Sophia wasn't sure if General Yves had asked for too many things or what.
After she sent her letter, she didn't receive any reply for several days.
Sophia didn't wait anymore and went ahead with preparations.
She had given the task to Ronin, and he quickly found the right suppliers.
But the quantity was a bit much, so it still needed a few days.
Sophia also added some sandwiches, energy bars, and coffee to the supplies. These weren't packed separately. They would just be thrown in together for General Yves's people to divide as needed.
The sandwiches and energy bars were for hunger. The coffee helped with staying alert.
The coffee was liquid, packed in plastic bags, and could be stored for three months. It had a lot of additives, but under such serious conditions, survival mattered more than taste.
Of course, these items were specially made for wartime use, so they didn't taste great.
Today, Sophia went to the warehouse with Ronin.
Right now, there was already a good amount of stock in the warehouse.
The batch of food they had sent earlier after returning from the provincial city was already delivered. What was in the warehouse now had been restocked by Ronin in the past few days.
"We still need the clothing. Forty thousand pairs of military shoes, forty thousand sets of camouflage uniforms, ten thousand sleeping bags and hammocks. I called a few companies today. They all said we have to order at least a month in advance."
Food was easier, but clothing supplies were harder to get quickly.
Most factories only start production after they get an order. Large orders aren't something that can be fulfilled instantly.
When Sophia heard this, she suddenly had an idea. She turned and said, "Give me the contact info for those suppliers. I'll talk to them."
Ronin didn't ask much. He didn't think Sophia was doubting his ability.
He just quickly gave her the contact info.
Once she had a chance to step away from Ronin, Sophia called the suppliers.
Unlike Ronin, she asked them directly how much stock they had in the warehouse. What sizes and how many pieces.
The suppliers were surprised.
"Miss Sophia, who does business like this?"
Even though the supplier thought her questions were a bit strange, his tone was still polite. "Usually, the client tells us what they need, and we see if we can fulfill it. Are you saying you'll take whatever we have in stock?"
Sophia didn't hesitate. "Yes. I'll take all your stock. But the price must be fair."
The other person paused for two seconds.
"Are you serious? If you are, I'll get the warehouse to check and send you the list in half an hour."
Sophia agreed.
Just as she finished the call, a delivery truck from one of the suppliers arrived. Ronin was there to receive it.
Normally, they would have set up an office next to the warehouse. But because of the special nature of this job, Sophia didn't do that.
Usually, Ronin would schedule a fixed time with the suppliers to send goods. Once the delivery was done, nobody stayed at the warehouse, not even Ronin.
Ronin was holding a laptop and checking in the stock.
After the delivery was done and the truck left, Ronin was about to get on his old electric tricycle and leave when Sophia pulled him into her car.
"Boss, where are we going? Is there another job?"
"We need to buy some office supplies," Sophia said while driving her pickup truck.
The warehouse had nothing but goods.
Not even a table.
When Ronin came to work there, he had to squat on the ground to use his laptop.
Sophia brought Ronin straight to the store. "Pick whatever laptop model you're used to."
"We'll also get two office desks later."
Ronin's current laptop was old. He had used it since college. When he first bought it, he tried playing games on it, but it couldn't handle them. So it was set aside. He eventually bought a gaming laptop for that. This old one was only dug out again because he started working for Sophia.
He hadn't expected his boss to see it.
Ronin smiled awkwardly. "Boss, there's no need. I only use it for spreadsheets. Nothing fancy."
Sophia said, "Pick one. Help me pick one too."
She didn't know much about electronics.
Since she was so generous and told him to choose freely, Ronin didn't hold back.
After picking the laptops, they bought other common office supplies like paper and pens. They also got two office desks—each over ten thousand. The chairs were very comfortable.
The price wasn't cheap, but not the most expensive in the store either.
Just when Ronin thought they were done and ready to head back, Sophia said, "I bought this pickup across the street last time."
Then she turned to him. "Ronin, you have a driver's license, right?"
Ronin suddenly remembered—crap! He did have a license. He hadn't thought of it the whole time, and had let his boss drive everywhere. How embarrassing.
"Yes, I do," he said with an embarrassed smile.
Sophia replied, "Then let's go across the street and buy another car. Relying on your three-wheeler isn't enough for all the errands."
It wasn't convenient to call a taxi in this area.
Ronin let out a surprised "Ah."
By the time he snapped out of it, Sophia had already bought the car.
It was even better than the one she currently drove.
"Ronin, this car will be under your name for now. You'll be driving it from now on."
Ronin couldn't process it for a moment. This was no different from giving him the car outright.
It was worth about as much as all the money he'd saved over the years. Sophia just gave it to him, just like that.
Even after getting in the car, Ronin still felt dazed.
As Sophia was about to get in, her phone buzzed with a message.
"Boss? Ready to go?"
Ronin saw her standing there and asked if she needed help with anything.
Sophia said, "You go back first. I've got something to handle."
"Oh, and be careful driving!"
Just having a license didn't mean you could drive well. Lots of people had one but barely touched a steering wheel for years.
Ronin smiled warmly. "Boss, go handle your business. If you need anything, just say the word."
Sophia waved at him. After watching him leave, she made a call to her bank manager.
After nearly half a month, Sophia's account finally received the payment from Deron.
She told the bank manager she was coming to handle some transactions.
She drove for over thirty minutes to reach the city.
When she arrived, the manager was already waiting at the door and took her straight to a meeting room, personally helping her with the transaction.
"Manager Sun, the total received was 623 million. Let's put 400 million into a large deposit certificate."