Recruit

Oute bluntly stated, "We acquired Taikoo White Sugar."

"... What!? The person who robbed the old man while his parasite was on the run! It was you!"

Swire stood up and slammed her hand on the table.

But Amiya made it clear to Oute that she was quite happy.

"Isn't this obvious? It's practically the bottom line." Oute pointed to the sugar cube next to his coffee. "We haven't even changed our production line."

Swire held the spoon like he was holding a dagger, poking at the sugar cube as if it were something dirty.

The small white cube rotates once, revealing the Taikoo Company logo: a pair of triangles facing each other, flanking a rectangle.

It even looks somewhat like the flag of a certain country on Earth.

"Tsk!" The little tiger treated the coffee like an enemy, downing the warm cup in one gulp.

The coffee cup made a crisp sound on the table.

"Speak! What is it?"

Oute handed another document to Swire, which did not bear Wei Yenwu's signature.

"While tracking and observing the 'Boomerang,' we temporarily housed a group of Chernobog refugees."

The little tiger squinted and looked around.

"Food and fuel go without saying. Addictions like cigarettes, alcohol, and tea can also effectively soothe refugees and prevent them from becoming too extreme... But why do you also want sugar?"

She meant that Rhodes Island now controls a sugar company.

"Following this logic, you could also ask why we need food and fuel."

"You're kidding me!? You bought all those companies!?" Swire exclaimed in surprise. "I never knew Wei Yenwu would do something so reckless. How did Rhodes Island acquire so many companies in such a short time!? Did you orchestrate all of this!?"

No, I really didn't do that.

Oute replied, "The answer is to go to bed early."

Kal'tsit was extremely displeased. "Dr. Otto! Staying up all night and eating breakfast before going to sleep is nothing to be proud of!"

Oute ignored him: You did it too!

"So, if you own all these companies, why did you contact me?"

"At this point in time, what is needed to provide supplies to the Chernobog refugees is not the supplies themselves."

"..." Swire rolled her eyes at Oute: "So you really are after the Swire Family's connections."

Although Rhodes Island now controls a significant portion of the businesses belonging to the Swire family, these channels cannot be easily opened up for him. Taking advantage of this opportunity to completely control these businesses is also one of Oute's goals.

"I'm not like Grandpa; I won't help you smuggle strategic materials!"

It turns out that the Swire Family was Oute's first choice for obtaining supplies.

"It's not smuggling, much less strategic materials."

Although the order is different from the original, it's not unacceptable; in fact, it provides a more compelling excuse to persuade Swire.

Oute took out another receipt, a receipt that Wei Yenwu had signed.

"After all, even the Governor of Lungmen himself might approve."

Swire looked at it suspiciously. "It's not that I don't believe you... but you clearly obtained permission through official channels, so why were you still thinking about smuggling?"

Of course, it's to control the channels.

But Oute said, "Strictly speaking, it's not smuggling. The current state of war won't last long, and Governor Wei even wants to aid the Ursus guerrillas."

Swire raised eyebrow.

This utterly despicable behavior... perfectly matches her perception of Wei Yenwu.

"If you have any reservations, you can always transport the goods to the Lower City. After all, there are quite a few refugees there as well."

How many refugees are there outside?

"Countless."

Give me a precise number!

"Chernobog is a big city."

What are you doing here?!

No... judging from the supplies just now, the quantity shouldn't be very large...

Should we do it?

"..." Swire closed her eyes, the signed toilet paper that Oute had just thrown over tipped the scales.

"Enough is enough! We've even done Wei Yenwu!"

Talulah stared intently at the scene before her.

Wei Yenwu's channels were originally intended as backups, but now they have become a means of opening up the first path.

Chapter 226 New Recruits

Inside the office building, it was alright; the air conditioning that had been installed was working at full dehumidification, barely creating a tolerable environment.

Once you push open the door, the hot, humid air feels like it's going to steam you alive. The damp air also puts pressure on everyone's respiratory system, making the very act of circulating oxygen in the body a form of torture.

"This Catastrophe is really unreasonable!" The little tiger's tail was drooping a bit. "It's not even February yet, and there's already so much moisture! This time, the south wind will return to summer! And then there will be storms in summer and autumn! Almost the whole year will be 'washed out'!"

"Hey, you Rhodes Island have never been to Lungmen in the summer, have you?" Swire glanced at Oute and reminded him, "Even though it's Catastrophe, the humidity is already at 100%! It's practically like the humid spring season!"

After fiddling with the terminal for a while, Oute replied, "Some members should have been here."

"So you, as a company, don't have that!" the little tiger said in a strange voice. "Ugh! Remember, don't turn the air conditioner on cooling! Even if you're determined to turn it on, turn it on dehumidification mode!"

She held the somewhat timid tail in her arms and gently combed it.

"After washing your clothes, be sure to use a dryer! Don't expect them to dry in the sun!"

Despite being a young lady from a wealthy family, Swire seemed to have accumulated a great deal of experience during her time with the Lungmen Guard Department.

Swire waved her little hand in front of her nose, as if she had smelled something.

"Otherwise, with so many outsiders' clothes getting moldy and smelly all together, your office can forget about getting anything done!"

After muttering to herself for a while, Swire showed no sign of leaving.

She looked at the scorching heat outside, distorting the light, and then at the approaching dark clouds on the horizon. The sun was still blazing when she visited, and she had momentarily forgotten to bring an umbrella.

The drizzle began to fall slowly, then turned into a downpour in an instant.

The fur will get wet on the way back to the car...

The little tiger silently withdrew its foot.

"... Why are you looking at me like that?" Her face flushed red, and she stammered, "I'm Rhodes Island's training consultant!"

"Absolutely not, it's not that I don't want to get wet!"

Even Talulah, who didn't want to be taken for a medical examination, couldn't help but chuckle.

"Since you're a training consultant, why don't you come and take a look at our training?"

Swire became interested. "Are they the ones we dealt with during the Reunion Movement last time?"

Oute glanced at Talulah and said, "Same type, same manual."

In the open space behind the office, a row of simple sheds separated the torrential rain from the open space.

When Oute, Amiya, Specter, Talulah, and Swire arrived, many other operators had just finished construction.

Ace and Scout's teams were both part of the construction crew, which included not only the regular operators but also many "militia" under the Lungmen office. These militia members were still in their first week of training when they encountered this terrible natural Catastrophe. Considering their safety, they didn't wear full gear.

Because of the heavy rain and the fact that construction started with the perimeter wall, the central area of this "playground" still shows signs of being washed away by the downpour.

Talulah, however, remembered what Oute had just done on the terminal.

This guy... is he incredibly meticulous, or is he just trying to fix things after the fact?

"Hey! Doc Otter! Amiya! Kal'tsit!" Ace called out, "Training, let's continue!"

Scout wiped his face and laughed, scolding, "You clearly messed up the supply transport, so at least put in some effort in a situation like this!"

The Sarkaz youth certainly had the right to say that—he had just jumped off the roof of the canopy.

"I'm a bit heavier, after all. If I go up there, your work will be even more difficult." Ace said this to his old comrade with a straight face, spouting nonsense.

Amiya waved enthusiastically, while Kal'tsit and Oute nodded with their hands in their pockets.

"This is..." Scout adjusted his hat, subconsciously concealing his Sarkaz features.

Now, as Elite Operator of Rhodes Island, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for the Rhodes Island.

"A training advisor from Rhodes Island." Swire's reply carried a hint of resentment.

Through Wei Yenwu's miraculous maneuvering, Beatrix "defeated" Adams and became the de facto leader of the Swire Family in Lungmen.

However, the consequence was that the Swire Family became increasingly divided. And in order to avoid suspicion (in Swire's view), Miss Beatrix, the senior superintendent of the special investigation team, was kicked out of "general affairs" again, and all her powers and responsibilities were transferred to other senior superintendents.

Now, it's rather "pathetic" that Lady Beatrix is left with only one job: training advisor at Rhodes Island!

Now, all she can think about is when Wei Yenwu will relinquish his position and officially hand it over to Pujielong.

"Welcome to our training!" Scout and Ace made exaggerated gestures, inviting, "Deepwinter Soldiers, Second Generation, at your command!"

Following the speeches of the two instructors, the hundreds of lightly dressed soldiers "quickly" formed ranks.

Unlike the Chernobog first-generation soldiers, who had almost no choice, Oute set some requirements for the basic qualities of these second-generation soldiers. Those who were ultimately selected to join the team were of a good standard in terms of height and basic physical qualities.

In fact, with such an abundant and inexpensive source of manpower in the Lower City, the second-generation soldiers are able to far surpass the first-generation soldiers of Chernobog in both quality and quantity.

However, Rhodes Island is merely a "security service provider" in the Lower City and has not yet established widespread support. Naturally, it cannot be treated like the Chernobog refugees who have no one to rely on, simply throwing every adult male into the city.

The noisy footsteps gradually merged into a rhythmic cadence, and before long, the soldiers, who had been in Brownian motion, were lined up in square formations, carrying wrenches and hammers.