Location: FOB Echo Point, Rooftop – Sector 3C
Time: 04:16 AM | Day 2 of Infection Collapse
Smoke hung low over the rooftop like a choking curtain.
Shell casings were scattered ankle-deep near the sandbags, and the turret's barrel steamed from sustained fire. The battle was over—for now—but the silence felt unnatural. Tense. Like a held breath.
Logan Hale checked the chamber of his HK416.
Empty.
He ejected the mag and counted. "Last one."
Wraith wiped blood from his knuckles. "Down to nine rounds in mine."
He flicked his wrist, shaking off fatigue. "Turret's dry too. Reaper's gotta be almost bone-dry."
Logan looked to the heavy infantry unit.
Reaper One stood still as a bunker—its Gatling gun's barrel faintly glowing, belt-feed housing empty.
> [REAPER ONE – STATUS:]
Ammo: 0/2000
Barrel Temp: CRITICAL – Cooling Mode Active
Defensive Readiness: 12%
Recommendation: Resupply or replace
"Commander," Reaper rumbled, "I require immediate resupply to maintain suppressive capability."
"I know," Logan muttered.
He opened the system.
> [WAR CREDITS: 163.2]
[Available Logistics Summons:]
– Ammo Crate (Standard Rifle, x300 rounds): 12 WAR CREDITS
– Ammo Crate (Heavy Munitions – Belted, x2000): 18 WAR CREDITS
– Ammo Crate (Handguns/Sidearms): 5 WAR CREDITS
– Medical Kit – Field Grade: 10 WAR CREDITS
– Field Ration Box (5 Meals): 4 WAR CREDITS
– Infrared Beacon: 25 WAR CREDITS (Limited Use)
– Scavenger Drone (Autonomous Search Unit): 60 WAR CREDITS
– [NEW UNLOCK] Squad Level Upgrade Pack – 100 WAR CREDITS
He didn't hesitate.
> [Summon: Heavy Munitions Crate – 18 WAR CREDITS]
[Summon: Standard Rifle Ammo Crate – 12 WAR CREDITS]
[Summon: Medical Kit – 10 WAR CREDITS]
[Remaining Credits: 123.2]
Crates shimmered into reality near the rear stairwell, marked with faded military stencils. Hammer broke one open immediately—green boxes of 5.56mm ammo for Logan, Wraith, and Petrescu; belted munitions for Reaper.
Reaper stepped forward with mechanical grace and reloaded the heavy drum into the feed system. The sound of the belt locking into place was oddly comforting.
"Suppression capability restored," he confirmed. "Ready for further engagement."
Logan popped a new mag into his rifle and turned to the others.
"We can't hold like this every night," he said. "Not unless we start building real structure. Reinforced gates, fallback points, overlapping arcs. This isn't a post—we're just rats in a cage."
"We could dig in properly," Hammer said, checking a blueprint unrolled on the floor. "This deck's got steel support. We fortify it with scavenged rebar, maybe even rig up a second exit with pulleys if we find the right parts."
"I don't like relying on one way in or out," Wraith added.
Logan nodded, but his eyes were fixed past the rooftop edge.
Toward the city.
Toward the storm coming.
> [SYSTEM UPDATE:]
Threat Status: Moderate
Local Infected Movement: Dispersed
Scout Pack (Recon Class) – ELIMINATED
Alpha-Signature: Withdrew at 03:50 AM – Estimated Return: 6-12 Hours
WAR CREDIT Gain (Passive): +1.0/hour
[Special Unlock Available at 200 WAR CREDITS]
He turned to Sofia. She was hunched beside the turret base, staring at the med kit Hammer had opened. Bandages, antiseptics, painkillers.
"Are you hurt?" Logan asked.
She blinked like she hadn't realized he was speaking. "No. I just… don't feel anything."
He crouched beside her. "That's the adrenaline. You'll crash when it fades."
Her voice was quiet. "I think it already did."
He didn't have anything comforting to say. So he handed her a protein bar and stood back up.
---
At 05:02 AM, the sky began to pale.
Just slightly.
The glow of pre-dawn stretched across the east, casting the ruined cityscape in shades of ash and rust. The fires still burned in the distance—less now, but visible.
Logan walked toward the map spread over the steel table.
He drew a line with a piece of chalk.
"Depot's two miles out. If we're moving, we hit it during daylight. Objectives: secure ammo, food, meds, fuel. Possible radio tower on-site. It's our next step."
Petrescu tapped the sector on the edge. "Satellite imagery showed a water treatment plant nearby. If the pumps are intact, we might be able to rig purification."
"We can't hold without logistics," Hammer muttered. "We can't fight without bullets. And we can't lead if we break down."
Logan felt the weight in those words.
Every day they held out was a miracle built on discipline, firepower, and luck.
But luck was running out.
> [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:]
Recommended Action:
– Deploy Scavenger Drone (Search and Tag Supplies)
– Expand Unit Cap (Upgrade Node Required – Tier II)
– Assign Operational Roles to Squad Members (Unlocked)
He scrolled through the roles list:
– Wraith: Scout, Sniper (Active)
– Hammer: Engineer (Active)
– Petrescu: Rifleman (Active)
– Reaper One: Heavy Infantry (Active)
– Sofia: [CIVILIAN – Potential Role: Intelligence Analyst (Unlocked by Interaction)]
Logan blinked.
"Intelligence Analyst?"
Sofia looked up. "What?"
He showed her the system prompt.
"It says you might qualify for… something. Based on behavior, maybe. You said you remembered their movements, patrols, patterns?"
"I... yeah," she nodded, slowly. "I watch. I listen. I memorized where they came from, how often, what they sounded like."
He nodded once.
> [Assign Sofia – Intelligence Role? Y/N]
Y
> [Assignment Confirmed – Sofia: Civilian Analyst]
Intelligence Role Activated
Effect: Increased Threat Prediction Accuracy | Warning Tiers Adjusted
Special: Memory-Locked Behavior Analysis (Infected Variant Research Progress: 3%)
"I can do more," she said, quietly.
Logan looked at the horizon.
Then nodded.
"You just did."
---
> [WAR CREDITS: 123.2]
[Next Unlock: 200 WAR CREDITS – Tier II Command Node Access]
[System Status: STABLE]
[Time to Sunrise: 47 Minutes]
For now, Echo Point held.
But Logan knew the silence wouldn't last.
Not with smarter monsters on the hunt.