Chapter 108

Frontline Base.

Personal Office in the Command Building.

"No need, Father, I understand everything," Magnus replied solemnly through the holographic screen, then smiled. "Of all the brothers, I've been with you the longest. If I didn't get it by now, I'd truly be the bookworm Horus calls me."

Hearing this, Samuel Young also smiled.

"Alright then, Father, I'll go handle the gang matters."

"Good, go ahead. Contact me or the company if you need anything."

"Understood."

As the communication screen disappeared, the office fell silent once more, save for the ticking of an old-fashioned clock.

Samuel turned back to his work, reviewing projects and requests like "Gabon Space Elevator: Revised Plan/B Version" and "Action Director Ada Wong's Request for ARS or AECS Elites to Secretly Deploy in Italy." But he found himself momentarily lost in thought.

Magnus was right—of his five sons, the one most skilled in psychic abilities had been by his side the longest. Saint-Gilles, Robert (Guilliman), Leon, and Horus had long since taken charge of the company's divisions across different universes.

Given the current situation, Magnus would inevitably be drawn into various complex matters, making it difficult for him to leave Steel City or Universe 06 anytime soon.

In that brief moment, Samuel seemed to hear the cries of Robert and Saint-Gilles, as if he could see Leon lying in the jungles of Pandora, smiling innocently at him with outstretched arms, yearning for a hug. The scene then rewound to a movie theater where Horus, Magnus, and the others were laughing heartily with the audience while he basked in their joy.

Six years had flown by.

It felt like just yesterday when his sons crowded around him, asking, "Father, what is this? Why is that, Father?" or seeking his protection with pleas like, "Dr. Ashford gave us too much homework… Father, can we take a day off today? Can you take us out to play?"

But now, they had all grown into giants over two meters tall, each one capable of handling their own responsibilities without him worrying too much, helping to ease the burdens of the company.

Samuel sighed silently.

Perhaps his time in Universe 06, combined with the recent news of the deaths of the retired directors from the News and Public Relations Departments, had made him more reflective.

Those two directors had been personally recruited and trained by him in the 2030s, back when people still relied on newspapers to follow global events. Even then, they had mastered the art of sarcastically mocking competitors and retaliating against slander.

Regaining his composure, Samuel refocused on his work, reviewing the application submitted by Ada Wong.

"Upload Time: Main Universe 1999/03/22/09:45.

Anomalous Creature: Human-Wolf Species/Werewolf.

Description:

After extensive tracking and investigation by agents Leon S. Kennedy and Mike Monardy, a large number of these anomalous creatures have been identified, and it appears that they have a base somewhere within Italy in the main universe.

Based on their physical characteristics and traits drawn from literary creations and urban legends, these creatures likely possess extremely strong individual combat capabilities.

Given that the Italian military and police are not deeply cooperative with the company, I request that a team of ARS or AECS elites be secretly deployed within Italy to provide direct fire support to the two agents if necessary.

Applicant: Ada Wong."

Key personnel within the company knew that ARS (Advanced Response Squad), AECS (Advanced Emergency Combat Squad), and ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) were the most elite units the company had.

ODST often accompanied the Ernieo into low Earth orbit, and to prevent the effects of low gravity, such as muscle atrophy and osteoporosis, the entire crew of the Ernieo, including the ODST, rotated with ground-based units every three weeks.

While the ODST had the ability to "land feet first, anytime, anywhere," the main reason Ada requested ARS and AECS was likely to avoid the attention an ODST drop into Italy would draw, which could cause unnecessary trouble for the company's future operations.

On the other hand, ARS and AECS, once pre-deployed, could quickly respond to any emergency calls from the agents and handle any anomalous phenomena by "packing them up" for later negotiation with the Italian government. The company could then discuss potential cooperation projects and offer some compensation, such as helping to build infrastructure like maglev trains.

Samuel had no reason to refuse the request. After reviewing the details, he approved it.

He then instructed the Main Universe's diplomatic and public relations departments to draft a compensation plan and ordered the ARS 7th Infantry Company to send a reconnaissance platoon to secretly enter Italy.

Though the situation in the Main Universe was gradually heading towards "unification," with no large-scale wars or alien invasions in sight, there was still a long way to go before true stability could be achieved.

The funds and manpower spent on compensation were just an external show; in reality, they could significantly improve local infrastructure.

Before long, Samuel had processed all the applications from the Main Universe and other universes. He dismissed the related holographic screens and prepared to pull up the "Precursor Zombie Virus" project details.

Beep-beep.

?

The alert made Samuel pause. He answered a voice call from the Biology Department and heard Alexia's voice:

"Boss! We've made a breakthrough with the virus designed against the Precursors! Haha, those bastards are in for it now!"

"Is it completed, or about to be completed?" Samuel asked, intrigued by the news.

"My bad, my bad," Alexia replied quickly. "We've laid the groundwork for weaponization, and now we're working on how to spread it on a large scale, so we're in the 'about to be completed' stage. But Boss, you should come check out the field test. How about it?"

"I'll head over now."

"Great!"

He had been meaning to check on the progress of the virus research anyway, and Alexia had given him the perfect opportunity.

After ending the call, Samuel stood up, donned his black coat, and walked through the automatic doors into a hallway with large observation windows on the west side. He headed towards the platform on the first underground level, preparing to take the rail to the Biological Research Center.

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