Chapter 125: Strategic Facilities

Hans was taken aback by the system’s sudden prompts.

System, what a joke, he scoffed inwardly. I roamed around the colony and even inspected the fish-processing center hoping for a prompt like this. Yet you stayed silent. Now you suddenly appear?

——

[ Strategic Facilities must meet a hidden criteria. ]

——

Hidden criteria, Hans clenched his fists.

The Scout behind the wheel stiffened slightly. The Commander’s sudden silence always meant something unpleasant was brewing.

As if hearing Hans’s pleas, an additional prompt popped up.

——

[ Only facilities that contain specialized logistical, industrial, or military infrastructure are considered Strategic Facilities. ]

——

You could have told me of this earlier, Hans thought bitterly. He might have altered his long-term plans in consideration of these Strategic Facilities.

The system did not respond to his additional queries. Left with no choice, Hans tried to understand the system’s intentions.

Perhaps it was the rare occurrences of Strategic Facilities in the real world, the ability to even capture them in the first place, or the system simply did not want to bloat him with information.

It did tell me to explore for myself.

Hans shook his head in resignation. There was no debating against the system’s intentions. Might as well make use of his new-found knowledge.

As the armored SUV drifted past the entrance, Hans raised his hand.

“Stop here.”

The brakes squeezed in; the vehicle skidded for twenty meters before stopping. It left a long trail of tires on its wake.

Commander, please tell me in advance, the Scout wanted to cry, but he couldn’t vent his emotions anywhere.

Hans got off; the door slammed shut. He leaned over by the SUV’s window and knocked.

“Get me two Engineers from the compound,” he ordered. “Tell them it’s something important.”

“Understood, Commander.”

The vehicle turned around and sped off in the distance. Hans fanned the dust away, then shifted his attention inside the abandoned military base.

It was smaller than what Hans expected, but larger than that highway military post.

A square-shaped perimeter wall surrounded the compound, reinforced with concrete barriers and rusted watchtowers at each corner.

The gate itself had long been left open, its steel doors firmly held by the intact hinges.

Inside stood several low-rise buildings arranged around an open training yard. Three long barracks occupied the eastern side of the compound.

Across from them sat a maintenance shed with wide metal shutters; the space wide enough to house armored vehicles.

Two generator sets hummed loudly on the side, feeding electricity to the entire military base at the cost of precious gasoline.

Near the center stood a two-story command building overlooking the entire base.

Strange, Hans paused. The highway outpost had dozens of equipment. Even abandoned vehicles. How come this place is too clean?

His eyes swept over the command building, a thought flashing into his mind. Superhumans?

He walked deeper into the base. Beside the barracks stood a smaller concrete structure marked with a faded red cross.

——

[ Strategic Facility Detected: Military Medicine Wing ]

Engineer access required for integration.

——

“This should be the first Strategic Facility.”

Hans’s fingers slowly hovered on the structure’s walls. After a short inspection, he opened the door and checked.

The interior was surprisingly intact.

Metal hospital beds stood neatly arranged in two rows, their mattresses nowhere to be found but frames untouched.

Empty medicine cabinets lined the walls, their glass doors left open.

Stainless steel operating tables reflected the dim light from the closed glass windows.

Someone had removed everything valuable — bandages, drugs, even portable diagnostic machines crucial to the military. Yet the infrastructure remained: surgical lighting rigs, oxygen ports embedded into the walls, and sealed storage lockers that were waiting to be refilled.

What a hurried evacuation, Hans thought.

This was not as shabby as he thought. His idle Medics could be posted here, especially the female variants.

Across the training yard stood a steel-roofed maintenance depot. Rusted vehicle lifts and repair scaffolds remained visible through the half-open shutters.

——

[ Strategic Facility Detected: Vehicle Maintenance Depot ]

Engineer access required for integration.

——

Hans advanced toward the next Strategic Facility.

The maintenance depot was larger than it looked from the outside.

Two heavy vehicle lifts stood in the center of the hangar, their hydraulic arms frozen halfway through a service cycle. Empty tool racks lined the walls, their outlines still visible where wrenches and power drills once hung.

A thick oil stain scattered across the concrete floor beneath the repair bay. Nearby, an abandoned diagnostic console flickered weakly, still connected to the base’s unstable power grid.

System, isn’t this no different from that mechanic shop? Hans recalled a specific image in-game.

He scanned the depot’s interior again, finding it no different from any regular mechanic shop.

Is it because this one is military-grade, his mouth twitched, disbelieving. System, you can’t be playing with me?

Amidst his confusion, his comms crackled with static.

“Commander, the Engineers have arrived. They are awaiting orders.”

“Tell them to wait on the training yard.”

Hans cut the connection; his eyes wandered again then he let out a long sigh.

This base is just my training queue’s proxy, he comforted himself. Whatever these two Strategic Facilities give me, I’ll take it.

Outside, the two Engineers stood waiting in the sunbaked courtyard. If not for their hard hats, they would’ve long succumbed to the glaring sunburn.

“Commander!” The two Engineers stood in attention. “Tell us where you need us be?”

Hans pointed at one.

“You, go to that building with the faded red cross.”

He glanced at the other Engineer. “You, follow with me.”

Both stopped before the entrance of the vehicle maintenance depot.

The Engineer behind him waited silently, his AR visor flickering faintly.

Hans glanced over his shoulder.

In-game, Engineers disappeared after capturing a structure. Let’s see how it works with the System.

Hans waved the thought away. “What exactly will you do to capture this facility?”

The Engineer stepped forward and unlatched the yellow toolkit from his back.

The case unfolded with a metallic click, revealing several compact devices arranged with engineering precision.

“Strategic Facilities contain dormant infrastructure nodes, Commander,” he explained calmly. “Once located, we connect them to the System’s virtual command network.”

From the kit, the Engineer retrieved a slender metallic rod not much longer than a forearm. At its tip, a faint blue light pulsed steadily.

Hans narrowed his eyes, observing the detailed process.

“So you just… plug that thing somewhere?”

“In simple terms, yes.”

The Engineer turned toward the building.

“Once connected, the System will restore the facility’s operational capability.”

Hans folded his arms.

“And you won’t vanish, right?”

The Engineer was confused about Hans’s question, pausing before answering.

“Negative, Commander,” he scratched his head. “I will remain operational.”

Hans clicked his tongue. The game simplified things indeed.

Without needing additional command, the Engineer approached a wall panel near the entrance. Beneath the layers of dust, a recessed port slowly became visible.

That thing was there? Hans widened his eyes. He swore his sensory powers haven’t picked it up.

Meanwhile, the Engineer continued; he inserted the interface rod.

A low hum spread through the building. Blue lines flickered along the walls as if they were awakened after a long sleep.

The building trembled briefly, the activation pattern spread across its walls like a silent ritual.

A faint hexagonal grid slowly formed across the concrete floor of the hangar.

Then the system prompt appeared.

——

[ Strategic Facility Captured: Military Vehicle Maintenance Depot ]

[ System restoration protocol initiated. ETA: 3 hours. ]

[ Unlocked Functions ]

[ Vehicle Repair ]

Vehicles must station in the designated repair area. Vehicles with armor integrity below 30% require manual Engineer or FSV repair.

[ Upgrades Received (Armored Units Only) ]

+20% Engineer repair speed

+10% FSV repair speed

——

[ Strategic Facility Captured: Military Medicine Wing ]

[ System reconstruction protocol initiated. ETA: 2 hours. ]

[ Functions Unlocked ]

[ Medical Treatment Center ]

Facility now acts as a viable hospital for female Medics.

Requires presence of at least 4 female Medics, with a maximum of 10.

[ Upgrades Received (Infantry Units only) ]

+5% Tenacity (infantry recover from disorder faster)

+10% Infection Suppression (reduces infection progression)

-10% Injury Severity

——

Hans stared at the system notifications longer than he expected. He backed away from the transforming structures, various thoughts entering his mind.

Strategic facilities… The northern industrial sector has some refineries. If they are strategic facilities recognized by the system, and if they also work as intended, then…

A golden glint flashed from his eyes. I might just have a solution to this stagnant Gold resource of mine.

The Engineer idled in front of Hans, watching him stare at the empty space in front of him.

Seconds passed. Hans finally pulled himself out of his own imaginations.

That was dangerous. I shouldn’t expect too high. Lower your expectations. Lower your expectations. Lower…

“Commander…” the Engineer worried.

“Yes, what is it?” Hans jumped into attention.

“I will wait here until the protocol is completed. You need not to remain here for long.”

“I see,” Hans nodded once. “I will be in the command building if you need me.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Hans flicked his cape and turned his attention to the training queue.

This is going to take a while, his steps becoming hurried as seconds passed. Should I call for Viper and have a little spar again?

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