Chapter 20 Establishing a Secret Base

This factory has a vast basement. I have no idea what its original purpose was, but now it had become more affordable. Thea selected some lightweight and functional processing equipment, along with welding machines. Together, the two women assembled several large pieces. Without much effort, he climbed onto the cart and ended up tripping over the support.

Fortunately, both were European and American women, physically a bit stronger than Asians in this world. Despite Felicity's otaku appearance, she had a surprising amount of hidden strength, and her sharp-toothed grin confirmed it. Thea had spent half a year training with the old horse, and while her strength had improved slightly, Felicity was still the main worker. After all, age brings experience…

The equipment was installed and, after some fine-tuning, was ready for use. Thea had been studying books on processing lately. She had no intention of becoming an expert installer or a level 8 welder like Tony, but she was already thinking about the future steel suit. With the red arrow on her skateboard, she knew that at the very least, she needed to master the basics of these skills.

The basement door was sealed and disguised. From the outside, it looked like just another software department office, but behind those walls lay their secret base.

Exhausted, Thea and Felicity leaned against the wall, catching their breath. For the first time, Thea felt a sense of admiration for Oliver. They were completely drained, and yet he had done all of this alone in the future. Strong arms really do make a difference!

"I'm so tired, Thea… Let's go to the hot springs!" Felicity murmured, barely able to keep her eyes open.

Seriously? Do I have to go? The memory of their last visit made Thea hesitate. A mix of apprehension and a strange sense of excitement stirred inside her. Why am I excited about this? She immediately rejected this degenerate thought, stating firmly that she needed to return and report to Moira.

Moira wasn't one to sit idle. Even though this operation was just a front, the basic structure still needed to be in place. The task of finding a software engineer fell to Felicity. After all, as an elite hacker, anyone she picked would certainly be competent.

In the following days, Thea kept herself busy, efficiently organizing the necessary equipment. At the same time, Moira approved a large budget to purchase a powerful computer for the software department. After yet another round of cyber intrusions, Felicity installed a set of high-performance servers in their secret base.

The former hacker—now full-time otaku—was beyond thrilled. Truly, only those who have lost something can appreciate its value! Seeing Felicity's beaming smile, Thea wondered if, at that moment, she wouldn't even refuse an embarrassing request. Inappropriate thoughts? Time to get back on track. Without hesitation, she grabbed a bucket of paint, two brushes, and a sprayer, instructing Felicity to grab a cloth and start cleaning the hideout's walls.

Thea had a bit of a perfectionist streak. Maybe Oliver, in the future, wouldn't care about the environment, but she couldn't stand the mess. After spending over a year in a cluttered space, he probably wouldn't even notice anymore. Since their secret base couldn't be exposed, the painting job fell entirely on the two of them.

Felicity, happily immersed in her computers, had never imagined she'd have to do manual labor like this. A graduate from MIT, reduced to decorating walls? Thea had visited her apartment before and knew that Felicity was incredibly lazy. She only took out the trash when it overflowed. If no one reminded her, she could probably live buried under piles of junk.

Still, Felicity didn't refuse. In the past, she would have outright rejected the idea, but seeing Thea roll up her sleeves, she realized the girl wasn't the delicate type. With a reluctant sigh, she changed clothes and joined in. They weren't painting weapons—just walls.

As she painted, Felicity grumbled,"Moving machines, installing doors, painting walls… This is what advanced weapons development looks like? Lies!"

Thea lowered her head, pretending not to hear. The atmosphere was chaotic. She really didn't want to do this alone and had dragged Felicity into it. Men and women alike generally don't care too much about their surroundings. Maybe that's why heroines rarely have hideouts!

Building a base is no easy task. Look at Batman—he found a cave and settled in. Never once have I seen that old man waste time painting walls.

After a few strokes of paint, the space started coming to life, and the difference was already visible. Thea turned Felicity into her all-purpose assistant—helper, carrier, and makeshift painter for two entire days. Though she refused the invitation to the hot springs, she didn't hesitate to share a bath with her. As for what happened beyond what can easily be described, let's just say that, in the words of martial arts master Xu Zhu, it was "very good, excellent, and indescribably pleasurable."

One month later...

The software department's preparations were nearly complete. Thea wished this phase could last forever—she had no real interest in hardware or software development. Her skateboard project was barely getting started, and Felicity was already writing a new brainwave collection algorithm.

Moira, however, firmly rejected any further delays and ordered them to begin operations immediately.

The leader wanted swift action, leaving the two no choice but to temporarily set aside their plans. Thea was officially appointed minister and named Felicity as vice-minister. On paper, it sounded great, but in practice, their team consisted of only three people. The other staff members were either inexperienced or spent their time gazing at the two with admiration.

Of the three subordinates, two were plain-looking women, so thin they seemed like they could be blown away by the wind. The third was a man who spoke in a whisper, whose posture hinted at a congenital deficiency in male hormones and a spinal edema. Thea felt like even a gang of street thugs would be more competent.

She gave a speech about the department's importance, but a quick glance around revealed the harsh truth—empty warehouses, oil stains in the corners, and windows rattling at the slightest gust of wind. The weakness of their team was painfully obvious.

Even so, Thea saw it as a start. It wasn't an army like Malcolm and his brothers had, but it was something. And she was determined to make it work!

The First Day on the Job

Thea's first day as minister was so eventful that she ended up… reading newspapers. There was absolutely nothing to do.

Queen Group had started in steel foundries, with ties to both crime and the legal market. Its first members were muscle-bound brutes who could handle any task. The company's origins were anything but glorious.

The demand for software in a company that was starting from scratch was practically nonexistent. Thea began to consider flipping her schedule—sleeping during the day and working at night. It was possible, but still, a waste of time. And her time was valuable. More than six months of her five-year window had already passed.

She stumbled over to Felicity and realized their situations had completely reversed. Before, Felicity would sleep while Thea was busy. Now, Thea had nothing to do, but she also couldn't exactly start practicing archery in front of her three subordinates.

Felicity, on the other hand, didn't have that problem. Her brainwave collection software could be developed anytime. No one really understood what she was doing—only that it looked impressive...