BXBX NOVEL Chapter 185 A Glimpse to New Clark City
Chapter 185 A Glimpse to New Clark City
October 3rd, 2023. At New Clark City.
Lisa arrived at the camp five days prior. She was told by her brother that she had to be in the new camp first and act as an extension of himself, meaning she was chosen as the representative of the Blackwatch Private Military Company.
On the makeshift helipad, Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters were either taking off or landing, carrying supplies and people, getting them from point A to B. Everyone aside from the military staffers has already relocated to their new home in New Clark City.
While looking at the flying helicopters, she couldn\'t help but wonder when her brother was going to join this new camp. Being alone and away from her brother aches her heart. She tried reaching out to him through calls but he wasn\'t answering.
"Miss Gonzales?"
Lisa turned her head towards the source of the sound. It was familiar. After all, she had heard that voice a lot.
"General Peralta," Lisa said, holding her hands together behind her. "How can I help you?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking, you have been standing there for a while, looking at the helicopters. Is something bothering your mind?"
Lisa shook her head, dismissing his concern. "It\'s nothing serious. I\'m just captivated by the helicopters. But thank you for your concern, General Peralta."
General Peralta hesitated a hint of embarrassment on his face for having intruded on her thoughts.?"Well, if you need anything, don\'t hesitate to let me know," he offered.
"You\'d be the first, General Peralta…" Lisa said.
"Just call me Arthur, Ma\'am. That\'s too formal, and you are the little sister of possibly the most powerful man in this country right now."
"Thank you for that, General Peralta. But I can\'t call you that so casually. You see, you are older than me and you are about the same age as my father. Not to mention the fact that you have a military background, or rather in active service before this apocalypse. But I can call you Sir Arthur."
General Peralta, or Sir Arthur as Lisa decided to address him, smiled wryly at her insistence on formalities. "As you wish, Miss Gonzales. I respect your viewpoint. It\'s rare to find such adherence to protocol these days, especially in our current circumstances. Especially from someone your age. How old are you if you don\'t mind me asking?"
"I\'m eighteen years old."
"And your brother?"
"He\'s twenty-two years old."
"See, that confuses me a bit," Arthur said.
"What do you mean?" Lisa tilted her head to the side.
"Your brother is too young to own a private military firm. Let alone have a massive arsenal of American military hardware. I know this because I work in the military. Chinook helicopters, Predator, and Reaper drones. The Philippine Army doesn\'t have those, and they come at a steep cost. I apologize if this would come out as rude but it\'s too impossible for your brother to be the owner of this firm."
"I understand your skepticism, Sir Arthur. It does seem improbable, and honestly, I don\'t have all the answers either. But in times like these, when resources are scarce and threats are everywhere, shouldn\'t we focus on the advantages we have?"
Arthur nodded thoughtfully. "True, the benefits are undeniable. It\'s just unusual for such a young individual to have access to this kind of firepower and resources. In my years of service, I\'ve never seen anything like it."
Lisa looked back at the helicopters, her voice firm. "My brother always finds a way to do the impossible. It\'s one of the reasons why he\'s respected and, in some cases, feared. He\'s resourceful and determined."
Arthur observed her for a moment, then said. "You seem to respect your brother a lot."
"Of course I do. After all, he saved a lot of people. Though despite how powerful he is, he can\'t save everyone."
Arthur noticed the somber expression that crossed Lisa\'s face as she spoke. "It sounds like there\'s a story there," he said gently.
Lisa\'s gaze shifted.?"Yes, there is. During our first operational field day, my classmates... didn\'t make it. We were attacked by this monster…and…"
Arthur remained silent, allowing her to continue at her own pace.
"And my brother\'s army was too late to save all of us...One of my classmates sacrificed themselves so I could hide," Lisa continued.
"That\'s a heavy burden for anyone to bear, especially at your age."
"It was…though I try to move on from. It still haunts me in my dream."
"Well…this is getting depressing. Why don\'t we walk around the New Clark City, and see the changes we have made together since the arrival of your people."
Arthur\'s suggestion seemed to lighten the atmosphere slightly. "That might be a good idea," Lisa agreed, trying to shake off the gloom. "I could use a break from my thoughts."
Together, they started walking around the camp, observing the changes and progress made since their arrival. New structures had risen, and the camp had a semblance of order despite the chaos of the world outside.
As they walked, Arthur pointed out various areas of interest. "Over there is the new medical facility. It was equipped with the latest and advanced equipment from your camp which boosted our medical capabilities significantly," he explained.
They continued their walk, passing a group of soldiers in training.
"And here\'s our training ground. We\'ve incorporated your curriculum with ours. Using the men as an additional force should there be a huge threat approaching the city," Arthur said, gesturing towards the soldiers.
"Just like our Volunteer Forces. I was part of it," Lisa shared.
"So you have the basics. That\'s good for you. Everyone in the community must know how to exterminate a zombie. They aren\'t human anymore, but monsters devoid of reasoning."
They continued walking and saw the residents from Blackwatch Oriental and New Clark City residences interacting and mingling with one another. And then they headed to the marketplace where a variety of goods, mostly non-perishables, were on display.
"This is where our community members exchange goods and services. We have adopted your currency system where every man should work for survival. I find the idea good because we can\'t let lazy people get the same food and supplies as those who contribute to our community," Arthur explained as they walked through the marketplace.
It was nearing six o\'clock in the evening and suddenly…all the streetlamps burst into light, illuminating the marketplace and surrounding areas.
"And thanks to the generators that you have provided, we have electricity that can do a lot of things for the community. Electric appliances, heating, and even powering some of our essential machinery," Arthur continued, gesturing towards the brightly lit area.
Not only that, the Blackwatch has also constructed a water filtration and treatment facility that provides us with clean and safe drinking water which is sourced from Tarlac River.
"Thanks to your brother, the New Clark City is looking like a city prior to this apocalypse."
"And as a representative of my brother, it is our pleasure. We will continue to build more things to make this city sustainable in the long run."