The warehouse buzzed like a hive. A handwritten sign taped to the gate read: "AquaPure Hiring – Engineers, Technicians, Innovators. Apply Inside."
By mid-morning, dozens of hopefuls crowded the street. Some wore worn-out uniforms from trade schools, others clutched folders of half-finished resumes. They weren't polished executives. They were tinkerers, hobbyists, underdogs—the kind Rafael wanted.
Maria stood at the registration desk, eyes sharp. "Next batch inside!"
The applicants filed into the converted testing floor where Jericho had set up stations: wiring simple circuits, sketching quick designs, repairing deliberately broken pumps. Rosa passed out bottled water and words of encouragement. Lolo Ed watched with quiet amusement, mumbling, "Back in my day, you had to bribe just to get an apprenticeship."
Rafael walked the floor like a silent judge. He didn't look at resumes—he watched hands, eyes, reactions. Some fumbled and gave up. Others cursed and tried again. A few made small adjustments that showed more than any diploma could.
The Codex whispered behind his vision:"Talent markers detected. Candidate #12: adaptive thinker. Candidate #27: mechanical improvisation. Candidate #41: chemical intuition."
Rafael paused by Candidate #27, a skinny mechanic with oil-stained hands. The man had reassembled the pump, but added a rubber band to stabilize the shaking valve. Crude, but effective.
"What's your name?" Rafael asked.
"Rico, sir."
"Why do you want this job?"
Rico shrugged. "Got tired of fixing jeepneys for peanuts. Thought maybe I could fix something bigger."
Rafael smiled faintly. "Welcome to AquaPure."
By the end of the day, only five remained from dozens. Tired but glowing, they signed contracts that Rosa proudly stamped with the AquaPure seal.
That night, as the new hires celebrated with cheap pancit and Coke, Maria pulled Rafael aside. "Councilor Ignacio called again. He wants to 'partner' before we expand further. Says the Mayor is watching too."
Rafael's expression hardened. "We won't bend."
Maria hesitated. "If we reject them outright, they'll push back harder."
He nodded. "Then we outgrow them. The faster we scale, the less they can touch us."
The Codex pulsed, cool and relentless:"Recommendation: Accelerate distribution nationwide. Secure contracts before political rivals entrench. Expansion Module: Ready."
Rafael looked down at the busy warehouse—old hands training new recruits, laughter echoing, sparks flying from test benches. HydraCorp had fallen. Local predators circled. But AquaPure was no longer just surviving—it was multiplying.
He clenched his fist. "This was the proving ground. Now we take the fight national."
The Codex's reply glowed faintly in his vision:"Next Phase: National Expansion. Probability of international attention: rising."