Location: Suceava Outskirts → Echo Point
Time: 14:00 | Day 6 of Infection Collapse
The city of Suceava lay in ruins, but its bones still held value.
Broken storefronts, scorched police cars, and half-dismantled barricades lined the avenue as Logan Hale and his team advanced block by block. The sky was heavy with overcast, muting the afternoon light. Logan crouched behind a burnt sedan, ACOG scope trained down the eastern corridor. Wraith flanked his right, silent as always.
They weren't here to conquer.
They were here to resupply.
Below, on ground level, Petrescu and Hammer were inspecting a derelict NATO motor pool tucked behind a collapsed civic building. Scattered shells and oxidized fuel drums suggested it had seen conflict early in the collapse.
"Anything salvageable?" Logan asked over comms.
Hammer's voice came back, tight but excited. "Got eyes on an M1151 Humvee, armored frame. Needs rewiring, new ignition harness, and a fresh radiator fan. But she's got a mount intact—M2 Browning, too. I can get her running."
"How long?"
"Three hours. Maybe four. Less if we get quiet time."
Logan nodded to himself. "You got it. Wraith, cover them. I'll sweep north with Sofia."
Sofia, now less jumpy and more focused, had proven herself quick and adaptable. She kept close to Logan, checking corners, scanning rooftops. She no longer gripped her pipe—she now held a compact MP5 taken from a fallen border patrol officer, cleaned and functional.
They didn't make it more than two blocks before finding signs of life.
Three survivors.
The first two were siblings—Elena, early 20s, and Mihai, younger but defiant. They'd fortified themselves inside a dental office with overturned desks and broken display cases. Elena had a burn across her arm and was holding a bloodied kitchen knife; Mihai had a crowbar and a haunted look.
The third survivor, holed up in a pharmacy next door, was Dr. Alina Moraru, a former emergency medic. She was patching herself up with expired antibiotics when Logan found her.
They didn't beg.
They asked what Logan was.
"We're building something that might outlive us," he said simply.
When they returned to Echo Point, the Humvee followed behind, its engine roaring with life, black smoke coughing from the tailpipe. Hammer sat in the back with a toolkit and grease-smeared hands, beaming like a madman. The .50 cal mount was fitted, cleaned, and prepped.
> [New Vehicle Added: M1151 HMMWV (Armored) – Mount: M2 Browning .50 Caliber MG]
[WAR CREDITS: 415.4]
Logan used the downtime to secure the next upgrades.
> [Purchased: Reinforced Watchtower (Tier I) – 60 WAR CREDITS]
[Purchased: Secondary Power Relay Grid – 45 WAR CREDITS]
[Purchased: Medical Bay Expansion (Basic Triage) – 55 WAR CREDITS]
[Purchased: Ammo Dump Construction (Storage/Refill Access) – 80 WAR CREDITS]
[Remaining WAR CREDITS: 175.4]
The base shifted.
Echo Point no longer resembled a parking lot with sandbags. Now it had shape—corrugated walls reinforced with welded steel. Floodlights on solar rigs. Two sentry towers. A full perimeter sensor net. The Humvee parked beneath a camo netting tarp. A triage tent now stood near the generator compound, where Dr. Moraru began prepping what supplies they had.
Sofia took the newcomers on a tour of the outpost's layout. Elena remained quiet, protective over Mihai. Dr. Moraru, however, was quick to ask questions, noting the position of the medical tent, power sources, and turret placements.
"They listen to you," she told Logan later. "This place works because you're building it with purpose. I'd like to stay—help run the med tent."
"You're already part of it," Logan replied.
By sunset, the first wave came.
It was lighter than the Suceava clashes—only about eight infected, mostly shamblers with degraded motor skills. Reaper One, positioned near the north fence, shredded them before they made it past the barricade. The turret systems didn't even need to activate.
The new survivors watched from the command platform.
They didn't scream. They didn't panic. But their faces were pale. Elena clutched Mihai's arm tightly. Even Dr. Moraru froze when Reaper One's Gatling cannon cut through the infected like wheat.
Then the second wave hit at 21:00.
> [Threat Incoming: 17 Hostiles]
[Subtype: Mixed Class | 1x Class Delta Confirmed]
They came in fast—a blend of Class Bravo tacticals and one musclebound berserker that broke through a fence sector on the west approach.
Hammer activated the mounted .50 cal.
"Light 'em up!" Logan shouted.
The Humvee's gun barked fire and lead, rounds punching through the crowd like thunderbolts. The mounted M2 cut down six infected before they even reached the inner sandbag line. Reaper One repositioned to assist, his Gatling cannon spitting death into the dark.
The berserker charged through fire, roaring with rage.
Petrescu launched a smoke grenade, allowing Logan to close the gap and deliver a breaching charge beneath the berserker's feet.
> [Emergency Charge Used – 15 WAR CREDITS]
The explosion cratered the entry path. The berserker fell into the dirt, twitching.
Reaper One finished it.
> [Infected Eliminated: +70 WAR CREDITS]
[Passive Income Increased: 5.0 WAR CREDITS/hr]
[New Total: 230.4 WAR CREDITS]
They held. Again.
After the battle, Logan gathered the squad near the armory. The newcomers stood at the edge, wide-eyed but composed. They had seen what Echo Point could do—and what it stood against.
"Training starts tomorrow," Logan said. "You won't be on the front lines. But you'll learn how to survive—and how to protect each other."
> [Scheduled Training Added – Basic Combat Skills]
– Trainees: Mihai, Elena, Dr. Moraru
– Instructor: Alexandru Petrescu
– Start Time: 07:30 | Day 7
– Curriculum: Weapon Safety, Base Defense, Medical Evac Protocols
Logan stepped up to the watchtower and stared into the dark.
They had survivors. A doctor. A functioning Humvee. A growing arsenal. A base.
Echo Point was becoming more than just a name.
It was becoming hope.