Hans paced around his room with furrowed brows and an unsteady heart. For some reason, the system's calming function didn't activate this time around.
The banging had been too loud—audible even here, and could have been on the eighth. If any were still on the fifth or fourth floors, they would have also heard the chaos.
It has been half an hour since the silence had taken over, yet the team still hasn't returned.
The only reassurance he had was the soldiers' information flashing on his interface.
---
[ Soldiers: 4 Conscripts (Adam, Alexei, Ethan, Selen) ]
---
He could even inspect their status through here. Hans kept checking to see if all of them remained uninfected.
What gathered his attention was the increase in his soldiers' Star Promotion rate.
----
Name: Ethan Varga
Tier: 0
Star Promotion: 70 / 300
...
----
Name: Selene Ward.
Tier: 0
Star Promotion: 65 / 300
...
----
Name: Adam Orlov
Tier: 0
Star Promotion: 120 / 300
...
----
Name: Alexei Novak
Tier: 0
Star Promotion: 40 / 300
...
----
As Hans monitored their status individually, he realized that when his units killed a zombie, their star promotion rate would increase by 10.
The 300 threshold also bore a resemblance to Red Alert's game mechanics. Kill enough units three times the unit's worth, and they would be promoted.
Selene's sudden increase by 25 caught him off guard, making him wonder what kind of special zombie she had managed to kill.
And it also quelled his curiosity about whether special zombies existed. That could also mean one thing—they, too, could evolve.
Hans's eyes fell on the ground below, where the zombies remained idle with others blindly walking around.
"I don't have the luxury to verify that theory. I just hope that when I do, my units and I are powerful enough to confront it."
Footsteps suddenly thudded outside his room. Hans turned around and heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that it was his four dear conscripts who had returned.
The door opened, revealing the bloodstained bodies of the four-member squad. Their bodies felt listless and tired as well, sweat pouring down on their battered faces.
"Commander, we have completed the task!" Adam saluted.
Hans nodded and returned the salute. "Good job, take a rest first and shower yourselves. We'll talk about what happened after."
Just as they went their separate ways, Hans stopped them and sheepishly requested, "Selene, go take a shower here. I'll wait outside."
The three male conscripts exchanged glances but knew it wasn't the time to make a joke out of it.
Selene stared at Hans, then bowed to him. She walked towards the shower room and ignored them.
Hans, of course, didn't dare linger inside and exiled himself.
The other three found an empty but working shower and took turns cleansing themselves of filth.
"The water might be contaminated soon..." Hans worried. The water remained clean for now, but he knew it wouldn't last for long.
He started forming another plan in his head as he waited for them to finish their shower.
...
Soon after, they gathered at the slightly cramped dining table. Adam slowly recounted their findings, starting with the special zombie child they encountered on the sixth floor.
Hans listened carefully while taking down notes. This resulted in quickly using up the leaves left in his blue book.
Zombie child — a special type of zombie.
Dense marks and blood on the fifth and fourth floors.
Empty, but incredibly messy hallways, and a blockaded stairwell connecting the third and the fourth.
These findings made Hans realize something—he hadn't heard a single damn thing while asleep!
Additionally, as Adam described, the blood marks were too dry, likely having been present for at least two days.
The empty fifth and fourth floors were too eerily quiet, almost unnerving his conscripts, who were supposedly indifferent to most psychological effects.
System, don't tell me you're part of this...?
"Commander, integrating the system required time and safety of the host," the system rebutted, ending any argument Hans wanted to start.
But then came the problem: how was it that nobody noticed him inside his room?
Where was the military?
Was any survivor base already built around the area?
Did anyone in this apartment survive, or had they succumbed to their injuries or infections?
Too many questions, too few answers.
Now, it was time for Hans to handle the questionable barricade that blocked his advance to the third floor.
He massaged his temples and couldn't find any answer other than to break through it.
"Commander, sir. If we break through this blockade, the commotion will attract the zombies. If it falls, they will be able to pour into the higher floors and endanger us." Adam reminded, "We need you to hire more of our kind, so that we will have enough manpower to vanquish everything that stand in your way."
Then, a pile of necklaces, bracelets, watches, and other valuables was taken out by the four conscripts.
These were the hauls they had found on the fourth and the fifth floors.
"Huh? How come these things are found in the lower floors...?"
A sudden thought struck him.
The rich guys up high probably wanted to leave, but the sudden commotion caught them off guard. Left with no choice, they must have wanted to come back up, but met their untimely demise on the lower floors. As for the residents on the eighth floor, Hans no longer gave a damn where they went.
If they remained above here, then they would have been safe...
Hans didn't feel it was correct either, as there were cases of zombies still lurking on the higher floors.
"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Once I convert these, you will have more brothers and sisters to join you in the fight."
Hans put the imaginative scenario at the back of his mind and quickly converted the precious materials in front of him into Gold!
[ Gold: 12 (+775) -> 787 ]
Nice, seven more conscripts! Just one more, and I can rank up...
Hans clenched his fists, a fervent feeling welling inside him. "System, train seven conscripts!"
[ Gold: 787 (-700) -> 87 ]
Hans didn't feel bad as he invested units for his promotion task.
Becoming a Squad Leader would give him access to new units that were much better and stronger than conscripts! Although expensive compared to a conscript, surely the system's products wouldn't disappoint him.
"Adam, Alexei, Ethan, Selene." Hans called out, and the four conscripts stood at attention. "Prepare yourselves. Your seven new comrades will arrive soon."