At that point, Mavi would be unstoppable. As long as he didn't make any fatal mistakes, hardly anyone would dare to challenge him. He could even, like Boss Ma, land a job at the United Nations—it wasn't entirely out of reach…
…
After finalizing a partnership with the Northern Defense Fleet, Mavi drove straight to his Beihai Shipyard. With a $42 million investment, he had become the new chairman of Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
This visit to the shipyard was to make an appearance and hold a motivational assembly in front of the 1,900 employees. He wanted to boost morale, ensuring the work atmosphere wouldn't remain as gloomy as before—something that could significantly impact his future plans.
As Mavi's convoy made its way to the shipyard, the largest dry dock inside was already bustling. Under the instructions of the management, uniformed Russian workers were gathering from all corners of the facility.
Among the 1,900 employees, about 300 were engineers, while the remaining 1,600 were workers responsible for various aspects of shipbuilding.
The year 2000 was the most difficult period for Russia's military industry. At the time, the per capita research funding for Russian defense engineers was only 1/50th of what their American counterparts received.
To put it bluntly, even rocket engineers earned less than janitors in Moscow. Many workers and technical personnel, struggling to make ends meet, had no choice but to take jobs as security guards or taxi drivers just to support their families.
This was why the shipyard had dwindled from 7,300 employees to just 1,900—no one willingly abandoned a respectable engineering job to become a security guard or janitor. They simply had no other choice.
Under the direction of the factory leaders, the 1,900 workers quickly gathered at the dry dock. Their only task now was to wait for their new chairman, Mavi, to take the stage and deliver his speech—likely a typical corporate address meant to rally the workforce and inspire loyalty to the company.
In their eyes, capitalists were all the same—relentlessly squeezing every ounce of labor from workers for profit. The worst part? Wages barely increased. The words always sounded good, but most of the time, they were just empty promises.
Their skepticism wasn't specifically directed at Mavi. It was simply the reality of Russia at the time. If salaries were paid on time each month, it was already considered a blessing. If there were delays, there was no telling when workers would see their money.
Ten minutes later, Mavi arrived at the dry dock in his military jeep, dust trailing behind him.
His appearance immediately captured the attention of the entire workforce. All 1,900 pairs of eyes locked onto him, each with a different expression.
The younger workers looked at him with envy and jealousy—after all, their new chairman was about the same age as them.
The older workers, however, had more complicated reactions. Seeing how young he was, their first instinct was to question whether he had the experience and ability to manage a shipyard, let alone serve as chairman.
Some of the most senior employees—the veterans who had witnessed both the rise and decline of the shipyard—were particularly concerned. They feared that Mavi's inexperience might end up ruining the entire facility.
"Hey! The new chairman is way too young! He looks like he's not even older than my son. Can we really rely on him?" A Russian worker, covered in grease, whispered to his colleague.
"I don't know. I just hope our wages get paid on time. Otherwise, I'll have to go back to my village and farm," his colleague sighed, indifferent to who the chairman was as long as he received his paycheck.
Their conversation was overheard by a senior worker in the front row, who turned around and shot them a glare—implying they were only thinking about their immediate interests instead of uniting to overcome their challenges together.
Such discussions were widespread among the gathered workers. The overwhelming concern was that their new chairman was too young, lacked experience, and didn't seem as credible as their former chairman, Leglov. He didn't yet have that commanding presence that made people trust and respect him.
"Ahem! Chairman Mavi, welcome to Beihai Shipyard!" A warm and friendly-looking Russian man stepped forward enthusiastically. "I'm Mikhail, the factory director. This here is…"
Mikhail, the factory director, led a group of executives to Mavi's jeep, eagerly introducing him to the leadership team.
"Hello," Mavi greeted them, shaking hands one by one before following Mikhail up to the platform, ready to deliver his speech.
The crowd below buzzed with chatter. Mikhail had to raise his voice to settle them down. "Everyone, quiet, please! I'd like to introduce our new chairman, Mr. Mavi! Let's give him a warm welcome!"
As soon as Mikhail finished speaking, he began clapping, followed by the factory executives. But the 1,900 employees in the crowd weren't nearly as enthusiastic. The applause was scattered and weak, nowhere near what one would expect from such a large audience.
Mikhail glanced at Mavi awkwardly. The reality was that morale in the shipyard was at an all-time low. With little to no work, employees were stuck earning meager base wages without bonuses, making it hard to stay motivated.
"Chairman Mavi," Mikhail said, stepping aside to let him speak.
All 1,900 pairs of eyes were fixed on Mavi. Even in complete silence, the sheer weight of their collective gaze was enough to make a less experienced person nervous.
But Mavi had lived two lifetimes and gone through countless experiences. To him, this was nothing. He adjusted the microphone and addressed the crowd.
"Hello, everyone. I am Mavi, the new chairman of Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm not one for empty, flowery speeches, and I don't intend to give one today. Instead, I want to share something concrete with you—our shipyard has just received an order to build two Grisha V-class corvettes. In other words, we have work!"
As soon as he said this, the eyes of the 1,900 workers lit up, all turning to him with renewed energy. Nothing could boost morale more than a fresh order for warships.
"What? Did I hear that right? We have an order? Two Grisha V-class corvettes?"
"The new chairman just arrived, and he already secured an order for two corvettes? Maybe he's actually capable!"
"This means we'll have stable salaries for the whole year—and performance bonuses too!"
…
(End of Chapter)