Souta called Zack using a telephone from his office
"Oh? Who might this be?" Zack inquired with curiosity.
"It's Souta, Zack. I want to talk to you about something," Souta responded.
"Ahh, is this about the timer?" Zack asked.
"So you also have it, huh?" Souta remarked.
"Yeah, it suddenly popped up from nowhere. Do you know what this timer might mean?" Zack questioned.
"I don't know, but one thing is for sure, only the landlords know about this," Souta stated.
"Heh, this might be the end of the world, don't you think?" Zack mused.
"I doubt that. Why do they even give us the system when they can just let us die from the zombies to begin with?" Souta pondered.
"You're right. Something big is going to happen when the timer ends," Zack agreed.
"That's for sure. How about we reinforce our bases, give better equipment to the soldiers, and lastly extend the wall, making a whole fortress for us?" Souta suggested.
"It won't hurt to be cautious, but are you sure about extending the walls? We might attract unwanted attention before the timer ends," Zack cautioned.
"Don't worry about that. I'll deal with the fortress; you'll be the one who will improve their weapons," Souta assured.
"That should be easy," Zack replied.
"Well then, just contact me when you need something," Souta concluded.
"Yup, I'll do that," Zack agreed.
And with that, the conversation between the two leaders of the bases ends.
Souta went to Jana's base, and Jana's base is in the middle of the big bases of Souta and Zack.
In Jana's office, Souta and Jana are facing each other on the table while on Jana's side, Garp, her military advisor, Kisse, her military supervisor, whild Souta with two girls body guards from Shana's team on his side wearing masked and is heavily equipped with weapons yet still light.
"What brings the great Souta to come here?" Kisse asked arrogantly.
Souta's bodyguards were offended by Kisse's remark and instinctively reached for their pistols. Kisse noticed and also grabbed her pistol.
Souta raised her hand, signaling them to stop, while Jana warned Kisse about her behavior. "Tch, not because you have a big base and a strong military doesn't mean you have to look down on us," Kisse retorted with a glare.
"You two really don't get along, even from the first time you met. It's like you're old lovers or something," Garp interjected.
Kisse and Souta remained silent, and Jana and Garp picked up on the tension.
"What do you want us to do for you?" Jana asked, breaking the silence.
"I want you to clear a city," Souta stated.
"A city!? Are you kidding us!?" Kisse blurted, immediately regretting her outburst.
Souta laughed, easing the tension. "But she's right, Souta. We can't clear a city with our military. Also, it's not winter anymore, so those zombies are not weak," Jana expressed her concern.
"I know that much. I will send reinforcements to help you clear a whole city," Souta assured them.
"But... Why do you want us to clear a whole city anyway? This base is already enough for us," Jana questioned.
"Oh, about that." Souta revealed the system, shocking, worried, and surprised them all.
"This is a system, a blue panel that appears in thin air whenever I want it to. It's also the reason why the base improved significantly, and you can have this by clearing a city," Souta explained, demonstrating its capabilities by buying a gun from the system.
The three of them were impressed, and Garp curiously asked, "Showing us this... isn't this a top-secret of yours?"
"Well, to civilians, yes, but officials from the base already know about this, and Jana, I want you to have it," Souta disclosed.
"But what exactly do you want me to do after having the system you are talking about? With power like this given to me, this isn't normal. What are you planning?" Jana questioned, her seriousness evident in her gaze.
Souta smiled, "I want you to serve me fully. Let's work together for the betterment of our base."
The room was silent, "Liar," said Kisse, her expression furious. "You are not nice. You always use us, the people. You treat us like chess pieces that you can move around, this isn't you..."
"... what are you really planning, Souta?" Kisse said, looking straight into my eyes, her seriousness and gaze piercing.
"What do you mean chess piece," Souta said calmly. "I don't just use people for my sake," Souta said, her expression earnest.
"Shut up! You f*cking liar! You're always like this! Telling us sweet words, captivating us with your kindness, and in the end, leaving us in the dark if things don't go as planned!" Kisse said angrily, her expression full of frustration.
"Kisse..." Souta stopped for a moment, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry," Souta said sincerely. Everyone looked at Kisse for her reaction, and she took a deep breath. "Don't say sorry to me, tell that to 'her.' It's not me you hurt," Kisse responded, her expression still upset.
"If I have time," Souta said, her expression contemplative. "Tch," said Kisse, dismissing the apology. "Enough of the drama, you two must be confused, right? It's a personal matter, so you don't have to worry about it. Anyway, I'm planning to tell you this after you cleared a city, but I guess I'll tell you now," Souta said, her expression serious.
"I want you to be in the front line," Souta said, her expression determined. "Hmp, I knew it," Kisse said, her expression unsurprised. "Please don't take this the wrong way. You should already know about the alliance from the neighboring base. Your base is in the middle of our two bases, isn't it?" Souta said, her expression thoughtful.
"We are planning to make a fortress, a big fortress that connects the two bases, and we want your base to be the one that will connect our bases and make the fortress. We will then send our military to guard the fortress, which is your new base, and you, the one who has a system, will be the top in command," Souta explained, her expression serious and hopeful.
"I see... I have 3 questions before fulfilling this agreement," Jana said.
"What is it?" Souta asked, ready to address her concerns.
"First, I don't want my citizens to live in a base that always has military roaming around. They will get scared. Can you do something about it?" Jana asked.
"Of course, they can choose to either live at my base or the ally base," Souta assured.
"That fixes it. Then the second question, I'm in the top command, you say, but how can you be so sure that the military from the two bases will do exactly what I say?" Jana inquired.
"Because that's our order. A soldier wouldn't be a soldier if they can't listen to orders from higher-ups," Souta reassured her.
"Lastly, why me? Giving me this much power, aren't you scared that I might betray you?" Jana asked.
"This is an easy one. That's because I trust you. Giving you this power, putting you in charge of the front line, I wouldn't just give this position to anyone, you know. This is how much I trust you," Souta explained.
"Well, whatever. As long as you do as you said, I'll agree," Jana said.
"That's good then. Let's start preparing. We don't have much time," Souta concluded.
With that, the agreement fulfilled, and they start preparing for the battle that will held on the city.