Unable to contain his excitement, Nathan Cole opened the supply crate first.
The lid slowly opened, revealing neatly arranged field uniforms, dress uniforms, ceremonial uniforms, winter coats, and their corresponding insignia on the left side of the crate.
He impatiently picked up the insignia and examined it closely. When he saw a single bar and one star—
Nathan sighed to himself. "Just a little second lieutenant, huh." At last, he understood his current rank.
On the right side of the crate lay a complete set of the latest individual combat system.
A new ballistic helmet with ear protection and goggles, multifunction night-vision eyepieces, protective goggles, an integrated load-bearing tactical vest, ballistic plates, tactical gloves, a personal smart terminal consisting of a small tablet and wristwatch, a communications headset, a hydration bladder, a water purifier, and a whole pile of other gear left Nathan staring blankly.
In truth, Nathan was no stranger to the latest digital-camouflage field uniforms. As the director of the township armed forces department, he had been issued field uniforms and combat boots for his regular work.
What truly made his eyes light up and his heart race was this complete set of cutting-edge individual equipment. Before now, he had only seen photographs of it on military websites and forums.
He had fantasized countless times that if he could own a set of gear like this, he would look cool enough to die for.
Now that his dream had come true, the sudden surprise left him somewhat at a loss.
After doing his best to suppress his excitement, Nathan opened the weapons crate beside it.
As the crate opened, the first thing that caught his eye was a short-barreled AK-12 assault rifle fitted with a three-power white-light optic and a suppressor.
An AK-12 assault rifle with a suppressor.
Its jet-black body and sleek lines displayed a distinctive beauty that only men could understand.
After gazing at it reluctantly for a while, he shifted his eyes slightly and spotted an MP-443 Grach pistol beside the assault rifle.
An MP-443 Grach pistol.
Besides that, the weapons crate contained five pistol magazines, five rifle magazines, grenades, a combat knife, and other weapons and equipment.
While examining the weapons, Nathan noticed that the rounds in several magazines appeared to be different. He hurriedly asked, "System, what is going on with this ammunition? Why does it look different?"
[Commander, in consideration of the requirements of indoor combat, subsonic ammunition has been specially provided for you. Used with the suppressor, it can effectively reduce the sound of gunfire!]
After hearing the System’s explanation, realization dawned on Nathan. He kept marveling, "System, you’re reliable!"
Then he crouched down and gently stroked the firearms with an entranced expression, feeling their cold metallic texture.
Looking at these weapons, more than half of the fear he had felt upon seeing zombies finally faded away.
Only after quite some time did he straighten up. He took out a set of summer urban-pattern field uniforms from the supply crate, attached the insignia, and began changing clothes.
Putting on field uniforms and combat boots was naturally second nature to him. After all, during training sessions and militia inspections, he often wore them for various drills and duties, so the entire process went smoothly.
However, when faced with the dazzling array of individual combat gear, Nathan found himself at a loss.
He scratched his head and stared at the complicated, unfamiliar equipment before him, momentarily unsure where to begin.
Fortunately, the internet was still working. An idea came to him, and he quickly took out his phone and muted it.
Then he searched Bilibili for videos by several well-known military-enthusiast bloggers. Following their explanations and demonstrations, he learned and experimented at the same time.
After considerable effort, he barely managed to put on every piece of equipment.
Then he carefully stowed the pistol, magazines, grenades, combat knife, small tablet, and other weapons and equipment in their proper places, making sure every item was securely positioned.
Next, he slowly pulled up his face covering and put on the protective goggles.
Fortunately, these were military goggles. Even indoors or in low-light conditions, they still allowed him to see clearly, giving him dependable visual protection.
Only after completing all of that did Nathan pick up the short AK-12 with both hands, which trembled slightly.
Guns were unfamiliar to him, but not entirely strange.
When attending training at the military district, he had fired an old AKM. Although his marksmanship had been atrocious and those training officers had chewed him out mercilessly, he had at least fired a gun before.
But he had never handled a new AK-12-series rifle before. What little knowledge he had of it came entirely from online news and videos.
Holding the firearm somewhat clumsily, he cautiously inserted a subsonic magazine. After carefully checking the safety, he had finally completed his change of gear.
Nathan’s gaze inadvertently swept over a half-length mirror on the wall of the outer room of the linen room. It must have been hung there by one of the cleaning ladies.
He subconsciously walked over, adjusted his gear, then gripped the rifle tightly with both hands and stared resolutely into the mirror.
At that moment, the mirror reflected an entirely new Nathan Cole: a new ballistic helmet on his head, his face covered by a mask, protective goggles over his eyes, armed from head to toe.
This was how Nathan looked once fully equipped.
Nathan stood six feet tall and weighed around one hundred and fifty pounds. He had already possessed a straight, sturdy build, but after putting on this gear, he looked even more lean and capable.
He looked himself over from the left and right, excitement gleaming in his eyes as he muttered softly, "Tsk, tsk. Kid, you’re pretty handsome after all!"
If anyone else had seen how smug he looked, they would surely have laughed at him.
Just as he was admiring himself, the System’s voice appeared again.
[It has been detected that the Commander has completed changing equipment. Would you like to summon the guard now?]
"Summon the guard?" Nathan froze for a moment, then hurriedly asked, "System, will the guard also be deployed the same way as the military supplies just now?"
[Yes, Commander. However, this applies only to the guard, because he was included in the Newbie Gift Pack.]
[Other combat personnel and combat equipment will be delivered by airdrop, just as they are in the game!]
Hearing the System’s explanation, Nathan went blank. An image instantly formed in his mind: a massive transport plane flying low overhead with a deafening roar, its enormous commotion immediately drawing countless zombies from the surrounding area, who surged toward the delivery site like a tidal wave…
At that thought, Nathan frantically shook his head, trying to fling the image away. It was fucking terrifying.
The hotel he was in stood diagonally across from Bowen College, which had nearly twenty thousand students and faculty on campus. If they were drawn here, the consequences would be unimaginable. It would be game over in minutes!
A surge of panic rose in Nathan’s heart. He asked urgently, "System, buddy, is there any way to change the delivery method? With my current strength, an airdrop is just too dangerous. You don’t want to see your host fail to survive even two episodes, do you?"
[……]
The System seemed stumped by his question. After a moment of silence, it slowly replied.
[In order to allow the Commander to get through the opening stage successfully, the System will, for the first and last time, override its underlying code and add a virtual deployment method for combat personnel and combat equipment.]
[For each basic unit delivered through virtual deployment, an additional fifty reinforcement points will be charged!]
Seeing that the System had compromised and added a new delivery method for him, Nathan could not help feeling delighted. A brilliant smile appeared on his face.
"I knew you loved me after all, buddy!"
For the time being, he planned to use virtual deployment. Once his strength had grown, he would switch to conventional airdrops.
After all, once his force expanded in the later stages, the deployment volume would certainly be substantial. Using conventional methods would save him quite a few reinforcement points.
Moreover, when the time came, massive transport planes flying overhead would not only intimidate petty people with ill intentions, but greatly raise the morale and confidence of his own personnel.
As for how airdrops could deliver heavy equipment such as a T-90M, that was naturally the System’s problem to worry about. What did it have to do with him, the commander?
He had not forgotten that in the game, heavy equipment from the American, Soviet, and European factions was all airdropped by transport planes. Since the System had such a setting, it definitely had a way to make it work.
At this point, after claiming the Newbie Gift Pack, Nathan’s reinforcement points had risen from zero to one thousand.
He considered it carefully. Since he was going to deploy the guard anyway, he might as well spend reinforcement points to exchange for some combat power and send it in together.
He looked at his available one thousand reinforcement points and calculated silently.
A six-man infantry squad was too small. The Armor menu was not unlocked yet, so too few personnel had little practical value.
A twelve-man squad cost a little too much. There would not be many points left after deployment, and if an emergency arose, he would not even have enough points in reserve.
After thinking it over, he ultimately decided to deploy one nine-man infantry squad. He would keep some points, then, after killing a batch of zombies, deploy a Tigr-M long-wheelbase armored assault vehicle. If the situation turned bad, he would at least have a way to escape.
The original price of a nine-man infantry squad was 650 points. Adding the fifty-point virtual-deployment fee brought it to seven hundred points in total, leaving three hundred points for emergencies. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Thinking of emergency reserves, Nathan began "bothering" his loyal System again. "System, how much ammunition do combat units carry when deployed? Once they use it up, how do they replenish it?"
[Commander, infantry units will carry one basic load of ammunition upon their initial deployment. Once it is expended, the Commander must spend reinforcement points to exchange for more. Different types of ammunition require different quantities of reinforcement points. Please explore this yourself!]
Having cleared up the matter of ammunition resupply, Nathan did not hesitate any longer. He directly summoned the control panel, skillfully opened the Reinforcements menu, and decisively selected a nine-man infantry squad.
After making his choice, he instructed the System, "System, use virtual deployment to deliver the guard and infantry squad!"
[Commander, deployment will begin shortly. Please adjust the deployment positions yourself!]
As soon as the System finished speaking, ten humanoid phantoms appeared before Nathan.
Fortunately, the linen room was fairly large and divided into an inner and outer section, leaving plenty of room.
Nathan focused his mind and used his thoughts to arrange the ten phantoms, five in the outer room and five in the inner room. Then he silently said, "Deploy!"
Just like the supply crates earlier, ten fully equipped soldiers instantly appeared in the linen room.
Although it was no longer the first time he had seen such a miraculous sight, Nathan could not help clicking his tongue in amazement. He secretly marveled, This is way more badass than any magic trick that makes people appear out of thin air!
PS: A lot of people have been mindlessly flaming this, saying that, as the director of an armed forces department, the protagonist has no military competence and does not know how to use an individual combat system!
So let me explain some basic facts. At the township level, the armed forces department is the township’s military-service office.
Under normal circumstances, its director is a civil servant at the deputy-section level and also a member of the township party committee.
They are not active-duty military personnel. They are not active-duty military personnel. They are not active-duty military personnel. Important things bear repeating three times. In a very small number of places, retired military personnel may hold the post, but those are exceptions.
Only the people’s armed forces departments at the county or district level have active-duty personnel.
After many ordinary civil servants are promoted and sent to work in townships, those with less favorable prospects become deputy-section officials in township public institutions, while those with better prospects join the township leadership team.
Using my area as an example, after joining the township leadership team, some become candidates for deputy township mayor directly, while others are appointed director of the township armed forces department.
So township armed forces department directors are civil servants both before and after their promotion.
If the military district did not organize annual training sessions, most of them would never even have touched a gun. They possess no particular military proficiency, and it is even less likely that they would know how to use the newest rifle families and individual combat systems.
Of most township armed forces department directors I have encountered in real life, it can be said that they are complete military novices. They cannot even tell most of our country’s rifles apart, much less other equipment.
I figure everyone has phones and internet these days. Before flaming, could you please look it up first and understand the basic situation?
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