Phantom.
Inside the sleeping cabin;
"Swish -"
"You're back."
As the password-protected door opened, William had just stepped into the sleeping cabin when he heard Halsey's soft whisper.
Halsey was standing in front of the virtual window, enjoying the simulated warm breeze.
Her attire was no longer her usual white lab coat, nor the figure-hugging jeans and tank top, but rather very loose clothing.
Most striking was her pink smock dress and her gradually swelling belly.
She looked like an expectant mother, about four months pregnant.
"Ah, I'm back." Seeing Halsey's docile appearance, William couldn't help but smile as he walked over to her.
He gently embraced her from behind and softly said, "Is it a bit stifling always staying on the Phantom? How about we go back to Halfa first?
There are sea-view rooms there, and the environment must be much better than here."
"Okay." Halsey didn't refuse, gently rubbing her head against William's chest and saying, "Anyway, the God Body modification plan is nearing its end, so there's really no work that requires my attention."
"You, always thinking about work. Umbrella isn't what it was two years ago. You need to pay more attention to your health. You're not alone now."
As he spoke, William gently stroked Halsey's lower abdomen, a smile he couldn't suppress appearing on his face. "There are two little ones in there.
You can't look at computers for long periods, and you can't..."
"Okay, okay, I know." Halsey quickly interrupted William's rambling, otherwise, her ears would suffer again.
"Sigh," William shook his head helplessly.
He knew he had become a bit of a chatterbox since Halsey got pregnant, but this was the first time he, having lived two lives, experienced the joy of being a father.
In his previous life, having children came with many inconveniences.
House, car, money, all sorts of 'things' had to be in place.
Just thinking about it was exhausting.
Now, he finally didn't have to worry about those things, but he had to face anomalies again.
Life is short.
William then stopped doting on Halsey and prepared to tell Catherine later to have the Phantom return to Earth and head to Halfa.
--------
Location: Troy Base, outskirts of Halfa City.
Troy had now completely transformed into a place revered in mythology as having 'the strongest city walls,' as it was Umbrella's largest military base before the construction of the Mars Fortress.
As for the Trojan Horse incident...
Given Andre's cautious nature, it was absolutely impossible for that to happen. One should know that this old general might appear clumsy on the surface, but in reality, he was a'spymaster.'
.
The Troy Base's area had expanded several times over, featuring various epoch-making buildings and anti-aircraft defenses.
In addition to advanced fighters, bombers, and helicopters, the hangars and runways also retained many older aircraft models.
Among them, a hundred-meter-tall Thor heavy mecha stood out, the only Thor mecha built by Umbrella.
It was painted in gray and black, with the red and white umbrella logo printed below the cockpit.
Even just standing there, it exuded an invisible sense of pressure.
Although the Thor mecha looked majestic and exuded a powerful deterrent, it was no match for the God Body in simulated combat.
According to Serina's analysis, one God Body · Modified could easily handle thirty Thor mechas.
And this was just in land-based simulated combat.
If the God Body utilized its power backpack for aerial strikes, then any number of Thor mechas would not be enough to send.
Therefore, the Thor mecha technology, for Umbrella, was somewhat of a white elephant.
However, having it was much better than not having it at all.
As for this sole Thor, it was Old General Andre's suggestion to William to create a prototype for various allied nations to 'observe.'
While gaining sufficient prestige, it could also increase sales of mechanical exoskeletons and various weapon equipment.
Especially after the Antarctic War, the United Nations witnessed the Spartans driving the God Body with overwhelming power, which further solidified their desire to purchase Umbrella's military hardware.
Some major powers even specifically requested to purchase the Thor.
After all, they were all coveting the God Body mecha. If the God Body wasn't for sale, then this type of large mecha should be, right?
However, the single unit price of 30 billion directly deterred most countries, leaving only the US, a country not short on military funds, clamoring to buy.
So, the United States and Umbrella signed a 32 billion order, and by the end of 2010, the US would receive a customized version of the Thor armor.
The so-called customized version was one with the electromagnetic cannon and beam cannon removed.
Of course, even so, the US was willing to spend heavily to purchase it, preparing to reverse-engineer the Thor's technology.
Unfortunately, if Umbrella dared to sell it, it meant the technology was already outdated.
.
A large number of UBCS personnel in plain clothes gathered inside the base. They were either helping ground crew organize internal base supplies or chatting in small groups.
There were also fully armed Marines on patrol, and USS personnel who had just completed certain missions and returned aboard Pelican Dropships.
And the 'general' responsible for most of Umbrella's military operations, Andre, stood with his hands behind his back, his expression extremely serious, in the center plaza of the base, looking up at the clear blue sky.
Finally.
A blurry shadow flashed directly above the base, and then, the Phantom, with its optical camouflage deactivated, silently hovered over the base.
The soldiers were long accustomed to this, while Andre had received a reminder from Serina and had arrived here early to await the Phantom's arrival.
Soon.
A Pelican Dropship with a special livery slowly descended not far in front of Andre. William was seen helping Halsey slowly step out of the cabin.
"Ha! Hahahaha!"
Upon seeing this, Andre's previous expression changed, and he burst into hearty laughter, striding towards William and Halsey.
He roared in a low voice, "William! You finally brought Catherine back to Earth! Huh?!"
"It's not that I didn't want to, it's that she didn't want to," William glanced at Halsey and complained.
"Forget it!"
Andre, who had approached, sharply patted William's shoulder, then reverted to his usual 'harmless' old man's face.
With an extremely benevolent smile, he said to Halsey, "Catherine, you are the Russell family's greatest contributor."
"Contributor?" Halsey was a bit slow to understand.
"Yes!" Andre exclaimed without hesitation, "Ah, the Russell family has been single-line for five generations, and Catherine, you are about to add two new members to the Russell family!"
By the end, Andre was so excited he was almost beside himself.
"Hey, that's enough." William rubbed his shoulder, which Andre had patted, and instructed the old general:
"For the next six months, Catherine and I plan to stay in Halfa. She'll rest at home and focus on her pregnancy, and I... I'll help you with some containment operations."
"No problem." Andre dropped his carefree expression; he was quite confident in his 'biological son.'
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