Chapter — Final Preparation, Looting, and Infiltration
The sunrise was turning the devastated New York sky orange as Daniel gathered the group in the factory yard. The steel doors creaked open, revealing the partially modified convoy.
Lucas, his face covered in grease, wiped his hands on an old towel.
— The buses' armor is almost finished. But we need more fuel and supplies. We won't last long if we just stay inside.
Daniel nodded.
— That's why today we're going to divide up the tasks. Alice, Jill, Leon, and I are going to the Umbrella base. But first, we'll completely loot the supply depot we found yesterday. There's still stuff there.
Marcos adjusted his cap and approached.
— And here we are, finishing the fortifications and preparing the convoy for a quick evacuation. There's an abandoned tanker truck near the refinery, we can try to salvage it.
Cut to scene — Looting the Depot
The convoy stopped near the huge supply depot. The streets were eerily silent, corpses scattered, shop windows shattered, and the sour smell of decay in the air.
Daniel went down with Alice, Jill, and Leon, rifles in hand, eyes alert.
"Quick and quiet. Without attracting the zombies," Daniel ordered.
Inside the warehouse, piles of supplies still intact: canned goods, bottles of water, medicines, tools, fuel in gallons, and boxes of ammunition.
While the group loaded what they could, Daniel surreptitiously instructed the system:
"Put the rest in inventory. I want everything."
The AI's sweet voice sounded:
"Everything stored, Daniel-kun. Inventory now 35% full."
Alice noticed his discreet smile.
"You always have that look when you're plotting something."
Daniel winked.
"Secrets are part of the charm." Return to the Convoy — Direction: Automobile Factory
The convoy returned to the factory loaded. Inside the vehicles, the atmosphere was mixed: tension and hope. Children dozed, adults spoke in whispers, and Lucas was already preparing the tools.
Scene in the Factory — Construction of the Vehicles
Hours passed. Under the command of Lucas and Marcos, the group transformed school buses into mobile fortresses. Steel plates reinforced windows and doors, internal barricades protected the occupants, and improvised supports held weapons.
The salvaged tanker truck was fueled. Gallons of fuel filled the hidden compartments.
Alice approached Daniel, observing the modifications.
— It's starting to look like a war convoy.
Daniel crossed his arms.
— It's going to have to look even more like one if we want to survive. Umbrella will come after us.
Leon joined the group.
— Their base is twenty minutes away from here, under one of the old buildings downtown. They have underground labs… and probably a lot of answers.
Attack Planning
Inside the factory's makeshift meeting room, Daniel opened the digital maps collected by the system, information obtained from secret scans.
"Main entrance here," he pointed, indicating a camouflaged sewer access. "But probably guarded. We'll have to enter discreetly, eliminate the guards and access the labs."
Jill analyzed the map.
"What if it goes wrong?"
"It will go wrong," Alice said matter-of-factly. "It always does. But we're prepared."
Scene Cut—Infiltration of the Umbrella Base
It was nightfall when the group left. Daniel, Alice, Jill and Leon walked through the dark underground tunnels. The smell of mold and rusty metal filled the air.
Guns drawn, eyes alert. They advanced.
Zombies prowled the outside areas, but the silencers and the accuracy of the shots prevented any alarm.
Inside the Base
The metal corridor of the Umbrella facility was lit by red emergency lights. Blood dripped down the walls, signs of previous chaos.
Alice kicked open a door, revealing a destroyed laboratory.
"They've lost control here..." she whispered.
Suddenly, a horde of zombies ran down the corridor.
Daniel advanced without hesitation, his vitality-absorbing sword in hand. The metal cut through rotting flesh with ease, while the system notified:
"Vitality absorbed. Regeneration in progress."
Alice fired accurately. Jill covered the flanks, Leon reloaded nonstop.
Bloody and brutal scenes.
Daniel swung his sword, cutting through the infected. Each blow fed his body with vital energy. His vision became sharper, his muscles reacted faster.
"System, distribute points: Strength +1, Stamina +1, Speed +1," he ordered mentally.
Updated Status:
Strength: 5
Speed: 4
Stamina: 4
Vitality: 13
The zombies fell by the dozens.
Clear Area
The group breathed heavily, covered in blood and remains. They advanced to the center of the laboratory, where they found documents, hard drives and boxes with Umbrella equipment.
Daniel discreetly filled his inventory.
"System Shop updated. New items available."
Alice leaned against the
on the wall.
— We got what we wanted. But this is just the beginning.
Daniel looked at the rubble.
— Let's turn what's left into our weapon.