<h4>Chapter 69 A Glimpse to the Development of the Oriental Military Camp Part 2</h4>


    Three o''clock in the afternoon, Richard parked his vehicle by the main entrance of one of the high-end condominiums within the Oriental Military Camp, known as the SMDC Air Residences.


    The building was an impressive fifty-nine floors tall, characterized by its modern and sleek design. Due to its sheer size and the units it contains on every floor, it was the ideal choice for housing the survivors.


    Most of the survivors from the Oriental Condominium were transferred to the Air Residence. The background of the survivors didn''t matter, blue-cor workers who couldn''t have possibly afforded to buy a unit had their unit there, white-cor workers who were ustomed to living in high-end luxury apartments, and even military personnel who had to adapt to civilian life within the camp''s confines.


    Jumping out of the JLTV Oshkosh, Richard made his way towards the main lobby of the SMDC Air Residences. The lobby, while stripped of its former opulence, still retained an air of luxury and modernity.


    The walls were adorned with muted earth-toned wallpaper, and the floor boasted sleek tiles that reflected the subdued lighting above. A reception desk, manned by a soldier, stood near the entrance, recing the once-elegant concierge.


    Large windows spanned one side of the lobby, allowing in a soft, diffused light that illuminated the space without the need for extravagant chandeliers. Potted nts, evidently tended to with care, added a touch of greenery to the area.


    The furniture wasvish and plush. Couches and chairs, arranged in conversational groupings, were upied by the survivors engaged in quiet conversations. Most of them were rich-looking individuals who had been rescued from the BGC (Bonifacio Global City). A diverse mix of nationalities filled the space, with Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, and some Westerners forming cliques.


    Richard moved through the lobby, exchanging nods and greetings with the survivors.


    Speaking of survivors, their number grew to nine hundred with more than half of theming from the BGC.


    Approaching a bulletin board near the reception desk, Richard perused the notices and announcements pinned there. Requests for maintenance, updates on resource allocations, and a schedule formunity meetings were all posted neatly.


    This is just the lobby alone, what made this residential building great is that it had a two-story amenity deck or a mall of sorts that once catered to the residents'' leisure and recreational needs. Now, it serves as a vital hub for the survivors'' day-to-day activities.


    "Now let''s go meet her," Richard whispered to himself before walking towards the elevator bank on the far side of the lobby.


    Richard entered the elevator and pressed the button for the eighth floor where its resident-exclusive amenities such as a swimming pool are located.


    As the elevator reached his desired floor, the doors opened to reveal a corridor adorned with muted colors and soft lighting. The ambiance here mirrored that of the lobby below, with an air of subdued luxury that seemed out of ce in the world they now inhabited.


    Walking out the corridor, the pool area came into view. Swimming on it were the survivors. Among the survivors were the soldiers in their activebat uniform patrolling the perimeter to ensure safety.


    Though not all the soldiers were on duty, some of them were hitting on the female survivors, showing off in front of them who could do push-ups, sit-ups, and other exercises.


    Richard recognizes one of the soldiers, one of his closest men.


    "Graves?" Richard called and Graves jolted around, his eyes widening in surprise at the unexpected voice. He quickly saluted, straightening up from his rxed stance.


    "Sir! I didn''t expect to see you here," Graves said.


    Richard flickered his gaze at the woman he was hitting on, she too was familiar.


    "Emily?"


    "Sir Richard," Emily chuckled sheepishly.


    "I see what''s going on here?" Richard smirked.


    "Well. I''m just introducing myself to thedy, and I must say, after our ten-minute talk, I have grown interested in her." Graves winked at Emily, who blushed and gave an amused giggle.


    Richard shook his head, his lips curving into a grin. Emily must have charmed Graves with her alluring voice. Not that he can me Graves, he too was almost caught by Emily''s trap.


    "Carry on, you two. By any chance, did you see my sister? I was supposed to meet her here," Richard said as he nced around the pool area, searching for any sign of his sister, Lisa.


    Graves scratched his head, looking thoughtful. "I haven''t seen her recently, sir. Maybe she''s around somewhere. Want me to help you look?"


    "No, no need, I don''t want you to steal you from Emily," Richard chuckled.


    Graves grinned. "Okay, sir. Oh—I almost forgot, Miss Emily and I have somewhere to go, sir. If you need anything sir or you want some operation done, just call me."


    Richard nodded and watched as Graves ced a hand behind Emily''s waist and escorted her away. He couldn''t help but smile at their budding romance. Heck, he can even see where this is going, Graves and Emily alone? There''s only one thing that can happen.


    "Brother~!"


    Richard heard a familiar voice calling out to him. He turned around to see his sister, Lisa, approaching with a warm smile on her face. She was wearing a casual floral dress that entuated her figure.


    She was not alone, behind her were his closest ssmates. Ang, Denise, and E, all of them wearing a casual yet beautiful ensemble.


    "The three of them asked if they coulde," Lisa exined as she approached her brother. "Is it okay?"


    "I don''t see why not," Richard chuckled, ncing at her ssmates. They were like little sisters to him. "Follow me!"


    ***


    At the main entrance of the Air Residence, Richard walked around the JLTV Oshkosh with his left hand brushing the hood.


    "I''m sorry if I couldn''t bring a Mercedes, a BMW, or an Audi for this asion. Though I could, JLTV Oshkosh is just more beautiful, don''t you agree?" Richard winked at the girls who were following him.


    "It''s a good-looking car, sir Richard," Angmented.


    "I agree," E added with a smile.


    Richard opened the door for them gentlemanly and gestured for them to hop inside of the JLTV Oshkosh.


    The four girls thanked Richard and climbed into the JLTV Oshkosh. Once they were settled in. Richard closed the door and made his way to the driver''s seat. He settled in behind the wheel and started the engine.


    A powerful rev of the engine resonated through the vehicle as Richard eased the JLTV Oshkosh into motion. The girls inside held onto the handrails, feeling the vibration as the vehicle moved smoothly through the military camp.


    "The streets were once littered with abandoned vehicles but they were nowhere to be seen," Lisa observed looking out of the window.


    "Well after siphoning all their remaining fuels, we put them in one ce and incinerated them," Richard exined as he drove through the camp.


    The four girls could see military vehicles driving by, ranging from transport such as the M939 Trucks, HEMTT A4, and JLTV Oshkosh, carrying palletized cargo or soldiers.


    Hovering above the air were the CH-47 Chinook hoisting heavy equipment and supplies to different parts of the camp.


    He had been meaning to show his sister around the military camp and their first destination was the construction of the runway.


    Arriving there, bulldozers,pactors, and other heavy machinery were working tirelessly to convert the eightne road into a functional runway.


    "Why are we making a runway, Sir Richard? The runway is for nes right?" Denise raised a question.


    "We have nes, Denise," Richard answered simply. "But they are not arriving here until the runway is finished."


    "How long will it take to finish?" Lisa asked.


    "ording to my men, in fifteen days."


    And then Richard moved to their next destination, the parking spaces. There, instead of cars parking, it was helicopters. Chinook, Apache, Viper, ckhawk, and Pave Hawk.


    Ground crews in military uniforms were conducting routine checks and maintenance on the helicopters, ensuring that they remained in working condition.


    Richard and the four girls exited the vehicle and took pictures of them posing in front of the helicopters. Some crews also joined in the photo-taking, sharing smiles and stories with the group.


    After that, they went to the Lock and Store site. It''s the most heavily guarded ce in the Oriental as it served as the armory of ckwatch. Inside of it were rows upon rows of gun racks holding an impressive array of firearms and equipment.


    Then they visited the Iron Dome missile defense system and C-RAM across Oriental and watched as concrete walls were being erected around the perimeter


    of the military camp.


    Last but not least, is the instation site of the gas turbine generator and the concrete water container. The tour had been both informative and eye-opening for Lisa, Ang, Denise, and E, giving them a glimpse of the military operations, preparations, and developments.


    As the group returned to the SMDC Air Residences, the evening had descended, and the cityscape was beginning to light up. The once-darkened condominium building now glowed with warm, soft lights that illuminate its facade. How did they get their lights on? From the generators of the buildings itself.


    In three days, the whole building within the Oriental Military Camp will be fully powered.


    ***


    Somewhere, about eight hundred meters away from the perimeter of the Oriental. A man was filming the scenery before him.


    The scenery was an enve, surrounding it was dark and devoid of life, but within the enve, the contrast was striking. Bright lights illuminated the area, casting a warm and inviting glow. This enve, despite its proximity to the darkness beyond, seemed like a sanctuary of civilization amid chaos.


    "Boss would be pleased to see this."