"Good work, everyone."

"Thankfully, back in the day, I also had a strong desire to mess around with the White House around this time, so it's a relief I'm not too late."

Phew.

With a sigh of relief, Henry Brayton carefully descended the stairs. The stage fell silent as they took a short break. The debate would resume in about 15 minutes. Walking briskly toward his private room, he reviewed the list of questions handed to him by his aide. Several questions were crossed out in red.

Henry had just stepped down from the debate podium.

"What do you think? Were there any wrong answers?"

"None at all. The only potential concern is how vivid your answers were, Senator. People will wonder where you got such information."

"Haha, traveling around and making connections since September paid off. Let’s hope they chalk it up to that."

The aide took back the paper that fluttered in Henry’s steady hand. The fifth debate had mainly focused on national security and America’s power projection, and Henry, drawing on memories from another world and the knowledge he gained from it, gave answers far beyond anyone's expectations. He utterly dominated the other Democratic candidates.

"Even if you throw an insane amount of money at infrastructure, it won’t work under the worst conditions. What’s important is predicting how infrastructure will be hit and how it will fail."

Indeed, the first sharp question in the debate targeted national security. The candidates had to answer what kinds of security threats America could face, how to respond if such threats occurred, and where to focus efforts to build countermeasures—all while tying it into their own campaign promises.

For Henry, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as if the question had been crafted just for him.

Of course, the first to tackle the issue was none other than him.

"Undoubtedly, the greatest security threat to America is not conventional warfare or terrorism, but a virus."

As if on autopilot, Henry started to deliver responses with unmatched expertise, leaving all the other candidates in the dust.

First, he explained why a virus was the most dangerous threat to America, linking it to the country's infrastructure. He argued that while America has a self-sustaining economy and society, everything would stop if the people running it died.

This was his core argument.

Next, Henry referenced the grim results of the 2001 Dark Winter simulation, as well as reports from 2010 and 2020 on pandemic response and mobilization teams. He mentioned academic papers, highlighting his deep knowledge in the field.

Finally, he discussed his campaign's promise to build the most resilient America, tying his ideas into real-world countermeasures, successfully taking control of the debate’s narrative.

"It wasn’t an unexpected answer, but the others were slow to catch on."

"Exactly."

A brief debriefing followed. Several large holographic screens hovered in the air, displaying the real-time reactions to the debate from various sectors of the U.S., along with Henry’s rising poll numbers.

There was no need to explain the reactions—the numbers climbing in the top-right corner spoke for themselves. Henry’s speech, which lasted just six minutes, had already significantly boosted his support.

Yet, despite the success, his expression remained somewhat neutral.

"Of course, just because they’ve gone through the same experiences I have doesn’t mean they’ll all support me."

Henry was referring to the "memory-holders," the survivors of the Omega Virus scattered throughout the federal government and military. Assuming his debate answers would win them all over was an arrogant thought.

While he could potentially gain strong, loyal supporters from them during the primaries, their backing depended entirely on his future actions. Numerous obstacles remained.

Still, Henry had a few cards up his sleeve. As a senator from New York, he had a deep interest in VR and advanced technologies—primarily due to the existence of the Dark Zone. Reviving the Rust Belt by establishing a second tech valley in the region wouldn’t be too difficult.

He believed that pushing VR technology would be one of the key strategies to win the primaries and the presidential election.

And he had already planned his next big move.

"Aside from Camp Henry, is there anyone else eyeing the upcoming Dark Zone AP Final Championship?"

"In a negative light, several candidates are concerned. They fear losing voter support to the event or suspect that someone may have close ties to Icarus International."

"Typical politicians. They don’t realize how important it is to make a presence there."

Henry chuckled before adding cautiously:

"I’m sure neither the Democrats nor the Republicans know that Yu-jin, who’s participating in the championship, is an EM-class manifestor. The impact of showing I’m close to her will be huge."

"What will you do if Yu-jin finds out she’s being used politically?"

"Haha, Senator Henry Brayton will become the second president in history to serve from a wheelchair, following Roosevelt."

A joke thrown out by his aide from the Secret Service, also a memory-holder. Henry let out a deep breath, as if the remark had hit him squarely, and replied with a dry laugh.

"Good grief. That’s the scariest joke I’ve heard in a while. If I weren’t prepared with a Medal of Honor, I’d be a goner."

"Perhaps it’s time to reconsider your approach?"

"I know it’s a sensitive time. Anything could be seen as politically motivated. But what choice do I have?"

Phew.

Henry sipped some water before continuing in a low voice:

"It would be too cruel to let an election stop me from meeting my savior."

"..."

"It’s a gamble, I know. But if I miss this chance, I may never get it again. I’ll meet her no matter what. After all, I’ve already unofficially awarded her the Medal of Honor. What else do I have to fear?"

"You’re right about that."

[Notification: The 5th debate will resume in five minutes!]

After a brief pause, Henry added:

"Well, then... let’s get back to work. Can you give me the question list again?"

"Here you go."

Henry took the papers and began reviewing them once more. Time marched on, and the long-anticipated moment was drawing closer.

It was already mid-October.

"Mmm, something smells delicious."

Bubble, bubble.

And back at the glamping site, Yu-jin was busy cooking ramen.

"Oh, where is that delicious smell coming from...?"

"You’re awake?"

"Ah, yes… wait, what!?"

Bubble, bubble.

The spicy, savory aroma of broth filled the air on the rooftop, drifting toward the tents where her team had been sleeping. One by one, they began stirring, opening their eyes cautiously, only to be greeted by the same surprise.

"Teacher, you should have woken us up earlier."

"Here, have some chocolate milk first."

"Oh, uh, okay..."

Swish.

Yu-jin's tail gracefully held out a clear cup filled with chocolate milk, which sloshed gently as it moved. As they accepted the cup and drank, the sweetness washed over them, instantly soothing their stomachs and relieving the dull headache. After finishing the milk, they felt more awake.

Looking around, one of the editors noticed the broth simmering with shrimp, clams, squid, dried pollock, and abalone floating in the rich red liquid.

On the table beside the burner were five packs of ramen noodles and a large heap of bean sprouts. Their hunger grew as they took in the scene.

It was the perfect time for a hangover cure.

"I’ll help with the setup."

"Good idea."

"I’ll help too."

"But first, everyone gets a cup of milk."

Yu-jin, having lowered the heat on the burner, handed each person a cup of chocolate milk as they emerged from the tents. With her left hand, right hand, and tail, she managed to serve three people at once. As the milk worked its magic, everyone looked visibly more refreshed.

From then on, the peaceful morning became a bustling one. Someone chopped kimchi, another spooned rice into disposable containers, and others cut up the leftover meat and ham. The clock on the tent wall showed 10 a.m., and so they naturally asked Yu-jin:

"What time did you wake up?"

"Around 7:30. I did a bit of exercise, bought some rice and ramen from nearby, and cooked. Don’t worry, I just wanted to keep busy. By the way, there’s still leftover meat, ham, and eggs from last night. Shall we grill them as side dishes? Anyone interested?"

"I’ll handle it!"

"I’ll help! Let’s do this!"

"Everyone’s full of energy this morning."

Well, it wasn’t so much energy as it was not wanting to seem lazy while their boss worked hard. No one in the group was oblivious enough to sit back while Yu-jin was preparing everything.

The quiet morning quickly turned into a busy one. Someone sliced kimchi, another scooped steaming rice into containers, and others prepared the remaining ham and meat for grilling.

Watching them move efficiently, Yu-jin smiled and added the noodles and bean sprouts into the boiling broth. The oil from the noodles mingled with the broth, and the fragrance of cooking meat and eggs filled the air.

It was a hearty, delicious meal perfect for breakfast.

"Let’s eat!"

"Help yourselves. I bought it all for you."

Was this… motherly care from a snake?

The five editors, pushing aside any blasphemous thoughts, each ladled some ramen into their bowls. Steam rose as they slurped the noodles and broth, and without fail, expressions of delight followed.

"Ah, this is perfect..."

"This isn’t a hangover cure; it’s making me want to drink more."

"Wow, it’s really good."

"I’m glad you like it."

The compliments weren’t just polite. While the breakfast was heavy, it was incredibly satisfying, and they ate much faster than one might expect for early morning.

Yu-jin had portioned everything just right, ensuring no one would feel overstuffed. And of course, any leftovers would be handled—by Yu-jin herself.

As predicted:

"Ah, I’m full."

"Wow..."

With only some broth, rice, and side dishes remaining, Yu-jin swiftly finished them off. After a brief round of applause (which made her blush and tell them to stop), they began cleaning up.

Disposable plates were rinsed and thrown away, while the reusable dishes were washed and returned to the communal kitchen. The table was wiped down until it looked like no one had ever used it.

Once they packed their belongings, Yu-jin spoke:

"Great job, everyone. I hope you enjoyed yourselves. Take it easy when you get home. You can start working again tomorrow."

"Thank you so much. I had a great time!"

"I’ll stay with you forever!"

"Haha."

With that, they exchanged farewells and split off in different directions to head home.

Walking alone toward her house, Yu-jin’s thoughts briefly drifted to yesterday’s memory.

‘Oh right, I still need to pick up that package…’

She pondered for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

Even though the pickup location was a bit inconvenient, it was Wednesday, her designated day off. There was a reason the saying "strike while the iron is hot" existed.

So, Yu-jin turned and headed in the opposite direction of her home.

It was a beautiful day.

"The package is on the move."

"Good. Keep only the minimum personnel, and make sure everyone else stays sharp. The least tired person will go later."

"Understood."