As soon as the deployed soldiers materialized, they immediately gripped their weapons tightly and warily surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.
Filled with anticipation, Nathan Cole also began carefully examining the soldiers in the outer room.
His gaze first fell on their gear. Apart from the bulging assault packs they carried, their tactical vests, helmets, goggles, tactical gloves, and various attachments were all identical to his own equipment.
This was basically what a System infantry squad looked like when equipped.
As for weapons, three of the five men in the outer room carried AK-12 assault rifles. The System had issued Nathan a short-barreled AK-12, while the soldiers carried long-barreled versions.
Of the remaining two, one held an SVDM designated marksman rifle, while the last carried a PKP Pecheneg squad machine gun.
All the firearms were fitted with appropriate optics and suppressors. Nathan secretly marveled that while the System showed absolutely no mercy when charging him, it had provided a truly generous loadout. The reinforcement points had been well spent.
While Nathan continued to inspect the soldiers, one directly in front of him snapped his legs together and saluted. Then he announced in a loud voice, "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief: First Squad Leader Ethan Blake, reporting for duty!"
His voice was thunderous, but before the report had even ended, zombie howls and the violent pounding of fists against the door erupted outside.
Ethan Blake was stunned by the sudden situation, and the rest of his words caught in his throat.
Coming back to himself, Nathan rubbed his forehead and silently blamed himself. He had been so happy that he had forgotten to warn the soldiers about the zombies blocking the door outside.
Seeing how complicated the situation was, First Squad Leader Ethan Blake suggested quietly, "Commander-in-Chief, how about we use the personal terminals?"
The personal terminal on the chest.
The one on the wrist.
Personal terminals?
Nathan knew Ethan was referring to the little tablet he had tucked into the front of his vest and the watch on his left wrist.
He had only seen these things in official news reports. He knew they enabled information sharing and interoperability, serving as high-tech communications and command tools.
They were good equipment, but he had absolutely no idea how to use them.
The situation had been urgent just now, and he had not had time to explore or experiment with them.
Quietly rejecting Ethan’s suggestion, Nathan said directly, "We can discuss everything else later. First Squad Leader, lead First Squad in clearing the zombies outside the door, then secure the entire building!"
This time, Ethan did not say anything. He simply nodded silently and saluted again.
He then pulled out the small tablet on his chest and rapidly operated the screen with his fingers.
Once he had finished, the other soldiers behind him raised their left arms and checked the mission on the displays on their wrists.
Then Ethan and one soldier behind him stepped forward and gently lifted the shelving unit Nathan had used to barricade the door, moving it back into place. The whole process was incredibly swift and made no unnecessary sound.
After that, the two men took positions on either side of the door.
The soldier on the left gently disengaged the lock, then placed his hand on the doorknob.
He raised three fingers with his right hand, signaling to Ethan.
Once he folded those fingers down one by one, he suddenly twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open with a whoosh.
The instant the door opened, Ethan darted before it. The AK-12 in his hands, already chambered and off safe, immediately fired.
Bang. The bullet left the barrel, and a cloud of bloody mist burst from the zombie’s head.
Driven by the bullet’s kinetic energy, blood and brain matter sprayed onto the wall behind it, creating a savage and horrifying picture.
Nathan, who had been watching, jumped at the gunshot. Suppressors in reality clearly could not achieve the movie-like effect of complete silence.
Although the report was much quieter, it still sounded very loud in such a confined space.
After killing the zombie pounding on the door, Ethan and the soldier by the entrance walked out of the room to the left and right, their rifles held in ready positions.
The other soldiers followed behind them in file and swiftly formed up in the hallway.
Their tactical movements were neat and orderly, without the slightest confusion or error. They had clearly undergone rigorous training and developed excellent coordination.
After all nine soldiers of First Squad had gone out, a soldier holding a PP-19-01 Vityaz submachine gun came to stand behind Nathan.
He stood ramrod straight, his eyes alertly watching the surroundings.
Seeing that this soldier had no intention of going outside, Nathan knew he was the guard the System had given him.
Once First Squad entered the hallway, they found no zombies apart from the one they had just killed.
Ethan therefore split the team into three groups. He took two men to clear the upper floors; the deputy squad leader took two men to clear the rooms on the first floor one by one; and the remaining three were assigned to guard the hotel entrance and prevent other zombies from getting inside.
After finding emergency room keycards at the hotel reception desk, they began their operation.
Once the soldiers had left, Nathan turned around and curiously looked at the guard behind him.
Before Nathan could ask, the guard saluted and reported, "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief: Guard Daniel Ward, reporting for duty. Awaiting your orders!"
Commander-in-Chief?
Nathan finally realized that this was what First Squad Leader Ethan Blake had called him earlier.
So he asked Daniel directly, "Did you just call me Commander-in-Chief?"
Nathan’s question left Daniel somewhat baffled. After pausing for several seconds, he answered, "Yes, Commander-in-Chief!"
That had obviously been a pointless question. The two of them were not even on the same wavelength.
Nathan shook his head helplessly, motioned for Daniel to guard the doorway, then silently asked in his mind, "System, the soldiers all call me Commander-in-Chief. Is that the title you assigned them to use?"
[Yes, Commander. You are the supreme commander of all combat personnel exchanged through the System. They will be one hundred percent loyal to you and will never betray you!]
The System’s cold synthesized voice rang in Nathan’s mind.
Hearing that the soldiers would remain forever loyal to him, Nathan was delighted.
At the dawn of the apocalypse, having a force utterly loyal to him gave him the capital to establish himself and survive.
He even thought that if the official forces suffered severe losses, then perhaps he might...
No. This was not something he should be thinking about right now. Nathan hurriedly shook his head and drove the dangerous thought from his mind.
He knew that survival was the first priority in the apocalypse. Any unrealistic idea could bring him fatal danger.
But how could he have known that once certain thoughts had crossed one’s mind, they planted a seed in the heart? When an opportunity came in the future, it would naturally take root and sprout.
"System, change the title the soldiers use for me to Chief!"
In Nathan’s straightforward way of thinking, how could he call himself Commander-in-Chief when he did not even command several army groups?
But squad leader or platoon leader did not sound imposing enough, so he decided to use Chief for now. Once his forces were strong enough in the future, he would change it back.
[Understood, Commander!]
The System’s voice rang out again, utterly devoid of emotion.
Nathan then called Daniel over and began asking him how to use the various pieces of equipment, especially the many functions of the individual combat terminal.
Though Daniel was somewhat puzzled by the Chief’s questions, his straightforward nature kept him from overthinking it. He patiently introduced the equipment one item at a time.
While one taught and the other learned, the deputy squad leader’s group finished clearing the first floor and continued upward to clear the remaining floors.
The hotel itself had only six stories, with a tea restaurant on the third floor, and it did not have many rooms.
After the outbreak began, there had been almost no guests. Most of the staff had gone home to recuperate after catching the virus, while the restaurant on the third floor had shut down completely.
Therefore, the sweep was not particularly difficult.
In less than an hour, the soldiers completed the clearing operation.
Ethan’s voice sounded through Nathan’s communications headset. "Reporting, Chief: the entire building has been secured. Apart from one zombie killed each on the fourth and fifth floors, no other zombies or survivors were found."
"Two zombies? How come I didn’t hear any gunshots?" Nathan asked curiously.
"Chief, those zombies were moving relatively slowly. To keep the noise down, we dealt with them using knives."
After hearing Ethan’s explanation, Nathan understood.
Zombies that had only recently mutated seemed unable to fully adapt to their new mode of existence, displaying poor coordination and slow movement.
Of course, that was only the situation immediately after they turned. No one knew whether they would change later, perhaps even becoming as fast as the zombies in movies.
Since the hotel had been cleared, Nathan thought for a moment before giving a direct order. "First Squad Leader, set up the defenses, then come see me on the first floor."
"Yes, Chief!"
Ethan then assigned the designated marksman and machine gunner to stand watch on the roof, while the other soldiers held the first floor. They spread out by the entrance and throughout the hallway, warily watching the surrounding area.
Ethan himself headed straight down to meet Nathan.
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