I'm in an American comic book world, and I'm starting out giving Aunt May special treatmen

“The Hand has enough strength, but if the wolves pounce and we fight them all back, the Hand will suffer significant losses,” Erica said. “Just like the judge from the Continental Hotel said, there are many things that the Hand can hardly defend with its current strength, unless…”

"Unless what?"

“If the Hand had more superhumans,” Erica said. “Like…like those Asians next to you.”

Hawke looked at Erica with a playful smile: "So you've been so obedient all this time, huh? So you've been eyeing my witches all along?"

Junior 127, still not off work? [Seeking flowers and subscriptions]

“Is that not okay?” Erica loosened her grip and said, “Five fingers are dead, and half of the Hand members have defected. Right now is the weakest point for the Hand. If I don’t ask you for some strength as a supplement, it will indeed be difficult for me to carry out my work.”

"Hmm... what you said might not be unreasonable."

Hawke thought for a moment.

However, he still didn't want to involve Koo Ja-yoon and the others in the Hand, because that would be tantamount to openly announcing to everyone that the Hand, this platform for assassins, was also an external force belonging to Ryan.

Hawke didn't want to complicate things that much.

So how can we strengthen the Hand's power?

"Perhaps it's time to find an opportunity to help Erica awaken the power of the Black Void within her?"

Hawke muttered to himself.

Black Sky is the possessor of a beast, an evil god worshipped by the Hand. Every leader of the Hand has been possessed by this demonic beast, gaining immense power.

In fact, Erica was the Black Void vessel chosen by the five fingers, but she herself was unaware of it.

After Hawke helps Erica awaken the Black Void, perhaps with her power, he will be able to easily defeat Five Fingers by himself.

night.

Hawke was just about to go home to ask Cheon Song-yi how her work was going and how well she was cooperating with the Kardashian sisters when a phone call came in. The phone vibrated, and the name that appeared on the screen was "Stella".

Hmm? A phone call late at night? This is definitely not normal!

Hawke raised an eyebrow slightly; it seemed he had something to do.

When the call connected, I deliberately adjusted my voice to be calm and professional: "Senior?"

"Junior, still not off work?" The voice coming from the receiver carried a lazy smile, yet it was like fine sand, tickling one's earlobe.

"It seems the burdens of the Ryan Group haven't squeezed you dry yet?" She subtly reiterated that suggestive phrase from the interview, her tone slightly raised at the end, carrying a hook.

Hawke coughed lightly: "I was just about to leave, does something need me, senior?"

“Well, there’s some ‘business’ I’d like to talk to you about.” Stella said frankly, with the soft clinking of crystal glasses in the background.

"Regarding the YouTube channel matrix plan launching next week, there are several core strategic directions, and I'd like to hear your final decision. Then there's some information regarding Twitter."

Hawke chuckled inwardly. Andy had just reported this plan to him that evening, and Stella's proposed solution was already quite comprehensive, so there was no need for confirmation late at night.

This excuse is... rather careless, or rather, too deliberate.

Before he could answer, Stella chuckled softly, the laughter carrying a warmth through the airwaves: "Don't be nervous, I'm not trying to drag you back to work overtime. It's just..." She paused, lowering her voice like a feather brushing across the room, "I just opened a nice bottle of Bordeaux Left Bank in my office, and it's almost fully awake. Drinking it alone is a bit lonely. If you happen to be free, junior, how about... coming up for a chat? Think of it as the CEO giving an informal work briefing to the boss?"

Late at night, red wine, the CEO's office all to himself... ugh...

That languid tone contained both challenge and invitation, as if saying: Dare to come?

Should I say yes? Or should I say yes? Or should I say yes?

It’s so hard to choose!

"Senior... a bottle of good wine shouldn't be wasted. However, the presentation is unnecessary; I have no doubt about your abilities. I'm thirsty too. I'll go back to the company to find you in twenty minutes."

A clear and satisfied chuckle came from the other end of the phone, like a triumphant cat.

"Wait for you."

After hanging up the phone, Stella muttered to herself, "The briefing is cancelled?"

She glanced at the materials already prepared in front of her and simply stuffed them all under the table: I should have known better than to prepare all this!

After thinking for a moment, I went to the office suite to change my clothes.

When Hawke arrived at Stella's office floor, he found her office door open and quietly walked in.

The sight that came into Hawke's view made him gasp for breath.

Stella was facing away from the entrance, immersed in the stretching of yoga.

She wore a high-quality, deep violet yoga outfit that perfectly accentuated her slender yet curvaceous figure.

As she moved gracefully, the fabric outlined the smooth and powerful lines of her back, extending to her firm and full waist and hip curves.

The leggings, like a second skin, perfectly accentuated her "peach-shaped buttocks."

Hearing the faint sound behind her, Stella's stretching motion remained undisturbed and unhurried.

She slowly withdrew her arm, straightened her body with a rhythm etched into her very bones, and then turned around unhurriedly.

Under the light, her features were clearly visible.

Under soft light, her skin resembled fine white porcelain, delicate and smooth.

A pair of classic phoenix eyes, with slightly upturned corners, their gaze deep and calm, like a deep, ancient pool, yet now rippling with a playful and languid smile.

Beneath her high and delicate nose are lips with a beautiful curve and natural color.

Stella got up and walked straight toward Hawke, her steps carrying the unique rhythm of yoga, her waist swaying gently, her hips rising and falling with each step in her tight pants.

Approaching Hawke, she tilted her head slightly to look at him, her smile deepening in her deep phoenix eyes.

Just as Hawke was about to speak, Stella, without warning or explanation, pushed him down.

She gracefully extended her finger and touched Hawke's chest, smiling seductively:

"Junior, do you know? What flows at night isn't necessarily tears; what enters the body isn't necessarily an IV drip. I hope it's the part of you that protrudes..."

"hiss--"

Hawke, who was lying on the ground at Hawke's mercy, gasped, patted Stella's smooth and delicate snow back, and asked, "I heard you say you wanted to make some suggestions for Twitter. What do you think?"

Stella grunted, turned her head slightly with a sensible air, and said to Hawke with her S-shaped hot figure behind her, "I think there are too many Indian executives at Twitter, and even in the entire American internet industry, the proportion of Indian executives is too high. They've formed an Indian clique, and there are even signs of them ganging up to embezzle company funds. After we take control of Twitter (Li's company), the first thing we'll do is fire those Indian executives and take real power over Twitter."

“Hmm, that makes sense.” Hawke shifted his body and said, “We don’t care how Twitter messed things up before, but now that it’s under our control, disobedient employees are definitely not worth keeping.”

Stella, encouraged by Hawke, continued, "And Twitter is too bloated right now. It needs a round of layoffs, at least cutting 10% of its staff to reduce costs..."

Hawke patted Stella's bottom, signaling her to take it slow.

Stella immediately understood and slowly said:

"Twitter's core business is a content-based social network, which doesn't require much technical support or developers. Compared to companies like Facebook and Google, which need to invest heavily in maintaining and optimizing their complex algorithms and advertising systems, Twitter can improve its efficiency and flexibility by streamlining its organizational structure and processes."

128 Senior, don't worry, I won't make you take responsibility!

"Of course, layoffs are not indiscriminate. The key is to retain core members in departments such as product, engineering, design, data science, and content security, allowing the company to focus more on its core strengths and differentiated competitive advantages."

Hawke pondered for a moment.

In his previous life, after Musk acquired Twitter, he laid off more than 80% of the company's employees. Many people were pessimistic about Twitter's future, but unexpectedly, in just two months, Twitter's quarterly revenue and user growth exceeded expectations, showing renewed vitality.

This clearly demonstrates that Twitter's internal structure is indeed too bloated.

In fact, programmers are not laborers; one skilled programmer can be worth 100. In fact, many times a bloated team actually hinders the performance of a top-notch programmer.

The problem is that Twitter is still in its early stages and is far less mature than it was in its previous form. Although its user base has increased dramatically under its influence, it needs to be more cautious in order to maintain its continuous and efficient development.

But laying off only 10% of the workforce seems a bit too cautious.

He said, "Senior, we can take small, quick steps; start the layoffs with 20%!"

"520?" Stella's mouth dropped open in surprise.

She was already quite anxious about proposing layoffs as soon as she took office, fearing that Hawke would say she was too radical. Now it seems... Hawke was the one who was too radical, starting with 20% and then telling her to proceed in small, rapid steps. It turns out that 20% is just the first step...

Hawke seemed to see through Stella's thoughts and said, "The efficiency of internet companies in Silicon Valley is indeed getting lower and lower. The main reason is that Indian employees are forming cliques in the company, which is ruining the overall work efficiency. We must kill this bad trend and lay off the non-essential Indian employees. If you are happy, you can hire more Chinese employees."

"Only by laying off some people can we install our own 'core troops' and gain greater control over Twitter."

“Then I’ll listen to your junior!” Stella said excitedly, wagging her tail.

"I believe Twitter needs to be more open and cooperative. Its algorithm should be made public to clarify the logic behind content recommendation and blocking. Furthermore, its resources could be redirected to more promising areas, such as audio-based social networking, paid subscriptions, and content partnerships. This would allow Twitter to better highlight its value and influence as a platform for information dissemination and public opinion guidance..."

after an hour.

Stella lay on the sofa, her eyes glazed over, a smoke rising in her mind.

The next morning.

The faint morning light streamed through the CEO's office's huge floor-to-ceiling windows, cut into soft bands of light by the blinds, and slanted across the carpet and the messy sofa.

Stella woke up first.

She was only wrapped in a thin fleece blanket, revealing her rounded shoulders and delicate collarbones.

The morning light outlined the contours of her profile, a face that blended oriental charm with a sharp edge, now carrying a hint of languid satisfaction.

Even in dim light, her skin remained as smooth as porcelain, showing no signs of fatigue, but rather a moisturized glow.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she opened her eyes. Her signature almond-shaped eyes swept over Hawke, who was still fast asleep beside her, with a hint of smugness.

She rose gracefully, the blanket slipping off her body, and without the slightest hesitation, walked straight to the bathroom in the suite.

The sound of flowing water could be faintly heard.

Hawke opened his eyes at that moment, and what came into view was Stella walking out of the suite, drying her wet hair.

She had changed into a clean and crisp silk blouse and pencil skirt, reverting to her shrewd and capable CEO image.

That mature woman's sense of control is natural, regardless of the situation.

"Awake?" Stella's voice was slightly hoarse from the early morning, but very calm.

She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city that was just awakening, the sunlight illuminating her profile.

"Don't worry about what happened last night, junior."

Hawke sat up, rubbed his temples, and smiled at the comment.

His shirt was wrinkled, and the collar was open, revealing his well-defined chest.