Chapter 58: Regional Director, First Day on the Job!

Early the next morning, before dawn had even broken, Zhao Wuji was shaken awake from the “Director’s Office” that had been temporarily assigned to him.

The one who came to wake him was Zhang Daniu.

“Director Zhao! Time to get up! The Group regulations say management must arrive half an hour earlier than employees for the morning meeting!”

Zhang Daniu looked full of energy, his voice loud and clear—no sign at all that he’d just gotten up early.

Morning meeting? What kind of strange thing was that again?

Zhao Wuji, with dark circles under his eyes, was unwillingly dragged to the mining office.

Inside the office, Chu Feng was already sitting leisurely at the main seat, sipping tea. Beside him stood Liu Changqing and Wu Hao.

“Director Zhao is here. Sit.”

Chu Feng gestured toward the empty seat beside him.

Zhao Wuji sat down and immediately noticed that on the table in front of him lay a pile of beast-skin scrolls, covered with diagrams and curves he couldn’t make sense of.

“These are our Heishan Mining Area’s production schedule, manpower allocation chart, and risk assessment report for the next month.”

Chu Feng pointed at the scrolls and said calmly, “Although you’re the Regional Director, our Group values scientific management and a flat organizational structure. You have execution authority, but strategic planning is decided by the Board of Directors.”

Zhao Wuji listened, completely baffled.

Scientific management?

Flat organizational structure?

Board of Directors?

What on earth was all that supposed to mean?

He felt like he wasn’t cultivating anymore, but listening to celestial scriptures he couldn’t understand.

“To put it simply,”

Chu Feng noticed his confusion and explained, “you’re only responsible for leading your people to work. As for how to work, and how much to produce—that’s for us to decide. Got it?”

Zhao Wuji’s face twitched.

Got it.

So after all those fancy words, he was just a glorified foreman with no decision-making power at all!

“Elder Liu,”

Chu Feng turned toward Liu Changqing, “as our CFO, please explain to Director Zhao the financial discipline of the mining area.”

“Cough, cough.”

Liu Changqing cleared his throat and brought out his signature abacus. A gleam of sharp light flashed in his small eyes.

“Director Zhao, I’ll make this short. Starting today, all outputs from the mining area must be handed over to the Group’s central warehouse immediately for unified accounting.”

“All expenditures—including employee wages, tool damage, even meal costs—must be clearly itemized. You sign, I approve, and only then can funds be disbursed from the Finance Pavilion.”

“The flow of every single spirit stone must be crystal clear. And if you’re thinking of skimming a little off the top… hehe, I’d advise you to forget that idea right now.”

“Our Group’s audit system was personally designed by the President. Embezzling even one coin would be harder than ascending to heaven.” Liu Changqing stroked his goatee, his tone carrying a clear warning.

Zhao Wuji’s heart sank to the bottom.

When he was the Sect Master of Heishan Sect, all the resources were his to command—whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

Now? Forget skimming profits—he couldn’t even buy a new mining pick without writing an application and waiting for approval?

How was he supposed to live like this?!

“Director Wu, you explain the rules regarding personnel.”

Chu Feng looked at Wu Hao.

“Yes, President.”

Wu Hao stepped forward, holding a thick handbook.

“Director Zhao, according to Article 17, Chapter 3 of our Group’s Employee Manual, you, as Regional Director, have daily management authority and performance evaluation rights over your subordinates. However, you have neither hiring rights nor dismissal rights.”

“All employee recruitment and termination must go through unified assessment and approval by our Human Resources Department.”

“If you wish to discipline employees, it must be justified and reported to HR for record.”

“Corporal punishment, verbal abuse, and any form of personal attack are strictly prohibited. Our Group values ‘humanistic care.’”

Zhao Wuji was completely numb.

No financial power, no personnel power.

As this so-called “Regional Director,” aside from leading workers into the mines, what could he even do?

Chu Feng, that devil, had stripped away his last shred of authority cleanly and completely!

“All right, the morning meeting is over.”

Chu Feng stood up. “Director Zhao, your first KPI determines whether you and your men can get your bonuses this month. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

With that, Chu Feng left with Liu Changqing and Wu Hao, their robes fluttering behind them.

Only Zhao Wuji remained, sitting blankly in his chair, staring at the “reports” on the desk that looked like heavenly scriptures, feeling as if his entire life had turned gray.

……

Half an hour later, Zhao Wuji forced himself to gather his spirits and went to the mining site.

His “new employees” had already changed into their work uniforms, standing neatly in formation, waiting for his speech.

Looking at those familiar yet strange faces, Zhao Wuji’s emotions were mixed.

He took a deep breath, intending to say a few words to boost morale and then assign tasks as before.

But when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.

What could he even say now?

Say “Brothers, work hard, and we’ll all live the good life later”?

He himself was just a wage earner now—what right did he have to say that?

He had no choice but to brace himself and begin assigning work according to the “production schedule” Chu Feng had given him.

“Zhang San, take one team to Tunnel No. 3.”

“Li Si, take the second team and clear the fallen rocks in Tunnel No. 7.”

“Wang Wu—”

But soon, he ran into problems.

“Reporting to the Director!”

That man named Zhang San, now the captain of Team One, stepped forward. “The formation deep in Tunnel No. 3 is broken, the spiritual energy is chaotic—our men don’t dare go in!”

“Reporting to the Director!”

Li Si also shouted, “Half the support frame in Tunnel No. 7 collapsed yesterday. We can go, sure—but we need an extra ten copper coins of ‘hazard work allowance’! It’s written right here in the Employee Manual!”

“Director, our mining picks are all blunt. Without replacements, we can’t work!”

“Director, the canteen didn’t even serve an egg for breakfast today. We don’t have the strength for this!”

All at once, problems and complaints surged toward Zhao Wuji like a rising tide.

His head throbbed painfully.

Before, who would have dared speak to him like this?

One glare from him, and any grumbler would be lashed on the spot!

But now…

He had no authority over finances, couldn’t replace tools, and didn’t dare scold, let alone beat, his workers.

As “Director,” he was nothing but a powerless commander facing a bunch of crafty old hands!

Standing there, looking at all those self-righteous faces, Zhao Wuji experienced for the first time what it meant to feel the helplessness of a manager.

At this moment, he finally began to understand why Chu Feng insisted on keeping both financial and personnel authority firmly in his own hands.

That devil—he wasn’t just managing a Sect.

He was building a completely new, incomprehensible, yet flawlessly functioning… terrifying order!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep