The time was four o'clock in the afternoon, date September 20th, 2028. Or that was the date from the original world. At this moment, they only have to use their standard time.
And, thirty minutes has elapsed since their transportation in this new world. All units of Atlas and other government forces from the United States convened in Hangar 3.
All of them looked puzzled and confused at today's event. One moment they were in the desert, then they were in the middle of the forest. They are going to want answers and Spencer has the answers they need.
At the far end of Hangar 3, there was a raised platform where Albert walked to the center, attracting the attention of the units down below.
"That's the Commander!"
"Sir what's happening?!"
"I can't contact my family!"
He was suddenly bombarded with questions, making it hard for him to announce the reason why they were actually in this world. He was the only person in this company who knew why they were here in the first place. And if they were to find out about it, they would surely react negatively.
However, as the CEO of Atlas, he has to endure those negative comments as he was the one responsible for all of them.
"Eveyone settle down!" Albert said, instantly silencing all of the units.
Thankfully, they still acted like a soldier who would follow a command the moment it was given.
Seeing that everyone was in listening mode, Albert used the opportunity to speak.
"Everyone, I know today is confusing. And I understand it. After all, we are supposed to be in Afghanistan or in the middle of the desert. But a strange light transported us in the middle of the forest whose location is still unknown to us."
The soldiers down below nodded their heads in agreements. There were some of them who witnessed the strange light; the others only heard it after they were informed.
Albert took a deep breath, his expression darkening as silence settled over the hangar. Thousands of eyes were fixed on him
He clenched his fists at his sides. What he was about to say would sound insane, even to him, but there was no point hiding it anymore.
"There's something I need to tell you," Albert began, his voice heavy and deliberate. "Something that happened before all of this."
The crowd stayed silent, a few exchanging uncertain glances.
"I don't expect you to believe me," he continued. "Hell, I'm not even sure I believe it myself. But before we were transported here… I was contacted by someone."
He paused, his jaw tightening. "Not a government official. Not a foreign agent. A being who called herself Goddess Sylphie."
The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the hangar changed. Murmurs rippled through the ranks like a rising tide.
"A what?"
"Did he just say goddess?"
"This some kind of joke?"
"Sir, with all due respect, are you saying this is some kind of fuckery?"
Albert held up his hand, silencing the chatter. His gaze hardened. "I know how it sounds. But listen to me. She appeared to me in what looked like a pure white void, said she was a divine being from another world. She told me this place is under siege by a race known as the Demonkind. And she chose us, Atlas, to fight them."
He scanned the crowd. Some stared blankly, others frowned in disbelief. He could see the skepticism written all over their faces.
"She said we were brought here, all of us, our base, our equipment, because this world needs soldiers."
A bitter laugh came from somewhere near the back.
"Cut that crap Commander! Are you saying that we are not on Earth anymore but literally in another world?"
Ward, who had been silent all this time, and only found out about this from Spencer, continued to remain silent. He'll have a talk with him later.
The hangar erupted into chaos.
"What the hell is this bullshit, Commander?!" one soldier shouted from the crowd. "You expect us to believe we've been teleported by some Goddess?!"
"I don't want to be part of this then!"
"Return us home!"
"I've got a wife and two kids waiting for me back in Texas!"
"Sir, my mother's in the hospital—what am I supposed to tell her now?!"
"I didn't sign up for some fantasy world crap!"
"This has to be a test! It has to be!"
"Commander, this is bullshit!"
The sound became deafening, hundreds of trained soldiers now shouting like civilians in panic.
Albert stood silently at first, jaw locked tight, eyes cold but weary. He let it go on for a few seconds longer, just long enough for their emotions to spill out, before slamming his hand down hard on the metal podium.
BANG!
The sharp sound echoed across the hangar, silencing the crowd.
"Enough!" Albert's voice thundered, the kind of voice that came from someone used to commanding fire teams in live combat. "I understand your anger! I understand your fear! You think I wanted this? You think I asked to be ripped out of our world?! There's a catch!"
"Catch?"
"The Goddess offered us 500 billion dollars once we are done with the mission."
The hangar fell dead silent.
For the first time since the chaos began, every voice was cut short, every mutter strangled mid-breath.
Albert's words hung in the air like a live wire.
"...Five. Hundred. Billion. Dollars," he repeated.
He let that sink in for a second. Then he continued.
"That's not a typo, not an exaggeration, not wishful thinking. Half a trillion dollars, gentlemen. That's the contract price this so-called Goddess put on the table for one mission, the extermination of the Demonkind that threatens this world."
The silence cracked into scattered murmurs.
"Did he just say five hundred billion?"
"That's impossible…"
"No way in hell—five hundred billion?!"
"Holy shit…"
Albert raised a hand again, drawing them back under control.
"I know it sounds absurd. I didn't believe it myself at first. But when I woke up after meeting her, we weren't in Afghanistan anymore. We were here. And every single thing we brought with us, our vehicles, our weapons, our base, our equipment, was intact. Everything we own, everything Atlas has built, is now operational in this world. That's not a coincidence."
He scanned their faces. The disbelief was still there, but it was faltering. Money, as always, had a way of cutting through doubt.
"Let me make something clear," Albert said, tone shifting from explanation to command. "We're not charity workers. We're professionals. Atlas is a private military company, we fight for contracts. And this, gentlemen, is the biggest damn contract in human history."
The room buzzed louder. He could almost feel morale starting to pivot.
He pressed on, driving it home. "You're worried about your families, I get that. But once this mission is over, once we finish what she asked of us, that money is ours. And I give you my word as your Commander and your CEO: every single one of you will be rewarded beyond anything you've ever dreamed."
He paused, letting their anticipation grow.
"Ten times your current salary, minimum."
That caught their attention.
"Every deployed member of Atlas, from rifleman to engineer, from medic to pilot, all of you will receive a tenfold increase in pay upon successful mission completion. Your bonuses will be recalculated based on performance and combat contribution. For the senior staff, squad leaders, and specialists, expect even more. Combat hazard pay will triple, and anyone who leads a successful operation will receive personal shares from the final payout."
The murmur turned into a rising wave of voices.
"Ten times?!"
"You're kidding—"
"That's insane money!"
"Holy shit, even half that's life-changing!"
Albert allowed a faint smirk. He had them now. Soldiers didn't fight for gods — they fought for purpose, for survival… and for the promise of reward.
"And when this is over," he continued, "every man and woman in Atlas will walk away set for life. Your families will never have to worry again. I'll make sure the funds are transferred directly to your accounts, or whatever financial system we can connect to once we establish communications back to our world. You have my word."
"So! Let's roll up some demons! Who's ready to get some?!"
"Oorah!"
"I said who's ready to get some?!"
"Oorah!" the soldiers shouted with fervor, clearly motivated now that money was talking.
"Alright, we'll find out anything about this world and exterminate the demon race that our client asked us to!"