RTS System in the Apocalypse: New World

Hans was left alone for a few seconds when suddenly, a knock came outside the door.

"What is it?"

He frowned.

"Agent Johannes and Dr. Tyrus would like to seek you out, Commander."

They’ve finally come? Hans raised a brow. I thought it would be the next day around. Let’s see what these two are up to now.

"Let them in."

Hans closed the folder he had just picked up and sat straight.

The door opened.

Johannes entered first, followed by Tyrus. The former carried himself with the same restrained posture as before, while the latter immediately glanced toward the papers Matilda had left on the table.

Hans noticed.

His curiosity is unmatched.

"Commander," Johannes greeted.

Tyrus gave a shorter nod.

Hans gestured toward the space in front of the table.

"What brings both of you here?"

Johannes looked toward Tyrus for a moment.

"He insisted on coming."

"I did not insist," Tyrus replied with eyes closed. "Our interests merely overlapped."

Starting with his charades again, Hans almost rolled his eyes. "Enough. Johannes, you go first. Speak what’s on your mind."

The former SAS agent accepted the order without complaint.

"Commander, your soldiers."

"What about them?" Hans smiled.

"They are very... strange," Johannes furrowed his brows. "It’s as if everyone is as powerful as me, or not weaker than I am."

"Do you feel pressured?"

"I do," Johannes admitted.

He did feel the pressure. It would be a lie if he would say no.

The sight of multiple soldiers moving faster than your regular army personnel shocked him the most.

No wonder he does not treat Cell 12’s departure as anything worthwile. Golden Eagle... how deep does this mystery about him go?

The amount of HELIX materials needed to supply his army was something Johannes could not fully understand.

Where did the funding come from? And what kind of mysterious group had such financial power to do so?

The old-bloods? Johannes rejected the idea.

Surveying Pandora District told him one thing—the government has its patience. Push it too far, and it will retaliate. Bloodily and silently.

Just as his thoughts drifted, Hans’s voice pulled him back.

"Don’t think too much about it," he waved his hands. "You’ll be more powerful than them."

Johannes did not believe that one bit.

And Hans had no intention to argue with Johannes either.

The System seemed to have put a lock on the ceiling of his units’ potential and peak strength.

Johannes overpowering them in the future was not a lie at all.

As to whether there were ways in pushing that ceiling higher—Hans could only wait for the Tech Lab.

"I don’t think you’ve come here to talk to me about just that," Hans added.

Johannes nodded.

"Does the Commander have plans to expand to Westgate district after this operation?"

He was probing Hans’s intentions, but not questioning his actions. That was a story he did not want to imply here.

"I do," Hans answered. "I will set up an FOB around that area. Why? Do you have something to say about it?"

"I only hope for the Commander to consider the civilians nearby. Some might be trapped, or require our assistance."

"That’s not part of our deal," Hans leaned back. Johannes almost frowned.

"I’m messing with you," Hans chuckled. "You don’t have to worry. I will leave a room for the survivors to live within."

It would only be disastrous for him to leave civilians dying in an infected city. He still has to rebuild Grefort one block at a time, and his army was not fit for that kind of job description.

"Then I thank the Commander in advance." Johannes saluted.

"Not so fast," Hans looked at Johannes. "You will help my soldiers in this matter."

"I am more than willing to assist. That would be all, Commander."

He saluted, then stepped back, leaving the floor to Tyrus.

Tyrus remained where he was, looking as frail as always. His attention settled on Hans, or rather, the table between them.

His eyes passed over the closed folder and the map behind Hans’s seat.

"Glanced long enough?" Hans interrupted Tyrus.

"Ah, Commander. Your soldiers are as mysterious as you are indeed."

"You know they’re not open for experiments, don’t you?"

"Oh, how can that be?" Tyrus shrugged. "Your soldiers—let’s just say, they are no different from the HELIX-enhanced super soldiers created by the AWN. I would rather experiment on the infected and that... so-called hive."

"Cut to the chase," Hans rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Your permission to visit the hive and use it for research purposes."

"You don’t have a laboratory. How can you even do that?"

"Exactly," Tyrus smiled at Hans. "The Commander has swore to grant me a laboratory up here in the north. Sadly, it seems the Commander has forgotten our deal."

Hans’s brows twitched. "You could have been direct to the point about your longingness for the laboratory."

"I am at fault as well," Tyrus shook his head. "Here’s the coordinates for that laboratory I was asking you to look around. Should be easy to trace with how capable your soldiers are."

He grabbed a note out of his chest and gently put it on the wooden desk. Then, he smoothly slid the paper close to Hans, offering a hospitable gesture.

Hans stared at the folded paper that crumpled in many places.

For something Tyrus presented with such confidence, it looked like it had survived several arguments inside his pocket.

Hans reached out and unfolded it.

A set of coordinates had been written across the center. Beneath them was the name of a facility, followed by several shorter notes regarding its entrances, underground sections, and possible equipment left inside.

The writing remained clean despite the damaged paper.

"You carried this around the entire time?"

"I had no reason to discard useful information."

Hans read the facility name again.

It was located north of the city.

Not close enough to be inspected casually, but not beyond the area Dmitri had already been ordered to investigate either.

"Are you playing with me?" Hans frowned. "The area around here is empty."

"That’s what they want you to think," Tyrus reacted with a smile. "I have no reason to lie to you, Commander. The laboratory is indeed located in that area."

"Don’t tell me the AWN projected an empty area pre-apocalypse?" Hans questioned.

"Bingo!" Tyrus snapped his fingers. "Commander, are you really not part of Project DAEDALUS? Any member of the Hand should have understood the... underlying context of that note."

"I don’t have to explain myself to you," Hans warned. "No matter. I will send a squad of soldiers into these coordinates, but don’t expect me to take it over in a matter of one day."

"Of course," Tyrus chuckled. "It’s a well-defended laboratory. The government would not allow such secrecy to be easily exposed to the public."

"Is that a challenge or a convenience?"

"Hmm," Tyrus paused. "The Commander can find it out himself."

"Alright, you’ve made your point. If you have nothing else to do here, you can walk out by yourselves."

"Then I thank the Commander in advance."

Tyrus gave an awkward salute, turned around in a rigid way, then exited the Command Room.

Johannes sighed at the sight of it. He nodded at Hans once more and followed Tyrus outside.

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