A Test

Richard's gaze swept at the troops who were still saluting. Their faces, though blocked by the mask, he could see their eyes. It was as if he was staring at a human. Wait, are they human?

Just as he contemplated this in his mind, a new holographic screen materialized before him. Its words brought clarity to his questions:

[The troops that you summoned are military-trained human beings. They possess the knowledge, skills, and expertise required to perform their assigned tasks. As for their memories, they are created with none. Their only recollections will originate from the moment they are summoned. Additionally, being human, they experience hunger, require sustenance, can form interpersonal relationships, and most importantly, can turn into zombies.]

Richard absorbed the information, a sense of understanding settling over him. These troops were sophisticated creations, both remarkably capable and yet confined within the parameters of their programming.

"Sir?" one of the soldiers addressed him, the words slicing through his contemplation.

Brought back to the present, Richard focused on the soldier who had spoken.

"Yes?" he replied, his tone alert.

"Do you have any orders, sir?"

Richard's mind whirred as he took in the question. Orders? He was their commander now, responsible for their actions.

"Uhm..." Richard glanced around, his gaze landing on the trails of blood left behind by the zombie he had killed earlier. A thought formed in his mind, an immediate task that needed attention.

"Can you clean?" he asked.

"Of course sir, we can clean," the soldier replied. "Do you have any cleaning equipment we can use?"

"They are in the storage room over there," Richard pointed at the door leading to a small room. "You'll find a mop and a bucket in there."

The soldier nodded crisply, and together, they mopped the floor. Richard watched them, feeling guilty that he ordered military personnel to clean his unit.

Five minutes later, they were done.

"Do you have any new orders, sir?"

Richard shook his head, indicating that there was none. The soldiers nodded their heads and stood there like a statue. Speaking of orders, he saw that there is a mission tab in the system.

He opened his system and tapped the mission tab.

[Mission Tab: This is where you'll receive your missions. You have one available mission to take. Do you want to know about it?]

Curious, Richard tapped yes.

And then a mission brief popped up in front of him.

[New Mission: Discovering the New Power - Now that you have activated the system, and learned of its function. It's time for you to put it to the test. With your summoned troops, you are to eliminate fifty infected in your area.

Rewards: 20,000 gold coins.

15,000 experience points.

Do you wish to accept it?]

Richard's gaze flicked over the holographic mission brief, his heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty. The prospect of facing fifty infected—zombies, he assumed—was daunting, but the rewards promised were substantial. Gold coins and experience points could potentially strengthen both him and his summoned troops.

Besides, he needed to strengthen himself to save his sister who are probably stuck in the university.

After a brief pause, Richard made his decision. He tapped the confirmation button, accepting the mission. The holographic screen responded with a subtle glow as if acknowledging his choice.

"Sir?" one of the soldiers spoke up, drawing Richard's attention back to his immediate surroundings.

"We have a mission," Richard announced. "Our objective is to eliminate fifty infected in the area. We'll do it together."

"What's the plan?" One of the soldiers asked.

"We are going to sweep this building, floor by floor. Currently, we are on the twenty-fifth floor. We are going to start from the top and work our way down, we eliminate any zombies we encounter, and if there are survivors, we'll instruct them to stay indoors. Once we are on the ground floor, and cleared this building of zombies, we are going to regroup at the biggest unit of this building, where we will restock. This condominium has three buildings. You can take a look at the window over there."

"But sir? We are only eliminating fifty infected or zombies right?"

"I know, but it's prudent that we clear this building of zombies despite us achieving our goal. It's an experience point and a gold coin after all."

"Very well, sir," the soldiers nodded their heads in acknowledgment.

Based on their response, it seemed that those soldiers were aware of his system.

Richard took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Okay, we will exit this unit. Kill any zombies you encounter."

After that, Richard walked over to the door with his troops trailing behind him. And as he was about to open the door, he realized that there was something amiss.

"Uhm, you have names right?" Richard asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

The soldiers shook their heads. "We have none sir, but you are welcome to name us."

"I knew it…" Richard chuckled softly. "Okay, I am bad at names and we have to move out now so I'm going to name you by codenames. You will be Alpha 1, you will be Alpha 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Would that be okay for all of you?"

The soldiers nodded in agreement. Richard's attempt to give them identities, even if in the form of codenames, seemed to be appreciated.

Richard pushed open the door, and together, they stepped out into the corridor. The flickering lights created an eerie atmosphere. The group moved silently, weapons at the ready, as they reached for the emergency exit. Since it was Richard who knew the place, he was the one leading them. But as they got to the emergency exit door, Alpha 1 stepped in.

"Sir, I think it's best that I go first," Alpha 1 suggested.

Richard looked at Alpha 1. The soldier's words made sense—he was, after all, a military-trained individual, skilled in handling potentially dangerous situations, and it's best for him to stay back.

"Alright, Alpha 1. Lead the way."

With a swift nod, Alpha 1 approached the emergency exit door. His gloved hand gripped the handle, and he pushed the door open slowly, revealing the dimly lit stairwell beyond.

As Alpha 1 stepped onto the stairwell landing, a sudden movement caught his eye. Before anyone could react, a zombie lunged from the darkness, its rotting arms outstretched toward Alpha 1's throat.

"Contact!" Alpha 1's voice snapped through the air, his training kicking in. In an instant, he pivoted on his heel, bringing his suppressed M4 Carbine up and firing a precise shot.

The zombie's head snapped back, and it crumpled to the ground with a wet thud.

"Tango down!" Alpha 1 added with his M4 Carbine still trained on the lifeless body. He scanned the stairs leading up and down and saw no zombies approaching. "Clear!"

"Cool…" Richard uttered.

[Mission objectives: Kill 50 infected - 1/50.]

[You received 250 gold coins. ]

[You received 20 experience points.]

'So per every zombie kill, I will gain 250 gold coins and 20 experience points?' he thought to himself.

"Sir, we are going up now," Alpha 1 informed.

"Of course, go on," Richard replied, falling in line behind Alpha 1. As they climb the stairs, Richard finds himself mirroring their stance, sweeping his gaze and rifle to cover any potential blind spots.

As they reached the twenty-sixth floor. Alpha 1 glanced over his shoulder.

"Sir, is the layout of the twenty-fifth floor the same as the other floors?"

"That's correct," Richard confirmed.

"In that case, sir, it's best that we split up our forces when we enter a new floor. There are three corridors. Alpha 1 to 3, including you sir, will be in group 1. Alpha 4 to 7 will be in group 2, and Alpha 8 to 10 will be in group 3."

"That's good," Richard nodded at his suggestion.

With that, they entered a new floor, splitting themselves into three groups. Compared to the twenty-fifth floor, the twenty-sixth floor was filled with zombies. The zombies turned their heads toward the soldiers emerging from the emergency exit, and they roared.

"Open fire!" Richard commanded, and the air was instantly filled with the sharp cracks of gunfire. Alpha 1's group took the left corridor, Alpha 2's group took the center, and Alpha 3's group took the right. The rhythmic sound of rifle fire mixed with the groans and snarls of the approaching zombies, creating a chaotic symphony of battle.

Bullets tore through decayed flesh, and bodies fell with each well-placed shot.

As they worked together, Richard felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He focused on his target, squeezing the trigger and taking down one zombie after another. The holographic system prompt continued to appear with each kill, signaling his increasing wealth and experience.

[Mission objectives: Kill 50 infected - 15/50.]

[You received 3500 gold coins.]

[You received 280 experience points.]

"Reloading." Alpha 2 informed as they reached a temporary lull in the onslaught. The team quickly took cover, reloading their weapons while keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area.

As the last zombie in the corridor fell, Richard took a moment to catch his breath.

[Mission objectives: Kill 50 infected - 25/50.]

[You received a total of 6250 gold coins.]

[You received a total of 780 experience points.]

[You have leveled up!]

"Nice shooting, everyone," Richard praised, his words met with nods of acknowledgment from his summoned troops.

"We should keep moving, sir," Alpha 4 suggested.

"Agreed," Richard replied, his heart still pounding with the rush of battle. They continued their systematic sweep of the floor, eliminating zombies as they went.

On the twenty-ninth floor, Richard completed his mission, killing 50 infected. It shows that there are a lot of zombies inside the building, and they are far from over.

But just as they were about to climb up to thirty, one of the doors opened.

"Help!"

Everyone turned their heads toward the source of the sound and aimed their rifles at it.

"No no no! I'm not one of them!"

It was a man, frantically raising his hand. "Are you from the military? Are you here to evacuate us?"

This is one of the possible scenarios that could happen if a civilian saw them doing this. Richard stepped forward and spoke.

"We are not from the military but I advise that you stay indoors until we clear the zombies out of this building."

"Are you going to return? Please, we have children with us. We don't have food and water, we need help."

Richard exchanged a glance with Alpha 1, feeling the weight of the situation pressing on him. The man's plea was genuine, and Richard knew that he had the power to make a difference. But his initial plan had been to clear this building of zombies and move on. He can't completely help them, but the least he can do is clear this building of zombies.

"I apologize but we didn't bring any supplies with us," Richard replied. "But don't worry, we are eliminating every zombies in this building. Just stay inside and don't get out under any circumstances."

"Uhm...okay...sir..." The man said before closing the door.

"Sir, assuming that each floor will have twenty to thirty zombies, I think we will run out of bullets before we even reach the ground floor," Alpha 1 said.

"Don't worry, I'll just purchase ammunition from my system. Conserve your bullets, and aim for the head, as I think it's their weak spot." Richard replied and continued. "Now, shall we resume our operation?"