Location: Echo Point FOB, Sector 4A — Romanian-Ukrainian Border
Time: 00:17 | Day 7 of Infection Collapse
The midnight sky above Echo Point rippled with smoke and gunfire.
It had taken hours to drive the infected back. Over one hundred hostiles—coordinated, armed, and unrelenting—had descended on the base in waves. Echo Point, hardened from days of battle and upgraded defenses, had held strong. But only just.
Logan Hale stood on the outer catwalk of the bunker-turned-command-core, helmet off, hair matted with sweat and dust. His face was smudged with ash, his gloves streaked with dried blood. Below, the field outside the wire was a graveyard—smoldering heaps of ruptured flesh and scorched uniforms. Among the corpses were signs of intelligence: rusted fire axes, bundled wire traps, even a few tactical notes scrawled in blood.
> [Infected Eliminated: 114]
[Classes Engaged: Bravo (Tacticals), Delta (Berserkers), Echo (Specials)]
[WAR CREDITS Earned: +760]
[New Total: 990.4 WAR CREDITS]
[Passive Gain: +6.0 WAR CREDITS/hour]
[Unlock Achieved: Vehicle Construction Facility – Tier I]
Logan exhaled. The System rewarded their bloodshed with access to new tech. Worth it. Barely.
The base had changed since Day 1.
Now it resembled a real fortress. Corrugated steel, reinforced gates, anti-vehicle hedgehogs, and two operational watchtowers manned 24/7. Light posts illuminated the perimeter in overlapping arcs. A fresh Humvee and armored supply truck sat idle near the refueling depot. The new Vehicle Bay, barely completed two hours ago by Hammer and Marcel, was a low-roofed structure welded from transport containers and military scaffolding. Inside, blueprints for IFVs and recon buggies lined a new summoning pad.
But the most important development tonight wasn't physical.
It was personal.
---
Fire Circle
Location: Main Courtyard, Echo Point FOB
Time: 00:35 | Day 7 of Infection Collapse
A controlled fire burned in a metal drum barrel. Around it sat the defenders of Echo—still dirty, some bruised, all breathing. Helmets off. Guns within reach.
Reaper One towered near the flame, arms crossed. His heavy plating still bore scratches from the last berserker. The massive Tier 2 heavy infantry unit was an enigma—not emotionless, but deeply reserved. The others had started calling him "Big Iron" behind his back. He didn't seem to mind.
"Systems green," Reaper One said, his voice more mechanical than human. "Armor integrity: 87%. Ammo depleted by 62%. Requesting next resupply window."
Logan nodded. "You'll get your crate by 0200. Rest in the meantime."
To Reaper, that meant standing still with his eyes scanning the treeline.
Hammer tossed a chunk of scrap into the fire. The base's resident combat engineer had grown more talkative as the days passed, but his scars hinted at years of silence. Now, his welding goggles sat on his forehead, and a datapad flickered in his hands.
"I've got plans for external generator shielding," he said. "Armor plating, layered in hex pattern. Should survive indirect explosives. Might even take a direct hit if I can score the steel right."
"How long?" Logan asked.
"With Marcel? Eight hours. With Lena helping? Six."
Marcel gave a half-smile. "Assuming the welders don't fry again."
Lena, the youngest survivor, sat beside a crate of food packs, sorting supplies into boxes. She listened more than she spoke. Tonight, she finally broke the silence.
"What about water filters? We've been boiling, but that'll only last until we run out of tabs."
"I'll authorize a build," Logan said. "System has an upgrade for Tier II water filtration. Good call."
> [Purchased: Tier II Water Purification Unit – 45 WAR CREDITS]
[Remaining WAR CREDITS: 945.4]
Wraith leaned against the Humvee, cleaning his sidearm. His balaclava was around his neck now, revealing sharp features and tired eyes.
"I clocked two infected tonight running full tactical protocols," he said. "One breached using smoke cover. The other flanked under suppressive fire."
Logan's brow furrowed. "That's coordinated memory. We're past random behavior."
Wraith nodded. "It's instinct now. Muscle memory. Probably learned from us."
Sofia sat beside Petrescu, her sleeves rolled up, knuckles scraped. The girl had grown in six days—no longer just a frightened civilian. But not yet a soldier either.
Petrescu was teaching her how to reload under pressure.
"Faster," he said. "You fumble in a fight, you die."
She tried again. Click. Slide. Lock.
"Better. Again."
Nearby, the three newest survivors—Elena, Mihai, and Dr. Moraru—kept quiet.
Dr. Moraru sat with her sleeves rolled and gloves off, suturing her own arm by firelight. She worked calmly, expertly. Not a wasted motion.
"We'll need proper antibiotics soon," she said without looking up. "And saline. I can mix some with existing kits, but it won't last."
Logan noted it.
> [New Resource Request: Medical Supply Run — Priority: High]
Mihai, the younger of the siblings, huddled close to the fire. His eyes rarely left Reaper One.
"He doesn't eat," the boy whispered. "Doesn't sleep. Does he even breathe?"
Sofia smiled faintly. "He doesn't need to. That's what makes him Reaper."
---
System Review — Midnight Report
> [WAR CREDITS: 945.4]
[Passive Gain: +6.0 WAR CREDITS/hour]
[Personnel: 12 Active / 0 Critical]
[Vehicles: 1x M1151 Humvee (M2 Browning), 1x Utility Truck (Unarmed)]
[Defensive Status: Green]
[Next Unlock: Tier II Vehicle Blueprint: Recon IFV (Requires 1000 WAR CREDITS)]
> [Current Operations:]
– Ammunition Refill: Reaper One, Status: 52%
– Water Unit Construction: In Progress (Hammer & Marcel)
– Patrol Roster Finalizing (Petrescu, Wraith, Logan)
– Training (Sofia: 48% Rifle Basics | Mihai: Pending | Lena: Pending)
– Research Terminal: Inactive
– Medical: Dr. Moraru Operational
---
Later That Night
Time: 01:47 | Day 7
Logan stood alone at the northern barricade.
He hadn't spoken much since the battle ended. Each victory felt heavier. More costly in ways the others couldn't see. They were winning, yes—but each wave pushed their humanity a little further into the fire.
The System blinked again.
> [VEHICLE TECH UNLOCKED – Tier II Access Granted]
[Available Blueprints:]
– Recon IFV "Falcon" – 1200 WAR CREDITS
– Transport Truck (6x6) – 400 WAR CREDITS
– Light Utility Buggy – 250 WAR CREDITS
[Blueprints Unlocked: 0]
Logan closed the HUD.
They were building an army now.
And the infected? They were building something too.
Out in the darkness, just past the lights, something watched.
Waiting.
Planning.
[End of Chapter 14]