The Barracks did not sleep after its deployment.
Even as night settled over the industrial sector, blue light pulsed behind the dark glass of its fabrication chambers. The low hum from the facility mixed with the distant crackle of burning corpse piles, creating a strange rhythm across Hans's foothold.
This was war and industry; death and production.
Hans stood before the Barracks interface, watching the five templates hover in front of him.
Standard Infantry Squad.
Mechanized APC Squad.
Special Assault Squad.
Recon Team.
Sniper Overwatch Team.
The system accepted all of them without complaint. For a short moment, Hans stared at the list.
Before this, every squad had to be carefully assembled through direct attention.
Every soldier trained. Every composition checked. Every deployment arranged with his own commands.
It worked, but as the troop size increased, it would soon slow down.
Now, the Barracks had turned his habits into an applicable doctrine.
Hans tapped the first template.
------
[ Standard Infantry Squad ]
[ Composition ]
3 Conscripts
4 Army Soldiers
1 Scout-Attack Dog Pair
1 Machine Gunner
1 Guardian GI
1 Missile Infantry
[ Estimated Training Cost: 9500 Gold ]
[ Estimated Training Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes ]
[ Begin Batch Training? ]
------
Hans clicked his tongue, confused as to whether he should be awed by the efficiency, or shocked by the price.
This amount could train one single tank, he raised a brow. But that's a crude way of evaluating their worth.
"System, does the deployment require all units to be fully trained?"
------
[ Affirmative. ]
------
Hans scratched his head. I have to plan this out or I'll lose efficiency in the long run.
The batch training system was convenient, but convenience was dangerous when paired with impulsive decisions.
A full squad was powerful, but it wasn't cheap.
The problem was not whether the squad was worth the cost. It was whether he needed another one right now.
His gaze shifted toward the eastern side of the virtual map.
The defense line had stabilized, with patrols actively scouring the region.
Cleanup teams were still burning corpse piles, slightly painting the dark sky with a little bit of redness.
The city beyond the horizon remained dark, but no new horde had appeared within the limited range of the Virtual Radar.
Five kilometers.
Hans narrowed his eyes. That range had been enough when he was still fighting small battles. It had been enough when clearing one block, then the next.
But Grefort City was not one small block—it was a beast large enough to swallow even large-scale armies.
Training more soldiers without knowing what waited beyond his current vision would only make his command heavier, not smarter.
"Cancel for now," Hans muttered.
------
[ Batch training cancelled. ]
------
The Standard Infantry Squad template remained saved, waiting silently for future use.
Hans closed the Barracks interface and reopened the Main Building tab. His finger moved toward the next structure without hesitation.
------
[ Radar Facility (Physical) - 10000 Gold ]
[ Energy Consumption: 100 Energy Units ]
[ Construction Time: 16 hours and 40 minutes ]
[ Requirement: Power Plant ]
------
Hans stared at the option: ten thousand Gold.
A full Standard Infantry Squad cost almost the same, but that comparison was, as before, crude.
Such a squad could hold a street—a Radar Facility revealed a large battlefield.
Hans exhaled, "Information first."
He confirmed the construction.
------
[ Radar Facility (Physical) queued for construction. ]
[ ETA: 16 hours and 40 minutes. ]
[ Gold: 36,145 (-10000) -> 26,145 ]
------
The prompt faded.
Hans did not return to the Barracks queue; not yet.
The templates were saved. The facility was now operational. If he needed more infantry, the Barracks was there to serve that purpose.
Hans opened the command channel.
"Golden Eagle to Echo One, come in."
The reply came after a second.
"Echo One receiving. Dmitri speaking."
Hans's gaze remained on the dim edge of the Virtual Radar.
"Report status."
"We're holding near the eastern perimeter. No major movement detected. Small infected groups only. Patrol pattern remains stable."
"Good. I'm assigning you a wider sweep."
A short pause came from the other side.
"How wide, Commander?"
Hans looked at the five-kilometer boundary on the map.
"Beyond Radar coverage. Towards the nuclear power plant. It might be risky."
The radio went silent—not because Dmitri hesitated. Rather, everyone nearby understood what that meant.
"Understood," Dmitri answered calmly. "Echo One will proceed."
Hans continued, "Take Echo Two with you. Don't forget about the dogs. Two of them. And also, four members per squad."
"Rules of engagement, Commander?"
"Do not engage unless necessary. Prioritize marking routes, locate horde concentrations, identify abnormal structures. Retreat in case of hive activity or any peculiar presence."
"How about Oracle?"
Hans paused. Kimmy's fatigued face flashed on his mind.
"She's on recovery. Let's not disturb her."
"Understood."
Hans shifted the channel.
"Echo Two, link up with Echo One. New objective given. You'll move in tandem. Specifics to be discussed between your squads. Bring Vex. You might need him."
"Echo Two copies."
The channel closed.
Hans stared at the map for a moment longer. The Radar Facility would take sixteen hours and forty minutes. Even if it was deployed by then, it could only mark relative positions—his soldiers, enemy units, and other system-recognized signatures.
A field operation would provide him more info than just Radar cover.
The nuclear power plant somewhere up north cannot be delayed much longer, he thought as he stared at the dark horizon.
"You've gotten busy again."
A voice drifted closely, interrupting Hans as he turned his head.
Yunera stood several meters away with Kimmy beside her, both having arrived without him noticing. Or perhaps he had simply been too focused on the map.
Kimmy's blindfold faced the Barracks in the distance.
Even without sight, her attention was locked onto the building as if she could feel the pulse behind its walls.
Hans lowered the comms.
"Nothing much," he chuckled. "Just a routine procedure."
"Sprouting buildings out of nowhere is routine now?" Yunera raised an eyebrow.
Inside, she was as shocked as she was when the first Power Plant made a ruckus.
"A lot more will come soon," Hans turned his head back to the horizon. "The show has just started."
"Are you... aiming for Grefort next?" Kimmy asked.
"Not yet," Hans answered without hesitation. "The nuclear power plant needs attention. A little radiation may not hurt us, but we're not the only ones here, are we?"
He's right, Yunera thought, clenching her fists. If we don't fix it, the people on the colony will suffer. No, there might even be survivors in the city too.
Hans didn't know what was on her mind. And even if he did, he wouldn't correct her.
Radiation was dangerous to people. Mutation was dangerous to everything.
If the infected near the nuclear power plant adapted to the contamination, then his soldiers would no longer be dealing with ordinary hordes.
An unchecked nuclear power plant, leaking radiation freely around—that would become a breeding ground for something worse.
"How long before you move?" Yunera asked.
Hans glanced at her.
"A recon team has been sent," he paused. "Why? You want to join them?"
Kimmy curled her lips, slowly stepping forward. "Can we?"
Hans was taken aback. He meant it as a joke, yet this frail-looking girl seemed to have taken it seriously.
"No need for you to push yourself," he turned around, facing the wind. "You'll have your chance. The entire army will move together. Soon."
"That doesn't answer anything."
"My words are always enough."
Hans flashed a subtle smile. Yunera's expression tightened.
"There are still people in the colony. If that place leaks—"
"I know. I already have that in mind."
The answer came faster than she expected. For a moment, Yunera stopped.
Hans's gaze remained fixed on the eastern horizon.
"I know exactly why it can't be delayed. You don't have to remind me."
Meanwhile, Kimmy tilted her head slightly, wondering if she should say it out loud.
He's not only worried about the radiation. He's worried about something else too. But what is it?
Kimmy's fingers tightened around Yunera's sleeve. "Thank you, Hans."
"The two of you should rest for a while," Hans replied. "Enjoy the scenery. Or whatever you want to do."
"We will," Kimmy tugged Yunera once more. "Sister, let's go. We should leave him be."
"Hmph."
Yunera carried Kimmy out, grumpily muttering under her breath as they descended from the rooftop.
"Being so mysterious! Does he think he looks cool that way?"
"Sister," Kimmy paused. "Some things cannot be said out loud."
"I thought he trusts us that deeply. Are you saying he still thinks we're not worthy?"
"No," Kimmy shook her head.
"Then am I thinking too much? Is that what you're trying to say?"
"Yes..."
"Tsk," Yunera rolled her eyes. "You're always making an excuse out for him, don't you?"
Kimmy no longer bothered to respond. Arguing with Yunera was sometimes no different from speaking to a brick wall.
"Sister, let's just take a walk for the night. Shall we?"
After Yunera and Kimmy disappeared below the rooftop, Hans remained facing the east.
The Virtual Radar still showed nothing beyond its five-kilometer boundary.
Hans reopened the command channel.
"Echo One, report once you cross the boundary."
A second passed.
Then Dmitri's voice returned.
"Echo One copies. We are moving out."
On the map, several friendly markers drifted toward the edge of vision.
A few minutes later, they passed beyond it.
And vanished.