Chapter 12: Preparing for Expansion

A special forces unit? Hans’s hands trembled as he read through the scout’s remarks at the end of the interface.

Special forces were the best of the best. Being able to train one this early meant that the higher-tiered units would be even more powerful.

Hans no longer thought that 1000 Gold was costly. For a scout unit who could do a lot of things, it was too cheap. The scout unit even had a trait!

This troop has to act far ahead of other forces, encountering danger first. One small mistake is a risk amounting to a thousand Gold…

“Dmitri, can you really drive any vehicle?” Hans wanted to verify.

“Yes, Commander! The only condition is that I can unlock it and turn the vehicle’s engine on.” Dmitri explained. “I cannot handle sophisticated vehicles, however, Commander.”

Hans felt that it was quite right. It would be nothing short of miraculous if a scout could make a vehicle come to life by rubbing their hands into the engine…

“My armored SUV outside, you think you can drive it?” he took out his golden key, showing it to Dmitri.

“Not a problem for me.” he nodded.

“What’s the limitations of your lockpick kit?”

“Only sophisticated locks that require authentication can hinder us.” Dmitri replied.

“How about vaults? A bank’s safety deposit box?”

“Unlocking those will take some time.” Dmitri shook his head, “Vaults will require me other groups of soldiers to pull it once unlocked.”

Hans smirked. Time was of no consequence to him. As long as wealth from those banks, jewelry shops, and luxurious stores could be secured, what was a day or two of patience?

“I’m planning to assign you on a scouting mission with Rex. What are your thoughts?”

“Rex can accompany me, Commander. With its strong smell, he can help me detect dangers I cannot sense.”

“Oh, what kind of dangers?” Hans was surprised.

“Those that evade my five senses. I may see far, or in the dark, or hear the subtlest of creaks, but it is still of human nature. Dogs can capture signals what humans cannot.”

Dmitri looked at the dog, light glinting on his face. Rex barked as well, seemingly agreeing to be paired up with Dmitri.

Hans was curious about Rex’s attributes too and opened up the dog’s information.

—–

Name: Rex

Unit: Attack Dog

Tier: 0

Star Promotion: 0 – 0 / 1800

Primary Weapon: Teeth, Bite (melee, 1.5m range; armor piercing against biological tissue, 300 PSI bite force)

Secondary: None

Abilities: Detection Instinct, Pursuit Mode

Collar Tag: Contains System-embedded ID. Auto-respawns dog upon death if personal kennel is available. Cooldown: 1 week.

Feeding: Sustained by system-generated nutrient paste every 12 hours.

Uniform: Light clothing that provides bite protection and preserves mobility.

Sleep: Automatically enters hibernation state when idle for six hours.

Remarks: A powerful canine animal trained for deadly combat and support. Extremely fast, agile, and strong bite force. Treat this dog well, and he’ll be your best friend your entire life. Immune to infection.

——

Detection Instinct: Detects invisible or cloaked zombies within 50-meter radius. Can also detect extreme hostility against Commander or allies as well from other living beings.

Pursuit Mode: +20% movement speed when chasing hostile infantry.

——

Huh? Immunity to infection? Respawning too?

The remark at the end rendered Hans speechless. Not only was the dog brutal but nearly impossible to truly kill too.

Scratches? I have the vest.

Tore through it? Sure, I have immunity.

Beat me to death? Surprise, I’m back!

Still stumped by the absurdity of this unit compared to the scout, Dmitri’s voice woke Hans from his stupor.

“We can execute the mission anytime, Commander. We await your order.”

Hans blinked his eyes and cleared his mouth, straightening his posture. Dmitri overlooked the peculiar behavior of his Commander.

“How strong are your close quarters combat skills? Can you handle zombies in a hallway?”

“Five zombies at once. Special zombies… will depend on the situation.”

“Huh, special zombies? Do you have more information about this?”

“I am unsure why, but my instincts are never wrong. The presence of those child zombies partially confirms it: ones that are quick, armored, or even hidden. This apocalyptic world has much to evolve from, and I am afraid it might have begun.”

Hans nodded, faintly understanding the meaning behind those words.

“I see. You can ask Adam for more information. He’s downstairs. You can start the mission within today.”

“What is the recon mission about, Commander?” Dmitri stood straight.

Hans grabbed a slightly crumpled white bond paper, a pencil, and started sketching the local area’s map based on what he could recall. Then, he started shading the areas and included additional notes.

“The parking lot, the three apartment buildings, the manager’s office between the apartment buildings 2 and 3, the convenience store, and the gasoline station. There seems to be some survivors in these apartment buildings. The others have a more detailed report about it.”

Dmitri nodded, raised his hand, and asked a question, “Commander, what are our initial engagement against survivors?”

Hans stared at him then back at the sheet of paper, “These survivors must be treated with caution. Check if they’re friendly, and whether they are infected or not. If they respond in a hostile manner, we will incapacitate them. Kill order is given if they endanger us.”

“Commander, how about survivors refusing to communicate?”

“Same as above. If they leave you alone, then do the same.”

Hans wanted not to make an enemy out of everyone, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t retaliate against hostility. There were still lines not to be crossed so easily both for him and everyone else.

“Should I remain in stealth or directly engage the enemies?” Dmitri thumped his chest with one hand, while resting the other on his suppressed submachine gun.

Hans tapped the wooden table, furrowing his brows. The conscripts barely asked anything before, yet this scout was down to specifics.

“Prioritize laying low for now. If the zombies block the way, execute them silently. Detour should the obstacle prove too heavy for you to deal with. Directly engage when things go south.”

“And if they are humans, Commander?”

“Words first, bullets if not. Of course, you should know when a deal is advantageous for us, do you not?”

Dmitri smirked, “Leave that to my assessment, Commander.”

Hans snorted internally, thinking that Dmitri has his own intentions. When the situation has already became that dire, those survivors should’ve riled him up for no good reason.

Hans continued, “Count the total number of zombies, your estimated guess, and other information you can add. If it’s not cumbersome to you, watch out for valuables, ,map it out or list them down to be retrieved once the clearing operation commences.”

Hans continued noting down on the things he needed for Dmitri to do, and the small briefing lasted for half an hour.

“I have remembered all of your objectives. Has the rooftop been opened?” Dmitri asked.

“Ah, yes, the rooftop,” Hans took a deep breath and exhaled, recalling the blocked rooftop access that was locked for some reason.

“It’s locked and the manager’s or janitor’s keys are nowhere to be found so I didn’t try to forcefully break it open.” he explained. “You want to survey the area through the top?”

Dmitri nodded.

“Then you can go unlock it with your kit.” Hans patted Dmitri’s shoulders and smiled, “I think that should be all. You are dismissed if you don’t have any more questions.”

“We’ll take our leave, Commander.” Dmitri saluted. He whistled at Rex, gesturing for the dog to accompany him.

Rex barked and followed after Dmitri, it’s ears perked up and tail wagging from side to side.

Hans walked to the doorway, his eyes staring at the figures of a man and his trusty dog aide. The scene itself reminded him of a famous movie back on Earth, which surprisingly hadn’t had a mirrored version here in Planet Aurelia.

After reminiscing for a while, he closed the door, and washed the tupperware and utensils.

He picked up his black ballpen and his trustworthy and thick blue book, formulating new plans and revising the old ones.

Hans wasn’t too crestfallen not being able to train a single Army Soldier. The Conscripts, the Scout, and the Attack Dog was more than enough to deal with his novice village challenge.

I still have three infantry units to unlock for this tier too: the Guardian GI, the Engineer, and theSniper.

Since most infantry units’ Gold cost has been somewhat increased, he reckoned that the cost of these three would’ve increased as well. It wouldn’t be far fetched if a single sniper costed 2000 Gold later.

War Factory, the tanks, and even the Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV) would have increased as well, presumably higher than even the height of Burj Khalifa in meters.

Totaling all the gold he might need…

Even a 100k Gold might not be enough…?!

Hans’s eyes widened, becoming bloody. He realized that he was anything but rich.

“Gold, gold, gold, I need more gold, more resources! Damn it, where are those rich people at?!”

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