RTS System in the Apocalypse: New World

The convoy left Site Three before sunset.

Trailblazer Three and Trailblazer Four traveled near the center, surrounded by their Scout and infantry escort. Hans followed inside the Armored SUV while the Engineers who conducted the survey rode ahead.

They used the northern approach.

The route added several kilometers to the trip, but the road remained wide enough for every vehicle. No collapsed bridges or narrow crossings forced the convoy to separate.

The selected ground appeared beyond the final line of storage buildings.

Most of the tract remained empty.

Grass and weeds covered sections where pavement had broken apart, while the surviving concrete stretched across the rest. Several abandoned storage buildings stood farther northeast, well outside the marked Airfield footprint.

The convoy stopped near the center.

Engineers dismounted first.

Two positions had already been marked during the survey. One sat along the western side of the proposed Airfield area. The other stood farther east, where its construction radius could cover the surrounding defenses and the road leading back toward Site Three.

Hans approached the lead Engineer.

"These are the final positions?"

"Yes, Commander."

The Engineer pointed toward Trailblazer Three’s mark.

"That radius will cover the Airfield construction area. Trailblazer Four will extend the available ground around it."

Hans looked between both locations.

"And the circles overlap?"

"They do."

"Any reason we cannot deploy now?"

"None, Commander. Both positions passed the structural scan."

Hans raised his communicator.

"Trailblazer Three, move to the first mark."

"Trailblazer Three copies."

The PCV rolled away from the convoy and stopped where the Engineers directed it.

"Deploy."

Its wheels locked into place.

The stabilizer legs descended and pressed into the concrete. Panels opened across the vehicle’s upper frame while the antenna array unfolded above it.

A pale circle moved outward across the ground.

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[ Trailblazer Three deployment complete. ]

[ Construction radius established: 1,000 meters. ]

[ Virtual grid connected. ]

------

Hans turned toward the second vehicle.

"Trailblazer Four. Your turn."

"Trailblazer Four copies, Commander."

The second PCV crossed the open tract and settled on the eastern mark.

Its stabilizers struck the ground moments later. Another circle spread beneath the vehicle and crossed the first construction boundary.

------

[ Trailblazer Four deployment complete. ]

[ Construction radius established: 1,000 meters. ]

[ Construction zones connected. ]

[ Virtual grid connected. ]

------

The light faded until only Hans and his units could still see the boundaries.

He opened the Primary Structures interface. The Airfield Base remained near the lower portion of the catalog.

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[ Airfield Base ]

[ Construction Cost: 40,000 Gold ]

[ Construction Time: 2 days, 18 hours, and 40 minutes ]

[ Required Deployment Area: 1.5 kilometers × 1.0 kilometer ]

[ Energy Consumption upon deployment: 300 units ]

[ Confirm construction? ]

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Hans looked across the empty ground once more.

The Airfield would occupy most of it.

Everything else would follow around the edges.

"Queue it."

------

[ Airfield Base queued. ]

[ Gold: 106,085 (-40,000) => 66,085 ]

[ Construction Time: 2 days, 18 hours, and 40 minutes ]

------

The Primary queue began moving.

Hans looked toward the infantry escort surrounding the two PCVs.

The Airfield would not exist for almost three days, and the tract had no Walls, Pillboxes, or buildings to protect the two PCVs.

Two of the escort squads had already reached their maximum promotions during the previous operations. Hans could leave them here and replace them in the southern platoons with fresh squads that could still gain experience.

He opened the Barracks interface.

"Train two Standard Infantry Squads."

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[ Standard Infantry Squad x2 queued. ]

[ ETA: 3 hours and 10 minutes. ]

[ Gold: 66,085 (-19,000) => 47,085 ]

------

Once they finished, the new squads could replace two veteran squads assigned to the southern forces.

The promoted squads would remain here instead.

They had already gained everything available from further combat. The site also needed something heavier than rifles.

He opened the War Factory interface next.

The site also needed something heavier than rifles.

"Queue one Guardian APC."

------

[ Guardian APC queued. ]

[ ETA: 1 hour and 20 minutes. ]

[ Gold: 47,085 (-8,000) => 39,085 ]

------

The War Factory queue began moving.

Hans closed both interfaces.

"Two three-star squads remain with the PCVs," he said. "The Guardian APC will join them once it finishes."

Matilda looked across the open tract.

"And the rest of the escort?"

"Return to Site Three before dark."

She nodded.

The two selected squads separated from the convoy. One moved toward Trailblazer Three while the other took position near Trailblazer Four.

Scouts marked observation points along the northern and eastern approaches. The Attack Dogs remained with the outer patrols.

Until the Guardian APC arrived, the two veteran squads and anchored PCVs were all that held the tract.

The return trip took less time.

Dusk had already settled across the western tract by the time the convoy reached Site Three. The first southern platoon had returned ahead of them, and its recovery vehicles stood beside the warehouses with their cargo sections open.

The second platoon arrived several minutes later.

Guardian APCs passed through the eastern entrance first. The Vanguards followed behind them, their tracks carrying dust and pieces of broken pavement into the yard.

The recovery trucks came last.

Hans stepped out of the Armored SUV while soldiers began unloading.

The haul was smaller than the one recovered from the commercial center, but the vehicles still carried several sealed cases, bags of jewelry, precious-metal pieces, and other materials marked for conversion.

Food and medicine went toward the other warehouse. Tools, clothing, batteries, and usable equipment remained separate.

Matilda approached the first platoon leader.

"Report."

"No heavy mutations encountered," he answered. "The squads cleared the infected along the marked roads and secured the next intersections. Recovery teams searched the accessible buildings before the platoons withdrew."

"The second force?"

"Similar progress. They stopped before entering the next dense section."

Hans looked toward the unloading area.

The experienced squads had moved through the ordinary infected faster than before. Most engagements ended before the rear elements reached the same street, leaving the recovery teams as the slower part of the operation.

They still had to enter buildings, inspect the rooms, identify usable supplies, and separate anything that belonged to survivors.

Hans entered the warehouse once the final marked container arrived. The convertible materials occupied several short rows near the loading area.

He approached the first one.

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[ Convert all marked materials? ]

------

"Convert everything."

Green light spread beneath the containers.

The jewelry disappeared first. Precious-metal pieces and loose valuables followed until the marked rows stood empty.

------

[ Industrial Storage Yards conversion bonus applied: +40% ]

[ Gold: 39,085 (+23,520) => 62,605 ]

------

Hans dismissed the notification.

The haul did not recover everything Hans had spent on the Airfield, two squads, and the Guardian APC.

The army had still secured more ground, returned without losses, and recovered another twenty-three thousand five hundred twenty Gold.

Another notification appeared before he left the warehouse.

------

[ Secondary Structure construction complete: Field Hospital. ]

[ Please select deployment zone. ]

------

The Field Hospital was ready.

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