"Hmm... Intriguing."
Duke gazed at the digital window with a scrutinizing gaze. He thought carefully about its capabilities and how to utilize the function to its utmost performance.
In the digital window, five of the fifteen slots have been filled by former buildings.
These included the Strategic Command at the top, the Warehouse and Barracks near the bottom, the Cargo Depot on the ground, and the Fusion Reactor in the basement.
Fortunately, Duke could still use ten remaining slots. But he needed to be careful where to place his buildings.
After all, it wouldn't be a good idea to place the barracks deep underground or put it in the uppermost layer of the headquarters.
With this in mind, he quietly thought about the buildings he needed to place. Most needed space, so he wanted to put some near the bottom.
The first one was the Armored Factory. It was amongst the first buildings he bought. This building required a lot of space, and its primary function was the construction of armored vehicles.
Using this information, Duke immediately knew where to put it.
"The Armored Factory will be built above the Cargo Depot."
"That will make the transport of newly-constructed armored vehicles easier. It would also ease the logistics of armored deployment."
Duke planned to store the armored vehicles they had in the Cargo Depot. After all, it would be better to have them on the ground instead of lowering them during an emergency.
The second one was the Fusion Reactor. It would become the second Fusion Reactor of the Cerberus Headquarters, but Duke didn't regret buying it.
The Fusion Reactor practically provides the entire energy output that supports the functionality of the headquarters.
So he didn't feel cheated into buying another one.
"Let's place it below the Cargo Depot and over the current Fusion Reactor."
The third building was the Barracks. Its purpose should be somewhat clear through its name. The Barracks provide shelter, training rooms, gymnasiums, cafeterias, and a shooting range for the personnel.
If he wanted to increase the capacity of personnel, the Cerberus could hold. Constructing a Barracks was something to keep in mind.
Duke positioned the Barracks above the current Barracks in the headquarters. The two should be near since it wouldn't cause a separation between the personnel.
The next and fourth building was the Communication Tower. According to its description, the Communication Tower should be a towering building.
But, since he wanted the first buildings inside the headquarters, it must be placed somewhere.
Duke glanced at the digital window and noticed the empty slot below the Strategic Command.
Since the Communication Tower would handle the communication operations of the headquarters. It would be logical for the building to be under the Strategic Command.
So, he didn't hesitate and put the Communication Tower under the Strategic Command.
'Now that I think about it, the headquarters isn't changing as I place the buildings. It seems I need to confirm their positions to affect the headquarters.'
'That's a good function since I don't want things to be rumbling while deciding where they should go.'
Duke felt relieved since having things changed as he edited them in the digital window didn't feel alright.
Continuing on, it was the Arsenal Refinery's turn. The Arsenal Refinery was a factory focused on armaments, munitions, and ordinance production. It should be put near the supplies of the headquarters.
"I guess above the Warehouse should be adequate."
The fifth building was the Research Station. It was the building that upgraded or opened tech trees for the Cerberus. The Research Station was of great importance. So it needed to be somewhere safe.
Duke preferably wanted the Research Station to be underground. And looking at the digital window, there was some empty slot below the current Fusion Reactor.
'I wanted it deeper, but this is enough.'
He didn't want to keep thinking about the building since it was already decided through the criteria he wanted to have. Afterward, he went onward.
The sixth building was the Drone Forge. The structure facilitates drone construction, which was significant for Cerberus.
Duke thought about where he should put it. After some thinking, he had something in mind.
Placing it in the mid-section was a good idea. Since it could construct land or aerial drones, the building needed to be somewhere that could efficiently deliver both.
The empty slot above the Arsenal Refinery seemed to be the mid-section, so he placed the Drone Forge in it.
'And finally, the last one.'
'The moment I saw you. I already knew where the best place you should be in.'
Duke glanced at the three remaining slots in the digital window. The spacious space was becoming dwarfed by the second.
The last building was the Air Dock. It was a gigantic building that needed a kilometer of space to operate. He hoped he would have enough room for the building.
And there was only one way to find it.
Duke settled the Air Dock in one of the remaining three empty slots. Afterward, a message appeared out of nowhere.
| Air Dock requests for all the remaining slots to operate. Do you agree with its request? (Yes/No) |
He looked at the digital message and didn't hesitate to pick Yes. He had no buildings left to use, so why hesitate on the request?
| Approval Received! |
With the consent of Duke, the three remaining slots became a part of the Air Dock. The entire uppermost section of the dome structure became the building's domain.
| All slots are occupied... |
| Does the Director wish to save the current placement of the slots? |
| If the Director saves the placements, it will be permanent and materialize immediately. |
The digital message that Duke waited for appeared before him. Since he didn't find the need to change anything, Duke decided to save the current placement.
'I hope the headquarters wouldn't shake too much.'
He felt somewhat worried about the changes the eight buildings could bring, but he was confident of the headquarter's superstructure.
It wouldn't tumble with ease.
| The Director has decided to save the current placements of the buildings in the Doomsday Base Interior Level. |
| Saving slot placements... |
The Cerberus Headquarters shook upon the arrival of the digital notification. It was as though the headquarters was facing an earthquake.
Duke walked towards the glass windows of his office and looked downward. He could see the whole headquarters gleaming in a silver light.
Even the superstructure below the Strategic Command glowed radiantly.
"I'm becoming less confident about this place."
He remarked while wishing for the superstructure supporting the Strategic Command to not collapse out of nowhere.
Time soon passed, as 60 seconds went by. It was the longest minute he had ever gone through his entire life.
A new digital notification materialized before his eyes. Duke gazed at it with scrutiny and interest. His heart still rapidly beat from the precarious circumstance he recently faced.
| Slot placements saved! |
| Armored Factory constructed! |
➤| You have unlocked L3 Komodo Tank, Python Main Battle Tank, Coyote Anti-Air Missile Platform, RG7 Grizzly Rail Battery, HA2 Jaguar Self-Propelled Artillery, SH12 Arachne Heavy Assault Tank, and Armored Operator Units. |
| Barracks constructed! |
➤| Maximum population limit increased from 1,000 -> 2,000 personnel. |
| Fusion Reactor constructed! |
➤| Increased power production and supply. |
| Communication Tower constructed! |
➤| Communication range advancement to 250 kilometers in a radius. |
| Research Station constructed! |
➤| You have unlocked Tech Tree Function, Researcher Units, and Technology Upgrade. |
| Arsenal Refinery constructed! |
➤| Armament, Munition, and Ordinance Production unlocked! |
| Drone Forge constructed! |
➤| You have unlocked Basic Attack Drone, Arachne Assault Drone, LR20 Interceptor Drone, and SD4 Reaper Drone. |
| Air Dock constructed! |
➤| You have unlocked Sparrow Transport Helicopter, Condor Heavy Transport Helicopter, Vulture Gunship, Falcon Attack Helicopter, Anti-Air Missile Defense Tower, Aircraft Heavy Factory, and Aviation Pilot Units. |
The newly constructed buildings bombarded him with several digital notifications regarding what he had unlocked after their construction.
And Duke was confident of one thing after looking through the notifications.
There were a lot of things he needed to uncover from these buildings.
'It looks like I'll be working to death in the future. These eight buildings are already a headache. What would happen if I buy all of the buildings in the Doomsday Mall?'
Nevertheless, Duke wasn't too pressured by it since he had his trusted Administrator working for him. The two of them will be working to their deaths in their offices.
He sat back to his comfortable and luxurious chair. He closed his eyelids for a second before opening them once again.
Duke glanced at the communicator on his table and decided to call for his precious Administrator.
"Aurora, please call the ten officers along with Aleph and Bet. We need to have a meeting about Cerberus's future."
On the other side of the communicator, Aurora held a couple of files and swiftly responded to her Director.
"Understood, Director. I will be summoning them to your office."
"Expect their arrival in ten minutes."
Hearing the response of his Administrator, Duke felt satisfied with her efficiency and wanted to appreciate her.
Without her, who knows what could happen. The logistics of the Cerberus were already problematic for someone like him who wasn't experienced.
The Cerberus would have probably stagnated.
"Thank you, Aurora."
"I'll also be waiting for you."
Duke closed the communicator and sighed. The reason he wanted a meeting was because of their future paths.
He also wanted to know the officers' opinions regarding the current military structure.
Even though the Cerberus Military had gained a complete victory against the abominations, he felt the army being constricted by something.
'I guess I'll know what these constrictions are in the meeting.'