RTS System in the Apocalypse-Chapter 43: Silent Night

Out in the fields late at night.

Two people moved across uneven ground, their steps muffled by loose dirt.

Clyde held Kimm’s hand tightly, guiding her forward. They inched closer to the apartment complex, crouching from the other side of the highway.

"Kimmy," he whispered, "what do you sense?"

She stopped, brows twitching. Then, her grip tightened.

"Soldiers, and survivors," she replied, "A lot of them."

"That doesn’t make a lot of sense!" Clyde frowned, "Kimmy, look carefully. It might be—"

"No!" Kimmy insisted, "They’re not scattered. They... they’re organized, Clyde! There’s... patrols, there’s squads. They are moving, not fumbling around!"

Clyde shook his head, "That’s impossible. A surviving squad is already a miracle. There shouldn’t be this many!"

The meteor strike had shoved humans off their footing, wiped their cities clean, and left a land unaccustomed to life.

In their place were the undead that lived on these lands, and the superhumans that survived from it.

Clyde recalled George’s guidance into the path of ascension—a method too miraculous for his previous, ignorant self.

The world worked differently. Authority could be replaced. Absolute strength was the only answer.

Amidst his wild thoughts, Kimmy’s knees trembled.

"Are you telling me I’m lying, Clyde?" She whimpered. "These aren’t scavengers. These aren’t people barely holding it in!"

She shuddered as she felt sixteen auras emerging from the first apartment building.

"They feel... manufactured. Fresh, born not only from flesh, but something else."

Clyde swallowed.

"Calm down," he said quickly, gripping her shoulders, "They won’t find us, or sense us. We’re far from them, not on their path."

Though he said this, his eyes drifted past toward the distant lights. For the first time, he wasn’t certain.

For the first time, he was... seen.

The world narrowed.

From the rooftop above the complex, a crosshair settled on Clyde’s face.

Zolyah observed the two individuals calmly before reaching to her comms.

"This Zolyah, reporting to all channels," she said into the comm bead, "Two unidentified targets outside the complex. Requesting investigation, over."

"This is Adrian, sprinting over as I speak."

"Jenkins on the move. Give us a ping, over."

Zolyah didn’t answer. She tightened the grip on her rifle and focused her gaze inward.

The crosshair pulsed once. She tapped the marker and sent it.

Adrian’s stride paused mid-way.

A translucent marker gleamed at the edge of his vision—something blue ringed with gray.

"Got it," he muttered, already angling toward the wooden wall and the highway.

Jenkins glanced once at the marker hovering over the terrain ahead.

No coordinates and text, just a direction pointing to the target.

"Visual acquired," he replied before breaking into a jog.

Back on the highway, Kimmy’s body jolted in place.

Two pairs of presences detached from the apartment complex. The signatures closed in on their position.

"Clyde, they’re coming," she cried out, "We have to move, now!"

"What?!" Clyde glanced at her, wide-eyed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure!" Kimmy insisted, tightly holding on to the railings.

"Damn it," Clyde picked her up. Pivoting to the side, darkness enveloped his vision. He couldn’t see past five meters away!

"Run," Kimmy urged. "I’ll guide you!"

"Okay!"

Clyde leapt.

The moment his feet hit the ground, the air whistled. A thunderous explosion cracked through the ground beside him, blasting earth and stone skyward.

The shockwave threw them both sideways, grunting as their bodies fell.

From above, calm and precise, Zolyah exhaled. The large bullet casing clanked on the floor as another round chambered in.

"You’re not getting away."

The crosshairs locked on its targets. Zolyah silently observed as the two struggled to rise.

"What—!"

Clyde sucked in dirt, coughing as he clawed forward. His heart stammered violently.

This can’t be. This can’t be right!

"Kimmy!" he whispered.

Kimmy’s body lay still on the ground, her chest heaving up and down.

"Clyde..." she murmured. "Go, leave me be..."

Her faint whimpers flooded his ears, flaring the guilt on his heart.

I should have ran when she said danger!

I should have sprang as far as I can!

The thoughts barely formed when the loud barking tore through the night.

From the dark, two shapes burst forward, low and fast. Growls rolled closer to him, teeth flashing as the attack dogs closed the distance.

His legs locked.

He didn’t even realize that he had stopped moving.

The impact hit him, going down hard—dragged like a ragdoll before stopping.

As he raised his head, two black figures came into view.

"Well," Jenkins said mildly, "Look who we have here?"

Adrian crouched, brushing dirt from Clyde’s face, "You’re the kid from the warehouse, aren’t you?" He tilted his place, "Wrong place to wander—curfew’s already in place."

"I will not—!"

Adrian raised a finger, "Easy."

Vex stepped forward, claws pressing into the soil inches from Clyde’s face.

"Good," Adrian said, "Very cooperative of you."

He looped the ropes around Clyde’s arms and pulled it tight.

Jenkins glanced toward Kimmy, then stopped short. "She out?"

Clyde struggled against the rope. "Don’t you touch her."

Jenkins snorted coldly, "Relax. She’s not my type."

"Me neither." Adrian shrugged, dragging Clyde upright. "And eyes on me. Behave, and nobody gets hurt."

Clyde’s vision dimmed.

...

Zolyah slid her rifle back to its case and let out a slow breath.

"Commander, intruders have been captured," she said into the comm bead, "Where do you want them?"

"In the interrogation room," Hans replied without hesitation. He wanted to know what made these superhumans different.

"Roger that." Zolyah paused, "Adrian, Jenkins. Do you copy?"

"Heard it loud and clear." Adrian replied, "Two packages on their way."

The channel went quiet.

Hans lowered the comm bead and turned back to the Radar.

This short encounter had confirmed something important.

The system has further synchronized everything with the construction of the Radar.

Troop movement. Intent. Execution without friction.

Markers pinged internally.

Information shared with depth and accuracy.

It was much better than what he had anticipated—even more so compared to the in-game.

Hans made a note on his bluebook. Then, he suddenly froze.

On the northwestern edge of the map, the red blimps were thinning.

Not dispersing, but vanishing. Like dust crumbling into the air.

"What is that?"

He stood up, zooming into the area. Several big red dots moved around, stacking on top of the small red blimps.

"This is the bank’s direction." Hans frowned, "What is happening over there?"

Questions formed on top of his head, interrupted by a buzz from his comms.

"Commander," Adrian beeped in, "Package has been delivered. We’re standing by."

"I’ll be right there." Hans distractedly answered. He closed his hand, dismissing the Radar’s map interface.

He stepped into the corridor, boots echoing softly as he headed toward the fifth floor.

The image remained on him anyway. His pace slowed without him realizing it.

The bank’s already looted. he thought, What could make it stand out again?

The Warlord’s faction came into his mind. Yet at that moment, he missed a turn, correcting himself.

Focus. Let’s focus first here.

He arrived in front of the interrogation room and opened the door.

Bound on the center was a pair of a young man and a woman. Their eyes struggled as the light leaked inside. Groans escaped their parched mouths, slowly waking up from their half-consciousness.

Kimmy’s body jolted, sensing the disruptive aura emerging out from the man in front of her.

Too dense. Too powerful. Even their leader wasn’t as ferocious as this!

Hans grimaced upon seeing a beauty in distress. He shook his head, washing these pitiful thoughts out of his mind.

This was an intruder—a possible enemy, or an ally in the making.

He stopped in front of her, admiring her beauty.

"You look surprised, young lady." he said, "Do I really look that frightening to you?"

"Yes..." Kimmy faintly answered, "Who are... you? Why is your aura... so intense?"

Hans glanced at his subordinates, met only with their nonchalance or glorious pursuit of visionary flattery.

He touched her chin and gently lifted her head, face reaching in.

"So you can sense lifeforms despite being blind. That’s your superpower?"

The silence became Hans’s answer, "Tell me, and I might change my mind about killing you both."

The threat of death chilled her. "I... I can."

"And how did you come with this power of yours?" Hans asked.

"We—"

"Don’t tell her, Kim—Arf!"

Adrian covered Clyde’s mouth with a cloth and pulled it hard.

"Interrupt and I’ll break your jaws." he threatened, "You hear me?"

"Mmpphf!" Clyde huffed in response; eyes locked with Adrian.

Hans shifted his focus back to Kimmy, grabbing a chair and sat in front of her.

"Let’s do that again, shall we? How did you obtain this superpower?"

"The zombies... the undead," Kimmy responded, "We... our group leader, George, showed us the way. We just followed him, and it came to this."

"You killed them, that’s what you’re trying to say?" Hans corrected. A scheme similar to my units’ star promotion?

He found the two strikingly similar, a coincidence he didn’t expect.

Kimmy subtly nodded with a frown on her face.

"You’re not up to violence, are you?" he noticed.

"I..." she paused. Her hesitation confirmed his suspicion.

"Well, that answers it." Hans chuckled, then straightened, "Remind me about this leader of yours... George, was it?"

"Yes, it’s him." Kimmy affirmed.

"What did George promise you would happen if you succeeded?" Hans probed, wanting to understand the group’s doctrine.

"An opportunity to become stronger."

Kimmy’s answer made Hans snort, An empty promise born out of fear and subservience?

"And what did he say would happen if you failed?" he added.

"Nothing," Kimmy said after a pause. "He told us we wouldn’t fail."

"Then he miscalculated." Hans chuckled. "Badly."

A brief pause occurred before he continued. "When he told you to follow me, did you hesitate?"

"I did." She gritted her teeth.

"And him?" Hans tilted his head.

"Clyde didn’t." Kimmy shook her head.

The answer intrigued Hans.

"Oh, what made him so certain?"

"Because George trusts him," Kimmy answered.

"And not you?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"He... did."

Silence ensued.

"You were sent because you would follow orders," Hans said after, "He trusted Clyde because he would act."

"When George comes knocking later, who do you think would he look for firstly? You, or him, or both?"

Kimmy swallowed, not only air, but the hard truth. She knew the answer to that question. She knew—

"...what the difference is." Hans’s voice echoed into her ears, pulling her back to reality.

"Mfffgmmhh! Mffggmmhhh!"

Clyde strained, trying to push Adrian away. Adrian wrapped the cloth around Clyde’s mouth and grappled his neck with the elbow.

Hans, amused, looked back to the crestfallen Kimmy. Though the blindfold hid her eyes, the swirling emotions remained visible. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He leaned closer to her and spoke.

"You’ll understand him, and I mean George and his thoughts, better by morning."

Then he retreated, ordering his subordinates.

"Separate them."