Arlan headed to the Lake View Villa with Winter and Krizia. He first visited his parents, but he found out that they had already started working at Pegasus Hotel as Junior Managers.
"Mom, Dad... you guys should have told me so that I could send you to the hotel." Arlan spoke with his parents on the phone.
"Hahaha! We wanted to surprise you. We already passed the assessment and your mother is getting bored at the mansion so we decided to start working immediately." Lydio grinned.
"Don't worry about us, son. We know that you have a lot of matters to take care of. You can leave the hotel to us. Zed and the Elliot siblings are here to help us manage everything so you can rest assured." Anaflor said beamingly.
Arlan was so happy to see his parents in high spirits. He also noticed that they were radiating with youthful energy which he attributed to the amazing effects of the Body Enhancing Serum. They looked a lot younger now and people might even say that they were in their late twenties. "Fine. Fine. But you guys don't need to work overtime, okay?"
"Yes! Yes!"
Arlan disconnected the video call soon after. He then headed to the workshop to check on Winter and Krizia.
The workshop has better facilities now and there were also more workers. Despite the laborious job, everyone looked energetic.
"Greetings, boss!" The employees greeted Arlan as soon as they saw him. They were grateful to have him as their boss. Arlan was paying them three times the average salary and he even gave them huge bonuses and plenty of other benefits.
"Don't mind me, everyone." Arlan smiled at the workers. Their honest expressions reminded him of himself when he was still working as a construction worker. That was also why he was very generous to them. He even went as far as helping their children go to school.
Arlan strolled inside the workshop while observing the busy workers. He also observed the soldiers who were undergoing intense training in the virtual world. It has been several weeks since they started this training and their overall combat skills have improved. After all, they could use the experiences they gain in the virtual world without worrying about death.
Arlan found the two girls inside Winter's office. She has a special virtual capsule here which was a lot more special than the ones used by the soldiers.
"Has she entered the virtual world?" Arlan asked while looking at Krizia who was already inside the capsule.
Winter stared at him and nodded her head. "Her PTSD is mild so the virtual world might be able to help her overcome her fears. You've also injected her body with the Body Enhancing Serum so it should be fine for her to stay inside the virtual world for a long time."
"Just don't push her too far." Arlan reminded.
"Why? Isn't she your assistant? Besides, if the zombie virus spreads, she should be prepared for more brutal situations. You shouldn't be lenient on her just because she is a woman. Perhaps she might be more talented in combat than you think." Winter replied in a cold voice.
Arlan furrowed his eyebrows. Winter's words were very logical and he couldn't offer any rebuttal. "You're right... By the way, have you dealt with the De Luca Family?"
"You should take a look at it yourself..." Winter said as she handed a laptop to him. There was a paused video recording on the screen which showed Paolo De Luca.
Arlan pressed the play button.
The video recorded Paolo's call with his father. From their conversation, he learned that Paolo's businesses were leaked to the authorities which was quite a major blow to him.
"... Arlan Dominic Roa!"
He also saw Paolo smashing his phone while shouting his name.
"Just what kind of email did you send for him to get so worked up?" Arlan chuckled as he returned the laptop to Winter.
Winter ignored him as she put the laptop on her desk. "Paolo was scared that we will leak more of his businesses so he urged his people to prioritize the weapons and equipment you ordered. However, you should be careful during the delivery of the goods. That guy might try to do something."
"That's fine. I'll bring Rear Admiral Fuliand with me at that time so I don't that idiot will do something funny." Arlan laughed.
Winter stared at him as she said. "You plan to use the battleship to get the goods?"
"Of course not. The Poseidon 001 needs to be kept secret for now. I'll be using a different ship... Although the Arms Corporation of Maharlika doesn't have a powerful modern warship, they still managed to produce some reliable ships." Arlan replied.
"Why do you have to go that far for the army? You said that the zombie virus would spread within two months so there shouldn't be a need for you to give in to the commanding general's orders. You even confronted the Cassano Family and the De Luca Family for his sake." Winter stared at him with a baffled look.
Arlan was surprised to see her expression. It was rare to see this since she looked cold most of the time. However, he acted as if he didn't see it. "Lieutenant General Rivera reminded me of my grandfather..." Arlan took a seat as he said those words. "I just want to give something to the army that would help them when the virus spreads." He added.
"Why don't you try persuading him to aid you?" Winter suddenly suggested.
Arlan shook his head upon hearing this. "That won't be easy. The commanding general is loyal to the president."
"What if he discovers the president's true color?" Winter muttered coldly.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Arlan frowned.
Winter walked towards her drawer and grabbed a hard drive. She then connected the hard drive to her laptop. "Watch this..." She said.
Arlan stood up and stared curiously at the laptop. "This is..."
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