Hans and four conscripts stood at the apartment building's entrance. Hans checked the time and it was almost 6:00 PM now.
Did something happen?
An uncomfortable feeling sprang on his heart and mind. The four conscripts felt the pressure as well, wondering why their subordinates were so slow in retreating to base.
The apprehensive atmosphere vanished when rhythmic footsteps thumped outside, carrying a hint of hurriedness and something else.
Kenji and Ravi stepped forward and opened the doors, welcoming the squad who had been hunting for half a day in the parking lot.
Hans inspected them individually, and saw their pale faces dripping with sweat. Their breathing was out of sorts, and some even trembled, sighing once they got inside.
"Commander!" Dmitri saluted, "Something happened on our way back. I apologize for the delay."
"Don't mention it," Hans shook his head, and was more intrigued about what hindered them for so long.
"Is it because of these... monsters?" He pointed at the corpse of the skinny monster that came from the sewer. He called it skinny sewer monsters.
Their long flexible joints, starved torso, and menacing red eyes gave Hans the shocking factor.
His nose picked up a weird scent from their bodies, a characteristic likely formed and could be linked to inhabiting the underground for a long time.
He had inspected tje corpse earlier while waiting for them, and found that despite their thin bodies, the muscle density on its limbs was a little too high. Hans tried lifting one and found that it was as heavy as a 10-kilo sack of rice.
"Something worse than that, Commander." Dmitri's tone turned low and cold.
Hans picked up the change in Dmitri's temperament and diverted the topic.
"We'll discuss that later." he looked at the other members of the squad and coughed lightly, "Everyone, you've been tired after a long day. Rest and take a bath. As for your loots, put them in that area. The guards on duty will pick it up and deliver upstairs."
The squad nodded, quite relieved of their Commander's actions.
"Dismissed." Hans turned around and gestured for Dmitri to follow him upstairs.
...
Hans sat at his gaming chair and leaned on his desk, listening to Dmitri's report about the recent clearing operation at the parking lot. His right index finger tapped on the wooden table, thinking about the two incidents his team has encountered.
"The skinny sewer monster looks problematic," Hans commented, "If the underground is infested with them, clearing it will not be easy."
Dmitri likely gained the advantage due to the skinny sewer monster being exposed to sunlight. Furthermore, their abilities and overall physical strength remained unknown.
Muscle density is one thing, but combat ability and how they used their body was another consideration.
Could they scale walls or cling to the ceilings?
How much and how far could they see in the dark?
Can they track noise and smell?
What about their speed? Is it affected by water, or can they do whatever they want without being hindered too much?
Hans had little information against these skinny sewer monsters. To him, it wasn't wise to face them unless he could bait them in a large killzone and gun them to death.
Yet, their behavior about environments and what would trigger their aggro remains unknown. The range of their aggro remains something to be considered as well.
Even if he could aggro them to a killzone, attracting too many at once wasn't an outcome he would favor.
"Training scouts is inefficient either. If they all die, then that would be a waste of at least a thousand gold."
Trained as the scouts may be, he wasn't willing to let them tread into enemy territory just like that.
Hans massaged his temples, feeling annoyed that the infection could allow a drastic evolution like those skinny sewer monsters.
"How about those meteorite shards? Any ideas how to deal with them?" he diverted the topic, trying to alleviate a bit of stress on his mind.
"The meteorite shards are our number one priority, Commander." Dmitri advised, "Leaving them alone is not an option at this point."
He still felt a chill of being subjugated without the ability to fight back.
"You're right, such magical powers exist indeed." Hans nodded. The ability for the meteorite shards to influence their mentalities proved fatal for the ordinary troops.
Scouts were one thing, but Conscripts and Army Soldiers would be his main troops for a long time. Their mental resilience wasn't much. If he didn't plan routes properly, he would lose troops through the presence of those shards.
It posed a huge hindrance to his plans, forcing him to consider a solution—how to go around them.
"Can the team move tomorrow for a quick round on the second apartment building?"
"If the Commander can get us more subordinates, clearing the second apartment building would take half a day, and fully securing it would require an entire day." Dmitri explained.
Hans stared at Dmitri's eyes, feeling that they could easily take it down in even less than the time declared. However, overconfidence would make someone complacent, and complacency usually leads to ruin.
"I will take the spoils your team has received today." Hans laid back on his chair, "The amount of troops I can train depends on the value. If it's a few, then that is much I can give for you."
"I wouldn't be presumptuous to ask for more, Commander." Dmitri bowed in apology.
"No need for that," Hans waved his hand, "Is there anything else you wish to say?"
Dmitri nodded, "No casualty nor incidents of infection has been reported, Commander. The only problem is the impact of that meteorite shards on their minds."
"Let Rex spend time with the soldiers for a bit." Hans contemplated, thinking that the dog's extraordinary abilities surpassed what the system has given to him.
The dog's howling could ward the psychic influence of those meteorite shards, but it was a solution not viable for the long term.
"As for the meteorite shards, I'll find a way to deal with it tonight, or tomorrow. If you have nothing else to report, then you are dismissed."
"I shall take my leave, Commander!" Dmitri saluted, turned around, and left the room.
Hans observed Dmitri's back, finding it a bit wetter than usual. He mused that the meteorite shards had taken a huge blow against one of Hans's finest troops.
"Those shards, I hope they can be destroyed. If it takes more than a bullet, then I can only rely on Dmitri's frag grenades then."
Hans frowned, thinking that he had forgotten something, "No, that's not right. System, are meteorite shards convertible?"
"Meteorites are very profitable, Commander. You can convert them to resources at a 1:5 ratio."
A gram is equivalent to 5 Gold? Then those shards...
Hans suddenly felt they weren't that horrific at all. "That can't be it either. System, do you think those shards can affect me?"
"The Commander will not be affected." the system replied.
"Oh right, you have the mind-clearing function whatever it is." Hans knocked his head, thinking how stupid could he be to forget about this.
Nevertheless, now that he found an answer to the meteorite shard problem, he looked at the changes of his troops', particularly those who were upgraded to 2-stars.
He opened Alexei's information panel and found the answer he needed.
-----
Name: Alexei Novak
Unit: Conscript
Tier: 0
Star Promotion: (2-star) 80 / 900
Promotion Boost: +3 magazine capacity (+2), +20% reload speed (+10%), +20% accuracy (+10%), 10% lower fatigue loss, +50% CQC effectiveness
Primary Weapon: MP5 Submachine Gun (9mm, 30 rounds per magazine, five mags, refreshes every 24 hours)
Secondary Weapon: None
Melee: Combat Knife (15 cm blade, steel alloy, indestructible)
Grenades: 1 fragmentation grenade (refreshes every 48 hours)
Personal Kit: 1-day field ration (refreshes every 8 hours), 1 liter canteen (refreshes every 8 hours), basic sleeping gear, standard soldier uniform
Remarks: Average aim and close-quarter combat skills. Strength increases when grouped with other conscripts.
-----
Conscripts gained one fragmentation grenade the moment they stepped into their 2-star promotion. Their magazine count also increased by two, increasing it directly into 5 magazines at once.
I can prioritize conscripts on the verge of promotion into 2-star for tomorrow's clearing operation then.
Hans started scribbling on his blue book, outlining a few things to consider about units, promotions, and his future operations.
If a 2-star promotion granted bonuses like this, how much more would a 3-star promotion grant them? And that was just a conscript.
The potential of the star promotions of his army soldier, attack dogs, and scouts was something to look forward to.
Star promotions are a bit hard to achieve now. The apartment complex has miniscule population, but when it comes to the city...
Hans grinned. It wouldn't take too long for his troops to be promoted once he set his sights to the city area. However, he was still a long way to go about it.
For now, he considered the advantage of army soldiers over conscripts, particularly Alexei who was now a 2-star promoted conscript, against Ryan who was recently trained.
-----
Name: Ryan Keller
Unit: Army Soldier
Tier: 0
Star Promotion: (0-star) 420 / 1200
Primary Weapon: M16A4 Assault Rifle (5.56 mm, 30 rounds per mag, 3 mags, 400 m effective range )
Secondary Weapon: M1911 Pistol (7 rounds per mag, 2 mags)
Melee: Bayonet / Combat Knife (20 cm blade, reinforced alloy, indestructible)
Grenades: 1 fragmentation grenade (refreshes every 48 hours)
Attachments: Variable Combat Sight (2-4x magnifier)
Personal Kit: 2-day field ration (refreshes every 8 hours), 1.5 L composite flask (refreshes every 8 hours), basic sleeping gear; basic first-aid pouch, multi-tool, short-range radio transceiver (limited to squad relay distance)
Uniform: Light ballistic fatigues with digital camo pattern; reinforced knee & elbow guards; shock absorbent combat boots, mid-grade traction; Standard steel MK-I with comm-bead receiver (two-way channel)
Remarks: Can gain additional or improve equipment through research in the tech lab. Can be promoted as either a Squad or Platoon Leader. Can lead mixed squads of Conscripts, Army Soldiers, and Guardian Infantry. Powerful accuracy, incredible tenacity, and flexible abilities.
-----
Truly worth the 400 Gold.
Hans couldn't help but drool at the variable combat sight attachment that each army soldier would have.
This meant that their firefighting ability at mid-distance was great. Should some raider decided to seek trouble, Hans can give them the simple lesson of "an inch longer is an inch stronger."
"Time to finalize some plans. Once the meteorite shards are dealt with, the survivors will come in play."
To him, survivors were a liability when the shards remained in play. The guys at the diner might have to wait a little longer, but for those few people who waved their red flags a while ago...
Hans wondered if the shards' psychic disturbance affected them, or were they still alive.
"I hope they're still alive in apartment building number two."
Footsteps thudded outside his room, followed by three knocks on his door. "Come in."
Kenji, Ravi, and the new conscript walked in, carrying three bags full of clanking sounds. They put down the bags and at the floor, saluted at their Commander, then left.
Hans rubbed his hands, displaying a greedy expression on his face.
"Time to count my gains today."