"Understood."
As Samuel Young listened to the observer's verbal report, he simultaneously reviewed the various real-time data displayed on several holographic screens in front of him.
When he reached the data on "casualties/injuries," his left index finger, which had been scrolling through the screen's contents, paused.
Samuel carefully examined the specific numbers.
First Company of the AECS reinforced battalion: 6 dead, 15 lightly wounded, 2 severely wounded.
Second Company of the AECS reinforced battalion: KIA...
…
A total of over four thousand AECS and ARS personnel had been deployed in Minova, and the current death toll was 71, with 336 injured, the majority of whom were lightly wounded.
The UAC was in a state of collapse. High-altitude images taken by the Ernio-002 showed that the remaining corrupted soldiers were desperately fleeing north.
However, once they left the city and exposed themselves in the open wilderness, they became "moving targets."
Two armed formations, led by a pair of Dragon-class assault craft, had completed resupply two hours earlier and were now heading straight to the northern side of Minova to carry out unilateral fire strikes on the UAC deserters.
While the company's Bioengineering Department indeed needed live samples and its armed units would try to capture some unique individuals alive, the primary objective of all operations was to eliminate all UAC forces in the area.
Fittingly, the "antique" Dragon-class assault craft, when fully loaded with ammunition, could level an area the size of Manhattan.
Although the Dragon-class had underperformed on Pandora, it was absolute overkill against the corrupt fallen who lacked any anti-air capabilities.
Thus, the battle to liberate Minova was in its final stages, and the casualty numbers had stabilized, unlikely to fluctuate further.
Of all the *afternoons* Samuel had experienced, 71 deaths and 336 injured were the lowest figures.
Considering the nature of the battle—a brutal urban combat scenario against the fallen in a megacity—achieving fewer than 500 casualties was nothing short of a complete victory.
Urban combat, after all, is universally acknowledged as "hellish."
Fortunately, by dismantling Minova's defense facilities and executing tactical and strategic strikes that wiped out nearly 70% of the fallen, followed by a series of subsequent actions, Atlas's ground forces were able to make swift progress.
However, some soldiers had worse luck, such as being hit by stray bullets in the neck or thigh or being struck by UAC bio-plasma cannons during frontal assaults.
Regardless of whether the deceased were from ARS or AECS, Atlas would provide the appropriate death benefits.
ARS personnel typically came from the primary universe, so medical benefits and living allowances were standard procedures. However, AECS members, who had no background ties on Earth-02, posed a more complex case.
The company would distribute death benefits and welfare according to the deceased AECS members' stated wishes.
Some AECS members continued their mercenary careers after retirement to support families light-years away. For them, after Atlas established a branch on Earth-02, the company would provide discreet support to their families, offering financial aid and medical assistance at an opportune time.
Other AECS members were solitary, unable to adapt to normal life, and had chosen the mercenary profession for the thrill. Their death benefits were either to be transferred to close comrades or simply forfeited, opting instead for higher commissions during their lifetimes.
Atlas aimed to care for every employee, and providing financial support and welfare was the most direct and effective way to do so.
As for the humans who had been freed and escaped from Minova, Samuel had no strict requirements for them.
While Atlas's ground forces cleared the city, they would search every cell to ensure all prisoners were freed, informing them through oral and vehicle broadcasts that Los Angeles had food, water, and the chance for a "new life."
Unless an emergency arose, Atlas wouldn't interfere with the freed humans' decisions until they voluntarily reached Los Angeles.
At the same time that the company launched its assault on Minova, the Engineering Department, following the main forces, began deploying numerous automated mobile supply stations along the route using Hextech robots and large transport vessels.
These supply stations used facial recognition to distribute single servings of compressed food, drinking water, and basic medicines, preventing excessive reclaims.
They also projected holograms to provide navigational guidance to passersby.
Rebuilding Los Angeles and even human civilization on Earth-03 required human resources.
The fact that these six million people, who had been imprisoned for five years, still adhered to their principles without falling into corruption, demonstrated their strong willpower.
In dealing with such worthy compatriots, Samuel gave them "choices."
Moreover, facing the harsh desert environment, Samuel believed these six million people would make the right decisions.
Returning to the present.
Samuel sighed silently and continued scrolling through the data until he had reviewed all the information. He then dismissed the holographic screens with a wave and ordered, "Notify all units that the Swift Shadow assault craft is running low on ammunition and needs to return to the forward base for resupply. It will be unable to provide fire support in the short term."
"Yes, boss." The communications officer sitting nearby immediately relayed the message to the unit commanders.
After leaving the command cabin, Samuel stepped outside.
The nearly 100-meter-long Swift Shadow assault craft adjusted its angle using its maglev engines, gained altitude, and then gradually accelerated southward using its jet engines.
Below, countless people were also heading south.
If you zoomed in on their faces, you would see that although they were not in the best physical condition, their expressions were filled with joy and excitement, and some even had a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
Indeed, no matter how harsh the outside environment or how true Atlas's claims were, it was still a thousand times, even a million times better than being imprisoned.
---
"Ding-dong~ Please, family E014, proceed to window 5 for service."
A soft reminder echoed through the hall.
The interior of this hall was bright and spacious, with the noon sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the clean floors. The atmosphere was calm, with plenty of empty seats and scattered, low-voiced conversations.
"Grandpa, E014 is us. Shall we go?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, let's go..."
Hearing the reminder, the boy quickly left the sofa by the window and called out to the elderly man, who had almost dozed off in the warm, comfortable sunlight.
The elderly man and the boy, both dressed in long-sleeved coats due to the cooler weather, made their way to window 5. However, the old man's left sleeve hung empty, indicating that he had lost his left arm in an accident.
At the window.
"We're here to collect our ID cards."
As the elderly man sat down, he handed a transparent card with the blue inscription "E014" to the female receptionist on the other side of the window.
"Very well, please wait a moment."
The receptionist, dressed in a black uniform adorned with red "Λ" metal buttons and collar insignias, smiled kindly as she took the card for inspection.
After confirming that the card and the number matched, she placed it into a collection box and swiftly typed on a physical keyboard, bringing up a holographic screen on the left side of the window.
The screen displayed the names, ages, blood types, and other personal information of the elderly man and the boy.
"Please verify the information on the screen for accuracy," the receptionist said with a natural smile.
The elderly man and the boy both checked the screen. After a moment, the boy nodded earnestly, and the elderly man followed suit, saying, "Yes, it's all correct."
"Very well." The receptionist continued typing on her keyboard as she explained, "Mr. Clovis, since you are the sole guardian, the company will transfer vouchers to your card every month.
Please note that the free provisions must not be wasted, or you will face a penalty of at least one month's worth of supplies.
With your ID card, you can redeem 27 kilograms of grains and an equal amount of fruits and vegetables at any exchange point in New Los Angeles each month. I will provide a detailed list shortly to make it easier for you to understand the distribution.
Additionally, your monthly water and electricity allowances are 8 tons and 150 kilowatt-hours. Please be mindful, as exceeding these limits will cause trouble."
The receptionist then adjusted the card printer on the corner of her desk and continued, "Your grandson, Garan Clovis, can start attending School No. 3 in September this year. It's very close to your current residence, just two traffic lights away.
Don't worry about school fees; the company provides compulsory education for all school-age children up to high school.
Although New Los Angeles doesn't have a university yet, I'm sure the company will soon provide the necessary facilities and teachers at the current pace.
Moreover, vouchers for school supplies and extracurricular books will be gradually transferred to Garan's card when he officially enrolls.
Lastly, you'll need to visit here every January 20th to renew your cards. Do you have any other questions?"
As she spoke, the receptionist had already made two semi-transparent ID cards, roughly the size of bank cards, and printed out a paper list and instructions, which she handed over to the elderly man through the window.
"..."
The elderly man took everything in a daze, seemingly unable to believe it.
New Los Angeles was the foothold of Atlas on Earth-03. Both the elderly man and the boy had been captured and imprisoned in Minova by the UAC.
If not for Atlas's medics providing first aid on-site and then urgently transferring him to the field hospital in New Los Angeles, the elderly man would have died from his severe injuries long ago.
So after being discharged
, he and his grandson accepted Atlas's offer and chose to stay in New Los Angeles.
Initially, all human prisoners, including the elderly man and the boy, were moved into vacant apartment buildings, with spider-like robots delivering food and water daily.
After half a month, the apartment building they lived in had stable electricity and water supplies.
A month later, the city streets began to come alive, and they even had a local network.
However, Atlas simultaneously released various announcements on the network, including one reminding all residents to prepare for the impending cut-off of free supplies.
On January 10, 2052, Atlas announced that residents aged 18 to 60 who were healthy would no longer be entitled to free supplies after January 20th. They would have to work five days a week, seven hours a day, to earn vouchers for redeeming supplies.
Before January 20th, all residents needed to go to their community office to collect their new ID cards.
Individuals and families who could not earn vouchers through labor would receive updated supply distribution plans when collecting their ID cards.
So, on January 16th, today, the elderly man brought the boy to their community office to collect their ID cards and learn how to live in the future.
Despite being prepared, the elderly man could hardly believe Atlas was still this generous after hearing the receptionist's detailed explanation.
After their community was connected to the local network, the content they could access daily was quite limited. By December 2051, Atlas had only begun uploading entertainment movies and TV shows...
Movies and TV shows from the primary universe.
Of all the announcements, the one with the fewest words but the most shocking to the elderly man and all the residents was: "Atlas United Company comes from another Earth's universe."
Through other announcements, the residents also gained a general understanding of this massive private corporation. Still, information about its founder, Samuel Young, was extremely limited.
All they knew was that Samuel Young had absolute control over Atlas from the beginning...
Thinking it through, the residents realized that the founder must be at least a hundred years old, with extraordinary abilities and physical condition.
But the residents quickly adapted. After all, they had survived five years of captivity and torment; nothing could scare them anymore.
The residents also realized that it was the founder's decisions and arrangements that ensured they had food and drink during their most difficult times, giving them a chance at a new life.
At this moment.
Noticing the elderly man's dazed expression, the receptionist asked with concern, "Mr. Clovis, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, thank you so much to you and your boss," the elderly man replied as he regained his composure.
"Thank you, miss," the boy added, mimicking his grandfather.
"You're very welcome, Mr. Clovis. It's all part of my job," the receptionist responded to the elderly man, then smiled at the boy and gently reminded him, "Good boy, make sure to study hard and not trouble your grandfather."
"I will! Goodbye, miss!"
With that, the boy followed the elderly man out of the office.
As they walked down the sidewalk, the boy squinted up at the bright blue sky, enjoying the sunlight and remarking, "Grandpa, you were right. The real sun is so warm."
---
Meanwhile.
In the second-floor office of the forward base.
Standing in front of a desk, Samuel Young solemnly addressed Saint Giles and Ryan: "Children, what I am about to tell you is... about psychic powers."
___________________
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