere to bathe? I was bedridden and never noticed, but now I can tell I'm covered in… ugh. I really need a wash..."
A large group of newly healthy patients burst into tears and laughter, running, jumping, talking, and moving in every way they'd longed to for so long.
They were overjoyed to have their lives back.
Wang Yan and Xie Yufei simply watched with smiles on their faces, letting everyone vent their emotions.
Those who needed to clean themselves were directed to a nearby stream. Wang Yan provided them with fresh clothes, figuring it was better than letting them reek.
Eventually, the elderly folks calmed down again and turned their attention to Wang Yan.
At their age, they knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Some even suspected they might never return to Earth.
"Young man, does this mean we can't go back?" an old man asked tentatively.
"That's correct," Wang Yan answered directly.
For a moment, everyone was silent.
"I've given you all healthy bodies. You have to work for me in return. That's the price," Wang Yan said, sweeping his gaze over them.
"What kind of work?" someone asked.
"Some of you may have guessed that this isn't Earth," Wang Yan explained. "Yes, this is a primitive planet with no existing civilization. Your next job is to use all the knowledge you've accumulated over your lifetimes to help the planet's primitive people develop their civilization."
"Can we refuse?" another old man asked.
"No," Wang Yan replied, glancing at him.
The crowd began to stir. Dissatisfaction spread. Humans are never fully content.
Many of them had led successful lives with careers and families on Earth, and though they were bedridden in the hospital, they still had everything they could want.
Now that they were healthy again, of course they wanted to go back and enjoy their comfortable lives. Who would willingly remain on a strange planet, far from loved ones, just to help a bunch of primitive people build a new world?
"Young man, this is just house arrest!"
"That's right. Even prison would be better! At least I could see my family there. This is like being sold to you for life!"
"You've given us healthy bodies, and we are grateful, but your demands are far too much! You kidnapped us in the first place without our consent. That's a huge insult!"
"Exactly! Who gave you the right to decide our future? I'd rather have stayed in the hospital and taken it easy!"
Listening to their angry shouts, Wang Yan frowned. Then he suddenly said, "I can return you to your original conditions, erase your memories of this place, and send you back. Who wants that?"
With this one sentence, the noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
They looked at one another, but not a single person raised a hand.
People only learn to cherish something once they've lost it. They knew full well how limited Earth's medical technology was. If they could've recovered earlier, they would have.
After all, in their previous states, they might have had food and drink, but it was a life barely distinguishable from dying.
Now that they were healthy again, who would want to give up this second chance?
Even if they returned, they'd want to return with healthy bodies!