After Robert Cromwell said these words, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent for a moment.
After a while, Robert Cromwell laughed, shook his head and said, "Well, I seem to have revealed too many flaws."
There was also a smile on the corner of Eric's mouth, and said: "If it weren't for your last complaint to the politicians, I might not understand it. Bob, you actually want this job very much, so although you just acted very indifferent, you have been Trying to convince me. If my guess is correct, you are very envious of the security and intelligence departments of those centralized countries. The Firefly system can just provide you with a similar environment. Although we are not a country, we have enough economic strength The most important thing is that here in Firefly, you will not be constrained by the system, you only need to convince me.”
"That's right," Robert Cromwell nodded, admitted, and said, "Eric, over the years, I've actually wanted to build a perfect security intelligence team. But the fact is that the Special Operations Department always Being constrained more and more, it was like dancing in shackles. Even some secret agents in the department who should have absolutely obeyed orders began to ask for higher salaries and a more relaxed working environment like ordinary people, but they There are more and more mistakes at work. Can you imagine that an ordinary thief can easily approach a carnival big shot in a nightclub, and then easily steal their wallets. After the incident, the agent in charge of protection To argue that they only ensure the physical safety of their targets is simply absurd."
Eric looked at the almost indignant expression of the old man in front of him, and couldn't help but said: "Bob, how can you be sure that the team you created will not have similar problems?"
Robert Cromwell said: "Eric, no team is perfect, but I can make sure that the kind of person just now will never appear in my team."
"It seems difficult," Eric said. "You just said that this society is different. People always try to ask for more, but want to give less. What's more, we are not an official organization. You can't bind a team with certain moral values."
"You're wrong, Eric. As a social creature, human beings have in their bones the obedience to the clan, the leader, and the strong. We only need to stimulate this instinct to get a highly loyal one." Teams, this kind of loyalty is never limited to a country. Any organization or even an individual, as long as they have enough strength, can do it."
"You mean, brainwashing?"
"Yes," Robert Cromwell nodded, and smiled again: "Eric, brainwashing is actually not as mysterious as ordinary people think, open a small room, hang a picture of the head of state, and then repeatedly report to the brainwashed It is not like this to instill a certain idea ten thousand times. Simply put, people in every country in this world have unique living habits, ways of thinking and even verbal emphasis. This is actually the brainwashing of individual individuals by the general environment effect. Therefore, we only need to place the teams that need to be cultivated in a specific environment, and accelerate the development of their thinking and behavior habits through a more intensive way.”
"However, it seems that it is not easy to find such a group of people."
"Eric, your life is too good, and you don't know that there are too many people in this world who are struggling and begging for a chance to change their lives."
"Of course I know," Eric said, "but, Bob, to be honest, I need a group of really good people. But this creates another paradox, people who are good enough usually don't have survival problems , they may not be willing to accept this simple, boring and stressful bodyguard job. Just like the Secret Service, to be honest, let’s not mention the working ability of that group of people, the overall quality is even more difficult to be flattered, calling prostitutes , Alcoholism, drugs, fights and other vicious incidents have almost never stopped. If you cultivate such a team, I will never tolerate it."
"I personally can't tolerate it either," Robert Cromwell shook his head and said, "So, Eric, I will take very strict screening measures from the very beginning, and will immediately send any members who have problems Kicking out the team, but this is only a short-term plan, because I know that you need to build a security team in a very short period of time. But in the long-term plan, I hope we can cultivate our own manpower from the very source."
Eric raised his eyebrows slightly: "The source?"
Robert Cromwell did not shy away from confessing: "Eight is a very appropriate age."
"It sounds a bit like a movie plot."
"Movies have always been born out of reality."
Eric shook his head and said, "Bob, I don't want Firefly to become a public enemy."
"Eric, you take this kind of thing too seriously," Robert Cromwell said, "We are not a criminal organization, and we have no intention of cultivating these children into professional killers. On the contrary, we can The goal of doing this is to cultivate the talents we need. Moreover, Eric, Firefly is already a world-class consortium, so you don’t need to limit your vision to the more demanding societies like North America or Western Europe. In the system, we can do these things in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and even Africa."
Eric rubbed the coffee cup in his hand lightly, and after a moment of consideration, he said, "Be more specific?"
"First of all, set up a fund, set up a special team, and select suitable 'seeds' from all over the world. There are too many children in this world who are born with high IQs but eventually die out in life and cannot become elites. Therefore, we actually You can easily pick a large number of the best ones, and you don't need to pay too much. In poorer areas such as Eastern Europe and Latin America, Fireflies only need to pay $1,000 for each 'seed' per year to buy out their seeds. Life, and then cultivate according to our way. According to the scale of 10,000 'seeds', fireflies only need to pay 10 million US dollars a year. 10 million US dollars, Eric, this is not worth mentioning to you , isn't it?"
Eric nodded.
I remember that when chatting with everyone before, Chris calculated according to Eric's net worth at that time. If he wanted to spend all his wealth in his life, he would need to squander 8 million US dollars every day.
But now, the relevant data has become more terrifying.
According to the financial data of each company in the Firefly system last year, as a major shareholder, if Eric wants to extract profits, it is enough to get a huge dividend of 4.6 billion US dollars from companies that have already generated profits in the Firefly system.
$4.6 billion, just to spend this wealth, you need to spend $12.6 million every day.
Moreover, this is far from just the beginning. In the future, the annual profit generated by the entire Firefly system may reach tens of billions of dollars.
In comparison, 10 million US dollars is simply not worth mentioning.
But it can easily affect the lives of 10,000 children.
Thinking of this, Robert Cromwell was about to continue talking when Eric interrupted: "Bob, can you stop using the word 'seed'?"
Robert Cromwell froze for a moment, nodded with a smile, and said, "Of course, Eric. Then, for these, um, boy, of course we don't need 10,000 people in the end. So, I will take very Strict elimination mechanism, from eight to eighteen years old, ten years, and finally only 100 people will be enough. As long as the cultivation is carried out according to my idea, I can guarantee a 1% chance of elimination, when the time comes This group of people will definitely become the most loyal guards of the Firefly system, because the interests of the Fireflies, or the interests of the Williams family, have been deeply imprinted in their instincts during the ten-year training process. Rick, if you need them, they will give you everything, including life. And, as long as you get enough support, the whole process of cultivation can be repeated, and you can get 100 of these guards every year."
"Bob, I have to say that the prospect you described moved me very much," Eric said, staring at the old man opposite him, "So, what about you, why did you do this?"
Robert Cromwell did not avoid Eric's gaze at all, looked over calmly, and said: "Eric, you can treat me as a blacksmith, a man who wants to build the sharpest spear and the strongest shield Craftsman. I was born in 1932. It was a time of turmoil and war. Although I was lucky to be born in a fairly good family, you know that the death rate of British nobles far exceeded that of civilians in those wars. In the two world wars, many nobles were completely reduced because they lost their heirs, including my father and many relatives around me. Since I was sensible, I hoped to protect my country, and I did pay for it. All my life. But in fact, I have never been satisfied with the results of my work, just like a blacksmith who has never encountered a piece of steel that can forge top-level weapons.”
Speaking of this, the old man paused for a moment with some emotion, and then slowly continued: "Now, there happens to be an opportunity in front of me, and I hope to realize my long-cherished wish for many years. A craftsman who makes the top tools, naturally I want it to play its due role. And, there is another very important point, you are Jane’s son, and further up, your great-grandmother’s surname is actually Cromwell, maybe you don’t care, but you There is indeed the blood of the Cromwell family flowing through your body, so you are also the one who I can entrust as a 'tool' with confidence. Otherwise, Eric, even if I had this opportunity, I would not do it for outsiders This matter."
Hearing that the old man finally talked about the blood, Eric felt a little uncomfortable, picked up the coffee in front of him and took a few sips casually.
There was a smile on Robert's face, and when Eric put down the cup, he said again: "Eric, I can see that you and your mother are a little estranged, but this is already the grievance of the previous generation. If possible, I will still I hope you can get closer to your matriarchal family. Jim, oh, is Carly's father, your uncle. Although he has a somewhat rigid personality, he has always felt guilty about your mother. If we recognize each other, even if you are now Still a penniless poor boy, he will definitely accept and try his best to help you."
Although he has always restrained his curiosity about certain things, Eric finally couldn't help asking after hearing what Robert said: "Bob, what happened back then, that?"
"This is beyond what I can tell you," the old man shook his head: "If you want to know, you can ask your mother, she will tell you."
"That's fine."
Eric also shook his head, he could feel that this was definitely a very unpleasant topic for everyone.
Robert smiled and said, "Then, we can ask the waiter to order. You can go back and think about what happened just now."
Olivia's unreserved trust, coupled with what the old man has said just now, Eric has basically made a decision in his heart.
However, after thinking about it, Eric still said: "Bob, there is one more question, what you just said, are you, um, you are 67 years old?"
"That's right," Robert nodded, but he obviously didn't worry about his age, and said, "However, I think it's fine for me to work for another ten years."
"But always consider the issue of successors, and you also need someone to help, don't you?" Eric said, "It just so happens that I can recommend two students to you."
Robert looked at Eric for a moment, then smiled and said, "Female?"
"twin."
"Oh, if they are willing, bring them to me. In fact, women are more suitable for this profession than men. They are calm and meticulous enough, and they are more obedient than men. However, usually, everyone treats women with respect. There's a lot of prejudice."
"I think so too. Besides, you may already know some things. So, I hope that at least half of the team you train will be women."
"It seems that I have already got the job," Robert nodded with a smile, and said, "I can promise you this matter."
"And the plan just now, with a 1% chance of elimination, is really cruel. The fund you expected, just make a global student fund. Even if those children are eliminated, I I also hope that they can continue to receive funding and have a chance to change their lives."
"Eric, you are a very kind person, that's good," Robert nodded approvingly, and said: "And, from a professional point of view, doing this can also cover our real plan. But if The whole plan has to be carried out in a cycle, and the goal of a single fund is too obvious, it is better to set up different funds scattered in different places."
"Bob, you can discuss these details with my assistant Kelly Haines. She is currently drawing up relevant plans. I plan to set up a security company to serve the entire Firefly system. If you want, Bob, In the future you can take charge of the company yourself.”
"Eric, you may need to find someone else," Robert shook his head and said, "I'm in charge of selecting and training the team. I'm not very good at specific company management."
When Eric said this just now, there was some final tentative meaning in it. Hearing him say this, the last worry in my heart was also let go.
After all, Eric had no intention of handing over this security company to one person. If there is an absolute control, it can only be himself.
As for the specific operation, Eric plans to have Carter Moen, Kelly Hines and the old man in front of him, the three of them cooperate with each other, and each is in charge of different departments. This is Eric's ideal management structure.