I'm The King of Business & Technology in the Modern World

May 8, 2026 — 8:00 AMMumbai, India — Industrial Zone, Proposed Sentinel Plant Site

The Indian sun beat down relentlessly as Angel, Matthew, and the core team stepped off the bus and onto the dusty construction site.

The site was massive—an industrial plot just outside Mumbai, nestled between sprawling factories, newly-built warehouses, and endless rows of shipping containers. The air smelled faintly of diesel, concrete, and metal shavings.

"This is it," Angel said, glancing around. "Our first production hub in India."

Matthew scanned the site, where workers were already marking out spaces for foundations, laying out blueprints, and preparing the first of many buildings.

"It's a start," he said. "But we have a long way to go."

They were joined by a group of local contractors and land developers, each of them eager to show their readiness to begin construction. The project was an ambitious one—bringing Aerus to mass production in India meant not just building a factory but building a local ecosystem.

"Have you spoken with the local suppliers?" Angel asked.

One of the contractors, a short but efficient man named Rahul, nodded. "We've secured partial agreements for the building materials, though we're still waiting on import permits for the machinery from Subic."

Angel frowned slightly. "How long do you expect the first line to be operational?"

"Given the scope, we can get the first phase of assembly equipment installed in six weeks," Rahul said confidently. "But we're looking at six to eight months before the full lines are ready."

Matthew sighed. "Eight months. That's slower than I hoped."

"I'll get it down to six," Rahul promised. "But we're still waiting on a few government approvals for land use. The Ministry of Heavy Industry will need to clear that before we break ground on the first assembly hall."

Angel tapped her tablet and made a note. "We need to start assembling components for assembly. Get turbines moving, get the parts prepped."

Matthew glanced at her. "And the workforce?"

Angel turned to Rahul. "How are we on skilled labor?"

"We're still a few hundred technicians short," he said. "But we've already been in talks with local vocational colleges. There's a growing pool of young engineers, and they're excited to work on a project this ambitious. We'll have a good crop in three months."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Three months? We don't have three months."

Rahul nodded. "I know. We're working with the colleges now. They'll do full intern-to-hire training. But... it's going to take some time to scale the teams properly."

Angel was silent for a moment, her eyes scanning the open site. "Okay," she said. "We'll make do with what we have. In the meantime, I want you to work with our HR department to accelerate local hiring. We need temp shifts up and running in four weeks."

Matthew added, "I'll personally handle the equipment shipment schedules. Let's prioritize turbine cores and the composite panels. We'll start production on a limited batch with an unskilled workforce if we have to."

The contractor nodded, clearly understanding the urgency. "Understood. I'll get the paperwork started."

—

May 9, 2026 — 4:30 PMSentinel HQ, BGC — Global Expansion Strategy Room

Back at the Manila headquarters, Angel and Matthew met with Rafael, Julian, and Carina in a war room crowded with diagrams, shipping schedules, and time charts.

"India's first assembly site is coming together," Angel said. "But we're still behind on the local workforce ramp-up. It's going to be a bottleneck."

Rafael, the VP of Expansion, sighed. "That's a long-term challenge. But it's nothing we can't handle with outsourcing in the interim. The labor force is cheap. The assembly process is straightforward."

"But cheap labor doesn't mean high quality," Carina cautioned, joining the call from Subic. "You're looking at a high probability of defects if you push too hard with an untrained crew."

Matthew rubbed his temples. "So we get the workforce trained—eventually. But what about the supply chain? We can't have a full production line without a stable and consistent supply of parts."

Julian leaned forward. "That's where it gets tricky. Not all the parts for Aerus are easily sourced locally. Certain composite materials, precision turbine blades, and the ECU systems—those need to be imported."

Angel's eyes narrowed. "We already have issues with imports from Subic. What's our plan to fix the supply chain?"

Rafael looked at the screen. "We're finalizing local supplier negotiations. There's a company in Gujarat that could handle the ECU components, and we're in talks with a textile manufacturer in Tamil Nadu that could potentially make our turbine housing. But it's all at risk right now—too many moving parts. And the uncertainty around government approvals in the logistics sector doesn't help."

Matthew leaned back in his chair, thinking.

"I don't like the idea of waiting for approvals. What if we expedite them by engaging the local business networks? We need to secure transport routes to and from the port."

Rafael raised an eyebrow. "You want to bypass normal channels and go straight to business liaisons?"

"If we can't wait, we push through," Matthew said. "We'll go over government heads if we need to."

Angel nodded. "Get in touch with the trade associations. If we're playing by their rules, we'll need their endorsement. But they need to know we're serious. We'll push every possible lever."

—

May 12, 2026 — 10:00 AMMumbai, India — Local Logistics Hub

Matthew and Angel stood at the base of a large freighter ship docked at the Mumbai port. A tall stack of crates and containers, each emblazoned with the Sentinel logo, awaited inspection.

A customs officer, clearly unimpressed with their presence, stood before the stacked crates.

"We've done everything by the book," Angel said, her tone clipped. "We're working with the Ministry of Trade. This isn't just a routine shipment. We're expanding the local automotive market."

The officer scowled. "And I'm here to make sure your shipments don't violate any local tariffs. You can't bypass paperwork. Not even if you're a big name."

Matthew stepped forward, trying to keep his frustration in check. "We've already filed every necessary import request. We've been in talks with the Ministry for weeks."

The officer shrugged. "Not good enough. Your shipments are delayed for inspection. And that means your production's delayed."

Angel stepped in, her voice steady but firm.

"Do what you need to do. But I want everything filed in the system by the end of the day. If there's anything blocking the clearance, I expect to see it. Now."

The officer glanced at her, weighing the seriousness in her voice.

"Fine," he muttered. "But don't think I'm doing this as a favor."

May 13, 2026 — 2:00 PMSubic — Sentinel Auto Assembly Hall

Carina stood on the floor of the Subic plant, supervising the last remaining checks before the first batch of vehicles was ready for final testing.

"Gotta say," she muttered, "the timing's never been worse. Shipping delays, part shortages, workforce training issues... everything's coming to a head."

Angel arrived, looking tired but resolute.

"We'll make it," Angel said. "By the skin of our teeth."

Carina nodded. "If we can hit the first 50-unit target in India on schedule, we'll have enough positive press to clear some of these hurdles. But that's a big if."

"You're right," Angel said. "We can't afford to fail, not now."

May 14, 2026 — 11:00 AMSentinel HQ, BGC — Crisis Management Room

Julian sat with the rest of the team, going over the most recent developments. The shipping issues from India had been partially resolved, but not before causing a ripple of delays throughout the assembly timeline. They had lost crucial weeks.

"We're closing in on the first 100 units," Rafael said. "But we're still behind on raw material imports, and that's slowing our pace."

Angel leaned forward. "Then we do it the old-fashioned way. We overproduce—without losing quality. We'll push extra hours if we have to."

"Running the risk of burnout?" Julian asked.

"If we don't," Angel replied, "the risk is worse."

—

May 16, 2026 — 7:00 AMSubic — Assembly Bay

The factory floor was alive with energy. Employees worked around the clock to assemble the Aerus units for India. Extra shifts had been added. The clock never stopped.

Matthew stood in front of the assembly line, watching as the turbines were connected and the frames sealed.

"If we make this happen," he said, "the world will have no choice but to follow."

Angel nodded. "Then let's make them follow."

They had no more time for second chances.

And they couldn't stop now.