Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 102: An Empire From Chaos [ 2 ]
Chapter 102: An Empire From Chaos [ 2 ]
"But before you dive into these plans, I need you to meet some key players," Arthur continued, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Just then, the massive metallic door slid open with a soft hiss.
Seven figures clad in matte-black tactical armor entered silently, their faces hidden behind tinted visors.
They moved like a well-oiled machine, fanning out to form a protective semicircle around Ethan.
The lead operative removed his helmet to reveal a scarred face and piercing gray eyes.
"Ethan," Arthur said smoothly, "meet Commander Gunnar of Aegis-7."
Ethan raised an eyebrow in surprise and turned back to Arthur. "Boss, since when do we have our own private military company?"
"Since we decided to rebuild a war-torn nation," Arthur replied nonchalantly while pouring aged red wine into two delicate crystal glass from an ornate cabinet.
"A thousand elite operators at our disposal, full aerial reconnaissance capabilities and mobile surgical units."
He handed the glass to Ethan with an air of finality. "And most importantly... complete deniability."
Commander Gunnar stepped forward; the hydraulic joints of his armor whispered with each movement. "We’ve been conducting reconnaissance in Varenya for the past week using advanced military-grade tech."
He tapped on his wrist display, projecting a holographic map above the command table that illustrated troop movements across Varenya.
"Dravik controls the northern oil fields here but lacks sufficient manpower against Veyra’s southern advance."
Ethan studied the map intently; his tactical mind was already calculating choke points and strategies. "But a thousand men won’t shift the balance in continental warfare."
Arthur’s smile sharpened as he narrowed his gaze slightly. "Not as soldiers,more like... consultants."
He nodded toward Gunnar, who presented a slim metal case containing ten micro-drones no larger than credit cards.
"Nanotech disruptors," Gunnar explained, his voice steady and confident. "These little marvels are programmed to sabotage specific weapons systems. Imagine Dravik’s tanks failing during his next offensive, or his radios going silent at the most critical moments."
Arthur leaned in, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "And when he’s desperate," he added, "you’ll swoop in with Aegis-7’s so-called ’security experts,’ offering solutions,at a price, of course."
Ethan twirled one of the drones between his fingers, processing the implications. "So you want me to make him dependent on us?"
"Exactly!" Arthur nodded, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he took a sip of rich red wine.
"Phase one kicks off in 72 hours. Aegis has a freighter waiting in Port Cyanide loaded with enough weaponry to equip three battalions."
An operative handed Ethan a biometric tablet, its screen lighting up with dossiers on Varenya’s five warlords, complete with psychological profiles and known vulnerabilities.
"Gunnar will be your shadow," Arthur assured him. "His team has operatives embedded within all five factions. Whatever intel you need or firepower you require, it’s all yours."
Ethan exhaled sharply as he scrolled through the mission parameters. "This isn’t just corporate maneuvering, Boss. If we get caught..."
"We won’t be." Arthur’s voice was unwavering, filled with conviction. "The Whitmores have their political puppets; we’ll possess something far more tangible, an entire nation’s military apparatus."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "I need to know you’re all in on this, Ethan. No second thoughts once you cross into Varenya."
With a decisive click, Ethan closed the tablet. "I’ll need their comm protocols and a list of Dravik’s known associates."
Arthur relaxed almost imperceptibly as he replied, "Already loaded onto your secure drive. Gunnar will brief you on extraction protocols during the flight."
He raised his glass again and downed the remaining wine in one gulp.
"Oh! Before I forget!" Arthur exclaimed suddenly, retrieving a sleek black USB drive from his pocket and tossing it to Ethan.
Ethan caught it mid-air but looked back at Arthur quizzically.
"It contains coordinates for a hidden super-sized military base," Arthur explained with an eager grin. "Make good use of it,and try to snag some insights into the arms industry while you’re at it!"
Ethan fell silent for a moment before nodding thoughtfully at the USB drive now resting in his palm.
"Dismissed!" Arthur waved them off cheerfully.
As Ethan, Gunnar, and the others filed out of the command room, leaving only Arthur behind, he narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered under his breath: "I hope this goes smoothly... without any hiccups!"
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"Head Bureau Derrick, are you absolutely sure about this?!" Arthur’s expression was serious as he faced Head Bureau Derrick, who sat across the long table. But inside, his heart raced with excitement.
"Damn! Finally, my plan has come to fruition!" Arthur chuckled inwardly.
Head Bureau Derrick sighed softly and looked at Arthur with a hint of envy. "What a lucky guy you are!"
"Arthur," he continued, "this decision was made collectively by the bureau and top personnel. We’ve decided to entrust this entire project to your Osborn Real Estate and Construction Group!"
He shot Arthur a playful grin before adding, "Unless you think it’s too much for youthen we can always hand it off to someone else!"
"No... No... No! Head Bureau Derrick, my Osborn Real Estate and Construction Group can absolutely handle this! Don’t worry at all!"
Arthur waved his hands dismissively. What a joke it would be to let such a massive opportunity slip through his fingers!
After all, he had meticulously crafted this plan long ago; now that it was finally coming together, there was no way he could back down.
Arthur felt a surge of satisfaction wash over him. "Sure, accepting this may ruffle some feathers," he thought, "but the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks. Besides, with Evolon on my side, I can counter any schemes that come my way." His mind buzzed with possibilities.
The reason Arthur was in talks with Head Bureau Derrick was clear: since Osborn Real Estate and Construction Group began developing the colossal 10,000 square kilometers of land into a super mega commercial plaza, their construction speed had been nothing short of astonishing.
In just over three months, they were already 50% complete!
Considering that Arthur had bought the construction group from the system mall, and according to the introduction they can complete any construction projects in one year,this pace was extraordinary.
To put things into perspective: building a commercial plaza of such immense scale would typically require years, even decades, of work even when using advanced technology.
Yet here they were at the halfway mark in merely three months!
This jaw-dropping speed left many people shocked and even suspicious that Osborn Real Estate and Construction might be cutting corners.
However, after thorough investigations revealed nothing amiss, disbelief turned into shock and astonishment.
Especially for Urban Development and Construction; after all, this commercial plaza is located right in the heart of 1.08 million square kilometers currently being developed by the government.
If it were completed while surrounding areas remained unfinished,it would be quite the eyesore!
Thus, Urban Development took back previously awarded projects from various real estate companies and handed them over to Arthur’s group instead.
From day one, Arthur had meticulously planned every detail; that’s why he invested billions of Unicreds in buying those construction groups from the system mall, to ensure rapid progress on this monumental project.
Now that his strategy had materialized successfully? Pure triumph!