I'm The King of Business & Technology in the Modern World-Chapter 182: More Investments

The hum of morning traffic was already dense outside the glass walls of Sentinel's top floor, but inside, the boardroom was silent. On the main screen, a cross-section of Metro Manila appeared—its surface cluttered with roads, railways, and rising towers. But what caught everyone's attention was what lay beneath: a proposed subway line stretching from Quezon City to Manila Bay.

Angel stood at the head of the table, laser pointer in hand, as she spoke to a room of urban planners, financial officers, and civil engineers.

"This," she began, "is the next battleground."

Matthew leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the blueprint. "Status?"

Angel pulled up a data chart. "The Metro Manila Subway Project—MMSP. Funded jointly by the national government and foreign development loans. Groundbreaking was in 2019, but since then? Less than 15% of the tunnel boring has been completed. Delays from COVID, contractor disputes, cost overruns, and coordination issues between agencies."

Matthew's voice was calm, but sharp. "What's the real problem?"

"Too many hands," Angel replied. "Too many masters to serve. And no single entity driving it with full accountability."

Matthew crossed his arms. "Then we buy it."

The room shifted—papers rustled, a few eyes widened.

"You're serious?" one of the transit specialists asked.

Matthew nodded. "If we can build roads over seas, we can lay tracks under cities."

Angel continued, unfazed. "We've already begun feasibility studies. Our teams worked overnight. The subway intersects with our Aurora Line at multiple points, and the planned Quezon Avenue interchange can become a dual-mode transfer hub."

Matthew pointed to the screen. "If we acquire the core assets and take over operations, we can complete this within five years. We'll propose a joint transition—let the government keep title ownership, but hand us full management and construction."

"And what about funding?" asked the CFO.

Angel had that ready too. "We'll launch a new sovereign infrastructure bond series, backed by fare-indexed returns and long-term operational rights. Our Japanese partners are interested in co-financing if we handle construction."

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Matthew stood. "Call the Department of Transportation. Set up a meeting. Let's take this underground."

—

Department of Transportation, Manila — February 10, 2024 | 11:00 AM

The mood in the DOTr was noticeably guarded as Matthew and Angel arrived. Several deputy secretaries and senior project directors were present, and folders marked "MMSP" were scattered across the polished conference table.

Secretary Baluyot, already familiar with Matthew's methods, leaned forward. "You're proposing to acquire a partially government-funded subway project. That's not going to be easy."

"I'm not proposing to erase what's been done," Matthew said. "I'm proposing to finish it."

Angel followed up smoothly. "We don't want to own the land or the tunnels. Just the process. Let us take over construction and operations. Government retains ownership and oversight. But we take the lead—just like with Astra and MRT-7."

One of the undersecretaries leaned forward. "You're suggesting we turn over one of our flagship rail projects to the private sector?"

"I'm suggesting," Matthew replied, "that the public finally sees it finished."

The room went quiet. Even skeptics knew the subway was becoming a political liability. Billions of pesos had been spent, and yet only a handful of tunnel segments had seen actual boring. The clock was ticking.

Secretary Baluyot glanced at the rest of his team, then looked back at Matthew. "Prepare a formal proposal. Full financial model. Include public fare projections and a workforce transition plan. I'll take it to the Palace."

Matthew gave a single nod. "We'll have it in 72 hours."

—

Sentinel War Room — February 11, 2024 | 10:30 AM

Back at Sentinel HQ, the war room was in full swing. The walls were covered with subway diagrams, acquisition models, and legal frameworks for public-private partnerships. The challenge wasn't just engineering—it was public trust.

Angel was on a video call with labor representatives from the original MMSP contractor.

"We're not replacing you," she assured the group. "We're accelerating you. You'll be re-hired under Sentinel's rail division—with better pay, modern safety standards, and direct performance incentives."

On another screen, Matthew reviewed tunnel-boring machine options with JR East and a German engineering firm.

"I want TBMs in by August," he said. "If we start boring from Quezon Avenue and Lawton simultaneously, we meet in Makati by 2026."

Angel turned to him after ending the call. "Transit union's onboard. They want a seat at the community roundtables."

"Give it to them," Matthew said. "If we want the people to believe in this, they need to be part of it."

—

Aurora-Central Hub Site — February 13, 2024 | 2:00 PM

The transfer station between the Aurora Line and the future subway system was already under construction—a cavernous site in Quezon City with scaffolded supports and exposed beams.

Matthew toured it personally with Angel and a group of engineers. A banner nearby already read: "Future Home of Metro Manila Subway Interchange — In Partnership with Sentinel Transit Systems."

A local site supervisor approached, hard hat in hand. "Sir, we heard the news. People are talking. They think if you touch the subway, it'll finally get built."

Matthew smiled. "Then we better not disappoint."

Angel walked beside him. "Public perception's already shifting. Hashtags are trending. People are saying you're trying to build 'a city beneath the gridlock.'"

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."

She smirked. "I thought of it myself."

National News Interview — February 15, 2024 | 8:00 PM

Karen De La Cruz faced the camera once more as Matthew joined her on the set for a follow-up segment.

"Mr. Borja," she began, "you've shocked the country before with the Aurora Line, MRT-7, and Astra. But now you're pushing for the Metro Manila Subway. Do you really believe you can finish it?"

Matthew's voice was firm. "It's not about belief. It's about resolve. And we're done waiting for answers from a system that only gives excuses. The subway isn't just about commuting. It's about dignity. It's about reclaiming time."

Karen paused. "There are still those who say this is just you expanding your empire."

Matthew didn't flinch. "Then let history judge me. All I know is, if we wait any longer, another generation will be buried in traffic. I'd rather be remembered for building the way out."

Sentinel Rooftop — February 16, 2024 | 9:00 PM

The city lights pulsed below like a living circuit board. Matthew stood with Angel again, both of them quiet for a while.

"Subways, highways, bridges," she said. "You realize we're rebuilding everything, right?"

Matthew nodded. "Because someone had to. And because now… we know how."

She turned to him. "We're submitting the subway proposal tomorrow. If they approve it…"

"They will," he said softly.

And in the distance, deep beneath the capital, the old tunnels waited—silent arteries finally promised a heartbeat.

The breeze carried the scent of rain and distant exhaust, but it was the silence between words that filled the rooftop like concrete. Below, the skyline shimmered with blinking reds and soft whites—the steady pulse of a city still fighting to move forward, inch by inch.

Angel took a slow sip of her tea, then glanced over. "Do you ever think about how far this all spiraled? Back when it was just Sentinel BioTech and a lab on the second floor?"

Matthew cracked a smile. "Back when our biggest concern was optimizing prosthetic joint systems for military contracts?"

She grinned. "And now you're laying steel veins under a capital city."

Matthew didn't respond right away. He walked to the edge of the rooftop, hands resting lightly on the railing. "I don't think it spiraled. I think it converged. Everything that didn't work—politics, bureaucracy, short-term thinking—it all left a vacuum. And we just... filled it."

Angel stepped beside him. "You filled it."

"No," he replied. "We did. You, me, the engineers, the welders on scaffolds, the farmers who sold land not for profit but for purpose. Everyone who believed that maybe, just maybe, we could stop making excuses."

Angel tilted her head. "And if this subway fails?"

Matthew's jaw set. "It won't."

She looked at him for a long moment. Then nodded. "Okay. Then we build. But this time, we do it louder."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Louder?"

Angel pulled out her tablet and tapped a few times. "I already have the campaign ready. Billboards, holographic projections at the Aurora hub, a city-wide AR app that tracks subway tunnel progress in real time. No one's going to miss this."

Matthew exhaled through a chuckle. "Remind me never to underestimate you."

"You did once," she teased. "You asked me if I could handle procurement for the Titan armature contracts. I gave you your answer in three hours."

"Best mistake I ever made," Matthew muttered.

Their conversation was interrupted by the buzz of Angel's tablet. She looked down and read the message, eyes widening.

"What is it?" Matthew asked.

She turned the screen toward him. "DOTr just approved our preliminary acquisition terms. The Palace reviewed the documents earlier than expected. We're greenlit to proceed with transition protocols, starting Monday."

Matthew straightened. "That fast?"

Angel nodded. "Seems they finally want to get out of their own way."

A brief silence passed, broken only by the wind and the hum of the city below.

"Then we're really doing it," he said, half to himself. "We're going underground."

Angel smiled. "Where the city breathes beneath its own weight. Where every second saved might change a life."

Matthew looked out over the horizon—at the lights, the motion, the millions who would one day walk the very tunnels they hadn't yet carved.

"We break ground in March," he said.

"And we let no one forget," Angel added, "that this was possible."

Together, they turned back toward the stairwell. The lights of Manila below, and the promise of something deeper—something enduring—just waiting to rise from under their feet.

The next morning, Sentinel's official statement would headline every news outlet:

"Sentinel Acquires Full Operational Control of Metro Manila Subway Project — Completion Accelerated to 2029"

But tonight, it wasn't about headlines.

It was about conviction.

It was about two people standing under a sky of blinking satellites and smog-filtered stars, knowing they weren't just building infrastructure.

They were laying down legacy.

And in the quiet dark, that was enough.