Chapter 25: Max Star Promotion

Hans opened Alexei’s information panel, excited to see the attributes of a 3-star Conscript unit.

——

Name: Alexei Novak

Unit: Conscript

Tier: 0

Star Promotion: (3-star) MAX

Promotion Boost: +5 magazine capacity, +3 fragmentation grenades, +30% reload speed, +50% accuracy, 20% lower fatigue loss, +100% CQC effectiveness, +50% overall body attributes (such as strength, agility, reaction speed), Increased body and health regeneration rate, Immune to Infection

Primary Weapon: MP5 Submachine Gun (9mm, 30 rounds per magazine, seven mags, refreshes every 24 hours)

Secondary Weapon: None

Melee: Combat Knife (15 cm blade, steel alloy, indestructible)

Grenades: 3 fragmentation grenades (refreshes every 48 hours)

Personal Kit: …

Remarks: …

——

“It follows some in-game mechanics.”

Hans rubbed his chin, not surprised that a fully promoted unit would regenerate health. What actually surprised him was the infection immunity bonus gained at max promotion.

“I can assign him to join Dmitri and Adrian in their city exploration later…”

Not only that, Alexei’s accuracy and close-quarters-combat effectiveness increased to a very high level. It wouldn’t be an understatement that Alexei’s skills are almost on-par with a 0-star scout.

Hans skimmed through the rest of the information and found nothing new. He closed the panel and shifted it to Ryan’s.

“I wonder what bonuses a star promotion would bring to an Army Soldier.”

——

Name: Ryan Keller

Unit: Army Soldier

Tier: 0

Star Promotion: (1-star) 760 / 2400

Promotion Boost: +1 rifle & pistol magazine capacity, Rifle stabilizer compensator installed, +1 frag grenade, +10% reload speed, +10% accuracy, 5% lower fatigue loss

Primary Weapon: M16A4 Assault Rifle (5.56 mm, 30 rounds per mag, 4 mags, 400 m effective range )

Secondary Weapon: M1911 Pistol (7 rounds per mag, 3 mags)

Melee: Bayonet / Combat Knife (20 cm blade, reinforced alloy, indestructible)

Grenades: 2 fragmentation grenade (refreshes every 48 hours)

Attachments: Variable Combat Sight (2-4x magnifier), Rifle stabilizer compensator

Personal Kit: …

Uniform: …

Remarks: …

——

“He gained an attachment? And a rifle compensator of all?”

Though somewhat disappointed, a rifle compensator wasn’t something Hans would ignore as well. An increase in accuracy was worth a celebration especially when one was pressured to keep aiming at the zombie’s head.

Army soldiers were built to withstand and even compensate against assault rifle recoils, but a little help would make them perform better long-term.

“Mags, grenades, accuracy… some attribute upgrades are similar. I wonder if the 2-star promotion of an Army Soldier would add something else as well.”

Hans felt thrilled, wanting his army soldiers to hunt zombies in the wild.

No, no, no. Steady, steady. We just talked about this.

He took a deep breath and looked at the time. His newly trained units should be out in a while.

A few minutes passed and countless footsteps echoed from the hallway outside his room. Someone knocked on the door.

“Don’t come in, stay outside. I’ll come over.” Hans stood up and walked out.

He didn’t want his room to be cramped by his soldiers. It already felt stuffy. A few more would make him uncomfortable.

As he entered the hallway, the soldiers saluted at him, “Greetings, Commander!”

“As you were.” Hans nodded. “You already understand our current situation so I will not say more. We lack the manpower and there are still things to be done. I will assign you duties and have you on your way. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Commander!”

After the short message, Hans divided them into two groups of seven people, each having five conscripts led by two army soldiers.

The first group were sent to help in clearing up the corpses scattered across the parking lot.

The second group were sent to reinforce Dmitri, Rex and the new scout, Adrian, who were exploring the manager’s office.

“You aren’t equipped with night vision goggles so you will need to carry flashlights. There are a few stored in the maintenance room. Someone is assigned guard duty there and they will tell you where it is.”

“Understood, Commander.” The leading army soldier responded.

“If you have nothing else, you are dismissed.”

The squad leader saluted and turned around, guiding his team on the way out. Once they left the hallway, Hans returned to his gaming chair and sighed.

“It’s so tiresome to lead people around. I hope I can train a true officer in the future.”

He knew that as the force increased in size, so did the complexity of managing each unit. Doing it all by himself would exhaust him. What Hans wanted was to relay a general objective and let his soldiers design and execute the specifics.

“System, can I ping an objective to my soldiers in the future?”

“That will be possible, Commander.” the system’s unusual reply surprised him.

It answered me truthfully? Hans was skeptical but kept that possibility in mind. “I wonder how’s Dmitri and Adrian doing. I hope that office contains the documents I need.”

…

Inside the blacked-out office building, Dmitri, Adrian, and Rex scoured the manager’s room where the fat zombie charged out earlier.

Their night vision goggles gave them the lighting they need to see through the darkness and peer upon the secrets hidden within.

“That fat guy somewhat didn’t destroy things. Weird, won’t you think?” Adrian commented before barging in.

Dmitri also noticed the unusual state of the room as well but chose to ignore it for now.

“Search the right area. I’ll cover the left.” Dmitri knelt and rubbed Rex’s fur, “What do you think, buddy? Found something?”

Rex whimpered and hung its head down.

“I see, that’s unfortunate.” Dmitri patted the dog’s head and walked to the left.

“There’s a safe box here. What do you think?” Adrian tapped on a black metal box standing half his height. The box’s lock was the regular combination lock, ladened with some articulate design that added no value whatsoever.

“Ignore it. Search those cabinets.” Dmitri responded while flipping through some folders, ledgers, and documents.

“You’re so direct about the mission. You’re no fun.” Adrian snorted and approached the cabinets on the right side of the office.

He opened one drawer and flipped through the contents, “Boring office things. I told you the good stuff is hidden in that box.”

“Keep looking.” Dmitri insisted and took another folder which was stored far from the rest. Upon opening, he read the title and was surprised.

“A MOA?” he scanned the text and soon found an important information—the manager’s home address.

“Grefort Builder’s Home Industry, the second party, eh?”

Dmitri closed the folder and secured it into his bag.

“Seems like you’ve found something.” Adrian spoke, his fingers dancing around the documents and folders. “The blueprints are definitely not here. Maybe in that safe box or somewhere hidden.”

He closed the drawer and moved around the large wooden table. He placed his hand under the table and felt the smooth texture.

Seeing that nothing happened, he moved into the small drawers on the side.

The first one was nothing but a wallet, keys, and miscellaneous items.

On the second one, he noticed a slight disfiguration on the drawer’s right side. He placed his fingers and sensed a slight sliding movement.

“Gotcha.”

He pushed the small piece of wood aside and discovered a small compartment with three buttons on it.

“Useless, but at least you found something.” Dmitri walked over and shook his head. “Let’s try the walls first.”

“Yeah, that’s better.” Adrian got up and went to the side of a metal cabinet. Just as they were about to pull it out from its place, light beams passed through the open hallway, alerting them.

“Friendlies!” Dmitri muttered, then shouted, “You over there, identify yourself!”

“Army Soldier Victor Brandt, here to reinforce the two officers!” the voice replied.

“Good, come over!” Dmitri called out. “Help us move these cabinets out of here.”

The squad of seven entered and helped them. It took time and a lot of grunting before the manager’s room was almost cleared of anything.

Dmitri and Adrian wanted to tap on the walls, but Rex suddenly barked and approached a particular section on the right side.

“Oh, that dog sure is sharp.” Adrian remarked, jealous of Dmitri’s buddy, though he was looking forward on getting his own in the future.

“What do you think?” Dmitri asked. The hidden section’s entrance has been found, but to breach it…

“Well, why do you think we have these?” Adrian took out his breaching charge and laughed.

“Without understanding the layout?” Dmitri stopped him, cautious about causing an unintended ruckus.

“The building’s structure will be safe. I’ll keep it tight, don’t worry.” Adrian approached Rex who was circling the area with precise movement.

“Oh? He’s signaling its size. Very smart dog indeed.”

With a simple calculation, Adrian placed the breaching charge at the center and ordered everyone to vacate the room several meters away.

Dmitri tapped on his comm beads and contacted every army soldier about the approaching explosion.

“All teams, be reminded. We are exploring the manager’s office building. If any explosion occurs from this direction, please be at ease.”

The army soldiers replied with affirmation through radio chat.

“Okay, blow it up.” Dmitri signaled.

“Kaching!” Adrian grabbed the trigger and pulled it.

Boom!

A loud explosion bellowed inside the manager’s office. Shards of wood, metal, and concrete flew across the room, forming dust and debris.

Meanwhile, the thunderous sound aroused the attention of everyone within the complex.

“What was that?” Alexei looked in that direction, throwing a decapitated body to the sides.

“Everyone, calm down! The officers are exploring the office building. No need to worry about it.” Ryan waved his hands, shouting.

The tensed soldiers calmed down after hearing the explanation. They resumed their work, wanting to finish as quickly as possible.

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