Chapter 25: Behind Enemy Lines
Day 31 - September 16th
We left at midnight, me, Maya, and Rodriguez (the ex-military scout). Three people could move silently. More than that, and stealth became impossible.
The General's territory began five miles east of Green Lake. We traveled on foot, using my Night Vision and Rodriguez's natural navigation skills to avoid zombie packs.
The border was marked by crude signs: skulls on posts, spraypainted warnings, booby traps set for unwary survivors.
"Charming," Maya muttered.
We crossed carefully, using my Danger Sense to detect and avoid traps. Once inside General's territory, the atmosphere changed.
This wasn't abandoned like most of Seattle, this was controlled, patrolled, militarized.
"Four-person patrol, two blocks north," I whispered, using my Combat Awareness to detect them from a distance.
We hid in an alley as the patrol passed, armed men wearing mismatched body armor, carrying rifles. They looked professional. Dangerous.
Rodriguez signaled: Forward. Stay low.
We moved through the shadows using Silent Steps. Maya's upgraded version was even quieter than mine, she literally made no sound, even when stepping on broken glass.
The General's main base was in what used to be a shopping mall. We observed it from a rooftop two hundred meters away.
It was impressive. Fortified walls, guard towers, organized patrol routes. I counted at least sixty fighters visible, probably more inside.
"That's more than we thought," Rodriguez said.
I pulled out Dr. Chen's detector and activated it. The screen lit up with System energy signatures.
"Fifty-seven individuals detected," I read."Levels ranging from 2 to... holy shit."
"What?" Maya asked.
"Level 15. Someone in that base is level 15."
That was more than double my level. More than double Lucas's level. The General, it had to be him, was monstrously powerful.
"Can you identify which one is him?" Rodriguez asked.
I adjusted the detector's sensitivity, trying to pinpoint the level 15 signature. It was moving through the base, from the upper floors down toward....
"He's coming outside," I said. "The General himself. We're about to get eyes on him."
We watched as a figure emerged from the mall's main entrance. Even from two hundred meters, I could tell he was different.
He was tall, maybe six and a half feet, with a muscular build that suggested physical enhancement. He wore actual military gear, not scavenged equipment. And he moved with the confidence of someone who'd never lost a fight.
I used Inspect at maximum range:
[THE GENERAL - UNKNOWN TRUE NAME]
[LEVEL: 15]
[CLASS: WARLORD]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[SPECIAL ABILITY: DOMINATION - Can command lower-level humans through force of will]
My blood ran cold. "He can mind-control people. His ability is called Domination."
"Mind control?" Maya's voice was tight. "How does that work?"
"I don't know. But it explains how he built his army so fast. He doesn't recruit, he conquers."
As we watched, the General spoke with his officers. Even at this distance, I could see the fear in their body language. They weren't following him by choice.
"We need to leave," Rodriguez said. "Report this. The coalition needs to know what we're facing."
But I wanted more information. Using my Inspect skill, I scanned the other high-level fighters in the base.
[LIEUTENANT MARCUS DORN - LEVEL 7] (The man who'd ambushed us weeks ago)
[LIEUTENANT SARAH TORRES - LEVEL 8] (We'd killed her brother at Cascade View)
[CAPTAIN VICTOR REYES - LEVEL 10]
Level 10. The General had at least one other fighter at Level 10 besides himself.
"Structure analysis," I whispered, taking mental notes. "The General at the top, three lieutenants below him, captains leading squads of soldiers. Probably two hundred fighters total if you count the outposts."
"Two hundred against our three hundred," Maya said. "Should be even odds."
"Except he's level 15 with mind control," I pointed out. "That's not even odds. That's a massacre waiting to happen."
My Danger Sense suddenly flared.
"Someone spotted us," I hissed. "Move. Now."
We ran, staying low, using rooftops and alleys to break line of sight. Behind us, shouts erupted. Patrol groups converging on our position.
"They've got dogs," Rodriguez reported, hearing barks. "Tracking dogs. We can't outrun those."
"Then we fight," Maya said, readying her bat.
"No," I said, an idea forming. "We go up."
I led them to a tall building, fifteen stories, plenty of height. We climbed the fire escape, taking stairs three at a time. Below, the dogs and their handlers were closing in.
At the roof, I turned to face the edge. "Trust me?"
"Always," Maya said.
I cast Mana Shield around all three of us, a protective bubble of blue energy. Then I cast Lightning Bolt down at the pursuing enemies.
The bolt struck between them, not killing but stunning and scaring. Dogs yelped and ran. Handlers dove for cover.
"Now we jump," I said.
"WHAT?!" Rodriguez looked at me like I was insane.
"The building next door is only one story shorter. Mana Shield will absorb the impact. We jump, break line of sight, and they lose us."
Maya didn't hesitate. She ran and leaped, the Mana Shield glowing around her. She hit the next rooftop, rolled, came up running.
Rodriguez cursed but followed.
I went last, maintaining the shield, making sure everyone landed safely. The pursuers below lost sight of us in the jump.
We escaped into the night, leaving confused enemies behind.
We made it back to Green Lake at 4 AM, exhausted but alive.
Lucas and the council were waiting. I delivered my report immediately.
"The General is level 15 with a mind control ability called Domination. He has at least two hundred fighters, including a level 10 captain. And his base is heavily fortified."
The council chamber fell silent.
"Level 15," Lucas finally said. "That's... I don't even know how that's possible. He'd need to kill thousands of zombies or dozens of high-level threats."
"Or hundreds of humans," Hayes said grimly. "Mind control plus ruthless tactics. He's probably been killing rival survivor groups and taking their resources."
"Can we win?" Sarah asked the question everyone was thinking.
"Not in direct combat," I said. "He's too strong. But we don't need to win direct combat. We need to win the war."
"What's the difference?" someone asked.
"Direct combat is one battle. War is strategy, psychology, resources, time." I pulled out a map. "The General wants to conquer Seattle. We want to protect it. Those are different objectives, and different objectives require different tactics."
Lucas caught on. "You're thinking asymmetric warfare. We can't beat him in a fair fight, so we make sure the fight isn't fair."
"Exactly. Guerrilla tactics. Hit supply lines. Rescue people he's dominated before his control sets in. Turn his strength, his centralized command, into a weakness."
"That's a long war," Hayes warned. "Could last months."
"Then it lasts months," I said. "But we survive. And eventually, we get strong enough to face him directly."
The council debated for hours. Finally, they voted.
We would fight a guerrilla war against the General's Army. No pitched battles. No direct confrontations. Just constant pressure, bleeding resources, freeing his controlled soldiers when possible.
It wasn't heroic. It wasn't glorious.
But it was smart. And in the apocalypse, smart meant survival.
Day 32 - September 17th
The guerrilla war began with small strikes.
A coalition team raided a General's Army supply depot, stole food and ammunition, left before reinforcements arrived.
Another team freed a group of survivors the General had recently dominated, his control hadn't fully set in yet, and we broke them out before it became permanent.
A third team sabotaged vehicles in one of his outposts, destroying engines and slashing tires.
None of it was decisive. But all of it was annoying, expensive, demoralizing.
The General would retaliate. I knew that. But every day we delayed major conflict was another day to get stronger, recruit more people, prepare better defenses.
I spent the afternoon training my magic. Lightning Bolt was powerful but expensive, 50 mana per cast meant I could only fire six times before exhausting my mana pool. I needed to be more efficient.
Dr. Chen found me during practice.
"I've been analyzing the System energy patterns," she said. "There's something you should know. The apocalypse is accelerating."
"What do you mean?"
"Tier-6 zombies. The System data suggests they'll start appearing soon. Maybe two weeks. Maybe less."
Tier-6. I didn't remember those from the novel, I'd stopped reading before they appeared. "How strong?"
"Catastrophe-class plus. Worse than the Chimera. Probably intelligent, definitely deadly." Dr. Chen looked worried. "If a Tier-6 appears while we're fighting the General..."
"Then we're all dead," I finished.
"Unless we end the war quickly."
"Or convince the General to fight the Tier-6 instead of us."
Dr. Chen blinked. "That's... actually clever. Common enemy. Temporary truce."
"Would he agree to it?"
"Would you, in his position?"
I thought about it. The General was a conqueror, a warlord who used mind control to build an empire. Would someone like that cooperate with enemies?
Maybe. If the alternative was death.
"I'll bring it to Lucas," I said. "But we need more time to plan. The Tier-6 threat is coming, but it's not here yet."
Dr. Chen nodded and left. I continued training, pushing my magic harder.
Six lightning bolts per mana pool wasn't enough.
I needed to be stronger.
We all did.
Because the apocalypse kept escalating,
Title: Reader (Hidden)
Special Advantage: Reader's Privilege
• Enhanced skill learning rate: +25%
• Bonus points for strategic actions: +10%
• Event notifications: Limited access
"My stats are pretty average," I said. "Except Intelligence and Wisdom are higher, probably from having two lifetimes of memories. And I have this Reader's Privilege thing that gives me learning bonuses."
"Your Strength is only 6?" Maya raised an eyebrow. "That explains why you were struggling with that big zombie on the first floor."
"Hey, I survived eleven years of malnutrition.
I'm working with what I've got." I stirred my soup. "What are your stats?"
Maya read them off: "Strength 9, Agility 10, Constitution 8, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 9, Luck 6. I'm more physical than you, less smart."
"You're plenty smart," I said. "You've been planning for this for two years. That takes intelligence."
She smiled slightly. "Thanks. But I wish my Luck was higher. Six feels ominous."
"Five is worse," I pointed out.
We finished eating in companionable silence, then spent the afternoon organizing our supplies and reinforcing the apartment. Maya nailed boards over the windows, not completely blocking them, but enough to prevent zombies from seeing in. I set up tripwires in the hallway outside our door using fishing line and empty cans. Low-tech, but effective.
Around 6 PM, we heard screaming from the apartment below us.
"Third floor," Maya said immediately, grabbing her bat. "Someone's in trouble."
"Wait...." I started, but she was already at the door.
"We're in a Safe Zone," she said. "That means anyone who makes it here has a chance to survive. We should help them."
She was right. And if we were going to build a base with allies, we had to start somewhere.
We found the source of screaming quickly: unit 3B, directly below ours. The door was ajar, and inside we could hear sobbing and the distinctive groaning of zombies.
Maya kicked the door open fully.
Inside, a woman in her thirties was cornered in the kitchen by two zombies, both children, maybe eight and ten years old. The woman was crying, holding a kitchen knife but unable to bring herself to use it on what had clearly been her kids.
"Please," she sobbed when she saw us. "Please help them, they're sick, they need..."
"They're dead," Maya said bluntly. "I'm sorry. But they're gone."
The woman screamed "No!" but Maya was already moving. She swung the bat and caught the smaller zombie in the head, dropping it instantly. I moved in on the second one, using my crowbar to take it down with two heavy strikes.
[ZOMBIES KILLED: 2]
[POINTS EARNED: 20]
[BONUS: +5 (RESCUE SUCCESSFUL)]
The woman collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably. Maya knelt beside her while I checked the rest of the apartment,clear, no more threats.
"What's your name?" Maya asked gently.
"Lisa," the woman choked out. "Lisa Park. My babies, my babies were sick this morning, and then the aurora came and they died and then they woke up and..." She couldn't finish, just sobbed harder.
Maya looked at me, and I saw my own conflicted feelings reflected in her eyes. We'd just killed this woman's children. Zombified children, but still. The apocalypse was brutal in ways that went beyond physical danger.
"Lisa," Maya said firmly. "I know this is horrible. But your kids are gone. What you saw were monsters wearing their faces. Do you understand?"
Lisa nodded slowly, still crying.
"Do you want to survive?" Maya pressed.
Another nod.
"Then you need to come with us. Our apartment is safer. We have food and water. But you have to pull yourself together, okay?"
It took ten minutes to get Lisa calm enough to move. We brought her up to our apartment, gave her water and a blanket, and let her sit in the corner while she processed her trauma.
"First survivor recruit," I said quietly to Maya.
"Think she'll make it?"
"I don't know," Maya admitted. "Losing your kids like that... I can't imagine. But she's alive, and that's something."
The rest of the day passed slowly. Lisa barely spoke, just sat wrapped in the blanket and stared at nothing. We didn't push her.
Everyone processed trauma differently.
At 11:47 PM, my System interface chimed:
[TUTORIAL QUEST COMPLETION: 13 MINUTES]
Maya and I positioned ourselves by the window, watching the clock. At exactly midnight, new messages flooded our vision:
[TUTORIAL QUEST COMPLETE!]
[CONGRATULATIONS ON SURVIVING YOUR FIRST DAY]
[REWARDS GRANTED:]
• System Shop Access Unlocked
• 100 Bonus Points
• Basic Skill Selection Available
[CURRENT POINTS: 230] (My total with all bonuses)
[SYSTEM SHOP NOW AVAILABLE]
[Would you like to browse available items and skills?]
I mentally selected YES, and suddenly my vision filled with a massive catalog.
The System Shop was organized into categories:
WEAPONS
• Basic Iron Sword: 50 points
• Reinforced Combat Knife: 30 points
• Compound Bow + 20 Arrows: 80 points
• 9mm Pistol + 50 Rounds: 150 points
• Baseball Bat (Enhanced Durability): 40 points
ARMOR
• Leather Vest: 60 points
• Combat Boots (Enhanced): 45 points
• Tactical Gloves: 25 points
• Light Kevlar Vest: 200 points
CONSUMABLES
• Health Potion (Restores 50 HP): 20 points
• Stamina Potion (Restores 30 Stamina): 15 points
• Purified Water (1 gallon): 5 points
• Nutrient Bar (1 day food): 10 points
• Antidote (Cures poison): 30 points
SKILLS - COMBAT
• Basic Knife Fighting (Passive): 100 points
• Basic Firearms (Passive): 100 points
• Power Strike (Active): 150 points
• Quick Dodge (Active): 120 points
• Precision Shot (Active): 130 points
SKILLS - SURVIVAL
• Enhanced Stamina (Passive): 80 points
• Fast Healing (Passive): 150 points
• Danger Sense (Passive): 200 points
• Crafting Basic (Passive): 60 points
• Foraging Knowledge (Passive): 50 points
SKILLS - UTILITY
• Inspect (Active): 40 points
• Night Vision (Toggle): 90 points
• Silent Steps (Passive): 110 points
• Inventory Expansion: 75 points
SPECIAL ITEMS
• Portable Safe Zone Marker: 500 points
• System Map (Shows nearby resources): 300 points
• Communication Crystal (Links 2 users): 250 points
• Random Skill Book: 180 points
The list went on and on, hundreds of items. My head spun trying to process it all.
"This is overwhelming," Maya said beside me, clearly browsing her own shop interface.
"Yeah," I agreed. "We need to be strategic.
What do we need most right now?"
Maya thought for a moment. "Skills over items. Items can be looted or crafted eventually. Skills make us stronger permanently."
"Smart." I scanned the skill list again. "I'm thinking Basic Knife Fighting for me, I'm using the knife most. That's 100 points. What about you?"
"I have 95 points total," Maya said. "Not enough for any of the 100-point skills. But I can afford Enhanced Stamina for 80 points. That'll help me fight longer without getting tired."
"Good choice." I kept browsing. "After Knife Fighting, I'll have 130 points left. I should save some for emergencies, but... Inspect for 40 points seems useful. It probably lets us see information about enemies and items."
"Do it," Maya encouraged. "Information is survival."
I made my purchases:
[PURCHASE: BASIC KNIFE FIGHTING - 100 POINTS]
[PURCHASE: INSPECT - 40 POINTS]
[POINTS REMAINING: 90]
Immediately, knowledge flooded my mind. My hands moved through knife-fighting stances I'd never learned but somehow knew now. Grip positions. Strike angles. Defensive movements. It felt like I'd trained for months in seconds.
"Whoa," I breathed. "That's... intense."
Maya had purchased Enhanced Stamina and was flexing her hands, testing her new capability. "I feel like I could run a marathon. This is incredible."
I focused on Lisa, who was still in the corner, and activated my new Inspect skill:
[LISA PARK]
Level: 1
Status: Traumatized, Grieving
Threat Level: None
Class: None (Unawakened)
Notes: Recently lost children to zombification. Mental state fragile. Survival chance without support: 12%
Twelve percent. That was brutal but probably accurate.
"We should rest," I said. "Day two starts tomorrow, and if the novel's timeline holds, things get worse."
Maya nodded. "I'll take first watch. Wake me in four hours."
Lisa finally spoke, her voice hoarse: "Thank you. For saving me. For bringing me here."
"Don't thank us yet," Maya said, not unkindly. "Just focus on surviving. That's all any of us can do."
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If you enjoy this chapter, please vote with your Power Stones! It helps a lot! 💎
it's was a long chapter. thanks for patiencely reading this 😊.