| Congratulations! You have terminated an Anomalous Phasmid(Young)! |
| Total Time Reached: 13 Minutes 45 Seconds |
| Rounds Fired: 1453 Rounds |
| Subordinates Lost: 0 |
| Aberrants Eliminated: 13 Aberrants |
| Termination Grade: B+(You can do better!) |
| You have been rewarded 226 Source Points! |
While sitting at the back of the rear Vanguard, several digital notifications materialized out of nowhere. Duke's body instinctively jolted in surprise before calming down in a second. No matter how much time passed. It was hard to get used to the sudden emergence of notifications.
"A report about the battle?" Duke raised an eyebrow while staring at the digital displays before him. It wasn't just a report of the battle, but it was also an examination of the conflict. From the total time, ammunition wasted, subordinates lost, and aberrants eliminated.
It was an intriguing digital notification.
'So the battle took over 10 minutes... It seems that the staring contest was included in the total time.' The fiery conflict between him and the mutated beast didn't even last three minutes. It was a swift and precarious battle that could have possibly killed him.
Fortunately, he was still alive and well.
"There's also the amount of ammunition wasted. Looking at it is already bringing an aching pain to my heart." Duke mumbled to himself after gazing at the digital notification. From the looks of it, almost half of the total ammunition stockpile got wasted in that battle.
He'll have to resupply the Sentinels and the Vanguards once again after they return to the Cerberus Headquarters.
"But all is not lost. At the very least, I got something out of it." He muttered while nodding to himself. Although 226 Source Points seemed small, it was better than nothing. Besides, he could buy many things in the Doomsday Mall with this much money.
For example, he could buy another Vanguard for the Sentinels. Or perhaps he could buy more Sentinels in the Doomsday Mall to increase their numbers. There were also supplies that he could purchase. The possibilities were endless, so he was pleased with the reward.
"Is there something wrong, Director? You appear to be in great thought." A Sentinel sitting beside Duke calmly remarked while looking forward. Duke left his internal trance and glanced at the Sentinel beside him. He squinted his eyes and calmly questioned.
"Sentinel, do you see a strange glowing bar atop your head?" It was a simple and strange question, which made the Sentinel somewhat bewildered upon hearing it. The Sentinel turned his gaze upward and saw nothing but the metallic roof of the Vanguard.
"My head is clear, Director." The Sentinel cooly replied and turned his head away from their Director to observe the surroundings through the window. Hearing the answer of his fellow Sentinel, Duke's eyes narrowed even more.
The reason why he was acting strange was because of an unknown appearance of a glowing bar atop the heads of his subordinates. He didn't notice it at first, but now that he got out of his trance. The radiant bars on them were blinking in a second interval.
'Am I the only one that can see it?' Duke thoughtfully questioned while staring at the glowing and flickering bars. They should have something to do with the Protocol. Maybe a feature of some sort? The only way to find out was for him to activate it through his hardened will.
'I don't know what you are, but open for me!' He didn't want to say such embarrassing things in front of his good subordinates, so he thought about it while gazing at the radiant and blinking bars.
Nothing happened for the first few seconds, though it all changed when the 10-second mark was passed. The gleaming bars atop the Sentinel's heads disappeared, and what replaced them was a digital notification. His eyebrows raised upon their disappearance before shaking his head.
He examined the digital notification, and the edges of his lips slowly rose. It seems that fate hasn't forsaken him yet. An opportunity has presented itself before him in a golden glow that he would never forget.
| Congratulations! The Sentinels have reached the upper limit of their current classification! |
| They are now eligible for breakthrough! |
| Do you wish for the Sentinels to undergo advancement? (Yes/No) |
His loyal subordinates have unexpectedly reached the maximum limit of their classification. He didn't know what it meant but from its words. He could assume his Sentinels were about to 'Level Up!'. Just the thought of it delighted him. He even wondered if he could level up like them.
'Perhaps my level-up requirements are connected to the Cerberus Headquarters. After all, the Protocol is called the Doomsday Base Building Protocol in its entire name.' Duke thought to himself and shook off the unwanted thoughts of leveling up.
For now, he'll have to entertain the leveling up of his subordinates.
"Sentinels, suspend the convoy near the roadside." Duke coldly ordered, and the drivers of the Vanguards swiftly halted the military convoy. The Sentinels were curious as to what their Directors had planned in mind. Would they fight against thousands of aberrants for Cerberus in melee?
If Duke ever heard of their thoughts, he would be astonished at how mad his loyal subordinates were.
'Yes!' He didn't explain anything to the Sentinels, which they didn't mind. They sat silently as their Director activated the breakthrough of their classifications. Of course, they didn't know they were undergoing a breakthrough.
The bodies of the Sentinels gleamed with a golden brilliance. Duke squinted his eyes because of the brightness and calmly scrutinized the transformation of his subordinates. He was envious that they were leveling up. But as their Director, he should be happy about the occasion.
It took a minute for the radiant golden light to calm down. During the entire time, the Sentinels didn't panic as if they had expected the breakthrough. Obviously, inside their heads, they thought of the golden light as the God-given ability of their Director.
Duke could see the fanaticism in their eyes as if the perception they had towards their Director was reaching beyond the bounds of human limitation. In their eyes, he wasn't a mere Director anymore.
He didn't mind such preconceived thoughts of his subordinates. It's all good if these thoughts could increase the Sentinels' loyalty towards him. However, he would probably have to handle their expectations and act accordingly.
Pretending to be a cold, aloof Director with powerful abilities would probably cause him most of the headaches in the future. But for the sake of safety, survival, and growth. He'd rather have a headache than become a homeless man with nowhere to go to.
Anyhow, the brilliant golden light soon faded from the bodies of the Sentinels. Multiple digital notifications materialized before his sapphire-like eyes. Duke glanced at the digital displays, and the smile on his face got wider and wider.
The Sentinels, noticing the expression of their Director, felt excitement in their hearts. The great Director must have given them the blessings of Cerberus. Such a thing was a gift they would treasure in their hearts. This will be something they will never forget.
Meanwhile, Duke was focusing on the digital displays in front of him. The effects of the bright golden light were better than what he had previously thought. The breakthrough in classification wasn't to be underestimated.
'*Tsk...* It's hard to not get envious of how much these Sentinels got their upgrades. I also want to level up like them.' He shook his head and continued scrutinizing the digital notifications.
| The breakthrough was a success! |
| The Sentinels have advanced from their classification! |
| Sentinel classifications have been promoted from Zero-Ordinance to First-Ordinance! |
| Sentinel Physique has increased! |
| Sentinel Intellect has increased! |
| Sentinel Wisdom has increased! |
| Sentinel Instinct has increased! |
| Sentinel Accuracy has increased! |
| Sentinel Armament has been enhanced! |
| Sentinel Equipment has been enhanced! |
| Sentinel has gained 2% immunity! |
After reading through the bombardment of digital notifications, Duke couldn't hide the astonishment in his eyes. The more he thought the list would end, the longer it would become. It was shocking for an ordinary man like him, and it also made him even more envious.
'No, no, calm yourself, Duke. Maybe I can find a way to get stronger after I return to the Cerberus Headquarters. I can even build a research lab to upgrade my body. Nothing's impossible with the Protocol. So be patient.' Duke closed his eyelids and calmed himself down.
"How do all of you feel?" After calming down, Duke questioned the silent Sentinels, who gazed at him through the crimson lens of their black gas mask. It was quite a sight to behold, especially when stared at by death-corp-looking soldiers.
One might think of Duke as a prisoner of some sort with the intense gaze the Sentinels were giving him.
"We are delighted to be blessed by the glory and blessings of the Director. Oh, great Director of Cerberus, let us give you a cry of our loyalty!" The Sentinel in the front seat reacted fanatically, which caused a cascade toward all of the Sentinels.
"We will forever be the sword and the shield of the Director!"
"Let him be our guiding light in the pitch-black darkness of the eternal night!"
"For we shall vanquish the enemies of Cerberus and our great lord, the Director!"
The Sentinels started preaching for some reason. Even the Sentinels in the front Vanguard were also influenced and began preaching the holy code of the Cerberus. Duke, on the other hand, stared at them as if he was looking at some cult.
'Don't tell me that the Cerberus is a religious military order? Then who's the god?' Duke thought to himself, and he didn't want to believe the thoughts that surged through his head. Handling a religious military order was something he'd not do.
Who knows what the religious fanatics could do.
"Okay, okay! I am pleased by your gratefulness. No need to preach in front of me."
"Instead, report the changes brought to you by the golden light. I want to hear your words about it." He decided to change the subject since he didn't want to touch the topic of religion. He didn't want to be a second-coming prophet of some god. That was a dangerous territory to walk into.
The Sentinels around him calmed down and began reporting the changes they had felt to Duke. Their reports were simple, like feeling better, stronger, faster, clever, and even the equipment got harder. After hearing their words, Duke nodded in satisfaction and remarked.
"Good! Work hard in terminating the aberrants and defending the gates of Cerberus." His words were simple, but the morale of the Sentinels rose erratically. Despite not seeing their expressions, he felt excitement pouring from their gas mask.
"At any rate, let's continue. We already took our time on this roadside." Duke calmly uttered, and the drivers didn't hesitate to turn on the ignition of the Vanguards. The engines roared deeply as the Vanguards rumbled. The drivers pressed the pedal, and the convoy accelerated to the road.
The military convoy continued navigating through the dimmed and ruined highway. Pure darkness continued to shroud the entirety of the surroundings, though fortunately, the convoy had an arrow that pointed toward the direction of their headquarters.
As the armored vehicles traversed through the decimated road, the lustrous arrow floating above slowly changed the direction it was pointed at. It changed from south to west, signifying the Cerberus Headquarters was nearby. However, it also meant they'd have to leave the highway.
"The Cerberus Headquarters is close. But the convoy will have to go off-road. Turn 90 degrees and continue onward!" Duke gave an order, which the military convoy followed without any questions. The Vanguards left the highway and finally entered the fields of endless wasteland.
The armored vehicles shook from the rough terrain as dust rapidly covered the body of the Vanguards. The Sentinels, arming the rotary armored sentry guns, cautiously observed the darkened surroundings while the brilliant headlights gleamed through the darkness.
Who knows what kind of things they would discover here. One could only hope for a peaceful ride in these risky circumstances.