Chapter 196: Meeting

Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Meeting

Not long after, the car arrived at the gates of the Sunset Squad’s villa. The sky had already turned completely dark. The motion-sensor lights at the villa entrance automatically turned on, the warm yellow glow driving away a bit of the night.

The group got out of the car together and entered the courtyard.

"Don’t forget to be on time for tomorrow’s pre-operation meeting," Francis Grant said.

Before Luna Dawson could speak, Kevin Keane quickly brushed Francis off. "Got it. Old people are always so nagging."

Francis was speechless.

Old???

He froze on the spot. Plenty of people in the base said he looked twenty-seven or twenty-eight at most!

Luna glanced up and caught Francis’s nearly shattered expression, biting her lower lip desperately to keep from laughing out loud. She pulled an exquisitely packaged black gift box out of her dimension—it was the shaver she had hoarded previously. Cheeks flushed red and hands trembling slightly from holding back her laughter, she handed the box to Francis. "Colonel Grant, find some time to shave. Look at this stubble, it’s sharp enough to prick someone."

Only then did Francis remember that since heading out for this mission, he had been busy every single day. He really hadn’t shaved in a long time, and touching it now, it indeed felt prickly. After a brief moment of surprise, he took the box, his fingertips brushing over the exquisite packaging. "Thank you, Captain Dawson," he said slowly. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

"Wash up and get a good rest. We set out the day after tomorrow. Don’t collapse from exhaustion before we even begin," Luna couldn’t help but remind him. After all, a valuable asset like Francis was well worth the investment.

Francis nodded in agreement. After exchanging a few more brief pleasantries, Kevin pulled Luna toward the house.

"I want a new shaver too." As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt like he had shot himself in the foot.

Luna was surprised. "Yours broke?! That fast? You haven’t even used it for long."

"I want one better than his."

Luna was speechless. He was competing over this too? She casually tossed one out to appease him.

The next morning.

After an early breakfast, Kevin drove Luna over to attend the meeting at the command center’s conference hall.

Luna arrived relatively early. Downstairs at the command center, quite a few vehicles were already parked—military off-roaders, various modified cars, and SUVs.

When Kevin and Luna walked into the conference hall, there were about two hundred people seated. Seeing them enter, most of the eyes darted over, carrying scrutiny, appraisal, and even disdain.

This place was nothing like Kensington Base. The building hadn’t restored power or heating, so almost everyone was bundled up tightly. Even when looking at each other, one could barely make out any features. However, everyone present was a captain or vice-captain dispatched from the safe zone or Kensington Base, so they were dressed decently.

Luna and Kevin were both dressed in black down jackets, masks, and beanies. Although the temperature had warmed up to around negative twelve or thirteen degrees Celsius, it was still freezing.

Joshua Shaw and Jean Sterling had been ordered to maintain order and guide people to their seats, along with some military personnel from the base. The moment Jean saw the duo with their stark size difference, she recognized them immediately despite their masks.

"Captain Dawson, Captain Keane, please follow me!" Jean stepped forward enthusiastically and led them to their seats in the middle of the first row of the conference hall. Only then did Luna notice that names were pasted on the seats.

After thanking her, Luna sat down, and Kevin took the seat next to her.

Before her seat could even warm up, Kyle Keith sat down on Luna’s other side. Luna’s mouth twitched as she noticed that the adjacent seat indeed had Kyle’s name on it.

"What a coincidence, Captain Dawson." Kyle wore his usual gentle smile.

Staring at the face he had just unmasked, Luna’s thoughts ran wild, wondering how his skin could still be so flawless in such freezing weather. Francis was practically turning into a scruffy middle-aged man, yet this guy remained fair and clean.

Luna had a lot going on in her head, but she didn’t show it on her face. Her eyes curved into a smile as she greeted him. "Hi, Captain Kessler."

Just as Luna exchanged a few pleasantries with Kyle, a slightly arrogant voice rang out.

"Where is my seat?"

Drawn by the noise, several people couldn’t help but turn their heads to look. They saw four or five people with an entirely different aura from the crowd walking from the back of the hall toward the front. The leader was a man who looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven, flanked by three handsome men and one pretty woman.

They all had a rosy complexion, and their winter clothes were clean and proper. From afar, Luna could smell a faint scent resembling disinfectant drifting over from them. They exuded an air of arrogance and contempt, clearly disgusted by the captains of some of the smaller squads in the back rows.

A female soldier standing next to Joshua stepped forward and spoke politely. "Hello, which squad are you from, Captain? I will show you the way."

At that moment, someone recognized them. "Vance Squads One, Two, and Three! It’s them!"

Luna looked utterly bewildered and instinctively glanced at Kyle. Catching her confused gaze, Kyle couldn’t help but explain it to her immediately.

"OmniCorp is a famous pharmaceutical group in Norgate Province, possessing countless medical-related resources. Later on, our Kensington Base will also dispatch teams to the locations they provide to recover some important scientific research data and equipment."

Luna nodded in realization. So they were from a renowned mega-corporation from before the apocalypse.

Seeing someone coming to guide them to their seats, the young man’s hostile expression softened slightly. He followed her to the first row of the conference hall, settling into seats closer to the wall.

Upon seeing the seats, he looked slightly dissatisfied. Raising his eyes, he demanded, "Who’s in charge here? Why am I seated here?"

The female soldier frowned, glancing at the group in displeasure. "Major General Dalton arranged this."

They weren’t far away. Luna practically knelt on her chair, propping her chin on her small hands as she watched the drama unfold with undivided attention, her entire body leaning against Kevin’s shoulder.

The young man paused for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Got it. Go about your business."

After speaking, his eyes darted around the room until they landed on Kyle. His gaze instantly sharpened, and he hurried over to greet him. "I’m William Walsh from OmniCorp. My father is Walter Walsh. Captain Kessler, we should have met before. Your father approved quite a few projects for our group."

Kyle stood up calmly, shook hands with him, and replied gently, "Hello."

Watching the subject of her gossip approach and exchange pleasantries with Kyle, Luna immediately sat up straight. She looked around to see if the seats were full, hoping the meeting would start soon. She hated meetings; they were always so long-winded.

The chatter in the conference hall gradually grew louder. There was still some time before the official start.

Seeing Luna fidgeting as if she had ADHD, Kevin found it amusing. He picked up her hand and gently massaged it. Ever since he accidentally bruised Luna’s skin the last time, he had been extra careful. He absolutely could not give her any excuse to go looking for a male masseur.

"It’s almost eight thirty. Don’t be impatient. You can take a nap in a bit; I’ll listen for you."

Luna leaned back comfortably in her chair and nodded, her eyes half-closed.

Sharon Sloan, who had followed her brother over, immediately noticed the woman sitting next to Kyle.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail and had a mask on, but her eyes were exceptionally captivating. Upon stepping closer, Sharon could even catch the faint fragrance wafting from her hair. Even the skin exposed on her forehead was incredibly flawless, completely devoid of visible pores.

The black down jacket she wore was made of premium material, accentuating a slender and upright figure. There wasn’t the slightest trace of the struggle to survive in the apocalypse on her; she looked even more refined than Sharon, who had lived a life of pampered luxury.