Chapter 199: You Aren’t Qualified

"Alright, Viper will handle everything regarding the camp logistics from this point onward."

?"Wait, I have some critical news to share first," Lord Daniel interjected, raising a hand to cut Kelly off.

?"Oh? What is it?" Kelly asked, turning her head back over her shoulder to look at him with a composed expression.

?"The incoming monster tide has unexpectedly divided itself into four massive strike groups, and they are currently converging to attack all four gates of the city simultaneously..." Daniel revealed grimly, before continuing:

?"The total number of medical personnel we have gathered here is simply nowhere near enough to manage four separate defense lines at once. If you plan to establish four independent field camps at each of the gates, your manpower will be stretched dangerously thin."

?"Who on earth ever said anything about building four separate camps?" Kelly retorted smoothly.

?"Huh?" Daniel and everyone else in the lobby stared at her, utterly confused.

?The original assumption had been to construct a single forward camp right up against the outer wall near the southern gate, allowing frontline fighters to easily teleport a short distance back for emergency treatment. If all four gates were getting swarmed at once, logic dictated that four separate medical nodes were required.

?"This new tactical intel is undeniably helpful, but it doesn’t mean we need to waste resources building redundant extra camps... Let me ask you this, Lord Daniel: when the monster tide split up, did your Awakened combat forces increase their overall numbers?"

?"Huh? No, of course not—we were forced to divide our existing elite forces across the four gates," Daniel answered, feeling a bit lost.

?"Exactly. Splitting your defensive lines doesn’t mean my current staff cannot handle the load—we merely need to adjust our logistical framework." Kelly stated, pivoting to face the sea of attentive hospital workers:

?"The central medical camp will now be established right at the literal heart of the city. We are going to commandeer Silverspire’s grand Central Park and convert it into our primary emergency campground. Naturally, I am well aware that once the wounded fighters teleport over to the park, they will need a way to return directly to the frontlines once healed. Therefore, a secondary system of return-teleportation scrolls will be issued, taking them straight back to their respective outer gates." She explained smoothly.

?"I completely grasp the brilliance of your logistical design, but won’t that bleed us dry financially? High-tier spatial teleportation scrolls are exorbitantly expensive, with a single scroll easily running up to ten thousand dollars," the blonde-haired female doctor with glasses pointed out anxiously.

?"Of course, this secondary return-scroll network is only necessary because these monsters are acting with unprecedented coordination, so the Awakened Association will heavily subsidize the acquisition cost by fifty percent. That will serve as their direct contribution to the logistics, though your administration will still need to supply the remaining material resources." Kelly answered without missing a beat.

?’Huh? Why do I suddenly feel like I am getting expertly pickpocketed in broad daylight?’ Daniel thought to himself with a tight frown, just as Kelly turned back around to face him, crossing her arms over her big chest:

?"Don’t tell me the Association is going to refuse this modest collaborative offer? We have thousands of civilian and combatant lives hanging in the balance, and your own frontline officers will be the primary beneficiaries of this centralized camp protection. So, what is your final answer, Lord Daniel?"

?’Is she seriously trying to emotionally blackmail me right in front of all these witnesses?! Even if I wanted to push back, argue terms, or fight for a deeper discount, I completely lack any leverage here.’ He cast a sweeping glance toward the hopeful, expectant faces of the medical staff, then looked past them to his two officers standing silently behind him.

?’Damn it all! This defense is for the city and every breathing soul inside it! Even if the treasury drops a few million dollars on scrolls, it’s not like the city leadership is going to go bankrupt over it,’ he thought, letting out a defeated sigh as he gave a firm nod:

?"Naturally, I won’t refuse it. This initiative is for the survival of the people." He said, forcing a polite, diplomatic smile to his face.

?"Splendid... Leaders who prioritize our collective future over money are the only true leaders worth following." She praised smoothly, before raising her gaze upward toward the high windows of the lobby, locking her eyes directly onto the empty glass ledge with a knowing, brilliant smile.

?Juliana instinctively followed Kelly’s gaze, staring up at the empty window frame where nothing visible sat, before turning back to her elder sister with a puzzled look: "Did something catch your eye?" she whispered quietly.

?"Oh, it’s nothing at all," Kelly smiled warmly back at her, before shifting her focus to Viper:

?"Alright, I leave the remainder of the camp execution entirely in your capable hands. If you run into any sudden budget shortages or require additional raw capital, simply report directly to me," she instructed, taking a graceful step toward the main entrance:

?"Meeting adjourned! Everyone is dismissed to take the rest of the day off to handle personal affairs. Tomorrow morning, I expect every single one of you to report here no later than 6:00 AM sharp... We cannot predict the exact hour these monsters will breach the outskirts, so arriving early is mandatory."

?"Excuse me, I have a specific personal request to make before we disperse."

?Kelly, Juliana, and Sara all halted their steps, turning their heads to find Captain Zion stepping forward from Daniel’s security detail.

?"What is it?" Kelly asked, her expression neutral.

?"I sense a strangely familiar, suffocating aura radiating from those armored knights standing behind you... And the individual who originally possesses that exact type of overwhelming aura happens to be my greatest personal rival. I am well aware that I am nowhere near qualified to truly call myself his equal in combat, but I cannot shake this burning instinct—I want to test my limits and see if I can even land a single scratch on one of your knights."

?"Huh? You actually wish to challenge one of our Husband’s summoned knights in single combat? So you consider yourself his rival?" Kelly asked, genuinely rendered speechless by the sheer audacity.

?"You are correct on at least one front: you are definitely not qualified to be our Husband’s rival." Juliana chimed in bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest with a dismissive huff:

?"You couldn’t even last three rounds against me in a serious spar... However, I suppose we can grant your ridiculous request and let you spar against one of them. But what is in it for us?" she asked, leaving Captain Zion momentarily blinking in shock.

?Juliana rolled her eyes: "Please, we don’t have all day to waste entertaining ego trips; we have critical corporate assets to inspect and places to be."

?"I brought my own personal cultivation asset—a high-purity S-Rank Evolution Stone," Zion stated without hesitation, opening his palm to reveal a glowing stone pulsing with raw, condensed energy.

?Kelly extended her hand lazily. A delicate stream of crimson spirit energy materialized from her fingertips, instantly weaving into a glowing red chain that whipped forward, neatly coiling around the S-Rank stone and levitating it smoothly across the room straight into her waiting palm:

?"Acceptable payment. Should the knight hold back, or go all out against you?" Kelly asked casually, inspecting the glowing stone.

?"NO HOLDING BACK!! I WANT TO FIGHT AT FULL POWER!!" Zion answered without a single ounce of hesitation.