Fleet

"..."

William looked at Halsey, unsure of what to say.

To be honest.

Without this woman, Umbrella's containment operations wouldn't have gone so smoothly, nor would there be the Hive or underground research centers, etc.

She was definitely the best 'gift' William had received.

"Humm..."

Seeing William silent for a long time, Halsey pursed her lips, puffing out her cheeks.

She cast a resentful glance, seemingly expressing dissatisfaction with her boss.

Seeing this, William tossed the documents onto the table, gently wrapped his left arm around Halsey's waist, and playfully brushed her bangs with his right hand.

He smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Are you mad at me?"

"Hmph~"

Halsey turned her head away, pouting as she said, "I'm not mad. I'm not anything to you, just an employee!"

"Heh heh." William was even more amused by her reaction.

He reached out and cupped Halsey's cheeks, making her meet his gaze as he said, "Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Hearing William say this, Halsey dropped the act of being angry. She blinked and asked, "Anything?"

"I'll promise you anything within my power," William replied earnestly.

"Really~ Boss is the best~"

Having received his assurance, Halsey couldn't contain her excitement. She stood on tiptoe and lightly pecked William's cheek with her small lips.

Then she pulled away from William and turned to look at the construction project below the glass wall, murmuring to herself:

"A reward? What should I ask for? I don't lack money..."

!

In contrast, William wasn't as calm.

Standing behind Halsey, he unconsciously touched his cheek where she had kissed him, his eyes dazed as he grinned foolishly.

Having inherited all his memories and emotions, William naturally knew he had indulged in countless pleasures in the past, and some scenes were still very clear.

But he wasn't like that now.

He was extremely serious about relationships.

Since arriving in this world, Halsey was the woman William had interacted with the most. Coupled with their shared experiences...

If she asks to be my girlfriend, that would be a good reward, William thought.

A boy and a girl? Never mind, let's have one of each. His thoughts had already drifted to married life.

"I've decided~"

Halsey turned around with a smile and said, "From now on, you're not allowed to call me Halsey. You have to call me Catherine, got it?"

"That's it?" William was a little stunned.

Wait, the script seemed a bit off.

"Um, did you make up your mind? Are you sure?" William asked tentatively.

"Mhm!" Halsey nodded firmly. "I've decided, this is it."

"Alright."

William said with a hint of disappointment, "Then... I'll do as you wish, Catherine."

"Mmm~" Halsey wore a look of pure enjoyment. "As expected, this reward is the best~"

"Sigh..."

William sighed and walked to the glass wall, looking down.

Seeing the five Paris-class heavy frigates under construction, he couldn't help but ask, "By the way, Catherine, are these really just frigates?

Their length is nearly six hundred meters, which is twice as large as America's existing Nimitz-class aircraft carriers."

Hearing this, Halsey's expression also turned serious.

She stood beside William, arms crossed, and also looked down, saying softly, "Yes, they are just frigates.

The primary functions of a frigate are combat, and using their heavy armor to draw enemy fire and provide support for the fleet."

"Fleet?" William glanced at Halsey.

"That's right," Halsey nodded slightly, pointing to the five frigates below and explaining, "From left to right, their names are Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, and Ares."

"Aren't these the twelve gods of Greek mythology? Huh? You mean..." William seemed to understand something.

"That's right."

Halsey poked William's lower back with her finger and teased, "It seems the Boss understands me best~"

She continued, "Originally, I wanted to base it on twelve frigates, followed by four Titan-class destroyers, and finally one Olympus-class carrier flagship...

To create a fleet exclusively for Umbrella.

Sigh! (Shakes head)

But Umbrella's annual operating capital is around 170 billion.

After deducting various essential expenses like employee salaries, property taxes, rent, etc., only about 140 billion is available.

So it's only enough to build five frigates, along with the necessary carrier-based aircraft and transport planes for them."

"Mm, indeed." William nodded.

Since the beginning of the year, Umbrella's funds had been heavily transferred to Delphi.

The figure of 170 billion sounded substantial, but in reality, it wasn't enough.

However, Halsey's ability to control the cost of each frigate at 20 billion showed her genuine dedication.

Keep in mind that a single American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier costs 13 billion and takes five to seven years to build.

When compared, the Paris-class frigate offers extremely high cost-effectiveness.

Halsey ignored William's thoughts and continued:

"Although I don't understand politics well, I know America won't just let this go.

Therefore, Delphi is mobilizing a large amount of the company's available funds to barely assemble a small fleet.

Once it reaches low-earth orbit, it will exert comprehensive pressure on all countries worldwide.

Not only can it launch surprise attacks on leaders anytime and anywhere, but it can also intercept any intercontinental ballistic missile, rendering their nuclear weapons useless.

Only by making Umbrella the dominant force can abnormal phenomena be contained more effectively."

What Halsey said was correct.

William had never considered genuinely cooperating with the United Nations, even with the appearance of anomalous containment objects and a common enemy for humanity.

But those rotten politicians and capitalists would still prioritize profit above all else.

The day Umbrella's fleet takes to the skies will mark the beginning of a falling out with all nations, especially America.

Rather than slowly encroaching and controlling countries with money, William preferred crushing them with absolute military might.

Moreover, with Canada, the second-largest country by landmass, serving as a base and support, and with Halsey's research into hydrogen energy, Umbrella would have ample personnel and material guarantees, completely free of worries.

However, that was at least a year away.

"Boss."

"Hm?"

William, lost in thought, asked after hearing Halsey's call, "What is it?"

"My work at Delphi is almost complete, and the construction of Thor's Hammer and Herendine at the Hive is also progressing, so..."

Halsey said somewhat hesitantly, "Can I go to Minos Island to personally teach the little Spartans? Those teachers... how should I put it, they're just too low-tier! I don't feel at ease."

"This, no problem." William had no objections.