Chapter 162: A Good Boss

“Boss, is there a mistake in the price?” The Fat Boss was referring to a website. After checking, he was stunned by the price comparison between the raw materials and the finished products for one of the three formulas he provided.

“It’s correct. The finished product is 50% cheaper than the materials.” The Fat Boss nodded as he responded.

“First, this grade of Gene Serum isn’t very useful, so hardly anyone buys it.”

“Second, there are too many beginner gene pharmacists. They need to buy materials to practice.”

“So, this causes an inversion in price dynamics. Sometimes, no one even bothers to recycle the finished products.”

“That’s how it is with E-grade gene injections. Even D-grade injections work the same way. To make a profit, a gene pharmacist must be able to formulate C-grade injections.”

“And their success rate has to be at least 50%. Anything lower and they will keep losing money.” The Fat Boss adjusted the website to show different levels of materials and explained to Yang Bo while showing him the pricing for the finished products.

Yang Bo thought being a pharmacist sounded like a bottomless pit of a career, but after a closer look, he realized the primary materials were the most expensive. The site listed the main ingredients for each grade of Gene Serum along with their material codes.

Yang Bo suspected that these materials likely came from various mutated beasts.

“What do you think? Want to give it a try? I can provide you with ten sets of materials for free to see if you have any talent.” The Fat Boss decided to offer Yang Bo more incentives.

“Boss, the materials are too expensive. I don’t want to waste them.” Yang Bo thought for a moment before refusing. Part of it was to play it safe, and another part was because now, with this website, it would be easier for him to stir things up later.

“You’re my employee now. Since I see potential in you, it’s natural for me to invest in your development. If you become a pharmacist, my standing in our company will rise as well.” The Fat Boss spoke in a way that aimed to make Yang Bo feel grateful toward him.

“How do we receive the goods from this site?” Yang Bo looked at the website in front of him.

“If they can operate the site, they can certainly deliver.” The Fat Boss replied.

“But remember, each material’s code represents a different source. The energy or components inside them might vary, so you need to be careful with that.” The Fat Boss explained further.

Yang Bo understood this, likening it to how, on Earth, traditional Chinese medicine values the origin of ingredients. Similarly, the taste of eggs from free-range chickens differs from those of farm-raised ones, despite having the same components.

“What’s the theory behind this?” Yang Bo inquired further.

“What do you mean by theory?” The Fat Boss asked, puzzled.

“I mean, what exactly changes between raw materials and the final product? What would happen if you used the raw material directly?” Yang Bo asked.

“Side effects. The raw materials could come from animals, plants, or other sources. Without proper formulation, they can’t be used directly.” The Fat Boss explained.

“But the side effects of low-grade materials should be limited, right? And with such a large user base, do they all rely on pharmacists?” Yang Bo asked, still not fully understanding.

“Of course not. E- and D-grade gene injections can be mass-produced using high technology. It’s just more expensive. Pharmacists mainly focus on higher-grade gene injections.”

“It also comes down to quality. Mass-production can only produce basic goods, which are further divided into five grades. The most basic ones only belong to the first grade, and higher-grade injections can be ten times as expensive. I’ll explain this later…”

“The materials for higher-grade gene injections are rare and expensive. No gene company could afford to take on such a huge risk with mass production.”

“Plus, mass-producing E- and D-grade gene injections already makes the companies huge profits. Just think, how many people are born annually in the Alliance? Every one of them needs a Gene Serum. The government provides most of them for free, and those are the lowest grade injections.” The Fat Boss continued.

Yang Bo nodded, understanding that no one who can easily make money would take the risk of trying to earn more. Low-grade gene injections can be mass-produced, so they profit from quantity. High-grade injections aren’t profitable and involve higher risks, so it’s not worth the effort.

“Let me also tell you some news. A huge Gene Serum company was recently caught using people as test subjects. Everyone involved has been arrested, and the company was shut down. I expect the news will be made public soon.”

“This is one of the reasons many companies train their own pharmacists. When using another company’s gene injections, there are risks involved, and you have no way to demand compensation because of their liability waivers.” The Fat Boss nearly told Yang Bo that he had probably been injected with a test Gene Serum from the Four Seas Company, but it didn’t matter, as Yang Bo wouldn’t be able to claim any compensation anyway.

The Fat Boss figured the Alliance wouldn’t release the full details since the losses would be too great. The Four Seas Company didn’t have enough money to cover it, so naturally, the Alliance government would have to bear the cost, which wasn’t going to happen.

“Thanks, Boss, but I don’t see much of a point. Even if I can make low-grade injections, I’d still be losing money.” Yang Bo naturally wouldn’t agree right away—after all, this was clearly a money-losing venture.

“Why not give it a shot? What if you have talent? After all, becoming a high-level pharmacist, capable of producing advanced gene injections, would bring you status, wealth, and recognition.”

“Imagine when you have a son or daughter, and you can use your self-made gene injections on them. Doesn’t that sound great?” The Fat Boss was an expert at coaxing his subordinates. Several employees in the company were chasing the dream of becoming advanced pharmacists. Otherwise, how could the company keep these rich fools from leaving? They needed a way to burn their money.

Although Yang Bo was already quite satisfied, he still observed the Fat Boss closely, wondering what other benefits he could gain from him.

So, he asked, “Boss, are there other skills I can learn? I don’t think I can master Gene Serum formulation.”

“Of course! Our company has all kinds of experts. On Pado Planet, those energy suits worn by the Red Earl and his men were made through forging. We have advanced forgers in our company too. Do you know how much it costs for someone to forge an energy weapon?” The Fat Boss, seeing Yang Bo’s interest, decided to dig another pit for him. In case Yang Bo couldn’t handle pharmaceutical studies, there was always forging.

“How much?” Yang Bo asked, clearly intrigued.

Yang Bo was glad. He didn’t expect he could now openly use his forging skills. This Fat Boss really was a great boss! Yang Bo also suspected the Fat Boss came from a family, possibly even the one controlling the company.

“At least 5 million credits for the craftsmanship alone!” The Fat Boss said proudly.