"Good work, everyone."
"Thankfully, back in the day, I also had a strong desire to ss around with the White House around this ti, so it's a relief I'm not too late."
Phew.
With a sigh of relief, Henry Brayton carefully descended the stairs. The stage fell silent as they took a short break. The debate would resu in about 15 minutes. Walking briskly toward his private room, he reviewed the list of questions handed to him by his aide. Several questions were crossed out in red.
Henry had just stepped down from the debate podium.
"What do you think? Were there any wrong answers?"
"None at all. The only potential concern is how vivid your answers were, Senator. People will wonder where you got such information."
"Haha, traveling around and making connections since September paid off. Let’s hope they chalk it up to that."
The aide took back the paper that fluttered in Henry’s steady hand. The fifth debate had mainly focused on national security and Arica’s power projection, and Henry, drawing on mories from another world and the knowledge he gained from it, gave answers far beyond anyone's expectations. He utterly dominated the other Democratic candidates.
"Even if you throw an insane amount of money at infrastructure, it won’t work under the worst conditions. What’s important is predicting how infrastructure will be hit and how it will fail."
Indeed, the first sharp question in the debate targeted national security. The candidates had to answer what kinds of security threats Arica could face, how to respond if such threats occurred, and where to focus efforts to build counterasures—all while tying it into their own campaign promises.
For Henry, this was a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity, as if the question had been crafted just for him.
Of course, the first to tackle the issue was none other than him.
"Undoubtedly, the greatest security threat to Arica is not conventional warfare or terrorism, but a virus."
As if on autopilot, Henry started to deliver responses with unmatched expertise, leaving all the other candidates in the dust.
First, he explained why a virus was the most dangerous threat to Arica, linking it to the country's infrastructure. He argued that while Arica has a self-sustaining economy and society, everything would stop if the people running it died.
This was his core argunt.
Next, Henry referenced the grim results of the 2001 Dark Winter simulation, as well as reports from 2010 and 2020 on pandemic response and mobilization teams. He ntioned academic papers, highlighting his deep knowledge in the field.
Finally, he discussed his campaign's promise to build the most resilient Arica, tying his ideas into real-world counterasures, successfully taking control of the debate’s narrative.
"It wasn’t an unexpected answer, but the others were slow to catch on."
"Exactly."
A brief debriefing followed. Several large holographic screens hovered in the air, displaying the real-ti reactions to the debate from various sectors of the U.S., along with Henry’s rising poll numbers.
There was no need to explain the reactions—the numbers climbing in the top-right corner spoke for themselves. Henry’s speech, which lasted just six minutes, had already significantly boosted his support.
Yet, despite the success, his expression remained sowhat neutral.
"Of course, just because they’ve gone through the sa experiences I have doesn’t an they’ll all support ."
Henry was referring to the "mory-holders," the survivors of the Oga Virus scattered throughout the federal governnt and military. Assuming his debate answers would win them all over was an arrogant thought.
While he could potentially gain strong, loyal supporters from them during the primaries, their backing depended entirely on his future actions. Nurous obstacles remained.
Still, Henry had a few cards up his sleeve. As a senator from New York, he had a deep interest in VR and advanced technologies—primarily due to the existence of the Dark Zone. Reviving the Rust Belt by establishing a second tech valley in the region wouldn’t be too difficult.
He believed that pushing VR technology would be one of the key strategies to win the primaries and the presidential election.
And he had already planned his next big move.
"Aside from Camp Henry, is there anyone else eyeing the upcoming Dark Zone AP Final Championship?"
"In a negative light, several candidates are concerned. They fear losing voter support to the event or suspect that soone may have close ties to Icarus International."
"Typical politicians. They don’t realize how important it is to make a presence there."
Henry chuckled before adding cautiously:
"I’m sure neither the Democrats nor the Republicans know that Yu-jin, who’s participating in the championship, is an EM-class manifestor. The impact of showing I’m close to her will be huge."
"What will you do if Yu-jin finds out she’s being used politically?"
"Haha, Senator Henry Brayton will beco the second president in history to serve from a wheelchair, following Roosevelt."
A joke thrown out by his aide from the Secret Service, also a mory-holder. Henry let out a deep breath, as if the remark had hit him squarely, and replied with a dry laugh.
"Good grief. That’s the scariest joke I’ve heard in a while. If I weren’t prepared with a dal of Honor, I’d be a goner."
"Perhaps it’s ti to reconsider your approach?"
"I know it’s a sensitive ti. Anything could be seen as politically motivated. But what choice do I have?"
Phew.
Henry sipped so water before continuing in a low voice:
"It would be too cruel to let an election stop from eting my savior."
"..."
"It’s a gamble, I know. But if I miss this chance, I may never get it again. I’ll et her no matter what. After all, I’ve already unofficially awarded her the dal of Honor. What else do I have to fear?"
"You’re right about that."
[Notification: The 5th debate will resu in five minutes!]
After a brief pause, Henry added:
"Well, then... let’s get back to work. Can you give the question list again?"
"Here you go."
Henry took the papers and began reviewing them once more. Ti marched on, and the long-anticipated mont was drawing closer.
It was already mid-October.
"Mmm, sothing slls delicious."
Bubble, bubble.
And back at the glamping site, Yu-jin was busy cooking ran.
"Oh, where is that delicious sll coming from...?"
"You’re awake?"
"Ah, yes… wait, what!?"
Bubble, bubble.
The spicy, savory aroma of broth filled the air on the rooftop, drifting toward the tents where her team had been sleeping. One by one, they began stirring, opening their eyes cautiously, only to be greeted by the sa surprise.
"Teacher, you should have woken us up earlier."
"Here, have so chocolate milk first."
"Oh, uh, okay..."
Swish.
Yu-jin's tail gracefully held out a clear cup filled with chocolate milk, which sloshed gently as it moved. As they accepted the cup and drank, the sweetness washed over them, instantly soothing their stomachs and relieving the dull headache. After finishing the milk, they felt more awake.
Looking around, one of the editors noticed the broth simring with shrimp, clams, squid, dried pollock, and abalone floating in the rich red liquid.
On the table beside the burner were five packs of ran noodles and a large heap of bean sprouts. Their hunger grew as they took in the scene.
It was the perfect ti for a hangover cure.
"I’ll help with the setup."
"Good idea."
"I’ll help too."
"But first, everyone gets a cup of milk."
Yu-jin, having lowered the heat on the burner, handed each person a cup of chocolate milk as they erged from the tents. With her left hand, right hand, and tail, she managed to serve three people at once. As the milk worked its magic, everyone looked visibly more refreshed.
From then on, the peaceful morning beca a bustling one. Soone chopped kimchi, another spooned rice into disposable containers, and others cut up the leftover at and ham. The clock on the tent wall showed 10 a.m., and so they naturally asked Yu-jin:
"What ti did you wake up?"
"Around 7:30. I did a bit of exercise, bought so rice and ran from nearby, and cooked. Don’t worry, I just wanted to keep busy. By the way, there’s still leftover at, ham, and eggs from last night. Shall we grill them as side dishes? Anyone interested?"
"I’ll handle it!"
"I’ll help! Let’s do this!"
"Everyone’s full of energy this morning."
Well, it wasn’t so much energy as it was not wanting to seem lazy while their boss worked hard. No one in the group was oblivious enough to sit back while Yu-jin was preparing everything.
The quiet morning quickly turned into a busy one. Soone sliced kimchi, another scooped steaming rice into containers, and others prepared the remaining ham and at for grilling.
Watching them move efficiently, Yu-jin smiled and added the noodles and bean sprouts into the boiling broth. The oil from the noodles mingled with the broth, and the fragrance of cooking at and eggs filled the air.
It was a hearty, delicious al perfect for breakfast.
"Let’s eat!"
"Help yourselves. I bought it all for you."
Was this… motherly care from a snake?
The five editors, pushing aside any blasphemous thoughts, each ladled so ran into their bowls. Steam rose as they slurped the noodles and broth, and without fail, expressions of delight followed.
"Ah, this is perfect..."
"This isn’t a hangover cure; it’s making want to drink more."
"Wow, it’s really good."
"I’m glad you like it."
The complints weren’t just polite. While the breakfast was heavy, it was incredibly satisfying, and they ate much faster than one might expect for early morning.
Yu-jin had portioned everything just right, ensuring no one would feel overstuffed. And of course, any leftovers would be handled—by Yu-jin herself.
As predicted:
"Ah, I’m full."
"Wow..."
With only so broth, rice, and side dishes remaining, Yu-jin swiftly finished them off. After a brief round of applause (which made her blush and tell them to stop), they began cleaning up.
Disposable plates were rinsed and thrown away, while the reusable dishes were washed and returned to the communal kitchen. The table was wiped down until it looked like no one had ever used it.
Once they packed their belongings, Yu-jin spoke:
"Great job, everyone. I hope you enjoyed yourselves. Take it easy when you get ho. You can start working again tomorrow."
"Thank you so much. I had a great ti!"
"I’ll stay with you forever!"
"Haha."
With that, they exchanged farewells and split off in different directions to head ho.
Walking alone toward her house, Yu-jin’s thoughts briefly drifted to yesterday’s mory.
‘Oh right, I still need to pick up that package…’
She pondered for a mont before coming to a conclusion.
Even though the pickup location was a bit inconvenient, it was Wednesday, her designated day off. There was a reason the saying "strike while the iron is hot" existed.
So, Yu-jin turned and headed in the opposite direction of her ho.
It was a beautiful day.
"The package is on the move."
"Good. Keep only the minimum personnel, and make sure everyone else stays sharp. The least tired person will go later."
"Understood."
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