Empire Building With Infinite Warehouse-Chapter 88: A Business Strategy
They spent the next few hours just resting in the quiet hospital room.
Chris needed to let his newly repaired mana circuits settle so his hands would not cramp up again.
Alice actually lay her head down on the edge of the bed and slept for a bit to recover her drained energy.
Julien stayed awake.
He used the quiet time to mentally scroll through his shop menus and made a long mental list of the exact items he wanted to buy.
He looked at stamina pills, poison antidotes, and even basic building materials.
He needed to create a perfectly balanced inventory to look like a guy who scavenged the best items from all over the city, not a guy who just magically spawned things out of thin air.
It was all about creating the right illusion.
’If they think I am just a lucky scavenger, they will try to buy me out,’ Julien thought, staring at the ceiling.
’But if they realise my system has unlimited stock, they will just lock me up in a cell next to Aiden and force me to spawn potions forever.’
He had to play this incredibly smart.
Once everyone was finally feeling steady enough to walk, they left the medical wing.
Chris put on a fresh shirt, hiding the heavy bandages wrapping his arms.
Alice looked tired but focused.
Julien led the way down the hallways and into the private elevator, hit the button for the underground base and rode it down in complete silence.
The elevator doors opened, revealing the massive, high-tech command centre.
Isabella was exactly where Julien left her.
She was sitting on the white leather couch, typing rapidly on a holographic keyboard while multiple screens displayed maps and data.
She looked up as the three of them walked in.
Her eyes scanned Chris’s fully healed hands, and she raised an eyebrow in surprise, but she didn’t ask any questions.
She clearly knew Julien had his own secrets now.
Julien walked right up to the glowing computer terminal and crossed his arms.
"Alright," Julien said, looking the billionaire straight in the eye.
"We are doing it. I am going to get the kid out."
Isabella gave a small, approving nod and folded her hands in her lap.
"I figured you would," she replied smoothly.
"Do you have a plan?"
"I have a business strategy," Julien corrected her.
"But I need more information before I start packing my inventory."
He pulled up a chair and sat down across from her.
Chris and Alice stood right behind him, presenting a totally united front.
"Tell us about the military camps," Julien said, his voice all business.
"I need to know exactly how this Republican sanctuary operates, what they are missing, and who is in charge of their front gates."
Isabella did not smile or offer any false comfort.
She just tapped a few keys on her holographic keyboard, and a massive 3D map floated up in the middle of the room, glowing with a soft blue light.
The map showed a sprawling, ugly fortress.
It was not a normal city but a massive military installation built right into the ruins.
"You will be entering via Camp 7," Isabella said.
She pointed a manicured finger at the very edge of the map.
"That is their main entrance."
Julien leaned forward and squinted at the projection.
He could see tiny details on the map, including a massive perimeter wall.
"They have three large watchtowers built right into the front gates," Isabella explained, her voice totally flat.
"The guards up there are highly trained, and they have enhanced sensory skills. They will find you and lock onto you at least two hundred meters out."
’So basically a two-hundred-meter walk of shame while a dozen snipers point their rifles at my head,’ Julien thought, rubbing his tired eyes.
’Sounds like a great Monday.’
"Are they just going to shoot us?" Chris asked from behind Julien, his voice full of concern.
"Not if he looks harmless and carries something they want," Isabella replied.
"Camp 7 is mostly for defence. The people there are either training or standing guard. It is their strongest point. You do not want to linger there more than necessary. Once you get inside the gates, you will want to talk your way straight into Camp 5."
Julien pointed at a different block on the map.
"What is in Camp 5?"
"It is the trade hub for all the surrounding camps," Isabella said.
"But do not picture a nice market. It is a labour camp where they force their captured hunters to make weapons, food, and other basic survival things all day long."
Isabella looked right at Julien, making sure he understood how serious this was.
"If you are a mage, it is even worse," she continued.
"They will literally bleed you dry to make potions. They do not care what kind of magic you use. They will just drain your mana until you drop, hand you a cheap recovery pill, and force you to do it again."
Alice let out a quiet gasp as she grabbed the back of Julien’s chair.
Julien frowned deeply as he looked back at the map.
’No wonder they need outside supplies,’ Julien thought.
’You cannot run a functional army on exhausted, half-dead crafters. The potions they make must be absolute garbage. My Tier 1 health vials are going to look like holy water to them.’
It made his business plan even stronger.
A desperate army would pay anything for real, high-quality goods.
"So where is Aiden?" Julien asked, getting back to the main problem.
"Is he in the trade hub making potions?"
Isabella shook her head and pointed to a fortified section right near the centre of the map.
"The last time my scout reported back, Aiden was being held in District 2," she said, her voice dropping a little lower.
"It is the high-security zone for their most valuable assets. And he is under the direct watch of Lena."
"Who is Lena?" Chris asked, crossing his healed arms.
"She is the commander for the Republic army," Isabella said simply.
"The one who keeps this entire sanctuary running. She is paranoid, incredibly smart, and entirely ruthless, who controls everything that happens inside those camps."
