Chapter 49: Aftermath: Mall Assault Operation

The soldiers marched their way back to the base in the urban fringe. Along the desolate asphalt road, empty buildings surrounded their vision.

Dmitri set his eyes straight ahead, leading the formation in tow.

Through the endless stretching roads, they came upon a new area with repurposed structures.

Granary.

Warehouse.

Small farmlands and greenhouses.

Housing for the civilians and the soldiers.

The sight varied left to right.

One of the residents noticed their approach, pausing his hands mid-air. He let down his hoe and waved to the soldiers.

“Oi, welcome back!”

His shout drove everyone’s attention.

The residents crowded over, extending their hands to greet their heroes. The soldiers snapped their heads, waving back in response.

The grandiose ceremony lasted until the last soldiers vanished from the residents’ sights. Still, the valiant aura lingered in their hearts and minds.

“They sure are treating us like heroes now, huh?” Adrian grinned as he hung as his arm over Dmitri’s shoulder.

“Keep your bloodied arm away from my uniform,” Dmitri snorted.

“Come on, it’s not like you’ve got no blood on your hands.” Adrian flicked his arm away and sighed. “Why is everyone so cold to me now?”

“Stay sharp,” Dmitri furrowed his brows. “We’re almost at the base now.”

“Right, right.” Adrian fanned himself.

Their march continued until a fortress came into view. Dmitri whipped his hand to the right, signaling to the platoon.

The soldiers scattered into two groups—one headed to their homes, the other carrying the haul for today’s operation.

From the opened window on the second floor, Hans observed the returning troops with a focused mind.

“Dmitri, Jenkins,” he pressed on his comms bead. “Proceed to the Commander’s Room. I want to hear reports from the battlefield.”

“Roger, Commander,” Dmitri responded. “Heading out.”

Arthur observed from the sides. Once Hans ended the transmission, he spoke.

“The urban fringe has been cleared, Commander. What will be your plans from now?”

“I will announce it on the council meeting tomorrow,” Hans closed the window and returned to his seat. “Did the council seek something from me?”

“Nothing as of now, Commander,” Arthur smiled. “The point system is doing its job, and nobody has questioned our methods.”

“That is wonderful to hear then.” Hans absent-mindedly spoke while writing on his bluebook.

The point system was a replacement of the currency system from the old world. Due to the worldwide destruction of the meteorite, the worth of a paper money was no less than a trash on the street.

Hans wanted to incentivize hard work from his small territory, thus the establishment of this new scheme.

Food.

Housing.

Wants and needs.

Aside from the zero-cost necessities such as electricity and water, everything else worked around the point system.

“Hmm?” Hans realized that Arthur stood in place. “Something in your mind, Arthur?”

“Yes,” Arthur passed over a report. “Our patrols has some recent findings. It does not bid well, Commander. You should read it carefully.”

Hans scanned the report, putting it down with dark expression.

“No wonder,” he muttered under his breath.

For the last few days, isolated red dots randomly wandered deep into the urban fringe.

Hans thought it was a coincidence as well. Now that his troops also sighted more activity in the past days, the gravity of such a phenomenon intensified.

However, the likes of Yunera and Arthur didn’t know. As such, Hans decided to play along.

“Has this been verified?”

“Multiple times,” Arthur nodded. “Yunera reported it to me once. The others confirmed her suspicions. The behavior of the zombies is changing. This should be taken into account during the council meeting tomorrow, Commander.”

“I understand,” Hans clasped his hands. “Thank you for this, Arthur. You may go now if there is nothing else.”

Arthur bowed and wore his hat on the way out. He stepped aside as Dmitri, Jenkins, and the soldiers made their way in.

“Put the hauls over there,” Hans pointed.

The soldiers followed, carefully placing down several sacks filled with necklaces, watches, and other valuables.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Hans nodded. “You are dismissed.”

“Yes Commander!”

The soldiers saluted before exiting. As the door closed, Hans gestured for Dmitri to start.

“The mall has been secured, Commander,” Dmitri said. “Most of the food and valuables were taken. Materials and other supplies will be carried next.”

“No casualties?” Hans asked.

“Minor injuries, nothing serious.” Dmitri replied.

“What about the bridge?” Hans shifted to Jenkins.

“There was a faulty lining on the bridge’s foundation,” he snapped to attention. “Tomasz and the other engineers saw it and repaired not long after.”

“Can our vehicles roll over?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Jenkins scratched his cheek. “The road is a little tight, that’s all.”

“Have it cleared as quickly as possible,” Hans ordered. “I want our troops to push into the city no later than seven days.”

“As you command!” Jenkins saluted.

“Don’t dismiss yet,” Hans gestured at them, much to the duo’s surprise. “Call the squad leaders. We need to talk. Something came up.”

Dmitri and Jenkins were startled upon hearing Hans’s words. With a nod, the two quickly left the room.

Hans approached the bags full of jewelry and other valuables. He waved his hands over and the system converted all of the spoils into precious Gold.

——

[ Gold: 3463 (+5677) -> 9140 ]

——

The sacks deflated like a balloon, the fabric crumpling into the polished wooden floor.

“Not bad,” Hans muttered, viewing the virtual panel in front of him. “The environment has changed. I need to be more proactive in my approach.”

The contents of that report flashed on his mind again.

“I don’t know why these zombies are approaching the base on their own,” he laid on the couch with arms wide to the sides. “One thing is clear—these zombies aren’t as dormant as they were. Is it because a large group of humans assembled here?”

Countless questions were raised, yet Hans couldn’t find a definite answer.

“That shouldn’t be the case,” he rejected the idea. “The mall’s closer here. Those zombies should have reacted faster than what was in the city.”

Talking about the city—

The flickering lights closed in on the urban fringe. According to Hans’s calculations, the electricity outage should reach the fortress in a couple of days.

“Earning more Gold is the only way to go,” Hans concluded. “6 Scouts. 3 Machine Gunners. 1 Conscript. System, train them for me.”

——-

[ Gold: 9140 (-6000) -> 3140 ]

[ Gold: 3140 (-3000) -> 140 ]

[ Gold: 140 (-100) -> 40 ]

——

The training queue was filled. Hans watched the training bar slowly tick to completion.

“Pushing with brute force into the city is not ideal,” he analyzed. “One loud gunshot will attract a wide area. I need to utilize these scouts well.”

He went over his desk and opened his damaged tablet. The screen presented the digital map of Grefort City.

Hans reviewed the position of banks, jewelry stores, district malls, pawn shops, and the luxurious area known as the Pandora District.

“Fifteen districts all in all,” Hans panned over the map. “The economic core at the center. The industrial ones up north. Commercial ones at the west. Apartments to the east. Below that is District 0: Pandora.”

The screen hovered at the southeastern part of the city. Secluded, deliberately distant from the city’s arteries.

“A land for the rich, huh?” He chuckled, zooming into the large 2 square-kilometer area.

A small branch from the large river extended into the district, partially enclosing it on the southeast. Clean and private river embankments became an opportunity—save for the sports they individually desired.

“Living like no other,” Hans reminisced the time when he wanted to be rich as well. “The zombie density should be small, but the path to it is long.”

The screen panned on the southern area.

Small fish ports.

Warehouses.

A mix of commercial and residential areas.

Chaotic as it was, the south was incomparable to the slums in the north.

“The city’s southern expansion belt,” he murmured. “The danger is mild. The population density shouldn’t be that high. I can also make this an opportunity to increase the star-promotion of my scouts.”

Dmitri’s information panel slid into view.

——

Name: Dmitri Volkov

Unit: Scout

Tier: 0

Star Promotion: (1-star) 1795 / 6000

Promotion Boost: +2 smg magazine capacity, +1 fragmentation/smoke/flash grenades, +20% reload speed, +30% accuracy, -10% lower fatigue loss, +100% CQC effectiveness, +15% overall body attributes (such as strength, agility, reaction speed)

Primary Weapon: MP7A1 Submachine Gun (4.6 x 30mm, integrally suppressed, 30-round magazine, 4 magazines, 150-meter effective range, ammo refreshes every 24 hours)

Secondary Weapon: Suppressed P226 pistol (9 mm, 15 rounds per magazine, 2 magazines)

Melee: Combat Knife (black coated 18 cm steel blade, indestructible)

Grenades: 1 frag grenade(s), 2 smoke grenade(s), 2 flashbang grenade(s) (refreshes every 48 hours)

Special Tools: …

Attachment: …

Personal Kit: …

Uniform: …

Driving Proficiency: …

Trait: Cat Reflexes (+20% reaction speed, +10% movement speed, +10% accuracy)

Remarks: …

——

“Each unit varies in promotion boosts. The Scouts having it much better,” Hans was thrilled. “Adrian is near promotion. Jenkins and Hopkins come after.”

A problem soon arose—whom should he pair the scouts with?

“The 2-star Army Soldiers don’t look too bad,” Hans reviewed their information panel. “The 3-star Conscripts can also be a good pair.”

——

Name: Ryan Keller

Unit: Army Soldier

Tier: 0

Star Promotion: (2-star) 1890 / 3600

Promotion Boost: +2 rifle & pistol magazine capacity, +1 rifle drum magazine (100 rounds), Rifle stabilizer compensator installed, +2 frag grenade, +20% reload speed, +25% accuracy, -15% lower fatigue loss, +100% CQC Effectiveness, +15% overall body attributes

Primary Weapon: M16A4 Assault Rifle (5.56 mm, 30 rounds per mag, 5 mags, 1 drum magazine, 100 rounds per drum mag, 400 m effective range )

Secondary Weapon: M1911 Pistol (7 rounds per mag, 4 mags)

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

Grenades: 3 fragmentation grenades

Attachments: …

Personal Kit: …

Uniform: …

Remarks: …

——

“That solves it. I should make preparations for this before the council meeting.”

Hans’s fingers moved, panning the screen from a point of interest two another. As he sketched the distances between these points, realization struck him.

“The distance is too great. A safehouse or an outpost must be considered.”

Hans scribbled on the bluebook, noting important ideas about the upcoming expeditions. As he focused on his task, a loud knock on the door broke his attention.

“Commander, I have brought the squad leaders for your briefing.” Dmitri called from the outside.

“Come in!” Hans put down the pen and glanced at the squad leaders moving in line. They stood in attention, waiting for his cue.

Hans handed the report from Arthur and spoke.

“Read, then you tell me what you think.”

He paced around the room, waiting for the squad leaders to finish. Hushes left their mouths, becoming louder as time passed.

When the last person read through the report, everyone turned silent. Hans took the paper with a frown on his face.

“Any suggestions?”

“Commander, we should—”

At that moment, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling flickered incessantly. The power lines buzzed with static noise.

“What’s happening?” Hans moved to the window.

The fortress was filled with shouts and cries for help. Residents came out of their homes, arguing and complaining about the sudden event.

“Dmitri, check it out—”

Hans retreated from the window, only to find himself inside a dark room.

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