A week had passed since the Legion's first true deployment into the city.
A week of constant battles, relentless expansion, and strategic fortification.
It's been almost three weeks now since the apocalypse first descended upon the world.
And through it all, the system continued pushing Carter forward.
Every time one mission was completed, another seemed to take its place.
🔹 Reclaim 8 More Blocks—Completed.
🔹 Reclaim 16 More Blocks—Completed.
🔹 Reclaim 32 More Blocks—Completed.
🔹 Secure a Stable Water Source—Completed.
🔹 Expand the Safe Zone to 4x Its Original Size—Completed.
🔹 Rescue 1,000 Survivors from the Apocalypse—In Progress.
Now, the safe zone spanned nearly 60 city blocks, stretching toward the river valley where fresh water was secured via newly constructed aqueducts.
The engineers, under Sam's command, had worked tirelessly—building reinforced stone walls, watchtowers, and supply hubs for the growing population, while the reclaimed territory quickly shifted from it's original purpose, as parks turned into farms, shopping malls were raided for all they were worth.
Rachael's Medicus Corps had become an essential part of the community, treating wounded soldiers and civilians alike, ensuring the people remained healthy, stable, and uninfected.
But all good things eventually come to an end, yesterday was the day when the power plants finally failed to continue running on their own.
And across the city and probably the world as well the lights went out, possibly for good.
As much as the people disliked the loss of the power and with it all their modern amenities, they quickly adapted to using torches and lanterns with candles or oil to light their way.
A few generators were scavenged but the amount of power they could produce was enough for single buildings not the entire safe zone, to get the lights back one they'd need to reclaim the south east industrial section of the city where the plants were and station people to work there to bring the lights back.
But Carter knew this was just the beginning.
Because they weren't just fighting to survive anymore.
In the past week the number of undead who had been slain was a staggering amount compared to the numbers they had managed after the initial weeks of working alongside prehistoric, and early civilization warriors.
Under the new might of the roman forces, the Tier I-III undead forces did not stand a chance except if they could somehow manage to break a legionnaire off from the others in a trap.
However since sighting the first and only Tier IV creature during the initial expansion under the new forces the Death Knight had not been seen again.
~
📢 System Alert: New Mission Available
As Carter stood atop his command tower, watching the city's transformation unfold, the system flashed a new notification.
🚨 New Mission: Save 2,000 Survivors! 🚨
â–¶ Objective: Continue expanding the safe zone and rescuing survivors.
â–¶ Reward: 500,000 Dollars | 2,500 Experience Points
Carter exhaled sharply.
The system keeps pushing me…
At first, it had been about territory ever pushing the boundaries.
Now, it was about population.
The more people he saved, the stronger the system's was making him, and compared to the rewards for territory saving survivors was a better method of growth, though since enough time had passed...
Survivor camps had started to appear all over the city, at first it was hard to tell since everyone was under the same conditions using lights and power openly, but now with the lights off various fires could be spotted flickering in the distance.
Some camps had already been encountered and after showing the 'power' Ceasar had under his command after further expanding the safe zone and by proxy his legions chosen to join the camp.
But not all would be so open, the safe zone was a ripe fruit but one being led under autocratic law and order, those who had guns and ample ammunition would surely refuse integration and even attempt to usurp control of the colony for themselves after all guns when used in numbers far surpass the might of even an iron legion.
But still the system went on providing missions
It was almost as if the system wanted him to rebuild civilization itself.
But why?
And what would happen when the final milestone was reached?
~
Even as progress was being made, Carter couldn't shake the unease he felt after his encounter with the Tier IV Death Knight.
The undead weren't just evolving.
They were strategizing.
Unlike the Devourers, which were brutal but predictable, the Death Knight had simply watched… and walked away, never to be seen again... at least for now.
It had let him live, the strength of a Tier IV was unknown maybe even beyond their ability to defeat.
Or worse—
It had decided to let him grow.
As if the undead had its own plans.
As if it wasn't afraid of him, as if it like the system was guiding him.
That thought alone chilled Carter more than any battle.
If the undead were now learning from their mistakes, then the days of easy extermination were coming to an end.
Soon, they'd face true opposition.
And when that time came, he'd make sure the Legion was ready.
The influx of dollars and experience was many times greater than it was originally, and thankfully Carter still had just over a million dollars and there was only a week left before he could draw from the super fortune wheel once more.
~
With each new reclaimed block, more survivors were found.
Some were hiding in collapsed buildings.
Others were locked inside basements, rationing food and praying for a rescue.
But not all of them were helpless civilians.
Some had formed their own groups, survivors hardened by weeks of isolation.
They had joined his camp, but it was clear they were not the same as the majority of the other citizens
Carter saw it in their eyes.
There were survivors who weren't just trying to survive.
They were waiting.
Watching.
Assessing the Legion's strength.
All the while licking their lips and eyeing the wealth and resources of the safe zone, the world had ended and with it law and order, but here in this zone law still existed but would it still be as enforcable as it was in the past?
They hadn't made a move yet, but surely they were just waiting, waiting until they could not wait any longer, wait until they saw an opportunity to strike.
And that meant trouble was coming.
Not just from the undead—
But from other humans, the talk about democracy within the safe zone had faded away, at least for now life under the imperators rule was not all half bad, no one presently was wanting for food or water, and while there was some grumbling by the lazier residence who didn't want to work for their right to survive when faced with the glaring eyes of the other survivors who looked down upon those people who just wanted a free meal.
It was only a month but new jobs had been started with the militia working alongside the legions both inside and outside the wall, while engineers worked to demolish the structures of the old world and use them towards building structures and facilities of the new one.
~
With the population growing, the need for better infrastructure became urgent, mainly when it came to supply management.
As their numbers grew simply providing at first a welcome package and then needing to do weekly 'milk runs' to deliver more supplies was become an overwhelming task.
Instead though it was an expensive measure, Carter created a granary & storehouse, this was known locally as the central food warehouse, each time a new block was cleared aside from the things under the possession of liberated survivors all good from clothing to food was collected by the legion and placed within where it was sorted by the summoned 'slaves' the cheapest unit Carter could summon through the troop support system.
This was the second most defended building in the entire safe zone, the only other more protected would be Carter's own residence.
And now rather than doling out supplies each time they were raided or on a regular basis, a simple economy was being created, they still had a considerable amount of bronze thanks to the weapons and armour summoned along with the medjay, they could melt them down and turn them into coins instead.
And with them daily wages were distributed to those who worked within or outside the safezone, and prices were set on all things within the storehouse free to be purchased by any survivor.
Clothing, food, storage containers, oil or fuel, even weapons and armor.
Those with the largest salaries were those with riskier jobs were 'paid' greater amounts, while those who performed labor or worked towards making the colony self-suficient through the creation of self grown foods were given the second highest wage.
Below them were the general workers those who did cleanup duty, or were just 'assistants' were paid the lowest but that was because they had little to no useable skills but as assistants they could learn and after learning they could get a promotion into a higher paying position, all the while new survivors would flood in to replace their now vacant assistant positions.
The buildings of the old world helped to keep the buildings of the modern world keep working, roman pumps and aqueducts allowed the water from the river to reach even the fifth floors of the buildings although the water pressure itself was incredibly low, but something was still better than nothing at all.
There was also further advantages to the buildings built by the system.
✔ Granaries & Storehouses—Long-term food storage, preventing spoilage - fresh foods can be kept for longer times without spoiling.
âś” Pumpworks-Coupled with Aquaducts allows for artificial flow of water through created pathways, using force pump manned by humans but possible to adapt with animals such as oxen, donkeys, or even horses.
~
Carter watched as teams of Roman engineers and civilian workers worked side by side, transforming the once-ruined streets into a functioning city once again.
For the first time since the apocalypse began—
There was order, real proper order, and a feeling like they had a future as well.
And Carter was at the center of it all the driving force behind their revival.
~
📢 System Alert: First Competing Faction Detected
🚨 WARNING: SURVIVOR FACTION IDENTIFIED! 🚨
â–¶ Group Name: The Black Hounds
â–¶ Location: Western District (Abandoned Mall)
â–¶ Estimated Size: 300+
â–¶ Threat Level: Moderate
â–¶ Status: Watching the Legion's Expansion
Carter's jaw tightened when he saw the system alert, this was the first time he'd seen one like this, of the survivor camps they'd seen so far, the numbers were less than one hundred and they weren't all that organized but now...
The first organized survivor faction had been detected aside from their own.
And they weren't friendly as Carter quickly found out as the number of his summons dropped by three right after the system alert came out.
The Black Hounds were occupying an old shopping mall as their base, sitting just outside the current borders of the safe zones current cordoned off area.
A faction of 300+ survivors most likely adequetly armed, watching his own forces reclaim the city.
One thing was certain—
Carter couldn't ignore them, they had already killed some of his men, without provocation as his forces had the order to attempt recruitment of all survivors they came across and only retaliate after being attacked first similar to peacekeeping forces.
Their first faction war would be happening soon, and it was unlikely the safe zone survivors would be willing to join the legion in taking out this outside force, having never needed to build the will and nerve needed to slay another human being before.