48 Hours a Day

Chapter 1040: The Structure of the Company

As soon as they left the hall, E-Goat asked Qiu Ming nervously, “What did you mean by blinking? Were you trying to tell us something?”

“Please, brother, relax. All that blinking was merely me flaunting the charms of my masculinity to help you resolve the crisis,” Qiu Ming said. “Actually, you don’t have to be so nervous. I brought you here. If I were to be discovered, there’s no way I’m going to escape this. So, we’re actually in the same boat.”

“I remember I warned you not to do anything unnecessary, right?” Zhang Heng, who was standing at the side, said lightly.

“Okay, fine. It’s indeed my fault. I apologize for acting on my own accord.” Qiu Ming carried a fine attitude, and he didn’t find any excuse for himself.

“Don’t do it again.”

Zhang Heng knew that Qiu Ming wasn’t lying this time. It wasn’t because of the latter, but because Qiu Ming’s daily work was basically a lie. This made Zhang Heng, who had an excellent observation, unable to tell whether Qiu Ming was telling the truth. Thus, his attention was actually on the twin receptionists opposite him. After Qiu Ming blinked, there was no sign of nervousness on their faces. On the contrary, their spirits relaxed, and one of them even giggled with her hand over her mouth.

As it turned out, Qiu Ming’s manly charm proved quite effective. Of course, it was also true that he liked to act on his own. Furthermore, he was a little too calm after being threatened, as if he believed that Zhang Heng and E-Goat wouldn’t do anything to him. Zhang Heng had no idea where his confidence came from.

As the three of them were talking, the floor continued to descend. Zhang Heng and E-Goat saw the situation below.

Unlike the empty reception hall, this floor bustled with activity. Conservatively, at least 300 to 400 people were on this floor, divided into several rows of workstations, stretching all the way to the back. Men and women in business attire sat in their respective seats, made calls, or were searching for something on the screen in front of them. Everyone looked very busy.

“Customer Service Department,” Qiu Ming introduced. “The company’s second-largest department is mainly responsible for customer service. It collects all kinds of reasonable and unreasonable customer needs and gives feedback to the product department and Design Department to produce better products. It also accepts all kinds of customizations and also provides free on-site guidance.”

Just as Qiu Ming was speaking, a young man ended the call. He got up, put on his clothes, and walked toward the three people. Then, he nodded and rose to the next level.

“No wonder there are so many people. I remember that Shengtang Morgan has many subsidiaries in New Shanghai 0297. They are all over many industries, so there should be quite a number of people buying your products,” said E-Goat.

“No, the customer service department you mentioned is in the Shengtang Morgan building outside. The customer service department here is not for individuals, but for those companies that have moved into Shengtang Morgan’s building.”

“Companies?”

“Yes. Of course, it’s not like those off-the-shelf roadside pop-ups and neighborhood convenience stores on the first and second floors. It’s for big companies and all kinds of well-known brands, such as the Shenzhou computer you use, the Chinese motherboard, or the girls’ Dillingkou. New Shanghai 0297 is the next generation city that Shengtang Morgan is investing in. You can think of it as a large shopping mall. After it’s built, it needs merchants to move in before it can become active. In addition to Shengtang Morgan’s subsidiaries, it will also recruit other merchants. In return, those new cities that other companies invest in will also be open to Shengtang Morgan and invite them to move in.”

“Is it like signing a multilateral trade agreement?”

“Yes.”

“If that’s the case, those companies will then be compelled to purchase a certain product from Shengtang Morgan. What kind of product?” E-Goat frowned.

“A necessary means of production.”

“Energy?”

“Something similar.”

Qiu Ming did not elaborate further. Instead, he led Zhang Heng and E-Goat through the massive customer service department area to the end of the corridor before swiping his work permit, which opened the frosted glass door.

This time, the path before the three of them had branches. On the left was a flight of stairs, and on the right was a staff rest area. There was a gym, a cafe, and a reading corner. However, instead of choosing one of the paths, he pointed at a high-security door at the end of the corridor and said to E-Goat, “To go to Xu Qian’s area, this is the fastest way through. However, you’ll be needing your precious finger.”

The latter took out the small box that he received from Qiu Ming, and, according to his instructions, pressed the button at the back. A part of the finger came out, but no one knew how the box was made. The finger had really maintained its original temperature inside as if it was still connected to the hand.

E-Goat checked the wristband and work card and then entered the fingerprint. The heavy door in front of it opened backward. As soon as it opened, E-Goat felt the temperature change and immediately realized what was behind it.

“Is this the server room?”

“That’s right.” Qiu Ming nodded.

E-Goat should’ve considered this place his own backyard. When he saw then endless clusters of equipment, however, he remained stunned, nonetheless.

“How... how many servers are there?”

“About a million. It’s on this floor and the 12th floor below.”

“Shengtang Morgan hid a million servers here. Why? Why do they need so much computing power?”

“It’s not easy maintaining New Shanghai 0297’s normal operations. We need to collect information from all aspects to ensure that every part works properly and every anecdote can be told as it was supposed to be. These anecdones connect with each other to minimize appearing bugs during the operation.”

“Why do I understand every word you say, but when you put them together, I have no idea what you’re talking about?” E-Goat asked curiously.

“It doesn’t matter. You’ll know once you continue walking forward,” Qiu Ming said as he strode toward the door at the other end of the engine room.

E-Goat, filled with a million questions, and a silent Zhang Heng followed behind him.

Ten minutes later, the three passed through the computer lab and arrived at another door. E-Goat opened it and took the elevator to the third floor.

“Where is this?” E-Goat asked Qiu Ming before opening the door.

“The design department,” Qiu Ming answered. “All the design procedures before production are finalized here. We’ve hired the best writers, philosophers, and a team of more than 100 experts to provide the corresponding design consultation. Together with the information stored in the server, we are able to design the most perfect products.”