The System's notification glowed on Miguel's phone all night:
[New Unlock: Forward Operating Base (FOB). Location Selection Required.]
He barely slept. By dawn, his mind raced with possibilities. Where could he put a base in a city as crowded and suspicious as Manila?
It had to be hidden. Secure. Beyond the reach of police eyes, political rivals, and nosey neighbors.
By mid-morning, Miguel drove through the outskirts of Rizal Province, a beat-up sedan blending him in with ordinary commuters. Beyond the subdivisions and roadside carinderias, the terrain shifted — hills, overgrown lots, abandoned quarries. Perfect ground for secrets.
At a deserted quarry, he stopped the car. Dust rose around him as he stepped out, scanning the jagged cliffs and stagnant pools. No people. No traffic. Just silence.
He opened the System interface.
[Confirm location for FOB deployment? Y/N]
Miguel pressed Yes.
The earth shook. For a moment, he thought it was an earthquake. Then, before his eyes, the empty quarry transformed.
Concrete walls rose from the ground. Steel gates locked into place. Guard towers unfolded like mechanical sentries. Within minutes, what had been wasteland became a fortress — camouflaged to ordinary eyes, yet to Miguel and his soldiers it gleamed with digital precision.
"Commander," Echo One said as he and the squad materialized beside him, "the base is secure. Systems online."
Miguel walked through the gates, awe in his every step. Inside stood barracks, an armory, a command center humming with glowing screens, even a motor pool where the Humvee sat waiting.
This was no hideout. This was an army's beating heart.
Over the next week, Miguel poured effort into the FOB. Supplies streamed in through the System: crates of ammo, rations, medical gear. He could summon more squads now, rotating men for rest and training.
He gave them structure:
Alpha Squad — assault specialists.
Bravo Squad — reconnaissance and covert ops.
Charlie Squad — logistics and security.
Every night, missions launched from the base like clockwork. Drug dens burned. Extortion rings crumbled. Smugglers disappeared. To the public, it seemed Manila's underworld was being eaten alive by an invisible predator.
But Miguel was careful. No banners, no claims, no signatures. His rule was simple: remain a ghost.
In the city, fear spread.
In Tondo, a gang leader whispered to his men: "They're not police. They don't take bribes. They don't even leave their dead behind. They're something else."
In Quezon City, a cartel boss slammed his fist on the table. "Whoever they are, they've hit five of my shipments in two weeks. That's millions gone! Find them, or we're finished."
And in Malacañang Palace, a senator leaned across a conference table. "Mr. President, these attacks are coordinated. Whoever's behind them has resources and discipline. That's not street vigilantes. That's military."
The President frowned, tapping his pen. "Then the question is… whose military?"
Miguel sat alone in the FOB's command center, Manila's map glowing on the screens. Red markers dotted the city — criminal strongholds, corrupt officials' mansions, cartel warehouses. Each one was a target.
His phone buzzed with a new mission:
[Objective: Intercept arms shipment bound for Davao.]
[Reward: +150 Command Points. Unlock: Helicopter Support.]
Miguel exhaled. Helicopters. His reach would grow beyond Manila soon.
But his heart tightened. The more he struck, the more attention he drew. Already, whispers filled the slums, boardrooms, even government halls. His ghost army couldn't stay a secret forever.
Still, as he looked at the glowing red dots on the map, he clenched his fists.
"They've bled this country dry for too long," he whispered. "And if I must be a ghost to end it… then so be it."
Behind him, Echo One entered. "Commander, squads are ready. Just give the word."
Miguel's eyes stayed on the map, the storm he had unleashed spreading wider with every mission.
"Deploy," he said.