Chapter 34 – A Tempting Opportunity

Chapter 34 – A Tempting Opportunity

Yang Wendong shrugged with a grin. "If there's money to be made, why wouldn't I take it?"

Wang Zhixian laughed. "Haha! That's what I like about you, Mr. Yang—you're refreshingly straightforward. Money's not an issue. You know how massive Kowloon Wharf Group is. For us, the returns would be more than generous.

"But, of course, we have to show real results. Otherwise, neither my boss nor anyone else can justify this to Kowloon Wharf's leadership."

Yang nodded and asked, "If this is a one-time extermination operation, how do we evaluate results? It's not like with the warehouses, where the improvement becomes obvious over time. We can't just go by the number of rat corpses, can we?"

Pest control was inherently vague.

No one knew exactly how many rats there were before the extermination, so defining what "success" looked like was difficult—even for professionals, let alone outsiders.

Wang chuckled. "Mr. Yang, you're extremely professional, and normally that's a great thing—but sometimes, that can actually work against you."

"Oh?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "Please, enlighten me."

Wang smiled. "The more professional someone is, the more likely they are to see the world through a professional lens. But in business, especially when the people paying you aren't professionals, it becomes tricky.

"The client doesn't truly understand what success looks like. They rely on surface-level indicators. Like rat corpses. Or fewer complaints.

"Unless you're dealing with something like construction or heavy industry—where there are established standards, third-party inspections, and professional auditors—it's all perception."

Yang nodded in understanding. "I see your point."

Wang continued, "You're a smart man—you catch on quickly. But we need to strike a balance. Yes, we aim to do the work properly, but we also need to make sure it looks like we did a good job.

"If we only focus on appearances, the effect will be short-lived. If we only focus on real results, we might starve before anyone notices."

Yang nodded again. "Business is about making money—that's the ultimate goal."

"Exactly," Wang agreed. "Efficiency is everything."

After a moment's pause, Yang looked at him with curiosity. "Mr. Wang, you seem very knowledgeable. Why didn't you start your own business?"

Wang hesitated, then gave a wry smile. "That's a long story.

"Actually, I studied business at Cambridge University. Returned to Hong Kong in 1940 to start my own company. But then the Japanese invaded."

Yang immediately understood.

Wang continued, "I didn't want to collaborate with the occupiers. But I also didn't have the courage to resist. I stayed quiet and tried to survive. The Japanese confiscated everything I had.

"It was my current boss who saved me. He gave me work. Helped me feed my family. After the war, I stayed with him out of loyalty. I haven't considered starting over since."

Yang nodded solemnly. "I can't imagine how difficult that time must have been."

Had he transmigrated into the 1930s or 1940s, Yang might have focused on building up capital first—and maybe, just maybe, supported the resistance from the shadows.

Wang laughed again. "It's all in the past now. Starting a business sounds glorious, but the hardships behind the scenes…"

He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, Mr. Yang, about the Kowloon Wharf project—let's keep things simple.

"We follow two principles.

"First, we must do everything in our power to achieve real results. Exterminate as many rats as possible. But we also need to watch our costs, because we still need to make a profit.

"Second, we need to ensure our efforts are visible. That means a lot of rat corpses—not just inside the dockyard, but around it as well. If the Kowloon Wharf management sees clear, visible signs of improvement, they'll feel satisfied.

"And if the dock workers notice fewer rats around them, that's even better. No one wants to feel like nothing's changed."

Yang nodded. "Got it. The work has to be done well—but it has to be seen to be done well, too."

It was a delicate balance: maximize results, minimize costs, and amplify visibility.

Wang sipped his tea slowly. "So? Mr. Yang. What do you think? Can you handle this?"

Yang smiled. "Actually, what I was thinking was... why not turn this into a long-term business, like the warehouse contracts?"

Wang blinked, then laughed. "You want to contract the entire Kowloon Wharf for long-term rat control?"

"That was the idea," Yang admitted. "But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself."

Wang shook his head, still smiling. "It's a bold thought. But yes—you're ahead of yourself. The port is incredibly complex. Even my boss struggles to manage all the layers of bureaucracy."

"I figured," Yang said, laughing at himself. "Just wishful thinking."

Wang leaned forward again. "Okay, let's be practical. What would you need to prepare for this job? Regular traps won't be enough, right?"

"Definitely not," Yang said. "The docks are open spaces. Cargo is always moving. There are no walls or fixed points. Standard traps will get in the way and pose safety risks.

"To exterminate dockyard rats, we need to go old-school. Find the nests. Burn them out. Flood them if necessary."

"Interesting. What methods did they use before?" Wang asked.

"I did some research," Yang replied. "The docks used to raise cats. But the problem is, there's too much food around. The cats get lazy.

"They also tried poison, but that backfired—killed the cats, sometimes sickened children, and even contaminated outbound cargo. Some foreign customs agencies flagged shipments because of it."

Wang frowned. "Yeah, that's a real problem. Environmental damage, collateral poisoning—it all reflects badly."

"Exactly. Even sixty years from now, the world still won't have a perfect, eco-friendly rat poison."

Wang nodded again. "The docks used to handle extermination themselves. This is the first time they're bringing in external contractors.

"And that's because—well, thanks to you—several warehouse managers have started reporting better outcomes under your services.

"The government is pushing extermination efforts, but of all the companies operating in Hong Kong right now, only a handful have shown real results.

"You've been responsible for most of them."

He slid a slip of paper across the table.

Yang glanced down.

It said:

5000

Yang didn't react outwardly—but his mind was racing.

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