C343 This Thing Is Cold

Behind her, Chris was grinning. He leaned toward me and whispered, “How are we going to shine when so many people are involved?” I smiled. “Brother, it's not about shining.” I looked toward the employees filling the hall. “It's about winning and defeating our enemy.” Samantha smiled. “So many people have dedicated their lives to the two of you. I hope you'll treat everyone fairly.” Sarah laughed softly. “In war, there is no fairness.”

Laura looked around the hall. For the first time, she didn't look afraid. Instead, she smiled. “Now I don't feel scared anymore.” Alicia looked at everyone in the hall. For a moment, she couldn't find the right words. Then she slowly smiled. “Then let's begin.” Angus the Hammer began leading his group around the training hall, inspecting the available space and discussing how they would organize the different training areas. As they walked, Lewis the Sniper suddenly complained. “I don't think I can train anyone here. There isn't even a proper sniper area. I see shooting and fighting spaces, but where am I supposed to teach long-range shooting?”

Alicia heard him and smiled. “There are plenty of forests near my grandfather's residence. If necessary, we'll use those areas for long-range training.” Lewis the sniper nodded in satisfaction. “That will work.” Fraser the Reaper suddenly spoke. “What about blade fighting?” He looked toward Alicia. “Boss specifically instructed me to train you in how to use Gold and Diamond.” Alicia stopped. “What do you mean?” Fraser the reaper explained, “Boss told me that you said the dagger was heavy and that you needed proper training with it for the future.”

Alicia looked confused. “For the future?” Before Fraser the reaper could explain further, Angus the hammer quickly interrupted. “Madam, we'll discuss that later.” Alicia looked at him suspiciously but decided not to press the matter. Instead, another question came to her mind. “Wait. How did you find me? I never gave my grandfather my location.” Angus the hammer laughed and pointed toward the golden dagger in Alicia's hand. “There is a location tracker inside Gold and Diamond. Wherever you go, we will always be able to find you.”

Alicia froze for a moment. She looked down at the dagger. “So that's how they found me.” She shook her head before smiling. “Well, you can look around. We'll add a blade training room over there in the corner. Don't worry, it will be large enough.” She then looked at Angus the hammer. “Angus the hammer, once you're finished inspecting the hall, divide everyone according to their training roles.” “Yes, Madam.” Alicia returned to the officers who were waiting to continue the registration process. “Officers, I'm sorry for the delay. We can continue with the registration now.”

She then picked up a microphone and addressed everyone in the hall. “I'm sorry, everyone. When we ordered these weapons, we expected fewer than thirty people to participate. Since more people have now joined, we don't have enough weapons for everyone.” She looked around. “So we'll begin with those under thirty years old. Once they have registered, we'll see how many weapons remain and decide whether we need to order more.” She raised the microphone again. “Everyone under the age of thirty, please form a line for registration.”

Almost immediately, the younger employees began forming a line. Lucia Goods was a large company, but its headquarters had only around sixty employees. Nearly twenty people initially lined up in the younger group. Alicia continued, “One more thing. These weapons will not leave the headquarters. Everyone will only use them while training here.” I froze. Laura leaned toward us and whispered, “Didn't we agree that we would be allowed to take our guns home?” Sarah shook her head. “Do you really think it would be safe for more than thirty people to carry guns around?”

Chris grinned. “But you all did agree to take them home. I was the only one who opposed it, and all of you convinced me otherwise.” He folded his arms. “Now that I've finally agreed, she's changing the rules?” We all laughed. The registration soon began. One by one, the employees submitted their identification documents, registered their weapons, and received their assigned guns. For many of them, it was the first time they had ever held a firearm. Several employees, especially the women, immediately complained about the weight. “This thing is cold!” “And it's heavy!”

Angus the hammer laughed. “Not heavier than Gold and Diamond.” Chris and I exchanged a look. I glanced at Alicia but said nothing. Alicia soon looked toward the remaining boxes. “Right. How many weapons do we have left?” One of the officers checked the records. “We have about fifteen remaining.” Alicia looked around the hall. “And how many employees haven't registered yet?” The officer checked his paperwork. “Excluding your group, Madam, twenty-five employees have registered so far.”

Alicia looked around again. “Besides the older employees, how many people are left?” Only ten people stepped forward. A smile appeared on Alicia's face. “Well, it seems I won't need to order any more weapons.” Fraser the reaper immediately muttered, “Only blades.” Lewis the sniper added, “And six sniper rifles. I can only train six people at a time.” Angus the hammer laughed. “Brother, I haven't even divided everyone into their roles yet. How did you already decide there will be six?” Lewis the sniper grinned. “Because Madam's group will be included.”

The two men laughed. Alicia shook her head before addressing everyone. “Well, there's only one major change I'll make to the training facility.” Everyone looked at her. “We'll add one more room and install lockers. Everyone will have their own locker where they can store their assigned weapons while they're not training.” The employees nodded. Alicia then turned toward the officers. “Please register weapons for my father Quinton and Peter as well.” She took out their identification documents and handed them to the officers.

After their registration, three weapons remained. Alicia took the remaining firearms with her. The officers packed up their equipment and prepared to leave. “Thank you for your help,” Alicia said. The officers nodded before leaving the training hall. The employees returned their assigned weapons to the box and headed back to work, but their excitement was impossible to hide.

For many of them, the training facility had suddenly become much more real. Soon, only our group and the ten coaches remained inside the hall. Alicia looked around at everyone. The real training was about to begin.