As Richard and his summoned troops sweep every floor of the building, the more he learns about the system, especially on the two tabs he hasn't explored yet.
The Zombie Encounters for example is like an archive that would automatically fill up when Richard killed a specific variant of zombie. According to the system, the name of the zombie plaguing the building is called Walker. And based on his encounter with a walker, they are swift, agile, and strong. Similar to the zombies in World War Z. No wonder why the city is overrun. If it's zombies from the walking dead, then humanity might stand a chance.
Their weakness seemed to be their heads, as firing them in their torso is not stopping them, though it slowed them down.
As for the Basic Survival Guide, it's a document containing tips and tricks on how to survive the apocalypse retrieved from the internet. This is convenient because he doesn't have to access the internet, which will be gone soon.
As they swept the floor down to the ground floor, they would encounter civilians hiding in their rooms, asking to get rescued as they mistook them for being part of the military. Richard's answer would remain the same, "stay indoors".
As for the health points, there are health bars above the zombies, a convenient interface that allows him and his summoned troops to know if the zombies are going to be killed.
He and his summoned troops also have health bars, and they haven't decreased a bit as the zombies weren't able to get near them thanks to their assault rifles.
Speaking of rifles, Richard would occasionally restock their supplies of ammunition by buying it from the shop. The cost was 50 gold coins per magazine. Since there were eleven of them, each needing six magazines, that would amount to around 66 magazines or 3300 gold coins.
It might sound inexpensive considering that killing a zombie would provide him with five magazines worth of ammunition. However, if he were to consider the long-term perspective, especially when his troops numbered in the hundreds or even thousands, the cumulative cost would become substantial. The initial investment of 3300 gold coins might seem manageable for now, but as the numbers of his troops grew, the expenses for ammunition would escalate significantly.
"Sir, we are now entering the ground floor," Alpha 1 informed. "Things are going to get messy here. Reinforcement would be much appreciated."
"I know," Richard said as he opened his system, looking at his stats.
[User: Richard Gonzales
Age: 21
Level: 6
Skills: Weapon Proficiency Level 1, Melee Proficiency Level 1, Driving Proficiency Level 1.
Health: 100/100
Experience points: 18,000/ 22,885
Available Skill Points: 5
Current gold balance: 57,500 gold coins
Summoned Troops: 10/250
]
The first thing he did was invest the skill points he earned to Weapon Proficiency, which needs five points to level it. When he did that, he felt a surreal change inside his mind and body, as if being inserted and with data in his head.
The second thing was increasing his troops. He noticed that as they reach the ground floor, more and more zombies appear, which at their current number, is going to overwhelm them.
To increase his troops, he went to the shop tab under the section of Troops. He tapped the combat troops and gave them a list of options.
[Troops - Combat Troops:
Rifleman - 500 gold coins.
Grenadier - 500 gold coins.
Machine Gunner - 750 gold coins.
Sniper - 750 gold coins.
Assaultman - 1000 gold coins.
Locked -
Locked -
Locked -
…
Take note that the troops you are going to purchase won't have weapons. In that case, you will have to buy them yourselves in the weapon section. ]
So buying troops doesn't come with weapons huh? He glanced at his summoned troops, studying what they lacked. It's firepower and manpower. So he purchased three machine gunners and five riflemen.
Total amount = 4750 gold coins. Please confirm your purchase.]
Richard tapped "confirm," and a magic circle materialized on the floor. Emerging from the circle were five riflemen, bearing the same build and structure as his ten summoned troops. Alongside them stood three machine gunners with a burly physique.
Nodding in satisfaction, Richard browsed his shop again and looked to buy weapons for them.
Carbine -
M4 Carbine - 1,000 gold coins x3.
HK21 - 1,500 gold coins 3x
Ammunition.
18x M4 Carbine magazine 30 rounds - 900 gold coins.
9x HK21 Box magazine 80 rounds - 120 gold coins.
Total amount = 1980 gold coins. Please confirm your purchase.
New current balance if purchased: 50,770.]
Richard confirmed the purchase and a message popped up.
[Do you want the weapons to be transferred immediately to your summoned troops? Yes or No.]
'That sounds convenient,' Richard thought to himself before tapping "Yes". Suddenly, the weapons that he bought were now in the hands of his newly summoned troops.
"Okay, the three new riflemen will become Alpha 11, 12, and 13. As for the machine gunner, sirs, you will be Heavy Alpha 1, 2, 3."
"Understood sir," the four newly summoned troops acknowledged in unison.
"Are we ready, sir?" Alpha 1 asked.
Richard took a deep breath. He could hear the noises beyond the door.
"Proceed, Alpha 1," Richard gave the signal.
Immediately after, Alpha 1 opened the door and everyone followed behind him. They immediately fanned out to cover a wide area.
The lobby of his condominium was large and the zombies present were much larger, around a hundred or more of them. All of them were walkers and they turned their heads towards Richard and his summoned troops.
The moment the walker's gaze landed on the humans, their impulses and instincts kicked in, and they surged forward.
"Open fire!" Richard shouted and their M4 Carbines and the HK21 machine gun roared in response. The air was filled with a deafening symphony of gunfire as bullets tore through the approaching horde of walkers. Richard's summoned troops, now bolstered by the newly acquired riflemen and machine gunners, unleashed a relentless barrage of firepower.
The impact of the bullets sent walkers stumbling and falling, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Even as Richard's troops mowed down one wave, more walkers emerged from the main entrance, drawn by the noise of the machine gun that was not suppressed and the movements of the walkers.
The health bars above the zombies' heads acted as a visual guide, indicating the effectiveness of their attacks. They aimed for the heads to take down the walkers more efficiently. The summoned machine gunners sprayed suppressing fire, providing cover as riflemen took their time to reload and vice versa.
The lobby became a battleground, the marble floor stained with blood and littered with fallen bodies. The groans and snarls of the walkers were drowned out by the continuous chorus of gunfire.
As the battle wore on, the relentless onslaught of zombies took its toll. The summoned troops maintained their formation, but Richard could see that they were slowly being overwhelmed, and running out of bullets.
"There's no end to them!" Alpha 5 shouted.
"Sir I think we have to retreat, the walkers just keep coming and coming!" Alpha 1 suggested while decimating the incoming walkers.
"Shit…" Richard cursed inwardly. So their firepower and manpower are still lacking huh? As much as he wanted to buy more personnel, the cost was a lot for him to afford.
But at that moment, an idea struck him in the head.
"Cover me!" Richard commanded as he opened his system and went to the Wheel of Fortune.
[Welcome to the Wheel of Fortune. Test your luck and win rewards, available once a month.
These are the possible rewards you can get!
1,000,000 gold coins.
5,000,000 gold coins.
10,000,000 gold coins
1x Luxurious Chest
5x Precious Chest
10x Exquisite Chest
Military Vehicle Supply Pack
Weapons Supply Pack
Division Pack Personnel
Grand Price: 100,000,000 gold coins. ]
Richard's eyes widened upon reading about the possible rewards he can get. How come he didn't check it before going out? It must have slipped his mind as he was busy exploring other tabs. But what's done is done, he needs to spin the wheel.
With that, the wheel spun, and Richard stared at it, hoping he could get gold coins.
"Please be gold coins…please be gold coins," Richard mouthed a prayer as the wheel gradually came to a stop. The pointer landed on a section, and Richard's heart raced as he waited for the result.
[5,000,000 gold coins! Next spin is available next month] The message flashed on the screen, and Richard couldn't believe his luck. A rush of exhilaration surged through him. It was a significant amount that could potentially turn the tides.
"Sir, we can't hold them off much longer!" Alpha 3's voice was strained, their ammunition running low.
"Everyone! To the emergency exits, now!" Richard bellowed and one by one, the troops entered the emergency exit where they emerged while the troops who were outside continued firing to hold the approaching walkers at bay.
Alpha 1 was the last one to enter the emergency exit, and the moment he did, he immediately locked it. The walkers outside banged against the emergency exit door.
"Where to now, sir?" Alpha 1 asked.
"We are going heading up, to the penthouse. It has a large space that can accommodate large numbers. We can strategize there." Richard replied.
"Understood, sir."