Under One Person: One Person Goes

Chapter 208: Continental Hotel is Recruiting

On the rooftop of the Continental Hotel, Wang Yi listened to the two invitation letters handed over by James Gates, feeling half confused and half understanding.

He could understand why Coca-Cola came to mainland hotels to join. It is true that Coca-Cola is a big company now, but it is not as powerful as in the future, with a presence all over the world.

The Great Depression had begun and a wave of unemployment was sweeping across the United States. Although Coca-Cola had already been exploring overseas markets and had overseas branches in Shanghai during the Republic of China, distant water could not put out a nearby fire, and the company had to gather together for warmth in its own base camp.

It was both unexpected and reasonable to choose Continental Hotel, a new star that emerged during the Great Depression.

Wang Yi was not surprised by this, and neither was James Gates, who had been in charge of the mainland hotel business. He simply pushed another invitation letter in front of him from Hormel Foods Company in Minnesota.

Wang Yi could tell from James' expression that he seemed to prefer this company over Coca-Cola.

"Winston, you handle the Coca-Cola side, James, tell me about this one."

"Mr. Wick, I think the development potential of this company is no worse than that of Coca-Cola."

Yi Wang:?
Seeing Wang Yi's puzzled expression, James used his sense as a professional manager to explain to Wang Yi.

"Mr. Wick, since you said that this Great Depression will last for a long time, that means everyone has no money, but they still want to eat, so they have to downgrade their consumption. Although pork is cheap, it is no longer something that everyone can afford. If everyone wants to fill their stomachs, they have to reconsider how to spend money to buy meat."

"Great speculation, keep going."

"They approached me when I bought the farm and said if we could provide the New York market with a large amount of unwanted pork shoulders, they wanted to work with us to seize the U.S. meat market."

"What do they want pork shoulder for?"

"Trade secrets."

Hearing what James said, Wang Yi also frowned.

Wang Yi has been in the United States for more than a year, and has some understanding of this industrial powerhouse of the same period.

Before the Great Depression, relying on strong industrial capacity and assembly line production, pork became a staple food on the American table at a price far lower than beef, but the sales form was still traditional, just like buying pork in the Republic of China.

Take the money to the butcher's shop, and he will chop the meat as you point at it and sell it to you by weight.

It’s just that Americans have the luxury of buying only the tasty parts, and they don’t even look at the hard-to-process parts, such as pork bones and pork shoulders.

Although the butchers were helpless, everyone's pockets were full at that time, and they were too lazy to sell to customers if they didn't buy. They would just pack up and throw away the meat, which was a huge waste.

However, when Wang Yi buys things, he always gets a few pork bones to make soup. They are free anyway, so it would be a shame not to take them.

He didn't think there was anything wrong, but after hearing what James said, Wang Yi seemed to come to his senses. Purchasing a large amount of unwanted pork shoulders?
Does this sound familiar? Wang Yi carefully searched the few memories in his mind about the food of the period before and after World War II, such as chocolate, fried noodles, instant noodles, ice cream, instant canned food... Wait, instant canned food?
The moment this term appeared in Wang Yi's mind, he seemed to understand why the other party wanted the pork shoulders.

"How far is Minnesota from here?"

"2000 kilometers."

"2000 kilometers? They traveled 2000 kilometers to New York to find a partner?! It seems that the Great Depression has spread faster than I thought. James, you've been a great help. Tell the person in charge that I'm very interested in their proposal, but 2000 kilometers is too far. If they really want to discuss cooperation, they can show some sincerity, such as sending someone who can really talk to me."

"I will pass on your words, Mr. Wick, to them."

"There is one more thing. Didn't we acquire a food manufacturing company and farm before? Now that we have acquired it, we should use it now."

"Mr. Wick, are you suggesting that we try to do something with this pork shoulder ourselves?"

"It's not about making something, it's about canning. You put the word out there that whoever can combine pork shoulder with something else to make a delicious and good-looking canned product will get $10,000."

"clear."

James had no doubts. Wang Yi's previous performance had made him understand that he should not question his boss's decision in this regard. Every decision of the boss has a deep meaning.

As for the problem of manpower, in the current environment, as long as you are provided with food and accommodation, there will be people who will apply for the job no matter how low the salary is, no matter whether you were a technical expert, a senior lawyer or a banker before.

"By the way, what is our Mr. Nick doing now?"

Wang Yi suddenly thought of Nick Carraway, who was supposed to write the story of Jay Gatsby into a book by James.

This guy was the first experimenter who brought back the two bone arrows given to him by the ancient Egyptian god Imhotep from Cairo, which could transform ordinary people into aliens, and the second one was Winston.

Both of them were successfully transformed into aliens under Wang Yi's protection, and they were aliens with some special abilities.

It's just that this guy is really a good writer, and he could provide some help as a stock trader before, but in the current environment, no one wants to pay attention to the stock market. There are people queuing up to jump off buildings on Wall Street every day, and they have even started a blockade and martial law.

By allowing those who wanted to jump off the building to find a slightly higher place at home or nearby, Nick Carraway naturally became one of the many stock traders who gave back to society.

But with the support of the Continental Hotel and his good friend James Gates, he doesn't have to worry about food and drink.

"Mr. Wick, you know, he's a guy who can't sit still. Now that there's a depression, he won't stay in his apartment. He's doing something, doing something that a friendly neighbor should do."

James thought about his wording for a long time before giving an ambiguous answer.

But he found that there was no anger or disappointment on Wang Yi's face, but rather it was very interesting?
Yes, this was the feeling that the expression on Wang Yi’s face gave him at that moment.

"That does suit his face. Go ahead. As for manpower, you should know how to solve it. The more the better. These industries were not bought to gather dust."

"I understand, Mr. Wick."

The other solution to get the acquired food manufacturing companies and farms operating again is, of course, to recruit workers.

Right now, New York is full of unemployed workers, bankers, lawyers, and talented people from all walks of life.

And the prices are so low that you can't believe it. Take the lawyer team that recently served a mainland hotel, for example. They used to be charged by the minute, but now they will do everything for you for ten dollars a day, including meals.

Not to mention that Wang Yi’s Mainland Hotel directly took in their entire law firm, so they didn’t have to worry about food, accommodation, or even bicycles.

There are some colleagues who are more awesome than them who are still thinking about bicycles, but they either died of bullets or became flying masters not long ago, so they are no longer stubborn.

So that night the dock was crowded with people, because they had all heard that the Continental Hotel was recruiting a large number of workers to run the business it had just acquired.

Moreover, James was very cunning. He limited the scope of recruitment to those who had consumed in mainland hotels and registered as members. This directly won Wang Yi a lot of people's hearts.

"Everyone, I hope you can remember who provided you with a job opportunity during this difficult time when we all need to work together!"

Standing on the platform, James was like a pyramid scheme leader, shouting through a megaphone.

"It's Mr. John Wick!"

shouted a chorus of people crowding the docks trying to get a job.

“Who is it that gives back to everyone with the greatest sincerity when everyone is spending ‘Everywhere’?”

"It's Mr. John Wick!"

In April, when the cold winter had not yet ended, the port, which had once been bustling with ships, was now empty. The Great Depression had almost brought everything in the United States to a standstill.

But every unemployed person crowded here was responding to James Gates's question sincerely and shouting loudly.

In this environment where everyone is unemployed and queuing up for relief food, only the alcohol brand they used to consume, 'Everywhere', not only lowered its prices when other bootleggers raised their prices, but also extended a helping hand to them when they were in the most difficult time, giving them a chance to start their lives again.

Even though the salary may be pitifully low, there is always comparison in everything.

President Hoover's rescue plan failed less than four months after it began, while mainland hotels began to expand their production capacity and recruit workers.

As for why they were able to expand their production capacity and start hiring, everyone understands that it was simply because their boss, John Wick, was lucky and ran early, and made a lot of money by selling his stocks at the first opportunity. He also persuaded his employees to follow suit. I have done my best, but you didn't listen. The disaster has nothing to do with me.

Moreover, he did not get complacent after making money, but instead provided jobs for his consumers. Where can you find such a good person?

This helping hand extended to them in their most difficult times was enough to bring their worship of the John Wick vest created by Wang Yi to its peak, especially with the instigation of James Gates, a marketing genius and professional manager.

This guy is half sincere and half using self-taught PUA skills to fool the large number of unemployed people who come to him to find jobs.

"I know that everyone is eager to get a job now, and Mr. John Wick will also provide a job for everyone, but everyone knows what the current situation is. I can only guarantee food and accommodation here, but the salary will be much lower than before the Great Depression. Only when everyone works together to sell the products can everyone's salary be increased. So everyone, for Mr. John..."

But as to when the products are sold and when the profits are made and wages start to increase, that is up to us mainland hotels to decide.

In an invisible dark corner, Wang Yi looked down at James Gates, who was guiding these guys who signed up enthusiastically like a pyramid scheme leader, and shook his head helplessly.

I still overestimated the bottom line of capitalism, but James was also considering his own interests, and it was not easy for him to directly come forward and offend others.

We can only watch the situation develop in secret.

Under James' arrangement, he also divided those who came to apply for the job into two categories.

Those with relevant technical background will be sent to places such as airplanes, shipyards, chemical plants, and food manufacturing plants.

If you have no technical background and only have a lot of physical strength, then go to places like arms companies, newspapers, farms, and ranches.

But even with such classification, there is a constant stream of people signing up, but mainland hotels cannot accommodate so many people. At least for now, before the production capacity is converted into profits, James estimates that recruitment like this will be basically saturated in a week.

But people are like this. They are not worried about scarcity but inequality, especially at times like this.

Seeing that some people in the crowd were starting to get upset, Wang Yi knew that it was time for him, John Wick, the boss behind the scenes, to show up.

"For those who are unemployed at the moment, as long as you have consumed alcohol at the Continental Hotel and registered as a member, you can come to the Continental Hotel every month to receive living allowances under your registered name. It's not much, but it's enough for you to get through this difficult time. What you have to do is to be the intelligence agent of the Continental Hotel and be the eyes and ears of the Continental Hotel and me. I don't want anyone to destroy my voice."

Wang Yi appeared in the crowd like a ghost, and his voice rang in the minds of everyone at the dock through the magnetic field martial arts and radio dream entry method.

The light shone on Wang Yi, revealing his figure, but his face was hidden in the darkness and could not be seen clearly.

No one knew who Wang Yi was, but after seeing Wang Yi appear and explain the follow-up to the rest of the people in words, everyone knew the identity of Wang Yi's pseudonym.

"Mr. John Wick?"

"Oh my god, it's Mr. John Wick!"

"Thank you! Mr. John Wick, our family can survive!"

"Long live Mr. John Wick!"

Voices rose up in the crowd, slowly merging into one phrase: "Long live John Wick!", and James Gates, who was trying to win over the hearts of the people on behalf of Wang Yi, struck while the iron was hot.

"This is Mr. Wick's generosity to us. You should know what to do. We can't keep hiring workers, nor can we support the entire New York. This recruitment will only last for a week and is only valid for members who consume at the Mainland Hotel. Everyone, you know what to do!"

Order began to be restored spontaneously, and everyone lined up in an orderly manner and signed up enthusiastically.

At the same time, his eyes were fixed on the figure who was bathed in the junction of light and darkness and walked to James.

"Mr. Wick, at this rate, we estimate we can recruit 30,000 to 50,000 people in a week."

"Well, I'll leave this matter to you. If there are any fools who want to make trouble, tell Winston."

"I understand. It's my fault for asking you to make the trip yourself."

"It's okay. Just do your job well. If this trend continues, soon, the former Daisy Buchanan and James Buchanan will kneel before you and beg for your forgiveness."

"I understand that, and I have already exacted some of my revenge. I purchased the Buchanans' farms and ranches in New York, and their estate in East Egg, Long Island, for a very low price."

"Leave it for you and your future wife and children to live in. Just be more careful this time, ok?"

Wang Yi didn't think there was anything wrong with James's honesty. Just when he was about to reassure himself, Wang Yi's exclamation made James look up and look at Wang Yi.

"Nothing, I'll leave this place to you, I'm going back now."

Wang Yi appeared like a ghost, but as soon as everyone lowered their heads or turned their heads, Wang Yi disappeared like a ghost again.

At this moment, Wang Yi was still standing in an invisible high place, watching as people registered and entered the dock warehouse owned by the Mainland Hotel to receive a meal and a bottle of good wine.

But in his eyes, from these ordinary people, there was a trace of Qi of heaven and earth that was invisible to the naked eye and carried the faith of all living beings, which was converging towards a certain direction in New York City. This was the reason why he suddenly exclaimed in surprise just now.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation in the more than one year since he came to the United States. After all, when it comes to the power of faith, the United States is not as complicated as it is in later generations, with all kinds of cults everywhere.

They were mostly Puritans, but with such a huge foundation, Wang Yi had never seen the Qi of heaven and earth mixed with the power of faith of all living beings gathering like it was at this time.

In addition to arousing curiosity, it is natural to investigate.

As he spoke, Wang Yi ran in the direction of the Qi of heaven and earth that suddenly increased and gathered with a purpose, mixed with the faith of all living beings.

As his body leaped, he glanced down and saw all kinds of people living in the Great Depression.

Homeless people gathered in groups of three or five, surrounding a gasoline barrel burning on a bonfire to keep warm.

The fuel used are stock certificates that have long since become worthless pieces of paper.

In invisible corners, hungry people began to buy things for free, but this time it was not only free purchases, but also zero income. There was no meat in the butcher's shop, only some leftovers that were only popular with mosquitoes and flies.

Or they could attack those who received relief food in the alley.

Wang Yi did not have much emotion towards the various things happening in front of him. This was just the beginning, and he could not feel any sympathy and could only complain.

"The birth of Gotham was not without origin..."

Wang Yi muttered something and as he hurried past, he also found a figure moving between the buildings just like himself.

It’s just that Wang Yi discovered him, but he didn’t discover Wang Yi.

The black figure was wearing a black windbreaker, black boots and a black vest, and was also wearing a black pilot hat and a pair of goggles, with his face uncovered.

Unlike Wang Yi who could perform a double jump by creating an air wall in the air, this figure seemed to have an invisible thread in his hand, supporting him to move through the steel jungle.

When Wang Yi saw this figure moving between buildings like himself, he recognized this guy's identity.

"This guy really lives up to his face."

After recognizing the identity of this figure, Wang Yi also became interested. Looking at the Qi of faith of all living beings of unknown origin that would not stop for a while, Wang Yi immediately changed his target and began to track the whereabouts of this figure.

The two people walked one in front and one behind, and Wang Yi watched the figure stop on the wall of an alley.

One hand and one foot were clinging to the wall, and in the alley were a family of three who had just received relief food and a gunman.
-
"stop!"

This is the nth time that Nick Carraway has spoken since being transformed into an Inhuman.

As he finished speaking, he easily jumped down from a high place, standing between the family of three who were pointed at by guns and the gunman.

(End of this chapter)