A Brief Respite Before Action

Nine o'clock in the evening, July 20th, 2023.

Richard was unboxing the MREs that he bought from the system. Since this was his first time seeing an MRE, he didn't have the slightest clue about how it worked.

"Mark," Richard called, and Mark approached him promptly.

"Is there something that I can do for you, sir?" Mark politely asked.

"Yeah, do you know how to eat this?" Richard showed the MRE in his hand.

"Ah, of course, sir. Do you want me to show you?" Mark responded.

Richard nodded eagerly. "Absolutely. I'm clueless about these things."

Mark took the MRE packet from Richard's hand and began explaining. "MRE stands for Meal, Ready-to-Eat. It's a self-contained meal that's commonly used by the military and emergency services. They're designed to be easy to carry and require minimal preparation."

Richard listened intently as Mark continued, "Alright, first, you'll need to find the main pouch inside. It usually contains the main course. Tear it open carefully."

Mark demonstrated, showing Richard how to neatly open the pouch without spilling anything.

"Inside, you'll find the main dish," Mark said, revealing a sealed plastic pouch containing what looked like a beef stew. "There's also a flameless heater included."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Flameless heater? How does that work?"

Mark smiled. "It's pretty ingenious. You just need a small amount of water. There's usually a line marked on the heater pouch. You pour water up to that line, insert the sealed pouch of food, and then fold the heater pouch over. It contains a chemical reaction that generates heat when it comes into contact with water. It'll warm up your meal in about 10 to 15 minutes."

Richard was impressed. "That's pretty handy. Thank you, Mark."

Mark pulled out a small package containing cracker-like bread and a spread. "These are usually a part of every MRE. They provide some carbs and a bit of variety. Perhaps you can eat this while you wait for the main course to heat up."

Richard nodded, taking the cracker-like bread and the spread. He tore the package open and began spreading the provided cheese spread onto the crackers. Despite the dire circumstances, he couldn't help but appreciate the simple luxury of having something to eat.

He took a bite and savored the test.

"Hmm…it tastes like bread and cheese," Richard commented.

"Sir, what are we going to do with the survivors that we rescued from three buildings?" Mark asked. "They think that we are the real military and are expecting to be evacuated from a safer place."

"Safer place?" Richard's gaze shifted to the wall-to-ceiling window. From his point, it seemed like there was nothing ordinary, a beautiful city skyline with indoor lighting glowing inside the building, giving it a surreal and almost tranquil appearance. But Richard knew that beneath that deceptively calm exterior lay the chaos and horror of the apocalypse.

He sighed, his thoughts returning to the present. "Well, there's no safer place than this place, Mark…" he chuckled and then trailed off as he remembered something.

His sister, Richard reached out to his cellphone and decided to call Lisa. But the signal bars on his phone were frustratingly absent. He sighed in frustration.

"Sir, you must worry a lot about your sister," Mark said gently.

"I do, very much. I don't even know what her situation is. Is she still staying in that classroom? What if I arrive there tomorrow and she's not there? I don't think I can handle losing her," Richard said somberly, his hands trembling with fear at the thought.

"In that case, sir, why don't you conduct a rescue operation at, let's say, 0000 hours or 0100 hrs? There's a high chance she'd still be there, assuming that they won't go out since the hallways are probably filled with zombies. May I ask how old is your sister, sir?"

"She's eighteen," Richard answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing, sir. I was just considering factors for the future rescue operation. If she were 12 or 15 years old, we might have to conduct the operation immediately. But since she's of legal age, and her classmates must be too, they'll likely lock themselves in the classroom they are staying in."

"Yeah…" Richard uttered, his mind still focused on the welfare of his little sister. Even though Lisa told him that they barricaded their classroom, there is still no guarantee of her safety. In an apocalyptic world, humans are scarier than zombies as humans can do horrible things when there is no law or order to restrain them.

He doesn't know Lisa's classmates, only her best friends, Denise and Angela, whom he often meets whenever they visit Lisa. But the others? Especially the men, yeah he won't even imagine what they'll do if they lose their rationality and sense.

"Mark, we are not going to wait tomorrow, we are going to rescue my little sister at twelve o'clock midnight."

"You mean 0000 hours sir?" Mark said. "Very well. If you want to do that sir, you might want to summon Special Forces troops, they are the ones best suited for the role of search and rescue. In the meantime, why don't you tell me the location of the school and some other useful information so we can plan it now with the team here?"

"Okay. My little sister is a senior high school student, studying at the Technological Engineering Institute in Cubao City. Her classroom is in Building Nine, fourth floor, room eighteen.

"Thank you, sir…and I think your MRE is ready now," Mark said, checking the heater pouch. The beef stew inside was steaming, its aroma filling the room.

Richard looked at the warm MRE pouch and realized he had been so absorbed in the conversation that he hadn't noticed the heater working its magic.

"Great, thanks, Mark."

Mark handed him the pouch, along with a plastic spork. "Enjoy your meal, sir."

Richard took a bite of the beef stew and savored it. The taste was bland but comforting. As he ate, he could feel a bit of energy returning to his body,

After taking five bites, he set the pouch aside and opened his system, and checked the Special Forces Tab. There, he was given a list.

Army Special Forces (Green Berets) - 2,000 gold per unit.

Navy SEALs - 2,500 gold per unit

Delta Force - 5,000 gold per unit

British SAS - 2,200 gold per unit

Russian Spetsnaz - 3,000 gold per unit

German KSK - 2,800 gold per unit.

…

Based on the categories, it seems like it'll be a matter of preference as those forces are capable of conducting search and rescue. Since he had a lot of gold coins in his pocket, he didn't hesitate to purchase ten units of Delta Force. Their reputation for being the most highly trained elite forces in the US military is enough for Richard to choose them.

A magic circle appeared on the floor and ten Caucasian men emerged from it. They were dressed in the standard US Army Combat Uniform, their bodies were of athletic build and tough looking, and they appeared to be in their early thirties.

One of them stepped forward, as if representing a team, and then saluted. The Delta Forces behind followed a salute.

"Delta Force, ready for tasking."

Richard rose to his feet and scanned the appearance. He had to crane his neck slightly up as the man before him was tall, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. He looked like a character from Call of Duty. His face, his voice, everything. Who was it? Ahh..it was Graves.

Richard cleared his throat. "Sir! One of my men said you'll be best suited for a rescue operation."

"Well not technically focused on that job but we can do that," he replied.

"Can I call you Graves? Because you resemble someone I know."

"If you say so, sir. I will accept the name you have given me," Graves said.

"Okay, so the thing is, my little sister and her classmates needed saving. And you and your men will join me to rescue them."S