Chapter 10

In Neijiang's Menkantang, the quarantine camp of Xingke Company.

"Who the hell are you? You want us to shave our heads just to work here? There's no such logic in this world..." Pangpanggua angrily shouted.

Pangpanggua's real name is Li Di. His family has always been professional growers of winter melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, and other types of gourds, and his face is round, so everyone calls him "Pangpanggua." Li Di did not inherit his family's tradition of growing gourds but has been fond of playing with ship models since childhood. After graduating from a private school in 1898, he went to the Jiangnan Naval Academy to study as a marine engineer. By the way, Zhou Shuren was his classmate.

Originally, according to the curriculum of the Jiangnan Naval Academy, the entire course of study would take 6-7 years, and graduates would be selected to study abroad in Britain or Japan. However, the Jiangnan Naval Academy was already corrupt and in decline at that time. After graduating in 1905, Li Di found that no one had arranged his future, and his dream of studying in Britain was dashed. The navy was also hard to join because there were too few positions on the ships, and Li Di had no connections, so even if he went, he wouldn't be able to board a ship. For Li Di, not being able to board a ship was meaningless, so he didn't go.

With no other options, he happened to encounter the British Swire Shipping Company recruiting, so Li Di joined as a marine engineer. Although Swire Shipping Company only operated on the Yangtze River, at least he could board a ship.

Later, when Wende Si recruited high-salary personnel who understood steamships in Shanghai, Li Di took the opportunity to switch to Xingke Company.

Initially, he joined Xingke because the待遇 (treatment) was better than the stingy British, but now he regrets it. After arriving at the company headquarters, Xingke set up a quarantine camp and required all recruited employees to undergo quarantine. The most outrageous part was that they demanded everyone to shave their heads!

Pangpanggua, a "modern intellectual," understood what "quarantine" meant, but requiring a shaved head was too much.

Now, it wasn't just Pangpanggua who was upset; almost everyone found it unacceptable to shave their heads. Even in the future, few people would accept having to shave their heads to enter a factory.

However, the protests were ineffective!

Xingke Company had anticipated these reactions and was prepared to deal with them.

Over a hundred armed personnel, with guns and bayonets, surrounded the camp. They even set up 10 machine guns, and the camp was surrounded by barbed wire.

Damn, what kind of company is this? Li Di wondered if he had entered a den of thieves.

"I protest! This is illegal detention! I quit!! I want to go back..." an American angrily shouted. A group of foreigners also chimed in.

Indeed, Xingke's quarantine action was equal for all, regardless of nationality, and everyone had to shave their heads.

The most vocal were these Westerners, and the American was the leader.

At this moment, Ben Bolba, who was in charge of the quarantine camp, walked over and said to the leading American with a blank expression, "Mr. Schmidt, right? Do you remember Article 23 of the employment contract? If you don't, I can remind you. You must comply with the company's rules and regulations. If you resign due to non-compliance, you must pay a breach of contract fee of $10,000..."

Ben Bolba, a bioengineered person with a Caucasian appearance, handed Schmidt a blank resignation letter. "You can resign and leave now, but are you prepared to pay $10,000? If you have any objections, our lawyers will discuss it with you..."

Schmidt's confidence wavered: "Ah, this... this shaving the head is also a rule?"

Ben Bolba nodded: "Yes, the quarantine regulations are part of the company's rules and regulations. If you want to work here, you must comply. Also, Mr. Schmidt, your monthly salary in our company is $300, which I believe you cannot earn in the United States."

"Uh... this... a shaved head is too ugly..." Schmidt's confidence wavered even more.

"This is a one-time thing. You only need to shave your head once. After the quarantine, you can grow your hair back if you want." Ben Bolba asked again: "So, do you still want to resign?"

Schmidt immediately shook his head: "Ah, no... I've changed my mind, sir. I'll go shave my head and undergo the quarantine..."

Under the combined effects of machine guns, bayonets, breach of contract fees, and high salaries, the Westerners all submitted. They consoled themselves that it was for the money.

Ben Bolba then turned to the stunned Chinese and said, "You, too, if you resign, you must pay a breach of contract fee, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 yuan, depending on your salary..."

"Damn... fine, fine, just a shaved head, I'll do it." Li Di cursed inwardly. He remembered his breach of contract fee was 5,000 yuan.

Xingke's breach of contract fees were too harsh, and no one was willing to pay. Besides, even the foreigners couldn't avoid it, so the Chinese also submitted.

...

Li Di stood in line, touching his newly shaved head, feeling a mix of emotions. He was glad he was Chinese and didn't have much hair. The foreigners were the unlucky ones because they had so much hair that they had to shave it all off, leaving only their eyebrows and eyelashes.

Not only did they shave their heads, but they were also herded into a large bathroom and washed with a somewhat pungent water. The quarantine officers gave each of them a large brush and ordered them to brush each other until their skin turned red.

After coming out of the bathroom, they all received a new set of clothes, from inner to outer, including outerwear, pants, underwear, socks, and a pair of cloth shoes, all new but with a faint smell of medicine. Their old clothes were taken away and said to be disinfected before being returned.

They then received a set of hygiene supplies, a small square bamboo basket with a lid, and a personal number written on the lid. Inside were two towels, a toothbrush, a bamboo cup, tooth powder, a bamboo soap box, and a bar of soap. The quarantine officers ordered them to cut their nails and brush their teeth, with strict inspections. Those who did not meet the standards had to redo it.

Li Di could swear to the heavens that he had no idea working would be so troublesome. Even the most meticulous foreign companies didn't have such rules.

At that moment, the camp was filled with shiny bald heads, like a gathering of monks.

"Next..." The quarantine officer's voice interrupted Li Di's thoughts. He looked up and saw it was his turn.

"01123, Li Di!" the quarantine officer called out. The quarantine officers were all wearing full-sealed protective suits, looking like divers.

"Here..." Li Di quickly handed over the bamboo card he received after shaving his head, which had his number, 01123, written in Arabic numerals.

The quarantine officer checked the card and pointed to a comprehensive testing machine. "You, take off your shoes and step in..."

It was a large machine with a metal casing, with a standing position in front, enclosed by a curved iron door with a glass window. The door was now open, and the inside was painted white with some devices he couldn't understand.

Li Di had seen many machines, but this one was completely new to him.

"Doctor, what is this machine?" he couldn't help but ask.

"This is our company's X-ray machine, step in quickly..." the quarantine doctor urged.

"Oh, thank you..." Li Di quickly took off his shoes and stepped in.

The curved iron door immediately closed, and he found himself in a cylindrical space. Then, he heard the quarantine officer's voice: "Pay attention, take a deep breath, hold it, and stand still..."

Then, an iron ring descended from the top, encircling his body, and then rose from his feet. He saw that the inside of the iron ring was faintly glowing.

"Okay, you can breathe now..." Then, the door opened. "Out..."

Li Di stayed in the so-called "X-ray machine" for less than half a minute. He didn't know that it wasn't an X-ray machine but a comprehensive testing device from the 23rd century, capable of checking multiple items simultaneously.

"Take this form and go to the next check..." The quarantine officer handed him the bamboo card and a form and sent him to the next checkpoint.

The subsequent checks were things Li Di could understand, such as measuring height and weight, blood type, skin, teeth, and sensory examinations, as well as blood and urine tests.

After more than 2 hours, Li Di finally completed all the checks.

At this moment, a quarantine officer took his health form and said, "Okay, you have completed all the quarantine items. You can now move freely in the camp area, rest for a while, and remember to have dinner at 6 o'clock."

...

Base.

"Mr. Wen, the quarantine results of the first 2,000 people are out," Ben Bolba reported. Due to limited equipment and personnel, only 2,000 people were quarantined on the first day.

"Oh, let me see..." Wende Si opened the summary of the quarantine results.

The results looked good. Out of 2,000 people, only one was physically unfit, and several dozen had varying degrees of anemia, colds, gastrointestinal diseases, and skin diseases, but all were treatable and not serious. After all, those who made it to the quarantine camp had already been pre-screened, and those with obvious issues had been eliminated. Even the one who was unfit had a congenital heart disease, which was hard to detect externally.

However, 90% of the Chinese had symptoms of malnutrition, some quite severe.

"Hmm, not bad. Treat those who need treatment, and for the one who is unfit..." Wende Si suddenly paused and said, "Hey, the one who is unfit is actually a 'sea turtle' and studied civil engineering? A master's degree in civil engineering from Cornell University in the United States. Good, keep him too. Anesthetize him and send him to the base for surgery."

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