C340 The Weapons Arrived

At Lucia Goods, Alicia and I waited patiently for the weapons to arrive. We had been expecting the delivery since morning, but as the hours passed, the anticipation among those who knew about it continued to grow. Then, sometime later, a large truck appeared at the entrance of the company. The moment the security guards noticed the logo on the side of the truck, they immediately understood what it was carrying. The news spread quickly.

Employees began whispering among themselves as they watched the truck slowly make its way through the entrance. Everyone knew that weapons had arrived. I made my way downstairs to receive the delivery while Alicia took out her phone and called her father. “Dad, the delivery has arrived.” Mark's voice came through the phone. “Good. Make sure everything is handled properly. I will send officers to register them.” “I will,” Alicia replied. I reached the delivery area and completed the necessary paperwork before signing for the order.

Once everything had been confirmed, the boxes were carefully transported to the training hall. The sight of so many sealed boxes sitting inside the hall made the situation feel more serious than it had when we were merely talking about training. This was no longer a plan. We were actually preparing. I took out my phone and started our usual video call. One by one, everyone answered. Alicia was the only person missing. Chris appeared on the screen first. “Brother, these video calls are supposed to happen every night, not during the day.”

I laughed. “Today is different.” I turned the camera toward the boxes. “The weapons have arrived. You can all come over now and register yours.” For a moment, nobody said anything. Sarah looked at the screen carefully. “So they're really here?” I nodded. “Yes. Come over when you can.” After the call ended, only Sarah, Samantha, Chris, and Laura remained connected for a few moments. They exchanged glances. Laura was the first to speak. “Are we going now?” Sarah nodded. “Yes. Let's go.” The call ended.

At the Cybersecurity Department. Earlier that morning, Bright had gone to Josh's office to speak with him but Josh left him there and went out. However, after waiting for some time without seeing him returning back to him, Bright eventually stood up and went back to check on him. This time, Josh was sitting comfortably behind his desk. Whatever had been troubling him earlier seemed to have disappeared. When he saw Bright, he smiled. “Bright, what is it?” Bright studied his father-in-law's expression. “Are you okay?”

Josh laughed. “Everything is fine now. What was it you wanted to tell me earlier?” Bright's expression immediately became serious. “There is a big problem.” Josh stopped smiling. “What happened?” "Is a security breach?" Bright took a breath. “Laura has joined Mike and Alicia.” Josh frowned. “Joined them? What do you mean?” Bright quickly realized that Josh knew nothing about what had happened. He shook his head. “Forget it. Just know that your daughter has dedicated herself to them. They are preparing for a dangerous war, and I came here hoping you could convince her to reconsider.”

Josh stared at him for a moment. Then he shook his head. “Opposing my daughter has already caused me enough trouble. Even today, I had to deal with the consequences of my past mistakes.” He leaned back in his chair. “Bright, Laura is your wife now. I can't make her decisions for her.” Bright looked frustrated. “But...” Josh raised a hand. “No. I've learned my lesson.” Bright remained silent. Josh smiled. “Now go back to work. Otherwise, I'll start thinking you don't have enough work to do.” Bright slowly shook his head. He turned around and walked away, still unable to understand how everyone seemed to have accepted Laura's decision so easily.

Meanwhile at Lucia goods, I made my way to the HR department. Faith was sitting at her desk when I arrived. I stopped beside her and made the announcement myself. “Good morning, everyone.” Several employees looked up. “I know there have been quite a few changes recently, so I want to make something clear.” I paused before continuing. “All employees who signed the second contract are required to report to the training hall at 1 p.m.” The room became quiet. “Those who signed the first contract are not required to attend this session. However, I will give you an update later this afternoon.”

Faith looked at me. “Vice Director?” I smiled. “Yes, the weapons have arrived. You don't need to ask.” Faith nodded politely. “Yes, Director. We will be there.” Not long after the announcement, three cars entered the company entrance. I immediately recognized them. I laughed and walked toward them. Faith followed behind me. Chris stepped out of one of the cars and immediately complained. “Brother, did it really have to be this early?” I laughed. “Yes. I need your help.” Sarah and Samantha stepped out as well.

Faith greeted them politely. “Good morning, Director Wood.” Sarah nodded. “Good morning.” Faith turned to Chris. “Good morning, Vice Director Chambers.” Chris nodded. Then Faith looked at Samantha. “Good morning, Champion.” Samantha laughed. “Good morning, Faith. How are you?” “I'm good,” Faith replied with a smile. “I'm actually excited about everything that's happening.” She paused before adding, “And I still want that rematch whenever you have time. I'll always be available.” Sarah laughed. “What? One loss wasn't enough?” Faith laughed. “No. I want revenge.” Everyone laughed.

We walked inside together. Faith returned to her desk while the rest of us headed toward the training hall. We had barely entered when the door suddenly opened behind us. Laura rushed inside, breathing heavily. “Why didn't you wait for me?” Everyone turned toward her and laughed. Chris looked at her. “Where were you?” Laura grinned. “Behind you.” Sarah laughed. “Sorry. We didn't see you.” I shook my head with a smile. “Well, now that everyone is here, help me unpack the weapons and arrange them properly. Everyone needs to receive the weapon registered under their name.”

Chris looked at the boxes. “Are these only small firearms?” I nodded. “Yes.” He frowned. “Brother, you don't expect us to practice with only these, do you?” Chris sounded almost disappointed. I laughed. “You haven't even held one yet.” He looked at me suspiciously. “What does that mean?” Before I could answer, the door opened. Alicia walked into the training hall. Five officers followed behind her. We greeted them before they immediately began preparing the registration equipment. They brought out scanning machines, documents, and the necessary equipment for recording each weapon.

One of the officers looked around. “Who should we start with?” Alicia and I exchanged glances. I stepped forward. “You can start with me.” I handed over my identity document. “Here.” The officers began unpacking the weapons. Chris immediately stepped forward. “I'll help.” He proudly opened one of the boxes and picked up one of the firearms. But the moment he felt its weight, his expression changed. “Why is this thing so heavy?” I laughed. “Remember what you said earlier? You wanted bigger guns.” Everyone burst into laughter.

Chris stared at me. “That doesn't make sense.” “You'll understand soon enough.” The registration process continued. Each weapon was carefully recorded and assigned to us. Names, identification details, and weapon information were entered into the records. One by one, we completed the process. Samantha, Sarah, Laura and Chris said they will return back to their companies. Outside Lucia Goods Sarah looked at Samantha. “It is still early.” Samantha looked at her. “What are you thinking?” Sarah smiled. “Why don't we go help my brother for a little while?”

Chris immediately shook his head. “You must be crazy if you think I'm going help your brother.” Sarah looked at him. “Husband, you don't understand. I invested in his club.” Chris grinned. “Whatever. I'm not going.” He looked back inside. "You know what I will just stay with my brother here. After you two are done come fetch me." Sarah and Samantha watched him leave. Samantha finally sighed. “Let's go. We can help Ben for a little while before returning to the office.” Laura, who had been quietly listening, stepped closer. “Do you want my help?”

Sarah quickly shook her head. “No, Laura. You can go back to your company.” She looked at the firearm Laura was carrying. “And take care of that weapon. Don't leave it somewhere unattended, and don't unnecessarily let people see you carrying it.” Laura stood still. “No I will just go back and help as well.” She turned and headed back toward the company. Sarah and Samantha watched her leave before getting into their own car. Then they headed toward Ben's warehouse.