Sentinel BioTech HQ, Manila — Friday, 7:15 AM
The moment Matthew stepped out of the elevator and into the executive floor, he felt the shift in energy. The usual calm hum of the workspace had been replaced by an unmistakable current of urgency. Teams from Legal, Infrastructure, and Logistics were already scattered across meeting rooms, whiteboards filled with scribbles, flowcharts, and heatmaps of land corridors spanning Luzon to Mindanao.
Angel met him at the entrance to his office, tablet already in hand and coffee waiting on the table.
"Good morning, sir," she said, walking alongside him. "I spoke to Yamamoto's team at JR East. They've reviewed our preliminary specs. They're intrigued. Very intrigued. They're preparing a response and will send over a technical team next week to inspect potential build sites."
Matthew nodded, removing his coat and draping it over the back of his chair. "Good. I want them to understand this isn't a press release—it's a full build, end-to-end."
