Chapter 13: System Incident
Multiple messages came in one after another. They had just taken the , and now the system upgrade was stuck on a node. The zombie horde on the outskirts was closing in, and there were still people waiting at the hospital.
stared at the red dots on the map and the hospital coordinates for a few seconds, but he didn’t speak right away.
“ , lead First Squad; , lead Third Squad. Coordinate with the platoon personnel to escort the supplies back to the main base. and will withdraw with the team and be temporarily assigned to the logistics group to assist with weapons inventory.”
The soldiers immediately split up and got to work.
walked to the open ground on the west side of the compound and called up the system panel. Current : 146.0.
“System, summon a combat platoon.”
[Command confirmed. Combat platoon: directly under platoon headquarters, 8 personnel (1 platoon leader, 3 radio communicators, 2 armorers, 2 platoon-level medics), with 3 subordinate combat squads. Total cost: 145 points. Supporting 3 Mengshi Basic Assault Vehicles and 1 armored command vehicle will be generated simultaneously, using covert deployment mechanism. Due to first-time summon of platoon-level or higher formation, a half-price discount is applied. Confirm?]
frowned. When he’d summoned squads earlier, there’d been no mention of a half-price discount.
He didn’t have time to dwell on it. If the system was offering a discount voluntarily, there was no reason to refuse.
“Confirm.”
[145 points consumed, 1 point remaining. Combat platoon has been generated in the surrounding concealed area, supporting vehicles deployed simultaneously. Estimated arrival in eight minutes.]
Almost immediately, a second prompt appeared:
[System detected an operational anomaly and is undergoing upgrade repair. Estimated time: 24 hours. To compensate the host, the three previously summoned squads will be supplemented with platoon headquarters personnel (1 platoon leader, 3 radio communicators, 2 armorers, 2 platoon-level medics) at no cost.]
The tail end of the cold, mechanical voice carried a faint electrical buzz—completely different from the usual steady tone.
stood by the wall without moving, his gaze fixed on the direction of the distant outskirts. No one else could see anything unusual. Only he knew his heart had tightened.
The system had always been his trump card—from breaking through the initial predicament with just two people, to gradually unlocking squads and platoons. Every step depended on it. Now the core functions were temporarily locked for a full twenty-four hours.
He lowered his eyes and scanned the interface. Pale gray text floated at the edge:
Upgrading and repairing. Basic map available; Summon, Supply, Formation, and Equipment functions temporarily locked. Remaining time: 23 hours 59 minutes.
He quickly ran through what he had on hand: a full-strength platoon, plus the original three squads—more than enough to transport this batch of supplies from the . were only 1 left.
The biggest variable was the system itself. It had always been stable, yet it triggered an upgrade precisely at this juncture. Was it coincidence, or something else? He pushed the thought down.
“Reporting to the General , the entire combat platoon is present!”
gathered his thoughts and turned. Thirty-five soldiers stood in formation at the compound gate, their postures straight, bayonets gleaming. The platoon leader at the head had a resolute face— —whose system-implanted identity marked him as a former second lieutenant platoon leader from a mechanized infantry brigade.
Behind the formation, six Mengshi Assault Vehicles and one armored command vehicle were parked. Their camouflage paint matched the existing vehicles, and their diesel engines idled.
“Fall in.” returned a standard military salute. “ , your platoon is temporarily designated as the Second Combat Platoon. Immediately take over defense of the forward outpost. Reinforce the walls and perimeter fortifications. Set up one forward observation post on the north side and one on the west side. Report on the movement of the zombie horde on the outskirts every hour. First Platoon Leader Chen Feng, you’ll lead First Platoon to escort the first batch of supplies back to the main base with me.”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers in the compound split up and got to work—loading vehicles, repairing fortifications, setting up sentry posts. Each person did their own job. No one knew the system had malfunctioned.
Half an hour later, the first batch of supplies was fully loaded. Two military trucks—loaded with firearms, ammunition, and protective gear—departed the under the escort of two Mengshi Assault Vehicles, heading along toward the main base.
sat in the armored command vehicle, looking ahead through the observation window. The safest plan was to pull back and hold their position, then mass-produce troops after the system recovered.
But the people at the hospital couldn’t wait. After the power failure, the water plant and grain depot would shut down too. Every day of delay doubled the cost of recovery.
The vehicle jolted slightly as it rolled over gravel. He’d been in the military for over twenty years. He’d faced countless dangerous situations and was used to keeping the initiative in his own hands. This time, his trump card was in cooldown—but the captured ammunition was enough for several battles, and his troops were far stronger than the rabble of the zombie horde. He could stabilize the situation even without the system.
“Chen Feng,” he said, “notify to inventory the supplies—food, drinking water, and medications down to single units. will tally all diesel reserves.”
“Understood.”
The convoy turned the street corner, and the silhouette of the building came into view. As soon as the armored command vehicle stopped, pushed open the door and strode toward the building.
Behind him, the trucks drove into the compound one after another, and soldiers began unloading supplies. came out of the building holding a ledger, jogging to catch up.
“General ,” he asked, “how much supplies? So I can arrange the warehouse space.”